Free Republic

The new ELCA gospel boils down to a natural man’s religion replacing fundamental Bible truth with politics. A vague ethic of love is preached for the betterment of society. Sin is seen as ignorance. Jesus is not savior but only an example of sacrificial living. Universal salvation is proclaimed for all. Gone are missionaries, the urgency for lost souls, honest awareness of sin and the need for conversion. Gone are theological and moral absolutes. Present is the undermining of scripture, protests, endless social statements and lobbying platforms. This enterprise is capped off with the desire to unite all mainline liberal...

Russell Ford’s testimony is captivating, surprising, sobering, and, at times, rather humorous. The following interview is much longer than most CWR features, but we think readers will find his story, perspective, and insights both challenging and encouraging. Also, Russell's recent appearance on EWTN's "The Journey Home" can be viewed on the EWTN website. CWR: For those who might not be familiar with your background, let’s go back to the mid-1980s. Prior to going to prison, were you a Catholic? What were you doing prior to being imprisoned? Ford: No, I wasn’t a Catholic. I hunted bounty after I got...

New allegations claim the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) not only delayed the applications of new conservative groups, but also targeted a Christian group, Family Talk Action, and a well-established group, the Leadership Institute. In September 2011, well-known family advocate Dr. James Dobson's newest Christian ministry, Family Talk Action Corporation, filed a Form 1024 with the IRS requesting 501(c)(4) status. The attorney in charge had 26 years experience of filing these forms. "The Family Talk application was every bit as compliant as the ones he'd filled out in the past," said Alex McFarland, the group's Director of Apologetics. McFarland told The...

German family denied asylum, HSLDA appeals Tuesday, May 14, 2013 The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld the Obama Administration’s denial of asylum granted to the Romeike family. The Romeikes fled Germany in 2008 when they were subjected to criminal prosecution for homeschooling. They were granted asylum in 2010 by Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman, but that grant was overturned by the Board of Immigration Appeals in 2012. A three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit heard the Romeikes’ appeal on April 23 in Cincinnati, and issued today’s unanimous decision against the family. “We believe the Sixth Circuit is wrong...

I am vehemently against the death penalty. Now stay with me…this is not a post about my opinion regarding that. You can disagree or agree with me on that some other time. I did want to share a little bit about why I take the words of prolifers so seriously. I have heard so much vitriol spewed from the mouths of “Christian prolifers” since the Gosnell trial has concluded. I feel like I must address it. When I was confirmed as a Catholic, I chose Mary Magdalene as my confirmation saint. I felt an immediate connection to her. She had...

I was flying from Los Angeles to Miami when I found myself sitting next to two women. Sarah was sitting closest to me. She was 29, inappropriately dressed, with a ring through her nose, and she wasn’t the friendliest person I have sat next to on a plane. After we took off I couldn’t help but notice that her friend kept kissing her on the cheek, holding her hand, and rubbing her shoulder. They were gay, and that little revelation lifted my planned witnessing encounter up a big notch on the awkward-meter. I really didn’t want an angry gay couple...

Pope Francis sends a kiss to someone in the crowd at the May 8, 2013 general audience in St. Peter's Square. Credit: Stephen Driscoll/CNA. Vatican City, May 14, 2013 / 08:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Christians who buy into Satan’s temptation to live selfishly get swindled, while those who live life as a “gift� to others are immersed in love and the Church community, Pope Francis said. “And, we must say, with Satan the payback is rotten. He always rips us off, always!� the Pope emphasized as he contrasted the kind of selfish living that the devil promotes with the...

CCP is an evil tyranny China has been seized by the Chinese Communist Party It is an evil tyranny Far worse than the nazi party Of the 20th century Many Chinese are suffering misery They are suffering slavery Under this evil tyranny Of the 21st century Because of the people's ignorance They have seized the opportunity What a mockery of the God of Balance And they have erased every trace of human decency I pray that our Beloved Yahushua will fight with me Against this evil tyranny I pray that our Beloved Yahuvah will fight with me Against this lawless...

