Free Republic

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....

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, 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) THE COLD REALITY OF THIS WORLD IS THAT EACH OF US IS MOVING TOWARD A FINAL DESTINATION. WHETHER THE CURRENT CRISIS WE ARE ALL EXPERIENCING ENDS QUICKLY OR STRETCHES OVER MONTHS AND YEARS,...

An anti-deportation protester who dared Attorney General Pam Bondi to arrest him for crashing a Sunday church in Minnesota is now in custody, Bondi said Thursday.William Kelly was seen on video with a crowd invading and loudly disrupting a service at Cities Church in St. Paul over allegations that the pastor worked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Bondi described the protest as an attack on congregants’ religious liberty and announced multiple related arrests, including Kelly’s, in Thursday X posts.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has insisted that the FACE Act only applies to abortion clinics, coming as the Department of Justice is probing possible violations of the law in relation to the storming of a St Paul church by anti-ICE agitators. Speaking on former CNN host Don Lemon’s podcast, Ellison said, "Yeah, I'm familiar with the FACE Act. You know, in Minnesota, we have—we uphold the right of a woman to choose, and some of the activists, you know, will, you know, sort of—you know, they, so it’s…" He continued, "The law has to do with the, you know,...

Far-left agitator Nekima Levy Armstrong, who was one of the organisers of the storming of a Minnesota church to protest ICE on Sunday, raked in over $1 million during six years leading a Minneapolis civil rights nonprofit that addresses anti-poverty issues. Armstrong, whose website identifies her as a civil rights lawyer and "scholar-activist," helped organise the storming of Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday. In a Facebook post, she claimed that one of the church’s pastors is a leader at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The demonstration is one of many throughout the Twin Cities in protest of...

On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Source,” Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) said that when people find out “someone that’s supposed to be speaking for the community in church” is “a federal agent that is running ICE in their communities, they have the right to go in there.” “Churches have always been an open door,” and the people who barged into a church in St. Paul over the weekend weren’t violent. Host Jim Sciutto asked, “Do you believe it was a step too far for protesters to go into a church?” Grijalva answered, “I don’t. I don’t. I think that when...

One of the unhinged protesters who barged into a Minneapolis church this weekend, terrorizing peaceful worshippers and children alike, was a school board member for the city of Saint Paul named Chauntyll Allen. Libs of TikTok posted this information on Twitter/X: A report from TMZ confirms this (emphasis is ours): Local and federal authorities are investigating after a group of anti-ICE protesters crashed a Minnesota church service … and one of the demonstrators tells TMZ she’d still do it all over again. Here’s the deal … the DOJ and local police are investigating after protesters interrupted a service at the...

A Christian church service was invaded by anti-ICE protesters in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday with former CNN anchor Don Lemon apparently leading the disturbance. Lemon livestreamed the intrusion of Cities Church, a Southern Baptist congregation, as shouts of "ICE out!," "Hands up, don't shoot" and "Justice for Renee Good!" echoed through the building. Good was the anti-ICE activist fatally shot by a federal agent this month when she allegedly tried to run over an officer with her vehicle. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not amused, as it shared a clip of the video and stated: "Agitators aren't just...

4,000 churches closed in 2024, while only 3,800 were started, Lifeway Research reports. More Protestant churches are being closed in America than are being planted, and older congregations appear to be bearing the brunt of the contraction, according to data from a new Lifeway Research study.The study published Tuesday used data collected from 35 denominational groups that represent 58% of U.S. Protestant churches. The Tennessee-based research arm of Lifeway Christian Resources also cited information from the Annual Church Profile for 2023 and 2024 of the Southern Baptist Convention — America’s largest Protestant denomination.While 4,000 Protestant churches were closed in 2024,...

The NYPD is enhancing security at houses of worship on Staten Island following a string of recent disturbances at Catholic churches. That includes an incident that happened at St. Ann's Church in Dongan Hills last week where a man stormed the altar, disrupted the sermon and got into a fight with two officers who tried to stop him. Matthew Caffrey, 28, is charged with assaulting an officer and resisting arrest. That incident last Friday morning is the latest in a string of crimes at Catholic churches across Staten Island.

