Free Republic

Bart Ehrman, prolific author, New Testament scholar and former evangelical Christian, says it took him eight years to research and complete his new book, How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee. Yet, a group of fellow scholars responded in their book, How God Became Jesus, by claiming that the Christian-turned-agnostic's "sloppy" scholarship on Jesus' divinity leaves much to be desired. Ehrman, the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, says his research reveals that Jesus, a first century Galilean, never claimed to be God, and that it...

After the 9/11 attacks, tens of thousands of young men and women joined the military, heading for the rugged mountains of Afghanistan and dusty deserts of Iraq. Many of them now are officers in the Army with multiple combat deployments under their belts. But as the wars wind down and Pentagon budgets shrink, a lot of them are being told they have to leave. It's painful and frustrating. In quiet conversations at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Eustis in Virginia, captains talk about their new worries after 15-month deployments in which they battled insurgents and saw roadside bombs...

To win the Senate, Republicans must win North Carolina. While it’s mathematically possible to take the Senate without ousting Democratic senator Kay Hagan, the chances of that happening are close to zero. For Republicans, North Carolina is necessary. It’s the key to control of the Senate. Obama Hagan It’s number six on my list. That is, there are five states where capturing Democratic seats appears more likely—West Virginia, South Dakota, Montana, Louisiana, Arkansas. Then comes North Carolina. Assuming Republicans don’t lose any of their own seats, those six pickups would give Republicans a 51-49 majority. And with it, the political...

The 60 Plus Association today released TV and radio advertisements in seven states targeting Senate Banking Committee Members who are sponsoring recently introduced legislation that will allow the government to take over the mortgage industry in an action 'disturbingly similar' to Obamacare. 60 Plus targeted three Democrat and four Republican U.S. Senators supporting this government take-over, including Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mark Warner (D-VA), Kay Hagan (D-NC), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Dean Heller (R-NV), Mark Kirk (R-IL), and Jerry Moran (R-KS).

Laura Ingraham hosted Taylor Griffin challenging Walter Jones in North Carolina. Griffin said that while Jones, after being a Democrat, became a Republican but has worked since with the Democrats. Griffin said he is against amnesty as the GOP should be for the rule of law. He is for continuing deportations.

A plan, now stealthily making its way through state legislatures with astonishing speed, would junk the Electoral College and award the presidency to the winner of the popular vote. The plan involves an Interstate Compact where states would commit to select electors pledged to vote for the national popular vote winner regardless of how their own state voted. When enough states pass this law, sufficient to cast 270 votes which is the majority of the Electoral College, it will take effect. So far, nine states and the District of Columbia, casting 136 electoral votes, have joined. This is halfway to...

mORE than 1,000 people have been vaccinated against hepatitis A after a Charlotte pizza place employee was hospitalized with the disease, according to health officials. Health officials in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties are urging anyone who ordered or ate a pizza from the Papa John's on Cambridge Commons Drive between March 28 and April 7 to get the vaccine. Free clinics have been giving shots throughout the weekend, and health officials say they have already vaccinated more than 1,000 people. Hepatitis A is a virus that attacks the liver and can cause nausea, vomiting and jaundice. Officials estimate 2,400 customers...

Yep. That’s what he told The Cumberland County Republican Women’s Club on Saturday. Okay, Mr. Big Boy Pants™, then why are YOU running? I disagree with his assertion there. I think there are BIG differences between Tillis and the rest of the field. He’s the only candidate in the field who appears to be using his day job to shake down people for campaign contributions. (It’s illegal to accept campaign contributions to your legislative campaign fund from people with business before the state while the legislature is in session. It’s NOT illegal to accept them for your US Senate race...

Olympia Snowe made her case for a return to governing from the “sensible center,” and she did it with conviction. But while the audience was both loud and supportive at a women’s summit in Charlotte, no one – and that includes the former Republican U.S. senator from Maine — thought it would be easy. Snowe was considered moderate in her approach and her politics when she decided not to run for a fourth term in the Senate in 2012. How bad had it gotten? Republicans and Democrats honored her at separate celebrations, a departure from the past. “It’s not even...

The GOP primary challenger to incumbent Renee Ellmers picked up a big in-district endorsement today. Former Moore County GOP chairman Bob Levy — the immediate predecessor to current chairman John Rowderdink — has publicly endorsed the candidacy of Republican Frank Roche for North Carolina’s Second congressional district seat: “Based upon the position of Congress Member Ellmers endorsing amnesty for illegal immigrants, I am proud to endorse the candidacy of Frank Roche for Congress.

North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis (R) leads a crowded Republican field for the right to face Sen. Kay Hagan (D) in November, according to a new survey conducted for a super PAC backing his campaign. Tillis scored 27 percent of the vote, compared with 16 percent for physician Greg Brannon and 10 percent for state Baptist Convention President Mark Harris. A handful of other candidates received only single-digit support.