Proposed legislation would legalize abortion when the mother’s life is at risk. But the measure is medically unnecessary, many Irish doctors say.Ireland’s coalition government is pushing ahead with controversial plans to legalize abortion despite growing opposition from within the medical community. Pro-life campaigners have also dismissed claims by Prime Minister Enda Kenny that the draft law is limited in scope, saying it will lead to widespread abortion. Ireland and Malta are currently the only countries in Europe where abortion is still illegal. A draft of the so-called Protection of Life in Pregnancy legislation was published after protracted negotiations between the...

Praise God that he was convicted of some murders of those poor babies and the woman patient. I pray ABC News covers it, but it truly wouldn't surprise me if they didn't. If anyone would like to contact their advertisers due to their lack of coverage of the story, these are the ones from Saturday. Prilosec Energy Tomorrow Preen Chase Business Ink Sunsweet Nexium Quicken loans One-a-Day Lyrica Dulcolax TVboss.org, Ad Council Franklin Templeton Zantac American Cancer Society Crestor Oral B Phillips

I have often heard it said that our Lord did not care overmuch about sins of the flesh; for He was relentless in his attacks upon hypocrisy, pride, and avarice, but was so mild towards adulterers and fornicators that we might, extrapolating from that mildness, so far dispense Christians from the strictures of the sixth commandment as to ignore their sins, nay, even to make a virtue of them, so long as they commit them with sufficient sweetness and affection.That interpretation cannot be supported by any commonsense reading of His words.When the Pharisees, “tempting Him,” asked Him whether it was...

Here are ABC advertisers for Friday if anyone would like to contact them about not covering the Gosnell trial. I included USAA's 800 number because they require you to register to contact them over the internet, and their questions are very invasive, including birthday and even Social Security number. That last one stopped me. USAA (1-800-531-8722) Preen Dulcolax (Boehringer Ingelheim) Biomet Oxford knee Zyrtec (McNeil PPC) Publisher's Clearinghouse Chase Business Ink Zantac (Boehringer Ingelheim) Axiron BP Aleve

I wrote HERE about Jesuit-run Boston College’s plan to have anti-Catholic catholic, pro-abortion Prime Minister of Ireland Enda Kenny speak at commencement and then confer on him an honor.Outrageous. Shades of Notre Shame.Now I read at the site of the Cardinal Newman Society (see their feed on the side bar) that the local Archbishop, Sean Card. O’Malley, will boycott the event. Cardinal Sean O’Malley Will Boycott Boston College CommencementArchdiocese of Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley said today that he plans to boycott Boston College’s commencement ceremony May 20 because it will feature Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny as its commencement speaker....

Here is something that I never thought I would write.Fr. Z kudos to Jamie Manson of the National Schismatic Reporter.One of Fishwrap‘s headliners, a darling of LCWR, the openly-lesbian, Margaret Farley-mentored Jamie Manson has sobered up about Pope Francis.She has a piece in the Fishwrap today in which she tosses Francis under the bus. Be clear about this: she is wrong in her positions, but she is honest enough to state her case clearly and she sees accurately what is going on.Context: she starts with the high hopes which the liberal, dissenting LCWR-ers had for Pope Francis, how jazzed they...

"This is called slave labor," said Pope Francis. The Holy Father was referring to the $40 a month paid to apparel workers at that eight-story garment factory in Bangladesh that collapsed on top of them, killing more than 400. "Not paying a just wage ... focusing exclusively on the balance books, on financial statements, only looking at personal profit. That goes against God!" The pope is describing the dark side of globalism Why is Bangladesh, after China, the second-largest producer of apparel in the world? Why are there 4,000 garment factories in that impoverished country which, a few decades ago,...

Marriage and the Church Someone quipped, "The world is moving so fast these days that the one who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it." I thought rather cynically about this quote as I listened to the Supreme Court argue over the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Just a decade and a half ago, this legislation was signed into law, defining marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman. DOMA came as a safeguard against individual states redefining marriage and forcing the federal government (the whole nation!) to treat same-sex...

