Free Republic

To be a Christian in Iran 50 years ago meant to be a part of small ethnic groups of Armenians, Chaldeans, or Assyrians– communities of a few hundred thousand that had lived in Iran for centuries. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, there were only a few hundred converts to Christianity from the country’s majority religion, Islam. When the revolution successfully overthrew the secular monarchy, or Shah, it was reasonable to expect that the tiny Christian populations would diminish and that Christianity would be stifled under the newly applied Sharia law of the Islamic Republic of Iran. For the...

Apparently, Tucker Carlson thought it would be a good idea to use his platform to attack Franklin Graham, Samaritan’s Purse and the faith-based community. Tucker Carlson made a big mistake. There are situations that we sometimes have a great deal of familiarity with. The work of Samaritan’s Purse and Franklin Graham is one of those situations for me. Readers here will know of my time spent as a CERT volunteer during national disasters, most of which involve hurricane relief. I have worked closely with Samaritan’s purse, spent time inside that organization and know the scale of assistance they provide. They...

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, My heart is heavy as I look toward Lebanon – a land long marked by faith, suffering, and perseverance. Lebanon is not merely another nation in conflict. It is home to one of the oldest and largest Christian populations in the Middle East, where the name of Jesus Christ has been professed continuously since the earliest centuries of the Church. In that sacred land stands the shrine of St. Charbel Makhlouf, a humble monk whose life of prayer, penance, and Eucharistic devotion has borne extraordinary fruit. Known as the “miracle monk of Lebanon,”...

One of the most famous stories from the Gospels is the account of Jesus wisely saving a supposedly adulterous woman from being stoned to death. One of the most captivating moments in this passage is when Jesus writes in the sand, but we are left to wonder what he wrote and why, sparking centuries of curiosity and debate. This raises an intriguing question: what are some of the interpretations of this mysterious act? The story of Jesus writing in the sand First of all, it helps to understand exactly what happens in this story. It appears at the very beginning...

King Charles III has prompted concern from members of the public and some Christian leaders in the United Kingdom for declining to issue a formal Easter message to his subjects this year, despite offering one last year and commemorating Ramadan with a statement in February.King Charles III and Queen Camilla held the Royal Maundy service on Thursday in Wales for only the second time in its 800-year history, though the king's lack of an Easter message, which was confirmed by Buckingham Palace, raised eyebrows from many on social media, including some who speculated he might have secretly converted to Islam.Ceirion...

I listened to Mark Levin’s radio broadcast last week and was reminded of two things. First, Levin is one of the most knowledgeable, clever, sincere, and passionate personalities in America’s conservative political movement. Second, other than sharing a love for America, we have radically different world views. I’m not criticizing Mr. Levin; I am thankful for the good he has done for America--he and every other “conservative.” I’m only singling him out insofar as he represents the most zealous, thoughtful, practical side of political conservatives. My point is that regardless of what we have in common about America, we have...

“I wanted to know the truth of life. I wanted to live a good life, I wanted to live with purpose and know why I am on the earth.” Methodology • 28 South Asian Muslim believers in Christ interviewed • 15 born in UK, 8 came as young children, 5 more recent arrivals • 24 Sunni, 2 Shia, 1 Ahmadiyya, 1 mixed Ch/Mus parents • Ages - Youngest 21, Oldest 61, Average 38 • Christians for: Newest 9 months, Longest 29 yrs, Average 14 yrs • Baptised: 26 (2 not) • Singles 12, Marrieds 12, Divorced 4 (3) • Self-Designation:...

Pastor X - You don’t understand the extreme version of Shia Islam that is in charge here. It’s a death cult...It has many committed followers at a high level look up into the sky and say, “let the bomb come for me—its quick and paradise is waiting” ...These believers can welcome the absorption of great pain and loss of life for their cause. Pastor T. - The regime is structured a bit like the house church movement...It decentralized the lines of authority...There is no head to cut off.... Pastor I. - The government knows it has powerful allies like China...

Over 13,000 adults and 8,000 teens will be baptized in France this Easter, setting a new record, the French Bishops' Conference announced on March 25. "How is this happening? What's going on?" Archbishop Olivier de Germay of Lyon, France, didn't try to downplay the mystery. He serves as the point person for the catechumenate for the French Bishops' Conference (CEF). Speaking from Lourdes, he noted the many unknowns still surrounding the surge in teen and adult baptism requests. During the Easter Vigil, on April 4, the Church will celebrate 21,386 adult and teen baptisms. The CEF shared these staggering figures...

People are joining the Roman Catholic Church in surprising numbers. This Easter the Archdiocese of Detroit will receive 1,428 new Catholics into the church, its highest number in 21 years. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will have its most in 15 years. In the Diocese of Des Moines, the count is jumping 51 percent from last year, from 265 people to 400. “The Times gathered data from two dozen dioceses, like Los Angeles and Phoenix, as well as Gallup, N.M., and Allentown, Pa… Each reported a significant jump. For Jesse Araujo, 19, in Pahrump, Nev., the biggest influence…was listening to Catholic...

