Free Republic

There is clearly no separation of church and plate at Mary's Gourmet Diner in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The pious ("pie"-us?) proof has been delivered unto the social media masses in the form of a picture of a receipt from the restaurant, showing a 15% discount applied for "Praying in Public." The tab belonged to Jordan Smith, who had traveled to Winston-Salem for a business trip and stopped for breakfast at Mary's with two colleagues Wednesday morning. She tells HLN the group "prayed over our meal and the waitress came over at the end of the meal and said, 'Just so...

I have a theological question that I have not heard asked before. As we know, God gave his only Son to suffer and to die for our sins. As we can imagine, a parent seeing their son suffer must be the hardest thing possible, and the Father must have grieved greatly to see His Son suffer. My question is, did the death itself of His son cause the Father to grieve as well? I mean, when we humans lose a loved one, one of the biggest reasons is that this person is removed from Point A (where we are) to...

First Amendment: Government's assault on religious liberty has hit a new low as the IRS settles with atheists by promising to monitor sermons for mentions of the right to life and traditional marriage. A lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) asserted that the Internal Revenue Service ignored complaints about churches' violating their tax-exempt status by routinely promoting political issues, legislation and candidates from the pulpit. The FFRF has temporarily withdrawn its suit in return for the IRS's agreement to monitor sermons and homilies for proscribed speech that the foundation believes includes things like condemnation of gay...

To further help Christians know what they believe, why they believe it, how to live it, and how to share it, in May 2013 we made the ebook editions of R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions series free forever. We continue to publish new ebooks in this series and this year have added Are These the Last Days?, What Is Repentance?, and What Is the Relationship between Church and State?

According to new research from Boston University, young children with a religious background are less able to distinguish between fantasy and reality compared with their secular counterparts. In two studies, 66 kindergarten-age children were presented with three types of stories - realistic, religious and fantastical. The researchers then queried the children on whether they thought the main character in the story was real or fictional. While nearly all children found the figures in the realistic narratives to be real, secular and religious children were split on religious stories. Children with a religious upbringing tended to view the protagonists in religious stories as...

LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- Imagine being ordered to go against your religious beliefs, and if you refuse, you could be arrested, fined, or sued. That happened to the Christian owner of a Colorado bakery who now must make wedding cakes for gay couples. However, the owner is standing his ground and his action is inspiring people around the world. Discriminating Accusation The sign on the door reads "Celebrating 20 Years of Great Cakes!" For two decades, Masterpiece Cakeshop has created art in the form of baked goods that keeps customers coming back. From cookies and cupcakes to signature cakes, Jack Phillips...

Image credit: Jimmy Demello Artworks[/caption] The last time I was in Houston, I had to change the fuse in my paradox meter after meeting a self-described pro-choice Republican woman, who was also a lawyer.  I told her at least she was better than Wendy Davis, to which no response was offered.  I said it a second time, and with a puff of white smoke, the paradox-meter died. Dang, the fuse just blew again, reading Time’s August 4 issue, Religion section article “Atheist “Churches” Gain Popularity—Even in the Bible Belt” (behind a paywall).  Yup, the “Atheist Church” they wrote about...

Today is my youngest brother's birthday. He died a week before his 51st birthday. In his honor, and to show what kind of person he was, I thought I'd share something he wrote for our Mother's Day in 2010 for her, while she was dying of esophageal cancer. "Promises (Between a Mother and a Son)" Dear Mother, When I was conceived, you promised to bring me into this world healthy. And you did. When I was young, you promised to love me and nurture me. And you did. When things got rough, and you were all alone, you promised to...

Making controversial statements is nothing new for me. Neither is the reaction that usually follows. But perhaps no other issue causes as much discussion, debate, and condemnation from others than when I present my position on the issue of homosexuality. As a known Christian, I have been told that I MUST think a certain way and that I MUST believe a certain way regarding not only people who are gay, but regarding their entire lifestyle as well.