May 10, 2013 (HLIWorldWatch.org) - Polls show that most young people today, even those who identify themselves as Christians, have no problem with “same-sex marriage.” If young people today are at all aware of what the Catholic Church teaches about marriage and human sexuality, what they think they know is often only a caricature of the truth. They see it as simply a set of prohibitions established by men. But what the Church actually presents is a vision of the beauty of marriage as a sacred union between one man and one woman who are committed for life and open...

Archdiocese of Boston's Cardinal Sean O'Malley said today that he plans to boycott Boston College's commencement ceremony May 20 because it will feature Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny as its commencement speaker. The College is scheduled to award Kenny an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Kenny supports loosening the country's legislation against abortion. “Since the university has not withdrawn the invitation and because the Taoiseach (prime minister) has not seen fit to decline, I shall not attend the graduation,’’ O’Malley said in a statement released this afternoon. “It is my ardent hope that Boston College will work to redress the...

A report from the Pennsylvania Pastors' Network reveals that approximately 20 percent of evangelical pastors in the Keystone State are "not in sync" on significant moral and doctrinal issues. The report contains information compiled from a phone survey conducted by United in Purpose on behalf of PPN. The survey asked evangelical pastors from across the state to respond to 20 questions pertaining to topics such as abortion, same-sex marriage, the authority of the Bible, and how a person can be spiritually saved. The results of the survey are being released in several parts over time. When asked to respond to...

Pope Francis. (AP)(CNSNews.com) – In his May 4 homily, Pope Francis stressed that Christians must follow Jesus and not listen to the deceptive “dialogue” of “the prince of this world,” the Devil, adding, “There can be no dialogue with the prince of this world: let this be clear!”Pope Francis made his remarks during the Saturday Mass at the Saint Martha House, which is next to St. Peter’s basilica at the Vatican. As excerpted on Vatican Radio, the Pope said that “the spirit of the world hates” and that Christ “redeemed us from the power of the world, from the...

The purported value of ethical relativism, the idea that there are no transcendent, binding rules for right and wrong that all humans are morally required to submit to, is that it allows us to live in peace. That is, if you have your ethics, and I have my ethics, well then there is no real need for us to fight over whose ethic wins. (So long, as, of course, our lives never actually cross.) The real value is far more sinister. We find ethical relativism appealing because we find our own guilt unappealing. Though we seek to suppress such knowledge,...

If anyone would like to contact advertisers of ABC News due to them not covering the Gosnell trial, here are the ones from tonight. There are others, too, that I've posted in earlier threads. Publisher's Clearinghouse Enbrel Bayer Ally Bank Miracle Gro EnergyTomorrow AngiesList Preen Biomet Oxford partial knee Johnson & Johnson Chase Bank Ink Axiron Transitions

The evangelical "Pray for Reform: 92 Days of Prayer and Action to Pass Immigration Reform" campaign called on Congress in a press call on Wednesday to pass meaningful legislation in the next 92 days, throwing further support behind the current momentum in Congress to finally pass a immigration reform bill. The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, explained in the press call that the number 92 is significant for evangelicals because the Hebrew word for immigration is mentioned 92 times in the Old Testament. "This number represents the biblical call to welcome the stranger. I'm...

Sister Megan Rice of the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity was reportedly found guilty of two felonies related to her breaking into a nuclear weapons production facility in Tennessee. Sentencing for the Villanova and Boston College graduate is expected to take place later this week. Sister Megan could face up to thirty year in the joint. In the past, she's spent 6 months in jail for her "protests. It seems that Sister, along with two other "activists" cut through the chain link fence, illegally entered the property, caused damage to the tune of over $1,000. And...

