Free Republic

Nothing has changed the culture in the last 30 years quite like the onward march of digital technology. With each tool the industry places in our digital toolkit — the World Wide Web, streaming video, social media, smartphones, podcasts, artificial intelligence — comes new possibilities but also endless challenges. It is no different in the church. We use digital technology for much good in our life together, but that same technology also has the potential for great ill. As a church, we must think through its use critically. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s 2023 convention asked the Commission on Theology and...

The Rev. Suzanne Roberts is an Episcopal pastrix who works for the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, where she serves as the Transition and Deployment Officer. During a sermon at the Cathedral of St. Luke (Episcopal) in Portland, ME, she preached on Reproductive Justice, encouraging women that sometimes the most loving thing to do is have an abortion, while lamenting that her daughters may not have the opportunity to abort their children one day, if that’s what they wish to do. For far too long, clergy from Christian denominations that support reproductive rights have been silent, which has allowed the voices...

A leader in the Lutheran church was recently arrested and accused of producing child pornography in Springfield, Illinois. The suspect in the case was identified as 54-year-old Michael William Mohr, who is president of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced January 29. He was charged by complaint in St. Louis with a single count of producing child pornography. The attorney’s office detailed the case against him: The affidavit in support of the complaint alleges that a court-approved search of Mohr’s home in Springfield found storage devices...

Say "NO!" to a Global Digital ID

An Anglican priest was removed from the formal election service of Dame Sarah Mullally as the first female archbishop of Canterbury at St. Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday after he shouted his objection to her confirmation. The Rev. Paul Williamson, who was ordained in 1973 and has since been outspoken against the ordination of women, shouted, "I object!" during the service before he was removed, according to Church Times. Williamson's eruption, the rest of which was inaudible, came during the part of the ceremony when the proctor, who represents the College of Canons of Canterbury Cathedral, declared: "No person has appeared...

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 Rev. Franklin Graham issued an urgent call to prayer, encouraging Americans to come together at noon on January 14 to collectively seek God — a move he believes is essential for a nation he believes has turned its back on the Lord. "Our nation is falling so far from God and His truth," Graham told CBN News. The Samaritan's Purse CEO cited as evidence confusion he observed this week at the Supreme Court, where justices are currently weighing whether states can preclude biological men from participating in women's sports. Graham said 10 years ago such an argument wouldn't have...

Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has announced the launch of what he called a “new strategic partnership” with China, following high-level talks with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, marking the first visit by a Canadian leader in eight years. Speaking alongside Xi at the Great Hall of the People, Carney said the two countries had an opportunity to reshape their relationship in light of a changing global landscape. “Together, we can build on the strongest elements of our past relationship and forge a new one suited to today’s realities,” he said. On Friday, Carney revealed that Ottawa and Beijing had...

In Berlin, Protestants have “blessed” a polygamous gay union for the first time. Pastor Lena Müller of the Evangelical Church in Berlin conducted a ceremony in which she blessed four gay men as “one family”, BILD reports. Müller, who openly promotes a “queer-inclusive” and feminist approach, organized a “pop-up wedding festival” near St. Kreuz Church in Berlin this summer – an event where people could come without prior registration. Among those who attended were four men – two from Latvia, one from Thailand, and, reportedly, one from Spain – who asked her to perform a “wedding” ceremony for them. According...

In the Lutheran church of the German city of Lübeck, on the eve of Christmas, the traditional service was complemented by a performance of a pole dancer. As reported by BILD, the "service," which included a pole performance, was held on December 22, 2025.At St. Mary's Church in Lübeck, the head of the studio and poledance trainer Anke Kestermann performed immediately after the sermon, showcasing her "art" on the pole. "Dancer Anke is a deeply spiritual person who has managed to find her unique path," stated the pastor of this church, Inga Meisner. This performance caused a mixed reaction among...

The American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature host an annual conference dedicated to the academic study of religion. This year it met on November 22-25 in Boston. The Living Church attended panels that included Anglican theologians, as well as one about Protestant relic collecting. The Rev. Dr. Molly James, an Episcopal priest and interim executive officer of the Episcopal Church, gave a presentation on membership trends and the future of the Episcopal Church. “The data bears out what we hear everywhere: We are declining. We have fewer people. The only thing that might surprise you is...

