Free Republic

“Of all the passions, the passion for the Inner Ring is most skillful in making a man who is not yet a very bad man do very bad things.” -CS Lewis Like all demons, he was obsessed with children. Shedding their blood was preferable. Failing that, he could always cut them up, scalp them, sexualize them, incite them to a sexual frenzy, or castrate them. The possibilities were endless, and exciting. Demonic appetite never ceases, and Mephistopheles was hungry. To satisfy his lust, he would need a megalomaniac with a Promethean drive; someone appointed in high places and thus able...

Without question, one of the hardest jobs is being a Christian leader, especially a pastor. Close friends leave you, others betray you, social media slams you, the world hates you, and demonic forces rally against you and your marriage. This is why thousands exit the ministry each year.We are also often stretched financially, relationally, emotionally, and physically all while living in a fishbowl for the world to see. Pastors’ wives feel it as well and they are often the unsung heroes in this battle.Popularity won’t fix the problem To deal with the stress of ministry, we sometimes believe that popularity...

It is now fairly common knowledge that Ravi Zacharias—a spiritual hero to multitudes—had for many years been living a secret life of manipulative, vile, and even predatory sexual immorality, spiritual deceit, and professional duplicity.It’s hard to imagine that a person of such influence ventured as far into evil as he did. Even on his deathbed—surely suspecting his disgusting deeds would eventually come to light after he was gone—he did not repent. It knocks the wind out of us, gives ugly opportunity to our critics, and leaves many furious to the core.Stunned, shocked, and shaken, some don’t know how to process...

John Piper, founder of DesiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary, speaks at the MLK50 Conference hosted by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and The Gospel Coalition in Memphis, Tennessee, Christians from across the spectrum have weighed in on influential pastor and author John Piper's op-ed piece criticizing Christians' support for President Donald Trump.“I think it is a drastic mistake to think that the deadly influences of a leader come only through his policies and not also through his person,” Piper, founder of Desiring God, wrote on Thursday. “Flagrant boastfulness, vulgarity, immorality...

After a months-long impeachment process that has exposed many divisions in the nation, the Senate voted to acquit President Trump Wednesday on two articles brought by Democratic members of the House: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The votes were 52-48 and 53-47, with Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, voting to convict the president on the first article. Other than Romney, the Senate votes fell along partisan lines, with every Democrat voting to convict and every Republican voting to acquit. The acquittal came the day after Tuesday's State of the Union address. Speaking Thursday in the East Room of the...

Shaken by confirmation that the new administration of its biggest contributor is proposing sweeping reductions to its funding, the United Nations on Thursday warned that “abrupt funding cuts” could harm long-term reform efforts. Meanwhile more than 100 Christian leaders — including two participants in President Trump’s inauguration ceremony — appealed to Congress to reject the administration’s proposals for significant cuts to foreign aid. […] More than 100 Christian leaders signed a letter to congressional leaders on Thursday, urging them to “support and protect” the international affairs budget. […] Among the signatories were New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and National Hispanic...

"Christian Leaders to Obama: Thanks for Standing Up for Religious Freedom Abroad; Please Protect Religious Freedom in US Too" Ten Christian leaders sent a Wednesday letter to President Barack Obama, thanking him for his National Prayer Breakfast speech in which he called for expanding religious freedom abroad. They also urged him to pay greater attention to his own policies that are infringing upon the religious freedom of his own citizens. "As religious leaders we write to express our appreciation to you for lifting up the issue of international religious liberty in your recent address at the National Prayer Breakfast," they...

My column, “Catholics Defy ObamaCare! What About Fundamentalist Churches and Universities?” caused a stir in some circles. Will Christian leaders decide to fraternize with the enemy by killing innocent babies, or fall on their swords by closing their ministries, or fight to the very end by operating illegally in storefronts or darkened basements? They will do one of the three. The fraternizers will be promoted (but should be pitied); those who fall on their swords (seeking some credibility by not joining the enemy or identifying with the “fighters”) will be praised and those who fight and disobey the law and...

It seems as though I was wrong in my assumption that "the support of Christians is not something that can be brokered". Unless - we are wrong about what it means to -BE- a Christian. For the past several years of America’s decline, I have seen world events through a different prism. It is as though world events contain clear symbolism. It is as though God is warning us but we are not listening. We were founded on Christian principles. The Bible itself is quoted in our founding documents more than Montesquieu, Blackstone or Lock. Yet the Republican Party –...

For example, Dr Eugenie Scott of the staunchly anticreationist National Center for Science Education (NCSE) revealed their agenda when she said: “ … I would describe myself as a humanist or a nontheist. I have found that the most effective allies for evolution are people of the faith community. One clergyman with a backward collar is worth two biologists at a school board meeting any day! … What we [such clergy and atheists] have in common is that we want to see evolution taught in the public schools … .”4

Did you know that 52 of the 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed Christians? Did you know that they all believed in the BIBLE as the divine truth, in the God of scripture, and His personal intervention. It is the same Congress that formed the "American Bible Society" immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence and that the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of the King James Bible for the people of this nation. Patrick Henry, who is called the firebrand of the American Revolution is still remembered for his words,...