The Vatican (LifeNews.com) The Catholic Church has made it clear in the past that it strongly opposes abortion and wants pro-abortion politicians to rethink their views or consider refraining from taking communion. Pope Benedict XVI stepped up those warnings Wednesday saying pro-abortion politicians have excommunicated themselves. He also said he elected officials who support abortion would be prevented from receiving communion. The pontiff was asked about the topics in reference to a threat from the Catholic bishops in Mexico to excommunicate members of the Mexico City legislative assembly who recently voted to legalize abortion in the nation’s capital. “Yes, this...

Former policeman turned state parliamentarian, Troy Grant, told the special commission of inquiry into the handling of child sexual abuse in the Maitland-Newcastle diocese that members of the Catholic Church had interferred in his investigation into sexual abuse.

SAGINAW, MI — A jury Wednesday heard what the principal at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in Saginaw Township knew of sexual abuse allegations against school volunteer Gary Moreland and what she did with that information.

Anne Arundel County police are investigating sexual abuse allegations by a former student at Monsignor Slade Catholic School in Glen Burnie, officials of the Archdiocese of Baltimore said Wednesday.

Because, he says, unrepentant public sinners could slip in among the faithful, and he does not want to back up their hypocrisy. The case of Catholic politicians who support abortion. ROME, May 9, 2013 – There is one particular in the Masses celebrated by Pope Francis that raises questions that have so far gone unanswered. At the moment of communion, pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio does not administer it himself, but allows others to give the consecrated host to the faithful. He sits down and waits for the distribution of the sacrament to be completed. The exceptions are very few. At...

If anyone would like to write to ABC's advertisers over their lack of coverage of the Gosnell trial, below are their advertisers for today and yesterday. They did briefly cover the Jodi Arias verdict today, and I pray they'll feel the pressure to at least cover the Gosnell verdict. Tues., 5/7: Centrum Preparation H Allstate Transitions Prolia Kenmore (Sears 1-800-424-2047) Dr Scholls Publisher's Clearinghouse Progressive Nexium Wed. 5/8: Infiniti Dr. Scholls Prudential Publisher's Clearinghouse Wal-Mart Nexium Miracle Gro Ocuvite Polident USPS American Cancer Society Lyrica Off Clip-on insect repellant Restasis Beneful, Purina

This is a request for information assistance. Last night, I received a disturbing email from a longtime friend and pastor from my hometown church, which is breaking from the corrupt, mainline Presbyterian Church (USA), like many others are doing. Apparently PC (USA) has asked the congregation for an exorbitant sum of money, and is threatening the church manse and other property in an effort to force the congregation back into the corrupted fold. I've been out of the Presbyterian loop for a while but want to help, and so I'm wondering if anyone has any specific information about what is...

Washington D.C., May 7, 2013 / 05:00 pm (CNA).- An Illinois-based Bible publisher has secured temporary relief from the federal contraception mandate after the Obama administration asked an appellate court to dismiss its challenge to a preliminary injunction. Matthew Bowman, senior legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, which is defending the publisher, told CNA that the move indicates “that the government knows it is taking an extremist view against religious freedom, and it is afraid to defend that in court.” As a result of the court order, the Bible publisher will remain protected by a temporary injunction, and will therefore...

A letter Pope Francis sent to the bishops of Argentina in late March is encouraging pro-life advocates because it says pro-abortion politicians should not be eligible for communion in the Catholic Church.Pope Francis directed the Argentinean bishops to govern the Church there following the Aparecida Document.The text states, in part, “[people] cannot receive Holy Communion and at the same time act with deeds or words against the commandments, particularly when abortion, euthanasia, and other grave crimes against life and family are encouraged. This responsibility weighs particularly over legislators, heads of governments, and health professionals.�“These are the guidelines we need for...

When future President, General Dwight Eisenhower oversaw the liberation of German run concentration camps, he commanded his troops to round-up as many German civilians as possible, and forced them to tour the camps, so that none of them could say, "We didn't know what was going on out there...". Eisenhower wanted to force the German population to fully face the evil that they had allowed in their midst. They had to march through the camps, in order to witness the stacks of bodies, the louse infested barracks, the massive crematoriums, the human survivors who looked like skeletons. Ordinary German citizens...