While Americans fume about the sidelining of Mozilla’s Brendan Eich, another conservative is getting some long-awaited payback. It took eight years, but Dr. Mike Adams, associate professor at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, finally won the promotion he deserved — thanks to a federal court’s intervention. Almost a month earlier, a jury had sided with Dr. Adams, agreeing that the university was retaliating against the criminology professor for his conservative views. This week, a U.S. District judge followed up on that verdict, ordering UNCW to promote Adams and provide $50,000 in back pay in what many are calling a “landmark...

Today, I write with some good news some of you may have already heard. On March 20, in Greenville, N.C., a federal jury unanimously sided with me in my claims that the University of North Carolina–Wilmington (UNCW) violated federal law in a 2006 promotion decision. Specifically, the jury found that my First Amendment–protected speech was a “substantial or motivating factor” in the defendants’ decision not to promote me to full professor. They also found that defendants could not prove they would have made the same decision in the absence of my speech activity. The case now moves to the judge...

Has Nancy Pelosi seen a newspaper lately? (Pro tip, hon: Like the Obamacare monstrosity, you have to read it to find out what's in it.) I'd love to see her face in the wake of the veritable epidemic of Democratic corruption now sweeping the country. Pelosi's blink count must be off the charts. I'm going to make it easy on Pelosi and put all of the latest cases in one handy rogue's gallery reference list. But let's not be naive. It's clear to me that the Barack Obama/Eric Holder DOJ is clearing the decks before the midterms. Prediction: The FBI's...

Three Democratic lawmakers were either arrested or had their office raided Wednesday by the FBI. Two of the Democrats, including Charlotte, N.C. Mayor Patrick Cannon, were charged in connection with FBI stings that caught them allegedly taking bribes from undercover agents. Coupled with an FBI raid that led to the resignation of a prominent Democratic lawmaker in Rhode Island this past weekend, four Democrats have recently come under the FBI’s radar. Here are the four: New York state assemblyman The FBI raided Democratic New York Assemblyman William Scarborough’s Albany office Wednesday morning and also took papers from his office in...

(CNN) -- A U.S. congressman is questioning whether the NCAA failed to hold the University of North Carolina accountable during a 2012 academic fraud investigation and is demanding answers from NCAA brass. If he doesn't get them, he'll call for congressional hearings and subpoena NCAA President Mark Emmert, Rep. Tony Cardenas told CNN. The California Democrat is referring to a probe in which the National Collegiate Athletic Association investigated UNC's system of "paper classes" -- independent studies requiring little work and no attendance. Athletes were able to get easy "A"s without actually going to class. The NCAA declined to sanction...

The GOP establishment is piling on in its support of Thom Tillis. Two sources confirm to the National Journal that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will endorse the North Carolina House speaker, the Republican front-runner for his party's Senate nomination who is fighting off an array of opponents in a primary. The endorsement is expected before the state's May 6 primary. One source with knowledge of the situation said the chamber also plans to air TV ads on his behalf, a big boost for a candidate who already holds a sizable fundraising advantage over his intra-party foes. The business group's...

SharpRightTurn, Public Policy Polling (PPP) just released their latest poll for North Carolina. And the results are phenomenal: Tillis 18% Brannon 15% Harris 11% Grant 7% Alexander 6% Bradshaw 5% Snyder 2% As you can see, the race is now a statistical dead heat -- and I'm within the margin of error of my establishment-backed opponent. SharpRightTurn, thanks to your generous support, our voter outreach program is working, and the momentum is clearly on our side. With less than 30 days until the May 6 Republican Primary, victory is within our reach. But time is running out for you and...

Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has been moved from a federal prison in North Carolina to a minimum-security prison camp in Montgomery, Ala., after clashing with prison officials and being placed in solitary confinement, a source told the Chicago Sun-Times. The 49-year-old former Chicago congressman had been advising other inmates in North Carolina about their rights in prison, according to the source, who said a guard took exception to that. As a result, the longtime South Side politician was placed in solitary confinement for four or five days more than a month ago, the source said. It took about...

BESSEMER CITY, N.C., A North Carolina man who never says “hold the mayo” will be held for all eternity in a Duke’s Mayonnaise jar when he dies. Larry Clinton of Bessemer City has been searching for a suitable resting place for his cremated remains for over 20 years. Thanks to his daughter, the 67-year-old now has a custom-made Duke's jar that has a label bearing his name. Clinton’s daughter, Teresa Clinton-Edge, sent a letter the parent company of Duke’s to request a jar for her father’s remains. “She sent a very nice letter saying her father had always loved Duke’s...