Free Republic

Evangelist Franklin Graham released a statement Monday after an entertainment venue in the United Kingdom canceled his event due to objections over his views.Graham rejected the claim that he was “coming to the UK to bring hateful speech to your community.”“This is just not true. I am coming to share the Gospel, which is the Good News that God loves the people of the UK, and that Jesus Christ came to this earth to save us from our sins,” he stated.“The rub, I think, comes in whether God defines homosexuality as sin. The answer is yes. But God goes...

Kanye West and the Sunday Service Choir performed before 12,400 students gathered in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for the Strength to Stand Conference on January 19, 2020. PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — Kanye West shared how Jesus radically changed his life and saved him from the devil while performing along with his Sunday Service choir at a youth conference where hundreds of students dedicated their lives to Christ. “I believe Jesus died for my sins. There was a time when the devil had me,” West testified before the 12,400 students gathered for the Strength to Stand Conference on Sunday. “Do you know...

“The fastest-growing church in the world has taken root in one of the most unexpected and radicalized nations on earth,” according to “Sheep Among Wolves,” the outstanding two-hour documentary about the revival that has taken place inside Iran. “The Iranian awakening is a rapidly reproducing discipleship movement that owns no property or buildings, has no central leadership, and is predominantly led by women.” The documentary was produced by Frontier Alliance International (FAI), which supports disciple-making teams targeting the “unreached” and “unengaged” within the 10/40 Window. “What if I told you Islam is dead?” one unidentified Iranian church leader says on...

After experiencing A Kanye West Opera: Mary at Lincoln Center during this advent season, it is safe to say that what he is doing is biblically based and theologically sound ministry. This is REAL DEAL teaching and preaching of scripture in a way that should make your momma and them church should take notes. They have combined the drama of his Hip-Hop stage show, one that has drawn crowds from the secular world, with the intentional sermonizing of the consecrated gospel of his Lord, Jesus. They have used very few words (outside of the Latin in the solos) to tell...

I recap some of the panels at the Heart for Muslims conference, discuss the cost of discipleship, and describe some of the practical tips for evangelizing people from a Muslim background.

Part II of my analysis of the Heart for Muslims conference. I round out Nik Ripkin's discussion of what lessons we can learn from the underground church-particularly how to live the Resurrection. I also tackle some dos and don'ts in witnessing to Muslims.

The Church of England has received praise from the Jewish community for its major statement repudiating anti-Semitism in Church history. At the same time, “While Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis welcomed the report in the main, he simultaneously launched a blistering reproach of Anglican leaders for failing to disavow their institution with those who still seek to convert Jews to Christianity.”Personally, as a Jewish believer in Jesus, I’m thrilled to see this statement, since many Jews have a terrible view of Jesus due to centuries of mistreatment at the hands of professing Christians. In fact, Church history is one of the...

I didn't get to address this in the video, but something that struck me about this conference was the eagerness for the Western attendees to do something to bolster fellow believers within the underground church. Something the pastor mentioned at the close of the day was suggesting ways this ministry could be more effective-and more collaborative. I actually think paying attention to the needs of the global church-particularly the part under spiritual and physical assault-would benefit the entire Body of Christ.

Kanye West's surprise visit with his Sunday Service choir to two Harris County jails in Houston, Texas was an "egregious" violation of the U.S. Constitution, an atheist group complains. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, whose district is in Houston, called it a "very cool move" by the "Jesus Walks" rapper, but the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) was particularly angered by the "Christian" message relayed from the newly born-again believer's songs from his new release, "Jesus Is King," The gospel-rap album debuted No. 1 on the Billboard charts. "It is no excuse that Kanye West is famous," FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel...

HOUSTON — Kanye West and his choir of 100 singers pulled off a pair of performances inside two Harris County jails on Friday afternoon. Three days later, inmates and Harris County Sheriff's Office employees are still talking about it. "It’s a tremendous impact. Beyond the lights, beyond the circumstances, beyond the ceremony, there were people there that showed they were broken and were very excited that God met them where they were at," said Don Savell who leads the H.C.S.O. Chaplaincy program. Each performance spanned 45 minutes. About 400 male inmates witnessed one show and 100 females inmates were moved...