Former megachurch pastor Rob Bell appeared in a recent radio discussion with Christian British minister Andrew Wilson to discuss his new book, What We Talk About When We Talk About God, and grew frustrated when pressed by Wilson to explain his theological reasons for affirming homosexuality and same-sex relationships. Bell and Wilson appeared on the U.K. faith debate program "Unbelievable?" hosted by Justin Brierley on Premier Christian Radio. Wilson is a published theologian and elder at Kings Church in Eastbourne, East Sussex. The men, moderated by Brierley, started the discussion by debating various issues during the hour-plus program, but it...

New Zealand became the 13thcountry to legalise same sex marriage two weeks ago. This week the Anglican Bishop of Auckland is being taken to the Human Rights Tribunal over allegations he is discriminating against a gay man who wants to become a priest. Right Reverend Ross Bay (pictured) has been accused of preventing a gay man entering the Anglican Church's training or discernment programme for priests because he is unmarried and in a sexual relationship with his male partner. Bay denies the allegation. The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he had been signalling his desire to...

Bishop Ross Bay New Zealand became the 13thcountry to legalise same sex marriage two weeks ago. This week the Anglican Bishop of Auckland is being taken to the Human Rights Tribunal over allegations he is discriminating against a gay man who wants to become a priest. Right Reverend Ross Bay (pictured) has been accused of preventing a gay man entering the Anglican Church's training or discernment programme for priests because he is unmarried and in a sexual relationship with his male partner. Bay denies the allegation. The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he had been signalling his desire to train...

See that headline? It is the disingenuous creation of self-important anti-Catholic protestors. Joseph Amodeo writes at the Huffington Post about the "raw emotions" about being "denied a seat at Christ's table" and how as a result he feels "disowned, abandoned, and lost. " Oh the melodrama of it all. See, Joey and nine of his pals protested at St. Patrick's Cathedral in favor of gay rights. Their protest signs were their dirty hands. This junior high tactic was in response to Cardinal Dolan's column last week in which he said that LGBT people were welcome in the church so long...

Here are advertisers on ABC World News for tonight and Saturday, if anyone would like to write to them about ABC's blackout of the Gosnell trial. Sat. 5/4: Progressive Sunsweet USPS Preen Nexium Axiron EnergyTomorrow Biomet Oxford partial knee Tvboss.org, Ad Council BP Phillips Off, SC Johnson Mon. 5/6: Publisher's Clearinghouse Enbrel Prudential USPS Aleve Depend Fidelity Dr. Scholl's Biomet Nexium Constitution USA, PBS Infiniti Phillips I see good coming out of this situation which the networks wouldn't expect. "They meant it for harm," but God can bring good out of it. Maybe because of how this story is so...

The president of St. John’s University, Father Donald Harrington, will announce his retirement this afternoon. The news comes in the midst of an investigation into the conduct of both Harrington and his chief of staff, Rob Wile, after allegations of corruption and misuse of university finances. Wile will resign effective June 30, according to sources. "The difficulties for everyone during the past year have convinced me, after much prayer and reflection, that the time to leave the presidency has now come," Harrington wrote in an internal communication to the St. John’s community. The dual departures follow a series of New...

Kampala - A popular Ugandan priest has been ostracized from the Catholic Church after exposing what he calls an 'open secret'-- the rampant sexual abuse of children by clergy members. Earlier this year, Ghanian cardinal and papal candidate Peter Turkson raised eyebrows when he told CNN that the international clergy sex abuse scandal couldn't happen in Africa because "African traditional systems kind of protect... its population against this tendency" and "in Africa homosexuality... [is] not countenanced in our society." But one African priest strongly disagrees. Anthony Musaala, a gospel music star known as the "Dancing Priest," has been publicizing sex...