Toronto: Church provides space for event honoring “Palestinian” terrorist responsible for jihad massacre JUL 7, 2019 11:00 AM BY ROBERT SPENCER The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is ostensibly a Communist organization, but it is wholly aligned with the jihad force. Ghassan Kanafani was responsible for the murder of 17 Christians, as well as eight Israelis, but that doesn’t matter to the Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church. Being woke is ultimately a suicidal act, but at least the members of Trinity-St. Paul’s can congratulate themselves that they were never “racist” when their own time comes and their jihadi friends...

In a troubling trend, police in Minnesota, Ohio, Florida, Arizona, and Louisiana have arrested a number of church leaders in separate cases for failing to report alleged child abuse. The wave of cases, which have arisen in the last month, raises questions about church and ministry accountability and their legal and moral obligations to protect children in their care, specifically by alerting civil authorities when leaders suspect abuse. This basic duty has been a fixture of American law for well over half a century. Since 1967, every state has enacted some form of mandatory child-abuse reporting law. But in nearly...

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. …

Europe is facing a growing wave of anti-Christian violence, with Germany recording the highest number of arson attacks in 2024. According to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe), a total of 2,211 anti-Christian offenses were documented across the continent, including 274 personal attacks involving physical violence and threats. Analysts warn that these figures reflect a climate of growing intolerance that affects local communities in concrete ways. While Europe saw a slight decrease from 2,444 offenses in 2023, OIDAC Europe attributes this to incomplete data collection. Serious incidents included the fatal November 2024 attack on...

As Oklahoma braces for a temporary suspension of SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown, Governor Kevin Stitt is urging nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and everyday Oklahomans to step up and support families in need. In Tulsa and across the state, churches are answering the call. Sheridan Church, for example, is expanding its existing programs, planning food drives and community meals to help families struggling to put groceries on the table. Faith leaders say the demand is already high. Rev. W.R. Casey Jr., President and CEO of the Christian Ministers Alliance, shared that while local farms have donated some supplies, the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Family Research Council (FRC), in partnership with the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University (CRC) today released a new national survey of 1,003 regular churchgoing adults (July 2025), updating a comparable 2023 study. Given recent reports showing increased church-attendance, this new study brings to light some important areas for churches and pastors to think through. It identifies the beliefs that the people in the pews hold on a range of important topics and underscores why these need to be addressed with intentional, biblical clarity from the pulpit. Specific findings from the report are being released by...

Summary China detains dozens of underground church pastors Crackdown heralds new wave of religious persecution, church spokesperson says U.S.'s Rubio condemns detentions, urges pastors' release BEIJING, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Police in China detained dozens of pastors of one of its largest underground churches over the weekend, a church spokesperson and relatives said, in the biggest crackdown on Christians since 2018. The detentions, which come amid renewed China-U.S. tensions after Beijing dramatically expanded rare earth export controls last week, drew condemnation from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called on Sunday for the pastors' immediate release. Pastor Jin Mingri, the...

With its popularity in the United States crashing, Israel is bankrolling what organizers say will be the largest campaign of its kind to bolster support among evangelical churches, until recently seen as an unshakable base of support for the Jewish state. Israel’s Foreign Ministry has hired an American firm to run the campaign, with plans to spend as much as $4.1 million on marketing aimed at Christians across the Western part of the country, according to newly filed federal disclosures. The documents, filed last week under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, reveal that Show Faith by Works, LLC will execute...

Police have arrested a suspect nearly four months after a New Jersey Republican councilwoman was gunned down in her car as she was nearing her home. Rashid Ali Bynum, 28, was arrested and charged in the murder of 30-year-old Eunice Dwumfour, who was shot and killed on the evening of February 1. Dwumfour and Bynum knew each other from working together at Champions Royal Assembly, a Nigeria-based prosperity gospel church in Newark, police said, according to ABC 7. “This was a very complex, extensive case with painstaking police work every single moment until today and it will continue after today,”...