Free Republic

Burge’s May 9, 2023 tweets begin with a recap of the story I’ve shared: the PC(USA) declined from 3.1 million members to 1.1 million members in less than 40 years. He then explains that it is actually worse than those numbers suggest because the rate of decline has “accelerated significantly” in recent years rising from around 1.5% to 4%. If this continues, the denomination will fall below 1 million members by 2030 and below 500 thousand by 2040. Burge concludes, “there’s a good chance they have to dissolve in less than 20 years.” We’ve been talking about the seriousness...

The man in the video is beside himself, a mask of anguish radiating through his bloodied face. “I am an academic doctor,” he says, “I had a good life, but we have a filthy [Hamas] leadership. They got used to our bloodshed, may God curse them! They are scum!” The video - unthinkable before the Gaza war - was filmed outside a hospital, inundated with hundreds of Palestinian casualties after an Israeli operation to free hostages from central Gaza last month. Seconds before the video ends, he turns to the crowd. “I’m one of you,” he says, “but you are...

Joe Biden has told aides he may have to step down as a 2024 presidential nominee - and what could prompt that decision as early as next week. Allies who spoke with the New York Times said that the 81-year-old has acknowledged that three appearances scheduled for this weekend will make or break his re-election bid. These include a ABC interview on Friday night and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin not to mention a campaign call on Wednesday in which he reportedly told campaign staff: 'No one is pushing me out.' One ally told the New York Times: 'He...

The Wisconsin Supreme Court announced they had reached a decision to hear an original action brought forward by Planned Parenthood to “find” a right to abortion in the Wisconsin state constitution. The court also denied the motion of all three pro-life groups, Wisconsin Right to Life, Wisconsin Family Action, and Pro-Life Wisconsin to intervene in this case. They are being represented by The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) and the Thomas More Society. There is no right to abortion in the Wisconsin Constitution, and it is the role of Wisconsin’s elected representatives to create policy on abortion –...

A Kentucky judge has ruled against three Jewish women who filed a lawsuit contending that a state law protecting preborn children from abortion violated their religious freedom. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Brian Edwards on Friday dismissed the lawsuit filed by Lisa Sobel, Jessica Kalb and Sarah Baron. The case centered largely around in-vitro fertilization (IVF), with the women arguing that because the law states that life begins at conception (which they claim is a religious belief), they would not be able to discard unwanted embryos. Kalb, who currently has nine frozen embryos, stated that she was afraid to use them...

The Fourth of July is the premier American summer holiday, and the day is filled with family, friends, fun, food, and fireworks. Of course, every great party needs a fabulous drink or two, and these patriotic cocktails and mocktails are sure to impress. Loaded with the summer's freshest fruits, lots of flavorful spirit, and brilliant shades of red, white, and blue, the recipes are simple to mix up and an absolute delight to drink. American Collins Independence Day Mojito Kentucky Kiss Broad Stripes and Bright Stars Red, White & Blue Shooter UV Liberty Lady Liberty Sapphire Alpine Cocktail Virgin Miami...

Delaware lawmakers voted last week to require private insurance companies and Medicaid to fund abortion in the state. The measure passed by a party-line vote of 15-6. HB 110 covers a maximum benefit of $750 annually — a sum lawmakers say will cover the cost of a chemical abortion, more commonly known as the abortion pill. Legislative analysts used data from the Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance to estimate that nearly 85% of the state’s abortions are committed via the abortion pill. The bill also mandates that insurance providers cannot charge any co-pays, impose deductibles, or require any...

resident Joe Biden is returning to swing state Wisconsin, with a stop in Madison on Friday. The visit comes on the heels of criticism of Biden’s performance in a debate last week against former President Donald Trump. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the upcoming visit in a news briefing Tuesday, but the White House has yet to announce an exact location.

