Free Republic

A handsomely made, finely acted miniseries, Jesus of Nazareth (1977) plays a lot like a distillation of the best components from all of the biblical epics of the 1940s-‘60s that had preceded it while generally avoiding those movies' flaws. Despite its all-star cast, for instance, Jesus of Nazareth steers clear of the sometimes goofy, distracting stunt casting found in George Stevens's The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), mostly famously John Wayne as the Roman centurion with the single line, "Truly, this man was the Son of Gawd." It's less artful in some respects than King of Kings (1961), but improves...

Just a simple question to debate . . . If the Protection Of Religious Freedom Act in a state is discriminatory and worthy of boycotts because people don't want to do business with companies that are located in a state that practices discrimination, then how do they justify . . . Affirmative Action Title IX Minority Carve-out Contracts by States just something to being up to the opponents . . .

Chris Pratt erected a giant cross on Easter Sunday and posted a step-by-step instructional guide to his process on Instagram. The 36-year-old actor, who’s currently filming Guardians of the Galaxy 2, spent the holiday getting his hands dirty while setting up the cross, which appears to be at least roughly 20 feet tall.

The April issue of Tabletalk is out and we’ve made the digital edition free. Read it for free on iPad, select Android tablets, and Amazon’s Kindle Fire. You can also download the ePub or MOBI version free from the Ligonier.org store. The April issue of Tabletalk considers Islam. Since originating in Arabia during the seventh century, Islam has expanded around the globe. Some estimates identify as much as twenty-three percent of the world’s population as being Muslim. Christianity has a long history of encountering and engaging Islam, whether through evangelization, military crusades, or even living under Islamic rule. In the...

Crane Calls for Special Session to Override Governor’s Veto March 28, 2016 “Today, we saw exactly why our government needs committed conservatives who never stop fighting to protect the Constitution. The announcement by Governor Deal is another example of how the political class is bought and paid for by corporations and lobbyists. Rather than standing up and protecting the 1st Amendment, the political class would rather sacrifice those rights to keep the money flowing. It is fair to note, that Governor Deal voted in favor of the Federal RFRA when in Congress. A RFRA that is far stronger than what...

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday said he will veto legislation shielding opponents of same-sex marriage, after a groundswell of opposition from companies threatening to boycott the state if it became law.The Republican announced his decision during a news conference in his office at the Georgia Capitol, saying, “I have examined the protections that this bill proposes to provide to the faith based community and I can find no examples of any of those circumstances occurring in our state."Deal added, “I do not think that we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community in...

American Minute with Bill Federer"Our laws and customs are based upon the laws of Moses and the teachings of Christ." -Supreme Court Justice David Josiah Brewer U.S. Supreme Court stated in the 1892 case of Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, written by Justice David Josiah Brewer (143 U.S. 457-458, 465-471, 36 L ed 226): "This is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation. The commission to Christopher Columbus...(recited) that 'it is hoped that by God's assistance some of...

Well, Happy Easter as we worship our risen Savior. In all this election fray, it’s a good time to remember the Book of Daniel which talks about who is really in charge - repeated four times. Only has to say it once but apparently we need a lot of reminders. “the most High rules in the kingdom of men; and he will give it to whoever it pleases him, and he will appoint the basest man over it” (Dan 4:14). “the most High rules over the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever he will” (Dan 4:22). “the most...

In 1804 an Ursuline nun in New Orleans asked Thomas Jefferson to clarify in writing her religious community’s right to retain their property and to continue their ministries without government interference following the Louisiana Purchase. As French Catholic Louisiana was being incorporated into the Anglo-Protestant United States, the nuns were concerned about the status of their institutions under U.S. law. President Jefferson assured her that the government would not interfere with the sisters’ property, ministries, and way of life. In a letter dated May 15, 1804, he wrote: “I have received, holy sisters, the letter you have written me wherein...

A few months ago, a young American woman named Kate decided to organize a choir in a refugee camp. To do so, she went to Germany, as a visiting guest artist at the American Academy in Berlin. She settled down around the block from a Red Cross building. Her camp is a gym with about 200 asylum-seekers, coming currently from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Moldova and Vietnam. Oh, to see the faces of the children Kate is working with as part of the Hutto Project, named after her late music teacher, Benjamin Hutto, who worked out of the National Cathedral...

