Free Republic

Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) went on with Stewart Varney on Thursday morning to discuss recent developments on Capitol Hill.   Roskam told Stewart House Republicans are planning of filing criminal charges against Lois Lerner.     Rep. Roskam: The Obama Administration was very lenient with the crimes that Lois Lerner committed. And those are strong words that I’m using but the House Ways and Means Committee voted out a criminal referral to the Department of Justice which was completely dismissed by the Department of Justice… We think that Lois Lerner did two things wrong. Number one, she denied people...

Pro-Homosexual United Methodists Urged to Exit Denomination Graciously By Jim Brown and Jody Brown October 18, 2004 (AgapePress) - Pro-homosexual members of the United Methodist Church (UMC) are being asked to make a "gracious exit" from the denomination. The United Methodist Action Committee of the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) is calling for the "peaceful departure" of Methodist clergy who cannot abide by the church's standards on marriage and sex. Same-sex unions and the ordination of clergy sexually active outside of traditional marriage are officially barred by the denomination. In a statement approved earlier this month, the Committee observes...

Conservative Group Amplifies Voice of Protestant Orthodoxy By LAURIE GOODSTEIN and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK As Presbyterians prepare to gather for their General Assembly in Richmond, Va., next month, a band of determined conservatives is advancing a plan to split the church along liberal and orthodox lines. Another divorce proposal shook the United Methodist convention in Pittsburgh earlier this month, while conservative Episcopalians have already broken away to form a dissident network of their own. In each denomination, the flashpoint is homosexuality, but there is another common denominator as well. In each case, the Institute on Religion and Democracy, a small...

Commentary: ECUSA’s Betrayal of Trust Makes Claims to “Commitment to Discussion” Ring Hollow Erik Nelson, March 3, 2004 Dialogue is usually a positive thing. When there is clear disagreement on an issue, dialogue between the opposing parties can usually clarify the points of contention and perhaps even resolve some of the disagreement. But dialogue is also difficult. It requires that all parties are willing to, essentially, put down their weapons and agree to discuss the issue without continued warfare on other fronts. It is difficult to negotiate borders between warring nations, for instance, when battles are still being fought and...

President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, Diane Knippers, Addresses Myths Surrounding Current Situation in Episcopal Church at "Plano East" Conference January 23, 2004 Mrs. Diane Knippers Source: AAC News January 10, 2004 Exploding Myths about the Episcopal Church Crisis I have been invited to place the current crisis in the Episcopal Church in a larger context, first to look at the cultural context and then the context of the wider church. I want to expose three myths. Myth one: The recent experimental ethics of the Episcopal Church represents the future. Myth two: The Episcopal Church’s recent actions indicate...

RETIRED BISHOP BLASTS RENEWAL GROUPS Retired Bishop Dale White made a blistering attack on renewal groups within United Methodism, alleging that they have a “polarizing style” and “intimidating tactics” that are “calculated to spread fear” and “impugn the motives of others.”   He warned against their “dirty tricks politics” and “right-wing ideology.”  White made his remarks a First United Methodist Church in Schenectady, New York on October 26 as part of its Carl Lecture Series.  The bishop named the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD), Good News, and the Confessing Movement among the groups that he was criticizing.  “They aren’t...

Episcopalian Hopes Anglican Leaders Will Reform ECUSA Jim Brown, Agape Press A conservative Episcopalian is predicting that her denomination will "seriously hemorrhage" members over the next twelve months. Last week, the chief leaders of the Anglican Communion expressed "deep regret" over the Episcopal Church's decision to confirm openly homosexual bishop V. Gene Robinson. They warned that consecrating Robinson would "tear the fabric" of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican leaders told Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold that their worldwide communion would be "put in jeopardy" if Robinson is consecrated as bishop of New Hampshire next month. Diane Knippers, president of the Institute...

What are the factors, in the culture and the church, that have led us to this crisis? by Diane Knippers, President, Institute on Religion and Democracy Source: AAC News October 9, 2003 Presentation given by Diane Knippers at the AAC's "A Place to Stand: Declaring, Preparing" conference. That’s a large question, much larger than I could answer in just a few minutes. Does one start with the Enlightment? Point to the 1960s? Blame it on Bishops Spong or Pike? Blame it on reality television or “Sex in the City”? Because I have sociological training, I naturally look to cultural factors....