Free Republic

"As a pastor for over thirty years, I am amazed that such a small percentage of the children of Christian parents actually serve the Lord when they reach their teenage years and beyond, including the children of Christian leaders." "In summary, these are just some of my observations which seem to ensure the backslidden or lukewarm condition of a child raised in a Christian home. However, there are always exceptions to these observations. Some children can go on to fulfill their purpose in Christ with passion in spite of the hindrances of their parents." "Also, as parents we can do...

"Remember Lot's wife... one of the shortest verses in all the Bible. Don't look back." Billy Graham unpacks the terrifying lesson from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. When the angels led Lot's family out of the judgment, they were given one rule: don't look back. But she loved the world too much, looked back, and was turned into a pillar of salt! Jesus used her as the ultimate warning for believers today. If you have been rescued by grace, stop looking longingly at your old life!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow wrote “John 3:16” under his eyes during the 2009 BCS National Championship Game. That night, 94 million people searched the verse. Three years later to the exact day, Tebow played his first NFL playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He threw for 316 yards. His yards per completion were 31.6. The TV rating peaked at 31.6. The opponent’s time of possession was 31:06. The only interception in the game...

To be a Christian in Iran 50 years ago meant to be a part of small ethnic groups of Armenians, Chaldeans, or Assyrians– communities of a few hundred thousand that had lived in Iran for centuries. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, there were only a few hundred converts to Christianity from the country’s majority religion, Islam. When the revolution successfully overthrew the secular monarchy, or Shah, it was reasonable to expect that the tiny Christian populations would diminish and that Christianity would be stifled under the newly applied Sharia law of the Islamic Republic of Iran. For the...

SAMARITAN’S PURSE TRANSPORTED MORE THAN 51 TONS OF URGENTLY NEEDED RELIEF SUPPLIES TO BEIRUT THIS WEEK TO SERVE DISLODGED FAMILIES. The Samaritan’s Purse 767 aircraft made its third trip to Lebanon in the last two weeks to deliver another 50-plus tons of relief supplies, including medical resources for hospitals and clinics. This most recent load also brought more solar lights, hygiene and kitchen supplies, tents, blankets, and jerry cans. In total, we’ve flown in over 150 tons of aid, which we are providing to church partners to distribute to some of the nearly 1 million people who have had to...

On that first Easter the Greatest News the World has ever heard was declared - Jesus is Alive (no description other than the title)

Vermonters in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington have celebrated this past week in the leadup to Easter on Sunday, when this year’s class of adults will enter into the Catholic Church. Current estimates indicate that their numbers are increasing substantially, especially among young adults at some of Vermont’s universities. While statewide Sunday Mass attendance has decreased and the diocese is consolidating churches, some local parishes have seen an increase in energy and enthusiasm. In a state with a declining birth rate and an aged population, data from the Diocese of Burlington indicates that conversions among adults are increasing at...

“We are grateful to support the efforts of local churches in Lebanon who are serving their community,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “Please join me in praying that God will bring peace to the Middle East.” This recent airlift of relief supplies comes in addition to food parcels we delivered through church partners to over 500 families in the weeks prior, containing rice, pasta, lentils, beans, milk, and oil. Samaritan’s Purse has also already purchased urgently needed diapers, hygiene supplies, and crutches in Lebanon and distributed the items to disabled and vulnerable populations. Please pray for the more...

A Great AwakeningA movie about a preacher who was very influential just before the American Revolution and his friendship with Benjamin Franklin. This is movie is true art, an inspiring spiritual journey though time that is a very uplifting experience to watch.

The star of a popular show about King David is opening up about his personal conversion and the decision that led him to come into full communion with the Catholic Church ahead of the second season’s global premiere. “When I was younger, I went to the Coptic Orthodox Church — and I love the Coptic Orthodox Church,” said the 24-year-old actor, who moved from Egypt to the United States as a boy. “But I found myself for a while, especially here in the States, I just didn’t go to church at all.” Iskander said that his faith journey and his...

