Free Republic

The Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, has issued a stark warning to the clergy in his diocese. He told them they need to get their affairs in order and prepare for the possibility of martyrdom while protesting ICE and its efforts to enforce immigration laws and stop illegal immigration, along with other acts of injustice. Speaking to attendees at a candlelight vigil for Renee Nicole Good—the woman fatally shot by an ICE agent after she drove her vehicle toward him—Bishop Hirschfeld declared her a martyr for the cause and warned the Christians...

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Seattle-area church engaged in oral arguments in Cedar Park Assembly of God of Kirkland v. Kuderer at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. ADF attorneys are asking the court to uphold Cedar Park Church’s constitutionally protected, pro-life religious beliefs by exempting it from an overly broad state mandate that requires most Washington employers to provide abortion coverage for employees. Senate Bill 6219, signed into law in March 2018, requires Cedar Park’s employee health plan to cover abortion if the church’s plan also offers maternity care coverage. Violators face fines and criminal...

SALT LAKE CITY — Two people were killed and six were injured in a shooting in Salt Lake City's Rose Park neighborhood on Wednesday evening when a fight broke out in a church parking lot outside a funeral. The shooter or shooters remained at large as of the latest update from police at 11 p.m. "The situation still is very fluid. At this point, we know that there are at least eight victims, I can confirm that two of them have died; three of them are critical condition, and three others (are) in unknown condition," said Salt Lake police spokesman...

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.

For faith leaders supporting and ministering to anxious immigrants across the United States, 2025 was fraught with challenges and setbacks. For many in these religious circles, the coming year could be worse. The essence of their fears: President Donald Trump has become harsher with his contemptuous rhetoric and policy proposals, blaming immigrants for problems from crime to housing shortages and, in a social media post, demanding “REVERSE MIGRATION.” Haitians who fled gang violence in their homeland, as well as Afghans allowed entry after assisting the U.S. in Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover, now fear that their refuge in America may...

A city board on Thursday gave a Muslim group the go-ahead to remove six crosses from the roof and spires of a century-old former Catholic church so the now-vacant Gothic structure can be used as a mosque. More than 200 people had signed an online petition calling on the Syracuse Landmark Preservation Board to deny an application by North Side Learning Center, the church’s new owner, to remove the crosses and build a six-foot chain-link fence. …

SummaryDan Lyman interviews William Wolfe, executive director of the Center for Baptist Leadership and former Trump administration appointee at State Department and DOD. Wolfe introduces his background, including work for pro-American immigration figures, and explains his focus on immigration due to perceived subversion by Christian NGOs. Lyman asks for a high-level grade on the second Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Wolfe gives an A-minus, noting significant progress compared to the first term (e.g., cutting USAID funding, stronger border security, lower refugee caps, discussions on H-1Bs), but emphasizes the problem worsened under Biden, requiring even more action. Discussion on USAID: Wolfe describes...

The Bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Reverend Jen Nagel, has released a statement, “For the Dignity of Our Neighbors,’ defending Somali immigrants and criticizing ICE amid the backdrop of the Minnesota Frand Scandal. The Minnesota fraud scandals, primarily the Feeding Our Future case, involve the theft of approximately $300 million (with broader losses estimated to be nearly $1 billion) from federal child nutrition and social service programs during the COVID-19 era through fake meal sites, shell companies, and fraudulent claims. Furthermore, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson recently speculated that fraud...

The Rev. Joseph G. Crippen is the senior pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church, a small Lutheran church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. (ELCA) According to his church bio, he is a “gifted presider, counselor, and preacher who’s passionate about proclaiming God’s love for all people and serving the church as it seeks to faithfully pursue its mission.” During a recent sermon on the gospel reading in Matthew 3, Crippen puts John the Baptist on blast, condemning him as a hate-filled, violence-encouraging, anti-Jesus bigot, and comparing his rhetoric criticizing the Pharisees and...

The Southern Baptist Convention has squandered much of its moral credibility crusading for leftist causes, such as amnesty and DEI.The rationale used to campaign for sweeping #MeToo overhauls within the nation’s largest Protestant denomination has now been thoroughly discredited. Newly released documents in Sills v. Southern Baptist Convention reveal how unwise decisions by denominational leaders, combined with unethical conduct by investigative consulting group Guidepost Solutions, manipulated Southern Baptists into a manufactured crisis. The result was a self-inflicted unraveling that exposed the denomination to litigation and has already cost $13 million and counting in investigative and legal expenses.The recent revelations center...