When brave Sir Biden rode south from Scranton toward the dark, fetid swamp of D.C., he was not afraid to die. No, based on his many, many tales of personal bravery, Joe was not at all afraid of being killed in nasty ways. Like being mashed to a pulp while driving a 16-wheeler, or getting knifed in the gut in the Puerto Rican neighborhood where he grew up, or having his brains beat out by racist police while bravely standing with a black family on their porch. Nor was Biden in the least concerned about being sliced to shreds by...

"Though it is known as an e-commerce platform, Temu is functionally malware and spyware," Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement. Griffin referred to Temu as a "data theft" business in a press release put out recently. "Today I have filed a first-of-its-kind state lawsuit against the parent companies of Temu—PDD Holdings Inc. and WhaleCo Inc.—for violating the ADTPA and PIPA," Griffin said in a statement. "Though it is known as an e-commerce platform, Temu is functionally malware and spyware."

Polling stations, set up in buildings such as local schools and community halls, are opened at 07:00 and close at 22:00 BST. Around 46 million voters are eligible to elect 650 members of Parliament to the House of Commons. The results for each area, or constituency, will be declared through the night and into Friday morning. Political parties are looking to win more than half the seats, 326, in order to form a majority government.

JERUSALEM — Israel has approved the largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in over three decades, a settlement tracking group said Wednesday, a move that is likely to worsen already soaring tensions linked to the war in Gaza. Israel’s aggressive expansion in the West Bank reflects the settler community’s strong influence in the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the most religious and nationalist in the country’s history. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler himself, has turbocharged the policy of expansion, seizing new authorities over settlement development and saying he aims to solidify Israel’s hold on the...

Since the pandemic, employers have been engaging in certain types of quiet maneuvering like “quiet cutting” and employee surveillance to assuage the needs of business and stabilize their workforce. A recent study reveals that 79% of employees say they’re under pressure to perform to “show” they’re working. Many workers are retaliating with quiet workaround tactics of their own such as “quiet quitting,” “coffee badging,” “quiet vacationing” and “shadow policies.” First, It Was Productivity Theater As the quiet tug-of-war continues, so does the suspicion and mistrust on both sides. Poor workplace culture also has given rise to resenteeism—a trend similar to...

“Through [Christ] also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand” (Romans 5:2). It is God’s grace, not the believers’ faith, which enables them to stand firm in their salvation. In Old Testament times, the notion of having direct access or “introduction” to God was unthinkable, because if anyone was to look at Him they would surely die. After the tabernacle was built, only the high priest could enter the holy of holies, where God would manifest His divine presence, and only once a year for just a brief time. But Christ’s atoning sacrifice...

Pray for the kids of Wayne, NJ: If the “adults” running its schools are any indication, they’ll grow up unable to recognize evil, let alone fight it. We’re looking at the apology from Mark Toback, Wayne’s superintendent, after a question on a middle-school quiz identified the Islamic State as a terrorist group, drawing heat from the radical, anti-Israel group Teaching While Muslim. The question: What is the name of “a terrorist organization that commits acts of violence, destroys cultural artifacts, and encourages loss of life in order to achieve its goal of global rule under strict Islamic Sharia law?”

“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.” While Alexander Fraser Tytler is often credited with these words, he also stated the following: “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury.“ If only...

Jill and Hunter Biden are taking command behind the scenes at the White House, urging President Joe Biden to fire staff they believed were of disservice to him and to fight on as the Democratic nominee. Meanwhile, the president's sister, Valerie Biden Owens, who has served as Biden's 'gut check' and closest adviser, is on her way to the White House for the July 4th celebrations, where she will have face-to-face meetings regarding her brother's re-election campaign. The trio's support for the president comes amid reports he has told allies he is considering dropping out of the race. The White...

It’s that stars-and-stripes, American-flag-waving time of year. And throughout the Golden State, the California flag typically takes a place of honor beside it. But how much do you know about the origins of the state flag — the grizzly bear perched on a patch of green, the red star high on the left, the words “California Republic” below?

The trial heard that Joynes was 28 when she had come out of a nine-year relationship and was "flattered" by the attention of teenage schoolboys. She gave birth to a baby in early 2024, with the child being taken away from her within 24 hours.