Free Republic

If we reach what we call success here, then we have, in essence, created a world with no need of the Living God. For those that might not yet fully understand, it would be little to do with the Lord and a whole lot to do with the world.

Contemporary Christian musician Amy Grant has been named one of the Kennedy Center’s five honorees for 2022. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine ever receiving this prestigious Kennedy Center Honors,” Grant said in a statement. “I cannot wait to celebrate with my fellow honorees, friends, and family. Thank you for widening the circle to include all of us.” The center plans to fete Grant in its 45th class of honorees that also includes actor George Clooney, singer Gladys Knight, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tania León, and the rock band U2.

Why Does Jesus Tell Us to Use "Dishonest Wealth"? Msgr. Charles Pope • November 8, 2015 • There was a puzzling reference in Saturday morning's Gospel (Saturday of the 31st week in Ordinary Time) in which Jesus says,I tell you, make friends for yourselves by your use of dishonest wealth, so that, when it fails, they will welcome you to eternal dwellings (Luke 16:9).What does He mean by "dishonest wealth"?The Greek expression μαμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδικίας (mamona tes adikias) is more literally translated as “mammon of unrighteousness.” Mammon is a Hebrew and Aramaic word that has a wider meaning than just...

Sprint became the first U.S. telecommunications company to provide direct roaming mobile phone service to foreigners in Cuba, after a striking a deal at the Havana International Fair. Sprint says it expects the number of visitors in Cuba to reach 5 million a year within the next decade. The U.S.-based firm Sprint signed a deal with Cuba’s state telecommunications agency Etecsa, with the objective to reach millions of tourists expected to visit the island in coming years. The move comes as Washington and Havana continue to explore business opportunities, since restoring diplomatic relations in July for the first time in...

...it’s time to rev up Air Force One...Obama has a pair of fundraisers to attend in Florida. On Wednesday he’s off to Miami to raise money for the Democratic National Committee...in the home of a local real estate kingpin, priced up to $33,400 a plate. Then it’s on to one of those private “roundtable discussions,” this at the home of a mortgage broker, fetching $33,400 a person... ...Hillary Rodham Clinton is bound for Florida as well, and yes, the two will be in Miami on the very same day. On Thursday, Mrs. Clinton attends a pair of “Conversations with Hillary”...

Stonegate Bank in Pompano Beach, Fla., has confirmed that it will provide a bank account to the Cuban government...

...Cuomo speaks at the beginning of a Business Rountable with Cuban and American business leaders held at the Hotel Parque Central in Havana, Cuba....

My father had a saying which he passed down to me, “I’m not always right, but I’m never wrong.”  A little more than a week ago, I wrote a post titled “Matt Walsh Deserves Black Thanksgiving” in which I took apart his arguments for ending early store openings on Thanksgiving day.  I did it without mercy and with the spite meter dialed up to eleven.  I’ve had a change of heart, and I am here to say I’m not right.  In fact, and not for the first time, I may actually be wrong. My epiphany happened just last night, after...

On Wednesday evening, President Obama was being kept up to date on the developments from the mass shooting at Fort Hood while reportedly attending fundraisers for the 2014 election cycle. According to White House spokesman Josh Earnest, Obama is in the loop while at the fundraisers. Obama will be in Chicago for four and a half hours, and the events have largely been closed to the media, with radio and TV reporters banned from attendance. Only one print reporter will be allowed to provide press pool notes

Miami-With just weeks left to sign up for health care under the Affordable Care Act, Michelle Obama zeroed in on recruiting the crucial young adult demographic during a visit to a Miami community health center Wednesday. The first lady congratulated a handful of residents who had just enrolled during an intimate event, asking one woman whether she had gotten her son to enroll. “Tell him he could get hit by a car. It’s crazy. They don’t think about that kind of stuff,” said Obama, who moments later applauded another mother for signing herself and adult son up for insurance plans....

