Free Republic

It’s safe to say that, among the nations of the world, Israel perhaps evokes stronger thoughts and emotions in people than any other. Israel and polarization seem to fit hand in glove, as people either strongly like or love Israel or dislike or even hate the Jewish nation. It seems most people tend to feel very strongly about Israel, one way or another.In the church today, the nation of Israel is also a point of contention, not geopolitically, per se, but biblically. In short, as it pertains to God’s relationship with Israel in the future, there are only two basic...

“Life is hard,” Yahya, a leader in Iran’s Christian house church movement, told David Yeghnazar of Elam Ministries recently. Yahya (not his real name) was sending voice messages due to Iran’s wartime internet blackout, which makes it nearly impossible for Christian leaders like the Iranian-born Yeghnazar outside the country to reach their contacts in Iran. “But we are continuing. And the Lord is showing His glory…” Despite having no church buildings, Iran’s evangelical population is the fastest growing in the world—some have called it a full-scale underground Christian revival… The first Persian worshippers of Christ may have predated Pentecost—some scholars...

OAKLAND, Calif. - More than a dozen places of worship in the East Bay belonging to the Diocese of Oakland will close due to a lack of parishioners, priests and funds to keep the institutions afloat. Not enough priests or parishioners What they're saying: Bishop Michael Barber said in a statement that the decision to close the 13 churches comes as part of the diocese’s Mission Alignment Process (MAP), which seeks to engage clergy and parishioners "in a process of self-reflection and renewal" by consolidating worshippers from churches with low attendance or staffing to refocus on missionary work. "We must...

The early Church of course experienced its own racial and ethnic divide, that between Jew and Gentile. As both were coming into the Body of Christ suspicion and prejudice degenerated into polarization and condescending labeling, which Paul addressed in Ephesians 2. “You who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (2:13-14). Reconciliation to Christ meant that now “the other” was to become a friend, brother or sister. New levels of respect, appreciation...

Join with fellow FREEPERS across the world to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, Technology, Religious Freedom and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) Religion Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

A federal appeals court upheld a Texas law requiring public schools across the state to display the Ten Commandments. The ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals came after Texas Republican-led legislature passed the law. "This is one of the most important religious liberty victories for Texas in our glorious history," said Jonathan Saenz, president and attorney for Texas Values, which defended the law. "Texas continues to lead the nation in defending both religious liberty and constitutional truth."

51 years ago, India marked a historic milestone with the launch of Aryabhata, its first step into space. But long before the satellite lifted off aboard a Soviet rocket, its story had already begun in an unlikely place: a small church by the Arabian Sea. In the early 1960s, India’s fledgling space programme, what would later become the Indian Space Research Organisation, was operating with limited resources but boundless ambition. Under the leadership of Vikram Sarabhai, scientists were searching for a location close to the magnetic equator to study the upper atmosphere. They found it in Thumba, a quiet fishing...

Gary Lamb is the lead pastor of Action Church in Canton, GA, which, according to their About Page, “exists to redefine your definition of church!” because “we think it is a sin for church to be boring!” Decades ago, Lamb founded Ridge Stone Church (later named Revolution Church), which grew to over 1000 people. He resigned from leadership in 2009 after admitting to an affair with his assistant. Within a few months of the news, however, he announced that he was starting a new church- which became his current iteration. He went viral last week after posting a promo for...

Russia struck a Baptist church in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia during a prayer meeting this week, killing at least one person, a minister, and injuring at least eight others. The Embassy of Ukraine in the U.S. gave the casualty figures in a public statement issued while rescue workers were still on the scene, identifying the targeted building as The House of the Gospel Church, which had served the community for years, according to Baptist Press.The embassy called the strike a deliberate attack on people of faith who had gathered peacefully to pray.Promoters of “A Faith Under Siege,” a...

It's an incredibly painful and difficult thing to realize that you really cannot completely trust ecclesial authority -- not Catholic, not Orthodox, not Protestant... I am an Orthodox Christian, and my faith today is not challenged by revelations like that about the Romanian patriarch. Why is that? Because I also know that the corruption of the clergy does not negate the truths proclaimed by the Church (not the core ones)... This research I'm doing for my next book, about re-enchantment, has been a great booster of my faith, in fact. It makes very clear that God is real, Christ is...