One of my favorite quotes from Pope Benedict XVI deals with Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. Benedict states:“Judas is neither a master of evil nor the figure of a demoniacal power of darkness but rather a sycophant who bows down before the anonymous power of changing moods and current fashion. But it is precisely this anonymous power that crucified Jesus, for it was anonymous voices that cried, ‘Away with him! Crucify him!’”Think that one over. It’s profound.Judas was a mere sycophant to what Pope Benedict dubbed “the anonymous power.” What was this power? It was the power of “changing moods and...

Members of a boys 4 X 100 meter relay high school track team in Texas were left in tears last weekend after the University Interscholastic League of Texas disqualified them from competing in the state championships because the team's anchor runner made a "religious gesture" as he crossed the finish line to win their regional title. The runner, Derrick Hayes reportedly lifted a finger to the sky in celebration, as he wrapped up the win for Columbus High School. According to his father, K.C. Hayes, he was simply pointing to God. But UIL officials disagreed and slapped the team with...

Outspoken San Diego Pastor Chris Clark of the East Clairemont Southern Baptist Church of San Diego, Calif., isn't shy about defending citizens' rights when it comes to government encroachment, especially when it pertains to parental rights. Speaking out against the California Family Health Council mailing condoms to more youths, Clark told The Christian Post, "This is one more example of the government's intrusion on parental rights and responsibilities with their kids. … And it goes against what Scripture teaches." The California Family Health Council, a statewide organization that "champions and promotes access to quality sexual and reproductive health care for...

Golfer Bubba Watson said he supported Christian ESPN analyst Chris Broussard's statement that NBA player Jason Collins' announcement about being gay is open rebellion against God. At the same time, he respects "anybody that's gay" while believing that homosexuality is a sin according to the Bible. "The Bible says you're not supposed to be gay, and so I never downed Jason," Watson told Golfweek, referring to his tweet this week, which said "Thanks @Chris_Broussard for sharing your faith & the bible!! #GodIsGood." During a segment on "Outside the Lines," Broussard said Tuesday that as a Christian he does not agree...

Pope Francis has directed the bishops of Argentina, his home country, to govern the Church there following a document that makes clear that holy communion should be disallowed for any person who facilitates abortion, including politicians. “These are the guidelines we need for this time in history,” the pope wrote to the bishops. According to LifeSiteNews, Pope Francis emphasized use of the Aparecida Document as a framework in a letter to the Argentine Assembly of Bishops sent in late March. In 2007, then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio--now Pope Francis--first presented the document on behalf of the bishops of Latin America. Cardinal Bergoglio...

One is often judged, fairly or unfairly, by the company they keep. Hang with someone who is a thief and it may be assumed that you are also a thief. Affiliate with an organization and those values espoused by that organization are assumed to be yours. Fair or not, it is what it is. While our Lord and Savior hung around with those judged not acceptable by society, He came to heal their spiritual shortcomings. Jesus healed the sick, both physically and spiritually. So, when Jesus sat down with prostitutes and tax collectors, He did so to heal their hearts...

I received the following email this week and given permission to ask all of you this brave pro-life teen’s question: Ho. I’m a proud fifteen year old pro-life Jesus Freak named ____. I just want to say God bless you for your work saving babies. Also how do you handle when you get yelled at and called evil for being pro-life? Someone insulted me and called me evil and stupid and un-Christian. What’s the best way to deal with it? Your suggestions?

If anyone would like to contact ABC News advertisers due to their lack of coverage of the Gosnell trial, these are their advertisers for the evening news the last two days. ABC News, Thurs. 5/2 Mass Mutual Preen Levemir HexPen - Novo Nordisk Ocuvite - Bausch and Lomb AARP Miracle Gro BP Nexium Prego - Campbell's Progressive Fidelity EnergyTomorrow Biomet - Oxford partial knee Toviaz ABC News, Fri. 5/3 Aleve Angieslist United Healthcare Preen Toviaz Mass Mutual V8 Fusion Zyrtec Transitions Chantix Nexium BP Preparation H Fidelity Ben Gay Boost