Free Republic

Just when youÂ’re starting to think that the entire country is going down the tubes sideways, a story comes along to remind you that it all just might work out in the end after all. Todd Starnes at Fox news uncovered one of those small town stories of political correctness infecting the courts and running completely off the rails this week. At Brandon High School in Mississippi, the traditional Friday Night football game was missing their halftime show. The schoolÂ’s marching band had been ordered off the field because their presentation included the hymn How Great Thou Art. That may...

We've all had the experience of getting a song stuck in our head for an extended period of time. If you're really unfortunate, that song may be one by Christopher Cross or Air Supply. But sometimes, these "earworms," as they are dubbed, can lead to good things. That recently happened to one of us right here at BreakPoint. While reading a biography of the early 20th century evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, my colleague and friend Roberto Rivera found himself humming and singing the gospel song "It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)." He's not sure why the song popped...

Nine out of ten.That's a lot.Nine out of ten churches in America have an average worship attendance of less than 350. And that percentage has not changed significantly for many years. Yet the unchurched pool of persons is increasing in most communities. There are people yet to be reached.But most churches will never exceed 350 in attendance. Why? A Few CaveatsAllow me to preface my analysis. First, big is not necessarily better. A church with more people in attendance is not necessarily more faithful than a smaller church. Second, some churches are in very sparsely populated areas. There may not...

Do you remember this little children’s song? It is such a simple little song. We sang it over and over in Sunday school, daily vacation Bible school, children’s clubs, etc. It seemed so straightforward and uncomplicated. Yet it contains some vital and deep truths and concepts which are not only significant but immensely complicated. Take the first word Jesus. Jesus is without a doubt the most controversial person in history. For the first 5 centuries following his life on earth, Scholars, politicians, followers and enemies – all kinds of people – fiercely debated about him. Was he God? Was he...

O magnum mysterium,et admirabile sacramentum,ut animalia viderent Dominum natum,iacentem in praesepio:Beata Virgo, cuius viscerameruerunt portare Dominum Christum.What a great mystery,what a wonderful sign,that animals should see the Lord, new-born,lying in a manger!Blessed is the Virgin, whose wombwas privileged to carry Christ the Lord.      ∼  From the Roman Breviary, the Matins of ChristmasWe’re in Rome, in the year 1572. The great Pope Pius V has passed to glory. Just one year before, the naval forces of the Holy League had crushed the superior fleets of the ever-marauding Turks at Lepanto, giving maritime Europe a chance to breathe free...

A rarely heard Christmas Carol. 1. Where shepherds lately knelt and kept the angel's word, I come in half belief, a pilgrim strangely stirred, but there is room and welcome there for me, but there is room and welcome there for me.2. In that unlikely place I find him as they said: sweet newborn babe, how frail! and in a manger bed, a still, small voice to cry one day for me, a still, small voice to cry one day for me. 3. How should I not have known Isaiah would be there, his prophecies fulfilled? With pounding heart I...

Celebrating the Spirituals: Sober but Serene on Themes of Judgment By: Msgr. Charles PopeI’ve often been impressed at the ability of the old African-American spirituals to treat serious subjects in a clear, memorable, and almost joyful way. This is true even of very weighty matters like sin and judgment.  And while we are here in the opening weeks of Advent, quite focused on the Second Coming of Jesus to judge the world by fire, we do well to look at some of the creative lines from different spirituals that articulate this theme.It can be very helpful to the preacher, teacher,...

In Politico Magazine, but discussed at the National Review. Our anthem is too militaristic? Um, we're not even in the top fifteen. Here are the first few stanzas of the French national anthem. I've bolded my favorite parts. Let's go children of the fatherland, The day of glory has arrived! Against us tyranny's Bloody flag is raised! (repeat) In the countryside, do you hear The roaring of these fierce soldiers? They come right to our armsTo slit the throats of our sons, our friends! (Refrain) Grab your weapons, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march! Let us march!Let their impure...

Admitting the problem is the first step towards recovery. So let's admit it: if we swop the lyrics of a Taylor Swift ballad with some of today's contemporary Christian worship songs, no one would know the difference. Others have noted the "Jesus-is-your-boyfriend" style worship songs clogging the airwaves of contemporary Christian radio and Sunday morning worship sets lack depth and reverence to the Almighty. They're right. But there's an even bigger problem when contemporary Christian songs downplay, even scold Christian's public witness for the sake of couch-potato Christianity. Last week a fellow pro-life, pro-family activist turned on his local "family-friendly"...