I have been in a few face-to-face debates with Muslims, and all of them were polite and respectful. One question from my Muslim friends kept popping up, however: "Why did Jesus have to die on the cross for our sins? If we sin, God just forgives! He does not need for someone to take our place." Muslims have told me that this substitutionary sacrifice is actually very unfair of God. God would never let a righteous man die for the guilty. They illustrate it this way: "Would God allow an innocent baby to die for the crimes of murderers? Of...

Two Americans confirmed to be victims in Brussels attacks Posted 7:13 am, March 25, 2016, by CNN Wire This was the news the family of Alexander and Sascha Pinczowski hoped would never come. The siblings were in the Delta ticket line at the Brussels Airport to check in for their flight to New York. Alexander was talking to his mother on the phone when the line went dead. They haven’t been heard from since. Nearly three agonizing days later, word came from Belgian authorities at Astrid Hospital in Brussels. It was a list of the remaining victims who were still...

A British man who posted an allegedly anti-Muslim message on Twitter following Tuesday’s terror attacks in Brussels has been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.

Questions about relations between Muslims and Christians continue to receive widespread attention in the media and society at large. In particular, “Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?” has become especially controversial among Christians in the United States. Responses have often been polarizing, with one side insisting the answer must be affirmative and the other vehemently denying this. But the question itself is highly ambiguous and conflates different issues in an unhelpful manner. Thus, rather than trying to answer directly whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God, it’s more helpful to consider similarities and differences in the beliefs...

Top executives from some of the St. Louis area’s largest companies say Missouri’s proposed religious freedom bill could have a devastating impact on the state’s economy. Leaders from Monsanto, MasterCard and other firms joined Gov. Jay Nixon Friday at the St. Louis Regional Chamber to express opposition to Senate Joint Resolution 39. The bill survived a 37-hour filibuster by Senate Democrats. If approved by the Legislature, it would go to voters. The proposal calls for amending the state Constitution to create religious protections for some businesses objecting to gay marriage. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced its opposition...

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in a case from religious nonprofit groups challenging the federal government’s contraceptive/abortifacient mandate. Here is what you should know about that case.What is this case, and what’s it about? The case the Supreme Court will hear, Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged v. Burwell, combines seven challenges to the Health and Human Services’ (HHS) contraceptive/abortifacient mandate.To fulfill the requirements of the Affordable Healthcare Act (aka ObamaCare) the federal government passed a regulation (often called the “HHS Mandate”) that attempts to force groups into providing insurance coverage for contraceptives, sterilization, and abortifacients. Some religious...

A prominent pastor and religious freedom activist was arrested on Sunday in Cuba, hours before President Barack Obama arrived in the country for his official state visit. Rev Mario Felix Lleonart Barroso's home and church were surrounded by police and state security agents early in the morning on March 20, he told Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) ahead of his arrest.

Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Da' Truth took to Twitter with a cryptic message revealing some lyrics to his new song "Religion," which features Christian apologist Dr. Ravi Zacharias, triggering a worldwide discussion. Da' Truth shared about the idea of truth, God and religion. He tweeted some of the lyrics to his new song from the upcoming album, It's Complicated, and thousands, even listeners from NGEN radio and Jam The Hype, shared concerns and questions on whether or not the artist was second-guessing his faith. It was later revealed with the release of his new video for "Religion" that Da' Truth wasn't...

The NFL came out against a proposed religious exemptions bill in Georgia Friday, saying the deal could have an effect on the Super Bowl selection process for 2019 and 2020. Atlanta is one of the finalists for the next two league title games to be awarded, along with New Orleans, Miami and Tampa. The city is considered a clear favorite because of its new retractable-roof stadium that is set to open next year. However, the religious exemptions bill could change all of that. [Snip] This bill would protect pastors from performing same-sex marriages and give "faith-based" organizations permission to deny...

President Barack Obama's nominee to fill the vacancy on the United States Supreme Court once joined an opinion that rejected an evangelical Christian defense based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia was recently tapped by President Obama as a nominee to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. In a case decided in June 2001, Judge Garland joined an opinion authored by fellow appellate judge A. Raymond Randolph that rejected a RFRA argument for a pair of evangelical Christians who wanted to...