If you need prayer today, call us anytime at 1.800.329.0029 - our prayer partners would love to pray with you!

Something extraordinary happened in France in the year 2025: more than 10,300 adults were baptized into the Catholic Church — the highest number recorded in the past 20 years.This unprecedented surge is even more striking because of the demographic of the new converts: mostly Gen Z adults between 18 and 25 who did not grow up in practicing families.According to the French Institute of Public Opinion, more than 50% of the population in France identifies as atheist.MSGR. GUILLAUME DERVILLE Director of the Fontblin Priestly Center, France These are genuine conversions, not something superficial. And I ask myself: where does this...

What’s So Good About Good Friday? (video - 5 minutes)If you can, take 5 minutes - watch the video until the end - and pass it on...

“I wanted to know the truth of life. I wanted to live a good life, I wanted to live with purpose and know why I am on the earth.” Methodology • 28 South Asian Muslim believers in Christ interviewed • 15 born in UK, 8 came as young children, 5 more recent arrivals • 24 Sunni, 2 Shia, 1 Ahmadiyya, 1 mixed Ch/Mus parents • Ages - Youngest 21, Oldest 61, Average 38 • Christians for: Newest 9 months, Longest 29 yrs, Average 14 yrs • Baptised: 26 (2 not) • Singles 12, Marrieds 12, Divorced 4 (3) • Self-Designation:...

Over 13,000 adults and 8,000 teens will be baptized in France this Easter, setting a new record, the French Bishops' Conference announced on March 25. "How is this happening? What's going on?" Archbishop Olivier de Germay of Lyon, France, didn't try to downplay the mystery. He serves as the point person for the catechumenate for the French Bishops' Conference (CEF). Speaking from Lourdes, he noted the many unknowns still surrounding the surge in teen and adult baptism requests. During the Easter Vigil, on April 4, the Church will celebrate 21,386 adult and teen baptisms. The CEF shared these staggering figures...

In 2023, LA welcomed 3,462 catechumens and candidates — both children and adults who had never been baptized, plus those who had been baptized but had never completed the other sacraments — into the Church at Easter. Then in 2024, there were 3,596. In 2025, a significant bump of a combined 5,587 entered. For Easter 2026, the archdiocese expects an even more staggering increase: 8,598 catechumens and candidates. So what’s behind the surge in conversions? Some point to a reawakening born from the personal desolation experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic…Many find it to be a sign of spiritual hunger caused...

People are joining the Roman Catholic Church in surprising numbers. This Easter the Archdiocese of Detroit will receive 1,428 new Catholics into the church, its highest number in 21 years. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will have its most in 15 years. In the Diocese of Des Moines, the count is jumping 51 percent from last year, from 265 people to 400. “The Times gathered data from two dozen dioceses, like Los Angeles and Phoenix, as well as Gallup, N.M., and Allentown, Pa… Each reported a significant jump. For Jesse Araujo, 19, in Pahrump, Nev., the biggest influence…was listening to Catholic...

A Catholic bishop in Belgium has announced plans to ordain married men to the priesthood by 2028, despite the Roman Catholic Church’s requirement of clerical celibacy.Bishop Johan Bonny of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antwerp recently released a pastoral letter claiming that “the consensus on this question is almost total” among Church leaders.“The question is no longer whether the Church can ordain married men as priests but when it will do so, and who will do it,” wrote Bonny. “Any delay comes across as an excuse.”The bishop said he “will make every effort to ordain married men as priests for...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, 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.

Pastor Greg Laurie talks about the war in Iran, the Ezekiel 38 War, Gog and Magog and just what is going to happen on the prophetic calendar. 👉 Is the stage being set for end-times prophecy? 👉 Is the Ezekiel 38 War coming? 👉 A breakdown of the prophetic calendar Watch now and be encouraged — prophecy isn’t meant to scare us, but to prepare us.