CRF Moscow Interviews Keith Darrell on Evangelism, Open Air Preaching and other topics related to the Christian Life.

A Christian woman has brought a landmark case to court in St Petersburg after challenging authorities for fining her 10,000 rubles (£122) after she hosted worship services for her protestant church in her home. Olga Glamozdinova, who allowed a congregation to gather for weekly worship sessions at her house in the southern village of Veselyi said the decision violated her rights to freedom of religious expression and her right to freely own and dispose of her property. According to Christian aid agency Barnabas Fund, the church was registered at her property which is built on land designated for "private farming"...

Famed eighth century missionary Saint Boniface appeared at the Vatican yesterday for the kickoff of the Amazonian Synod. Reading from the working document, the moderator was saying, For the indigenous peoples of the Amazon Basin, the good life comes from living in communion with other people, with the world, with the creatures of their environment, and with the Creator. Indigenous peoples, in fact, live within the home that God created and gave them as a gift: the Earth. Their diverse spiritualities and beliefs motivate them to live in communion with the soil, water, trees, animals, and with day and...

Four student evangelists from Wheaton College in Illinois are suing the Chicago city government over a set of rules that they say are restricting their freedom of speech and religion at a popular park. The students are members of the Chicago Evangelism Team sponsored by the Office of Christian Outreach at Wheaton College, an evangelical institution based in the Chicago suburbs. The students contend they have faced opposition and at times have been prohibited by security from evangelizing at Millennium Park, a 24-acre downtown venue that hosts a range of activities including concerts, theatre, dance performances, art shows, and nature...

In the 8th century, the Great Imam, Abu Hanifa (699-767), coined the term "House of Islam" (Dar al-Islam) as those places where Muslims enjoyed peace and security under the rule of an Islamic government. The rest of the world Hanifa designated Dar al-Harb or "the House of War." Hanifa's triumphalist worldview had been earned by Islamic armies that had already defeated both the Byzantine and Persian superpowers in their first century of existence. In Hanifa's own lifetime, these Prophet-inspired warriors rolled unabated across Buddhist Central Asia and South Asian Hindustan. By the time of Abu Hanifa's writing, Islamic kingdoms stretched...

Want to fatten a church for slaughter? The steps are below. This is a true story. 1. Launch a “church for people who don’t like the church” with a dynamic leader with big ideas and self-help teaching. 2. Care less about biblical depth, discipleship, and leadership character than inspirational messages, excitement, and creativity. Make sure the success is built around the leader’s “brand” so that he and the church are largely synonymous. 3. See the place attract large crowds. 4. See the success go to the leader’s head. Make excuses and accommodations as his short temper, control issues, and lack...

Someone asked me the following question: “Is it wise to have open-air preaching in an Islamic country like Malaysia? The constitutional law in Malaysia is basically Islamic. The country appears to be democratic but deep down it is rooted in Islamic core values.” This is my response: The answer to this must be your decision, but I will give you my thoughts to help you to shape yours. First, I would find an appropriate place to preach, and then make inquiries about the legalities of speaking in the open air. Perhaps a permit is required, and having one will keep...

Kanye West made Coachella history this weekend, when he brought his famous Sunday Service spectacle to the Southern Californian desert festival for a massive Easter morning celebration. Although the “Jesus Walks” rapper has been staging Sunday Services since January, they have so far taken place in a secret Los Angeles location and have been invite-only, so this performance was the first time that the general public could attend. (Everyone with a Coachella wristband was welcome.) The full show was also live-streamed on YouTube through a fisheye-style peephole lens, for an especially intimate effect.

Being on the "wrong" side of the generation gap (older side) is a completely different experience than being on the "right" side (younger side). The older I get, the more curmudgeonly I feel. At times, though, my age, knowledge, and experience underline my differences with younger generations to the point where I must affirm that my side is the right side. Barna's recent report about the state of evangelism among practicing Christians highlights that there are times when the older generations need to hold the line against the folly of younger generations. The report reveals the staggering fact that nearly...

Pope Francis warned Catholics in Morocco not to attempt to convert Muslims to Christianity, as he addressed a large crowd of his Moroccan flock on Sunday.The head of the Catholic Church issued the warning during an address at St. Peter's Cathedral in Rabat, Morocco before roughly 400 Christian followers.