Free Republic

In the biblical stories of barren women, maternity is further complicated in order to heighten the drama of the arrival of the promised son, emphasizing the divine role in conception and birth. In the case of the patriarchal stories in Genesis, the matriarchs’ barrenness emphasizes that it is God who disrupts continuity, in the transition from one generation to the next, and then selects the true heir to the covenant… There are six barren women in the Bible: three of the four matriarchs (Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel) in Genesis; Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1-2); the anonymous...

(OPINION) A self-proclaimed prophet, Brandon Dale Biggs, a pastor hailing from Oklahoma, has made headlines with his latest revelation following his prediction of an assassination attempt on Donald Trump. In a series of prophetic visions that he claims began in 2014, Biggs alleges that God unveiled to him a striking image of the next pope standing alongside the Antichrist, a figure often depicted in biblical texts as both charismatic and treacherous, signaling what he interprets as the onset of the apocalyptic end times. With the recent passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday at the age of 88, Biggs feels...

As the Church mourns the passing of Pope Francis, attention turns to the solemn and sacred task that lies ahead: the selection of his successor. That process is called the conclave — an ancient method of discernment that has changed little over the past 800 years. It begins in earnest once the seat of Peter is vacant, whether by death or resignation. The name “conclave” comes from the Latin cum clave, meaning “with a key” — a reference to the tradition of locking the doors during the voting process. The period following a pope’s death is marked by prayer, reflection,...

The Vatican has released images of Pope Francis being laid out in an open coffin ahead of the Confirmation of the Death of the Pontiff ceremony. Francis died Monday after suffering a stroke that led to irreversible heart failure following a weeks-long hospitalization with pneumonia. He was 88. The pontiff’s body had been placed in the coffin late Monday, with Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo — the “chamberlain” who essentially acts as head of the Vatican between the end of a papacy and the start of the next — reading the official declaration of death aloud in an intimate...

I legitimately don't understand. Christianity Today, the flagship evangelical publication founded by the late Billy Graham, declares its method is: "To deliver biblical wisdom and beautiful storytelling from the whole world to the whole world across all media." That publication published THIS on Eater weekend: ******************************************************** Christianity Today @CTmagazine The Bible doesn’t say Jesus was nailed to a cross. One evangelical Bible scholar thinks the crucifixion may have been done with ropes. ********************************************************* Christianity Today had to be community-noted by Christians to correct a grievous biblical error. Maybe it slipped past the editors. But how? How could a theory, so...

Is the Shroud of Turin the real burial cloth of Jesus Christ—or the greatest mystery in Christian history? In this powerful episode of Michael &, Michael Knowles is joined by theologian and historian Dr. Jeremiah Johnston to uncover the mind-blowing discoveries surrounding the Shroud. From scientific analysis and historical evidence to theological significance, they explore what makes the Shroud one of the most studied and debated relics in the world—and what it could mean for believers today. 👉 Watch now and decide for yourself: miracle, hoax, or holy artifact?"The Face of God" Michael & The Shroud of Turin | Dr....

Inquiring Minds... The SIGN of JONAH | Tim Moore & Nathan Jones How long was Jesus dead and buried in the tomb?

ABSTRACT: Jesus of Nazareth underwent Jewish and Roman trials, was flogged, and was sentenced to death by crucifixion. The scourging produced deep stripelike lacerations and appreciable blood loss, and it probably set the stage for hypovolemic shock as evidenced by the fact that Jesus was too weakened to carry the crossbar (patibulum) to Golgotha. At the site of crucifixion his wrists were nailed to the patibulum, and after the patibulum was lifted onto the upright post, (stipes) his feet were nailed to the stipes. The major pathophysiologic effect of crucifixion was an interference with normal respirations. Accordingly, death resulted primarily...

The story of Jesus Christ's crucifixion is one of betrayal, brutality, despair, and pain. Yet we know even before His death that redemption was promised to be coming soon. We know that the story does not end at the cross. We know what many did not realize that Sundays comin.Celebrating Easter means rejoicing in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and recognizing what each of those events can teach us about the character of God. Be reminded of this truth during Easter: God has worked, is working, and will work through all things, even now as we find ourselves...

Some wonder why was Peter forgiven but Judas not forgiven when both disciples sinned against the Lord – one betrayed His Master and the other denied Him? The answer to this question lies in the fact that there is a great difference between the life of Peter and that of Judas. Let’s examine these lives closely: Peter This disciple led an obedient life to God. He was faithful to Him in every way. He lived by the principles of righteousness that Christ preached. And he was the one that acknowledged Christ as the Son of God (Matthew 16:16). And for...