Putting baby Jesus in zip ties places the Christmas story as a polemic against the Trump administration and its immigration law enforcement. Here in Dallas and elsewhere, individuals have been motivated by these narratives to attempt to kill ICE agents. Despite the virtues signaled by many Christian pastors across the United States, the demonization of law enforcement is not consistent with the teaching and praxis of Jesus. In fact, Mary and Joseph conformed to difficult imperial mandates compelling them to move and register in the hometown of Joseph. Herod is the dark evil figure of the Christmas story, and the...

Joe Campbell, a Pentecostal preacher who for half a century ministered to thousands of children across four states, has been arrested on child sex abuse charges, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday. Campbell was charged with one count of first-degree rape and one count of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16, according to the charging document. U.S. marshals arrested him Wednesday morning at Camp Bell, his children's camp in Elkland, Missouri, and took him to the Greene County jail in Springfield, where he was awaiting transfer to Oklahoma. If convicted, he faces up to life in...

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 Brooklyn pastor pleaded guilty Tuesday to embezzling $3 million over seven years from a day care associated with his church. The Rev. Paul Mitchell, 60, admitted in federal court that he broke the Eighth Commandment — “Thou shall not steal” —while leading East New York’s Changing Lives Christian Center. Prosecutors accused the pastor of pocketing money intended for the supervision and personal development of young people in the church’s care. Officials said he even used the embezzled funds to purchase his fiancée’s engagement ring. “The defendant treated his organizations’ accounts as his own personal piggy bank, stealing millions of...

Last week, the National Association of Evangelicals published its monthly newsletter, whereby it heralded the Christmas season not by celebrating “joy to the world” but by repeating its annual Yuletide claim that because Christ was a “refugee,” all Christians are obligated to welcome all immigrants (regardless of status) into our country, our towns and our neighborhoods. How are we to do this? How exactly are some 60 million American evangelicals purportedly represented by the National Association of Evangelicals to welcome the “sojourner” and “foreigner” in our midst? What practical steps does the association suggest we take?

The Gospel Coalition (TGC) sounded the alarm over a growing number of Protestant intellectuals, pastors, and influencers converting to the Catholic faith. Written by TGC’s Andrew Voigt, the article is framed as a strategic response to stem the tide of conversions. It warns of the effectiveness of Catholic apologetics, particularly online, and urges Protestants to develop a more robust counter-narrative. According to Voigt, Protestant apologetics has focused more on addressing atheism and secularism while Catholic evangelization efforts have been more directly aimed at engaging Protestants. An Italian Protestant pastor, Leonardo De Chirico, is quoted in Voigt’s article as saying that...

A Chicago-area church has updated its already controversial nativity scene following damage from vandalism and inclement weather, removing Joseph, the father of Jesus, and replacing him with a memorial to those who have been affected by raids and arrests conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Lake Street Church of Evanston, Illinois, made headlines earlier this holiday season with a nativity scene that depicts baby Jesus as lying in a manger with his hands zip-tied together. The infant is wrapped in what appears to be an emergency blanket. Mary and Joseph are standing near the manger wearing gas...

A Christmas show at a church in Plano, Texas, has become a flash point in America - a Rorschach test in today's hyper-political culture. The 'Gift of Christmas' at Prestonwood Baptist Church, as the nearly two-hour extravaganza is called, has become one of the most well-known holiday shows across the US, mostly thanks to social media. People seem to either love or loathe the 'Vegas-style' production at the mega church- complete with a flying Santa Claus and live camels and sheep- with tickets selling from $20 to $71 per person. 'Tell me how a family of 4 has to spend...

In an age of moral confusion and cultural uncertainty, people are drawn to those who actually believe what they say—who live as if their core convictions are real and unshakable. This may explain the quiet shift unfolding in England. For the first time in centuries, the Catholic Church surpasses CoE in active attendance. Among young people, Catholics outnumber Anglicans. In London, the shift is even more pronounced. The tide is turning—and it’s not turning toward trendy liturgies or progressive theology but toward clarity, continuity, and conviction. Every Anglican worldwide, and every Episcopalian in the U.S., knows that even after 500...

A majority of pastors are now using artificial intelligence to prepare their sermons, with ChatGPT and Grammarly reported as the top two AI tools, new survey data shows. "ChatGPT is the most visible generative AI tool that can engage in human-like conversations and assist with a wide range of tasks, from answering questions to generating content," researchers wrote in "The 2025 State of AI in the Church Survey Report" prepared by AiForChurchLeaders.com and Exponential AI NEXT. "As the most popular AI tool among church leaders (26%), ChatGPT is being used for applications such as sermon preparation, research, and crafting church...