The Anglican communion’s newly minted Archbishop of Wales, the Rev. Cherry Vann, is lamenting that people are leaving the church on account of her lesbianism, describing their actions as “very hurtful.” Vann is the first woman to be elected as an Anglican archbishop in the United Kingdom and the first openly gay bishop serving as primate in the Anglican Communion. Notably, Vann is not ‘married’ to her lesbian girlfriend, Wendy Diamond, but has been living in a “same-sex civil partnership” for years. She told BBC News: “There are still patches all over the place where people continue to struggle with...

Credit: Geograph Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has introduced a new policy requiring its officers and staff members to declare whether they are Freemasons. The MPS wrote in a statement on X, “There have been calls going back a number of years for the role of Freemasonry in policing to be properly addressed, including as a recommendation in the report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel.” “We strongly believe that failing to act on these calls would further damage trust not only among the public but also other officers and staff,” added the MPS. In...

The Bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Reverend Jen Nagel, has released a statement, “For the Dignity of Our Neighbors,’ defending Somali immigrants and criticizing ICE amid the backdrop of the Minnesota Frand Scandal. The Minnesota fraud scandals, primarily the Feeding Our Future case, involve the theft of approximately $300 million (with broader losses estimated to be nearly $1 billion) from federal child nutrition and social service programs during the COVID-19 era through fake meal sites, shell companies, and fraudulent claims. Furthermore, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson recently speculated that fraud...

The Rev. Joseph G. Crippen is the senior pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church, a small Lutheran church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. (ELCA) According to his church bio, he is a “gifted presider, counselor, and preacher who’s passionate about proclaiming God’s love for all people and serving the church as it seeks to faithfully pursue its mission.” During a recent sermon on the gospel reading in Matthew 3, Crippen puts John the Baptist on blast, condemning him as a hate-filled, violence-encouraging, anti-Jesus bigot, and comparing his rhetoric criticizing the Pharisees and...

DIGITAL ID CARDS: "France and Germany have digital IDs, and they have record immigration" (Dr Renee Hoenderkamp) ⛔️NO to compulsory Digital ID - not in your manifesto and not wanted A national digital ID system, pushed using the excuse of "immigration control," threatens everyone’s freedom, privacy, and safety

[Church of England] When teenager Pam Knowles first started teaching Bible stories to children at her beloved church in Liverpool in 1951, a post-war Britain was still rationing food and Winston Churchill was re-elected as prime minster. 75 years later, the country may have moved on in terms of rationing and prime ministers, but the dedicated volunteer is still teaching Sunday School at the same church in Aigburth, Liverpool, and this weekend she organized her 75th Christmas nativity at St. Anne’s. Now 87-years-old, Knowles has been recognized by Guinness World Records as “the world’s longest serving Sunday School teacher.” In...

More than 7000 people sign open letter calling on House of Bishops to rethink LLF plan PRESSURE is building on the Church of England’s bishops before a formal vote next week on the next steps in the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process. In October, the House of Bishops announced that approval for stand-alone services of blessing for same-sex couples, and the reconsideration of rules that bar the clergy from entering into same-sex marriage, would be subject to further synodical processes (News, 17 October). But these decisions are still subject to a formal vote at a meeting on 16...

Saint Andrew’s Chapel, a prominent Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) congregation in Sanford, Florida, overwhelmingly voted to leave the denomination just two years after joining it, with the final tally 669–108. One of the largest PCA churches in the country, with more than 1,100 members, Saint Andrew’s was formerly led by the late R.C. Sproul. The decision to disaffiliate comes months after senior pastor Burk Parsons was suspended indefinitely from the pulpit after being found ‘guilty ‘of unbecoming pastoral conduct by the PCA’s Central Florida Presbytery. Parsons previously plead guilty to similar charges in 2019 and received admonition at that...

The Gospel Coalition (TGC) sounded the alarm over a growing number of Protestant intellectuals, pastors, and influencers converting to the Catholic faith. Written by TGC’s Andrew Voigt, the article is framed as a strategic response to stem the tide of conversions. It warns of the effectiveness of Catholic apologetics, particularly online, and urges Protestants to develop a more robust counter-narrative. According to Voigt, Protestant apologetics has focused more on addressing atheism and secularism while Catholic evangelization efforts have been more directly aimed at engaging Protestants. An Italian Protestant pastor, Leonardo De Chirico, is quoted in Voigt’s article as saying that...