I have learned in my life, that music is powerful beyond words, and often does what words alone can never do.Historically, when my soul was asleep morally, it was music that called me back. I joined the church choir to meet girls, but through the music, the Lord showed me a deeper desire in my heart, for goodness, beauty and truth, indeed, my desire for God Himself. The music awoke my sleeping soul to God.More recently and in a particular way, music often awakens my soul to the deeper meaning of Sacred Scripture. I have often heard or read a...

One of the more prominent features of Protestant denominations over the decades was hymn singing. Get in your time machine go back 50 years, to any Protestant denomination, and you would find every member of the congregation on their feet, hymnal in hand, singing quite loudly, even harmonizing the old familiar hymns: Onward Christian Soldiers….Amazing Grace….When the Roll is called up Yonder….More About Jesus….Praise God from Whom All Blessing Flow!Catholics congregations were rather different. Low Masses in Latin were common where there was little or no singing. High mass featured complex music that a trained choir largely handled. And the...

The prosperity gospel has not produced a new generation of great Christian hymns. Neither have Positive Thinking or Progressive Christianity. There is a reason we would not expect them to. The fact is, the deepest songs come from the deepest truth. The most faithful songs come from the most faithful expressions of the Christian faith. The richest songs come from the richest understanding of who God is and what God has done. As Christians we are told to sing from the gospel, for one another, to the Lord—a ten-word summary of Colossians 3:16 which says, “Let the word of Christ...

It's hard to believe that the greatest message the world will ever hear is contained in one simple scale. (Voice over by Willie Minor.)

1 We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing; he chastens and hastens his will to make known; the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing. Sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own. 2 Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining, ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine; so from the beginning the fight we were winning; thou, Lord, wast at our side; all glory be thine! 3 We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant, and pray that thou still our defender wilt be. Let thy congregation escape tribulation; thy name be ever praised! O Lord,...

On Tuesday night's (Nov. 26) "The Voice" live show, the Top 8 contestants performed "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?," backed by Seattle's Starbucks Chorus, a vocal group that raises money for local charities. But after the performance, the Twitterverse erupted with complaints that the word "Lord" was dropped from the lyrics. Backstage, "Voice" coach Blake Shelton was still trying to get to the bottom of why it happened. "I don't know what, uh -- how it happened, or -- I'm learning about it just like you guys are," Shelton tells Zap2it. "I was sitting in my chair singing that song...

Q - A few years ago, it was announced that the term "Yahweh" is no longer to be used (removed from all songs). It seemed like an odd decision and with all that is going on in the world, a huge waste of time to make a big deal about. Why did we do this? A - Thanks for the question! I know this is a point of confusion for many. I hope I can adequately explain the reasoning behind the decision, but let me first point out something else. Don't think the Church isn't doing those other more important...

Birth of Robert Robinson, English clergyman and author of the hymn, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing." He was converted at age 20 under the preaching of revivalist George Whitefield. As sung in most modern hymnals Come Thou Fount of every blessing Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, Mount of God's unchanging love. Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I'm come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,...

"Oh, dont you know that Jesus died to wash your sins away Oh, please heed His call, in sin dont fall Were getting closer to the grave each day Were getting closer to the grave each day Mortal man, wont you stop now and pray Leave the road of sin alone, let Jesus lead you home Were getting closer to the grave each day They nailed His hands, they pierced His sides On His head the thorns did lay Be prepared to go, one thing we know We're getting closer to the grave each day On the judgment day, when...

NASHVILLE (BP) -- The centrality of the doctrine of substitutionary atonement is being emphasized by Southern Baptist leaders after a state newspaper editor wrote that he does not sing certain words of a popular hymn due to its mention of God's wrath. Substitutionary atonement refers to the belief that Jesus died in the place of sinners, taking on Himself the wrath of God that they deserved. Bob Terry, editor of The Alabama Baptist, in an Aug. 8 editorial, paralleled the angst expressed by a Presbyterian Church USA hymnal committee in rejecting the song "In Christ Alone" because of the line...

I saw this over at Denny Burk’s blog today. Apparently the reason the Presbyterian Church USA doesn’t like “In Christ Alone (one of my favorites), is because of that unpopular, un-politically correct word, “Wrath.” As we’ve pointed out many times here at SUFTT, the more sin is watered down, the less we have of the true Gospel. In other words – no sin = FALSE gospel. The PCUSA has been going down a concerning path for quite some time now, and it appears that this is just another symptom of the problem the devil delights in: a departure from Truth...