Free Republic

James Talarico, a Texas lawmaker, won the Democratic race to run for U.S. Senate. As a Democrat, he strongly supports abortion. What has surprised many Texans is not just his position, but the way he defends it. He says the Bible supports his view. Talarico grew up in a Christian Presbyterian church and often talks about his faith. But his explanation of Scripture ignores what the Bible teaches about the value of Life, especially the lives of babies in the womb. Around the time the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing Texas to protect preborn children, Talarico preached a...

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.

Frustrated New York City residents are flooding social media with complaints about the Islamic call to prayer blasting from mosque loudspeakers during Ramadan. Muslims defend the broadcasts as their First Amendment right to religious freedom and cultural identity. However, a former Muslim explained that this is primarily a tool for asserting political dominance rather than fulfilling religious devotion.

A theologically conservative denomination founded as an alternative to the United Methodist Church now has more than 7,000 member congregations, months after surpassing 6,000.Launched in 2022 amid the UMC’s schismatic debate over LGBT issues, the Global Methodist Church announced on its Facebook page Wednesday that it has “officially surpassed 7,000 churches worldwide.”“This moment reminds us that growth isn’t just measured in numbers — it’s found in repentance, renewal, and lives being transformed by Jesus Christ,” stated the GMC.“As Wesleyans, we are called to holiness of heart and life, to return to the Lord, and to carry His love into every...

A Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor who volunteers as a chaplain inside a Planned Parenthood abortion biz told his congregation that women terminate pregnancies out of love and high regard for the value of new life. Rev. Marvin Ellison, retired professor of Christian ethics at Bangor Theological Seminary and pastor at First Congregational Church in South Portland, Maine shared the remarks during a sermon drawn from his experience as a volunteer chaplain at the facility. “Women terminate pregnancies for the very same reason that under other circumstances, they carry pregnancies to term and give birth,” Ellison said. “Because of love, because...

The staff at Advent Cardiovascular ER tried everything in their power to save her but she was too unstable after four rounds of CPR. The ER physician was untiring in his and his team's efforts to keep her alive but there was too much going wrong all at once. To revive her at that point would have condemned her to life with severely compromised brain function. We were together 42 years. I placed an obituary for her on Legacy.com but family members and friends are dispersed over many areas of the country and I don't think they are seeing it....

The Church of England’s General Synod has voted to end plans for stand-alone blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in churches after extended debate. The decision also closes a years-long process that had examined whether such ceremonies could be introduced.Members this week approved a motion from bishops to conclude the Living in Love and Faith process and halt further work toward permitting special services for same-sex couples in civil marriages, The Telegraph reported.The vote followed hours of discussion and confirmed that agreement between conservative and liberal factions had not been reached.The Synod supported forming new working groups on relationships, sexuality and...

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...