Staying in a kind of reflective mode from Last SundayÂ’s Gospel on Greed and how to avoid it, there may be value in pondering why Jesus called some (or all) mammon (wealth) unrighteous. The phrase occurs in the Gospel of Luke where Jesus says: I tell you, make friends for yourselves by your use of dishonest wealth, so that, when it fails, they will welcome you to eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9). We discussed yesterday what it means to be welcomed into eternal dwellings and who these friends who welcome us really are. But in this post perhaps we can consider...

Pope Francis recently issued the apostolic exhortation "The Joy of the Gospel." Click here to read it. Conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh isn't pleased with the document, calling it "pure Marxism coming out of the mouth of the pope." (Source) I sought comment on the matter from Father John Trigilio Jr., Ph.D., Th.D., president of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy. Below is Father's analysis (slightly edited). I often listen to Rush Limbaugh and find him to be an intelligent man and an erudite conservative journalist. He uses common sense and logic to expose the fallacious arguments of liberal progressives. Unfortunately,...

It has been called "America's most disturbing holiday". Black Friday is the day when millions of average Americans wait outside retail stores in the middle of the night in the freezing cold to spend more money that they do not have for more cheap Chinese-made products that they do not need. It is a day when the rest of the world makes fun of Americans for behaving like "rabid animals" and "zombies" as we indulge in a tsunami of greed. It truly is a shameful orgy of materialism for a morally bankrupt nation. It is being projected that approximately 140...

Fights over items greatly reduced have taken place at Walmart stores in Beaumont, Texas; Jordan Creek in Iowa; Johnson City in Tennessee and Rialto in California. There was also a stabbing in a Walmart car park outside Walmart in Claypool Hill, Virginia.

I am constantly asked, "Chuck, why don't pastors take a stand and speak out?" I've been a pastor most of my adult life. I believe I am qualified to answer that question. Here is the stark reality: the vast majority of pastors today are "success" oriented. Beginning in Bible College or seminary, and continuing throughout a pastor's ministerial life, the emphasis is success. And that means church growth, larger congregations, bigger buildings, bigger offerings, burgeoning statistics, greater notoriety, denominational praise, invitations to speak at conferences, applause from fellow ministers, not to mention the financial perks and benefits that come with...

Pope Francis has called on world leaders to put an end to the "cult of money" He said free-market capitalism had created a “tyranny” and that human beings were being judged purely by their ability to consume goods. Money should be made to “serve” people, not to “rule” them, he said, calling for a more ethical financial system and curbs on financial speculation.

And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. II Chronicles 14:11 Sadly, we could have had both prosperity -and- a great awakening if we had sought first the kingdom of God as our founding fathers did. Following is my opinion of the Republican Party’s problem from back in...

In his speech the night of the Michigan primary, Romney went out of his way to give –extra- thanks to John McCain. His linking to John McCain is quite telling because if nominated, the ultimate result will be the same as when McCain was given the nomination due to the conservative vote being amortized over multiple candidates. I will give credit to Romney. He made a great speech. The problem is that it was rhetoric and does not reflect his core beliefs. His core beliefs are reflected in his record as the Governor of Massachusetts. Conservatives do not CREATE programs...

The GOP is Serving Mammon (a false object of worship & Devotion) Did everyone enjoying watching our party being hi-jacked by yet another liberal politician? Romney went out of his way to give –extra- thanks to John McCain. That makes it so much better doesn’t it? His linking to John McCain is quite telling. I will give credit to Romney. He made a great speech tonight. The problem is that it is rhetoric that does not reflect his core beliefs. His core beliefs are reflected in his record as the Governor of Massachusetts. Conservatives do not CREATE programs that give...

Americans are churchgoers, and religion has always played a large role in U.S. politics. Health reform is no different. A new IBD/TIPP Poll shows that, depending on their faith, Americans have differing opinions and differing intensity of opinion when it comes to including a public option in any overhaul plan.Protestants, for example, oppose a public option by a 43% to 33% margin, but Catholics favor it 42% to 35%. The biggest support for a public option comes from those who identify themselves as "another type of Christian," with 49% in support and 30% opposed. A majority (54%) of non-Christians support...