How would you react if you heard there was a sane man who hasn’t taken a bath for more than 13 years and is not smelling? Impossible, you might exclaim. may be odd, but it is true. It is the oddity of this story and curiosity that compelled Saturday Vanguard to take a two day trip to Ibadan, Oyo state, in search of this man: one prophet Wale Olagunju, the presiding Bishop of Divine Seed of God Chapel Ministries in Ibadan, Oyo State, who has neither taken a bath nor had sex with his wife since 2001! Testimonies regarding his...

A newspaper editor who was fired earlier this year for opining on his personal blog that the Queen James Bible is an attempt by homosexuals “to make their sinful nature ‘right with God’” has filed a complaint with the federal government. As previously reported, Bob Eschliman has worked as the editor of the Newton Daily News since 2012, and has served as the publisher of the Clarinda Herald-Journal. But he found himself out of a job this past May when he spoke his mind about the Queen James Bible on his personal blog.

The bishop-Chairmen of two USCCB Committees slammed President Obama’s July 21 "gender identity" executive order for its lack of religious freedom protection and "flaws in its core prohibitions." This new "non-discrimination" executive order, aimed at preventing workplace discrimination against LGBT persons, opens the door to discrimination against Christians and those with deeply-held beliefs about the nature of marriage and human sexuality. -

Russell Moore, president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, has joined other faith leaders in raising concerns over the lack of religious liberty protections in President Obama's new executive order. Moore said: “While we don’t know the full implications of this executive order, I am disappointed that this administration persistently violates the freedom of conscience for religious organizations that provide necessary relief for the poor and endangered. The same religious convictions that inspire their social action are the convictions now considered outside the new mainstream of sexual revolutionary fundamentalism. The ones hurt will be...

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of menÂ’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord...

Pope Francis accepted the invitation of Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput to attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia next year, the Catholic News Service reported Friday. It would be the Pontiff’s first visit to the United States as Pope.

In Mosul, ISIS fighters have daubed the letter ‘N’ for Nazarene, or Christian, on the walls of Christian-owned houses before rounding up the residents and stripping them of their money, jewellery and even mobile phones. ‘It's a very difficult time, Mosul is empty of Christians,’ says Father Andrzej Halemba, Middle East coordinator for Aid to the Church in Need. ‘Two thousand years of beautiful history, where the Christians and Muslims for centuries had helped each other, but now it’s the end of Christianity in Mosul. It's dreadful news.’

Pope Francis met privately Thursday with Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese Christian woman who faced a death sentence for refusing to renounce her faith, blessing the woman after she was flown to Italy on an Italian government jet. The Vatican characterized the visit with Ibrahim, 27, her husband and their two small children as "very affectionate."

Our country’s future, the future of the American people – and indeed the future of the world’s people as they emulate the American example – could well be so spectacularly wonderful that the phrases “shining city on a hill” and “American exceptionalism” are one day looked back upon as historical understatements. There is no greater gift – no greater secular value – than the opportunity to live a human life upon the Earth, no matter how disadvantageous our circumstances. (As for spiritual values, we “see through a glass darkly” now and look forward to experiences beyond our comprehension.) Read more...

Thanks to Reformation Trust, Ligonier Ministries is giving away a church prize pack that consists of 200 copies of R.C. Sproul’s latest book, Everyone’s a Theologian. This prize pack will be shipped to a church of the winner’s choice located within the United States of America or Canada. In addition to the church prize pack, ten other winners will receive a single copy of Everyone’s a Theologian. “Everyone’s a Theologian is anything but a dry discussion of minute points of doctrine. R.C. Sproul, demonstrating his trademark ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, surveys the basic truths of the...

Lena Dunham isn’t exactly the first person you’d expect to see singing hymns in the pew behind you. Starring in the raunchy HBO show ‘Girls’ and bragging that voting for President Obama during the 2012 election for the “first time” was like losing her virginity are just a couple examples of Dunham’s racy behavior that would make any Christian blush. But, the controversial actress is embarking on a tour for her new book, “Not That Kind of Girl,” coming out in September, that will take place in some churches around the country. On her tour, Dunham will be reading excerpts...