Former devout Catholic, Walter Veith, presents the evidence that Islam was created by Roman Catholicism. VIDEO https://youtu.be/qZRj-CleopA

Wednesday of Holy Week is sometimes referred to as Spy Wednesday, a reference to the betrayal of Our Lord by the traitor Judas Iscariot. Every Christian knows that on Holy Thursday, we remember the Last Supper, and that Good Friday is the day on which the Lord was crucified and died. Holy Saturday, however, is different. For most Christians, it is a peaceful time – a day of reflection separating the drama and sorrow of the Passion from the joy of Easter Sunday. On Holy Saturday, there is seemingly not much going on. For the modern Church, it is a...

He had no doubts at first, but slowly they emerged. He was struck, he says, by the fact that the first coins bearing Muhammad’s name did not appear until the late 7th century — six decades after the religion did. He traded ideas with some scholars in Saarbrücken who in recent years have been pushing the idea of Muhammad’s nonexistence. They claim that “Muhammad” wasn’t the name of a person but a title, and that Islam began as a Christian heresy. Prof. Kalisch didn’t buy all of this. Contributing last year to a book on Islam, he weighed the odds...

[Catholic Caucus] MCELROY, SIPE, AND MCCARRICK’S CLONESWill McElroy dismiss these allegations like he did those from Richard Sipe?While living in Coronado, CA from 2009 to 2023, I had the pleasure of befriending and collaborating with the late psychotherapist and researcher, Richard Sipe, of nearby La Jolla. His letter of July 28, 2016, intended for Pope Francis, who alone has the authority to discipline bishops like those mentioned in his letter, was never acted upon by the Pope, the Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S., or then-Bishop Robert McElroy to whom the letter was legally served.Armed today with similar allegations of abuse...

885(Probable date) Death of Methodius, who with his brother Cyril had evangelized the Balkans. 1593Hanging in London of John Greenwood and Henry Barrow, non-conformists who denied that the Church of England had biblical authority. 1735The first Moravians from Europe arrived in America. Invited by colonial governor James Oglethorpe, ten males of the "Unitas Fratrum" landed in Savannah, Georgia after sailing from England in February. 1851Anglican priest Henry E. Manning is received into the Roman Catholic Church. He will become archbishop of Westminster in 1865 and a cardinal in 1875. 1868Mormon church leader Brigham Young, 67, married his 27th and last...

We dive deep into the controversial case of Blessed Carlo Acutis and the troubling evolution of the Church's canonization process. Since Pope John Paul II removed the adversarial "devil's advocate" role, canonizations have exploded in number, with one priest lamenting, "We're becoming a factory here." Friends of Carlo share surprising revelations that cast doubt on the narrative around his extraordinary sanctity, raising uncomfortable questions about manufactured devotion versus authentic veneration.

Elizabethan Catholics and the MassThis spine-stiffening piece featured in our December 1974 edition; the concluding article in a series penned for Christian Order by the renowned Jesuit historian and author. Though familiar to a greater or lesser extent with the faith, courage and characters involved, we do well to recall and ponder them anew since we should prudently expect the screws of the corporate-state and Occupied Rome to be turned with even greater ferocity against the Holy Faith and Mass of the English saints and martyrs. Father Crane prefaced the article thus: "Father Caraman brings out with the utmost clarity...

The states pushing legislation to display the Ten Commandments in public schools are all but guaranteed to end up at the Supreme Court.Lawmakers across the country are following Louisiana’s lead with legislation calling for the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools. Elected officials from Texas to Pennsylvania seem undeterred by the fact that Louisiana’s law, passed last year, never went into effect. I’m guessing they know it is only a matter of time before Louisiana is victorious in defense of the law’s constitutionality in court. In my work with legal historian Professor Mark David Hall, we’ve shown that...

...The series, “Muawiya,” tells the story of Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, a major figure in early Islam. He was one of Islam’s early rulers and the founder of the Umayyad dynasty — the first hereditary rulers in Islam where power passed down within the same clan. He was also a reputed companion of the Prophet Muhammad. this chronicles events in seventh century that led to Islam’s first civil war between Sunnis&Shiites. The show was produced by a media conglomerate in Saudi Arabia, which, like most other Middle Eastern countries, is dominated by Sunnis. Some in Shiite Iran and Iraq, one...

I recently had a passionate debate with a German friend about whether Islam lies at the root of the dysfunction in Islamic societies and whether it can be reformed. Like many of my privileged Western liberal friends, his understanding of the Islamic world seems to rest on a brief visit to the Egyptian pyramids and perhaps a guided city tour through Istanbul. He offered the usual well-meaning but tired arguments I've heard countless times. When I asked whether he had read the Quran or the Hadiths, he admitted he hadn't yet insisted that Islam wasn't the problem—it was merely a...