One of the many obnoxious characteristics of present-day liberal elitists that makes them so detestable is their deep superiority complex, their Sophomania, their delusional belief that they are intellectually---as well as morally---superior to everyone else, particularly conservatives whom they see as Neanderthals. They truly believe they have a monopoly on intelligence and morality. Camille Paglia put it well: “Many highly educated, upper-middle-class Democrats regard themselves as exemplars of ‘compassion’ (which they have elevated into a supreme political principle) yet they routinely assail Trump voters as ignorant, callous hate-mongers.” This smug Sopjomania of theirs, combined with their self-righteous stance, is something...

What is a Christian Zionist? A lot of people have opinions about Christian Zionism, but many don’t truly understand what it means or what those of us who hold this view actually believe. Too often we allow others to define the term for us. So it helps to begin by clearing away some common misconceptions. Being a Christian Zionist does not mean blindly supporting every decision made by the Israeli government. Nor, does it mean offering unconditional or uncritical acceptance to every policy issuing out of the Knesset. It does not mean excusing injustice, nor does it mean ignoring the...

Absolutely shocking and ultra-woke comments from the liberal media darling James Talarico, a Texas State Representative, have surfaced as he tries to become the first Democrat in more than 30 years to win in Texas. As The Gateway Pundit’s Jordan Conradson reported, Talarico upset Jasmine Crockett in Tuesday’s Democratic Primary race for US Senate. Talarico had 52% of the votes, scoring a rather large single-digit win over Crockett. Crockett predicted her loss late last night and blamed “cheating,” though she later conceded defeat and endorsed Talarico. Following his primary victory, X accounts dug up some fairly old videos of Talarico...

As tensions escalate in the Middle East with recent joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, I find myself reflecting on a profound encounter that reshaped my understanding of faith, courage, and divine intervention. What the secular world views as mere geopolitics, many Christians recognize as part of a larger spiritual narrative: a storyline where oppression crumbles and the Gospel flourishes. President Donald J. Trump’s role in these developments – his flaws notwithstanding – exemplifies a righteous stand against tyranny, potentially ushering in freedom for the Iranian people and opening doors for spiritual revival.

Rights group ADF International has condemned Turkey’s rejection of a European Parliament resolution on the expulsion of foreign Christians, with critics calling the policy an “attack on Christians” and urging authorities to respect due process and religious freedom. The European Parliament resolution focused on cases involving at least 300 foreign Christian pastors, missionaries and their families who were deported or denied re-entry under administrative measures known as the N 82 and G 87 security codes.

Faith FactsA federal court in Pakistan gave custody of a 13-year-old Christian girl to a Muslim man who kidnapped and forcibly converted her to Islam.The court dismissed official documents proving her age and ignored previous judicial findings declaring the marriage illegal.Legal advocates and the girl’s family denounced the decision as a threat to the protection of Christian minors.A Christian family in Pakistan is mourning a court ruling that handed their 13-year-old daughter to her abductor, undermining official records and disregarding the sanctity of childhood.Despite clear evidence and appeals from her parents, judicial authorities ignored the girl’s legal birth documents and...

Hillary Clinton accused the MAGA movement of transforming “savagery” into a moral value, arguing in a sweeping new essay the idea that “compassion is weak and cruelty is strong” has become an “article of MAGA faith” – which she warned has become a “rallying cry” to Christian nationalism. In a 6,000-word article published in The Atlantic on Friday, titled “MAGA’s War on Empathy”, Clinton framed recent federal actions in Minnesota as a turning point that exposes what she called a deeper ethical breakdown within President Donald Trump’s movement. She opened by describing her reaction to video footage showing the killing...

This week's demolition of a massive Protestant church in the eastern city of Wenzhou highlights the growing uneasiness of the ruling Chinese Communist Party over burgeoning numbers of Christians in the nominally atheist country, analysts said. Authorities completed on Monday the demolition of the 85,000-square foot (nearly 7,900-square meter) Sanjiang church, which once dominated the city with its soaring spires, gleaming white walls, and stained glass windows, saying it had far exceeded the size allowed in the building permit. Christians in Wenzhou, whose large numbers have earned it the nickname "the Jerusalem of the East," launched a frantic campaign to...

Christians have flocked to defend a church in eastern China after Communist Party officials claimed it was an "illegal construction" and announced plans to demolish it Thousands of Chinese Christians have mounted an extraordinary, round-the-clock defence of a church in a city known as the 'Jerusalem of the East' after Communist Party officials threatened to bulldoze their place of worship. In an episode that underlines the fierce and long-standing friction between China's officially atheist Communist Party and its rapidly growing Christian congregation, Bible-carrying believers this week flocked to the Sanjiang church in Wenzhou hoping to protect it from the bulldozers....

In a scathing column at Unherd last month, Anglican priest Giles Fraser took aim at one of the most controversial men in England: Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson. Robinson, after a recent stint in prison from November 2024 to May 2025 for contempt of court, now identifies as Christian. This was Robinson’s fifth stint in jail, mostly for activities related to his anti-Islam activism, which has defined his public life since founding the English Defence League in 2009 (he left the group in 2013, stating that it had become too extreme). Fraser’s missive was a scathing rebuke of...