The UCC is a really interesting denomination because it was once a genuine powerhouse in American Protestantism. The UCC was formed in 1957 through a merger of two older traditions—the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. And for the record, Congregationalism mattered a lot in early American history. In The American Religious Landscape, I make the point that Congregationalists likely represented the single largest religious tradition during the Revolutionary era. Today, the UCC is best understood as a mashup of Congregational polity—especially its strong emphasis on local church autonomy—and German Reformed theology. It’s one of the so-called...

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...

Hezbollah missile hits ancient Byzantine church in Nahariya, 1,400-year-old site damaged. A missile fired from Lebanon struck the remains of a 1,400-year-old Byzantine church in Nahariya, damaging the protective structure; the ancient mosaic survived intact, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.

Join with fellow FREEPERS across the world to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, Technology, Religious Freedom and the Media. "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." (1 Timothy 2:1-2) Religion Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

Removing the word “church” from our name has been proposed and the decision was made recently to weigh the extent of interest in replacing “church” with something else. Our group conducted a survey to gauge support and we received a total of 295 responses from members and friends of the UUCB. For the first question, respondents were asked to indicate their support ranging from “strongly disagree (1)” to “strongly agree (5). The table below indicates their level of support. The reasons given by those in agreement with the change (groups 4 & 5, 49.2%), fell under two general themes: Lack...

Immerse yourself in 19th-century writings, and you will discover that Democrat slaveholders and segregationists considered themselves the “Negro’s best friend.” That supposed friendship, of course, required that the “Negro” play a role as grateful recipient of the condescending Democrat’s beneficence. That attitude continues to this day. For instance, in a clip posted to the social media platform X, Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures of Alabama, a black man, asked a group of nearly 100 attendees at a town hall meeting, most of them black, to raise their hands if they did not have an ID, only to discover that not one...

Right now, if you scroll long enough through conservative Christian feeds, you will see two very different tempers about Israel — two extremes; two ditches. One says this: God told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse.” That settles it. End of discussion. If you are a Christian, you (your country) must support the modern state of Israel in all things and give them as many resources as they want. To hesitate is to risk standing under God’s curse. The other says this: Christ fulfilled the promises. The covenant is over....

U.N. Investigating Reports of 100 Civilians Massacred in Congo The Associated Press 2-24-04 KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - The U.N. Congo mission is investigating reports of massacres of about 100 civilians and seven soldiers by Mayi-Mayi fighters in southeast Congo, a U.N. spokesman said Tuesday. The killings have allegedly occurred in Katanga province, 960 miles from the capital Kinshasa, spokesman Hamadoun Toure said. Congo's military confirmed massacres of civilians since January. It gave no more details. The government and U.N. mission in Congo are trying to assert control nationwide after a five-year war that split the country, about the size of...

Dr. Dinah Dye recently offered a thoughtful critique of “Replacement Theology,” arguing for a paradigm of fulfillment rather than replacement regarding Israel and the Church. We share significant common ground. In her article, Dr. Dye rightly observes: “When Jesus says, ‘I will build my ekklesia (church),’ He is not inventing something new; He is speaking of rebuilding the covenant assembly.”Exactly.That is an accurate observation that unlocks the true, biblical relationship between Israel and the Church. However, Dr. Dye’s interest was to show that the New Testament doesn’t necessarily teach that the Church replaced Israel. That’s getting ahead of ourselves. First,...

IDF finds Hezbollah tunnel near south Lebanon church as group 'exploits' Christian population. The IDF also stated that Hezbollah prevents Christian civilians from fleeing combat zones and "has even fired at them" in the past. The IDF uncovered a Hezbollah tunnel stocked with weapons near a church in southern Lebanon, the military announced on Friday, emphasizing the threat the terrorist organization poses to Lebanon's Christian population. The tunnel was discovered by the IDF's Givati Brigade in the Lebanese village of El-Khiam. The area had previously been cleared by the IDF in December 2024. Therein, three shafts were discovered, as well...