Free Republic

Religious people (whether it be the Jews of Christ’s day or the Christians of our own) are keenly aware of sin—often, this is what drives us to religion in the first place—but we often have a nasty habit of seeing sin more clearly in others than in ourselves. We heap curses and hellfire upon the prostitutes and tax collectors of our time, without giving serious consideration to the prostitutes and tax collectors of our own hearts. Prostitutes and tax collectors had one thing in common: they could not hide the fact that they were sinners. Everyone would notice the callers...

After just two days and four secret ballots in the Sistine Chapel, the College of Cardinals elevated Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost to the See of Peter as Pope Leo XIV—an outcome that underscores the doctrinal rifts at the heart of Christendom and the enduring reasons for our divide. Although Catholics and Protestants often use similar words and phrases, the meanings they attach to those terms are profoundly different. Here are ten doctrinal fault lines that explain why true unity remains out of reach: while we can—and should—show mutual respect, we cannot pretend these convictions don’t exist. It’s the perfect moment...

There is no biblical mandate for celebrating Christmas. And yet, many evangelicals feel a sense of suspicion towards Christians who do not celebrate Christmas. We simply assume that to do so is rooted in our faith. Historic Protestants have had differing opinions regarding Advent and Christmas. Martin Luther encouraged it. The Puritans utterly condemned it. While there is no Biblical mandate to observe Lent, there are good reasons for churches to do so. Let me suggest 5: 1. Evangelicals are starting to ignore Easter...Many evangelical churches no longer recognize Palm Sunday... 2. Making Christmas a larger event than Easter betrays...

Three days after the feast of the Nativity of Jesus, the Catholic Church traditionally commemorates the massacre of the Holy Innocents – the children of Bethlehem slain by King Herod following the birth of Christ. This event is recorded in the Gospel of Saint Matthew in connection with the arrival of the Magi – the Wise Men from the East – who had followed a star to Jerusalem, and had sought out the newborn king of the Jews. According to Matthew’s account, King Herod requested that the Magi return to him after finding the child, ostensibly so that Herod could...

Barren women dominate the biblical narrative, and by no means are these women perfect. Sarai, Abraham’s wife, displayed unbelief, impatience, anger, and disrespect after waiting a lifetime for children. Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, waited twenty years to have a son. Leah and Rachel, sisters, married to Jacob, spent years in competition and felt deep envy towards one another. Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, was taunted for years by Peninnah and experienced depression. Elizabeth, wife of Zachariah, and Samson’s mother, wife to Manoah, both stood firm in their faith even when their husbands doubted God’s plans. The Shunammite woman begged...

HERE’S HOW FUTURISTS TWIST THE WORDS OF JESUS AND THE BIBLICAL WRITERS “This generation” (Mt. 11:16; 12:39; 16:4; 17:17; 23:36; 24:34) REALLY MEANT some other future generation. “In a very, very little while” (Heb. 10:37) REALLY MEANT thousands of years later. “The end is at hand” (1 Pet. 4:7) REALLY MEANT it was not at hand at all, but rather far distant. “The time was short” (1 Cor. 7:29) REALLY MEANT the time was a long time off. “It is the last hour” (1 John 2:18) REALLY MEANT millions of hours later. Judgment to occur at Jesus’ return in his...

British police have escalated their actions against Christian street preachers in Uxbridge, London, threatening arrests over allegations of hate crimes and violations of anti-social behavior laws. The crackdown follows the enforcement of a Public Spaces Protection Order by the London Borough of Hillingdon, aimed at regulating activities in Uxbridge Town Centre. The Metropolitan Police targeted Christian missionaries, including Pastor Dwayne Lopez, for preaching from the Bible on Uxbridge High Street, the U.K.-based group Christian Concern reported.The incident, captured on video last week, was prompted by a public complaint about the content of their preaching, specifically citing verses from 1 Corinthians...

I know an individual whose child died at the age of twelve. She discussed with me if I thought her son had reached the age of accountability. I assured her that I thought her son was in heaven. Only God knows exactly when an individual arrives at the age of accountability─that moment when the individual knows right from wrong, good from evil and becomes accountable to sin. Each individual matures at a different pace but there are verses in the Bible that do indicate there is an age of accountability, although the phrase “age of accountability” appears nowhere in the...

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – What a tragic and painful year 2023 turned out to be for Israelis, Palestinians and much of the Middle East. Many of us hoped Israel and Saudi Arabia would forge an historic and transformative peace and normalization treaty. Instead, the forces of Iranian-backed evil were unleashed. More Jews were murdered on Oct. 7 than at any other time in the modern era since the Holocaust. And so many Palestinians have died in the ensuing war, as well. I wish I could tell you that 2024 will be better. But few in our neighborhood believe that. I have...

In 2018, I wrote a series of articles called God’s Perfect Numbers, based on the numbers 3, 7, 10, and 12 and their biblical significance or representation (https://www.raptureready.com/2018/10/19/gods-perfect-number-part-1-by-randy-nettles/). In this article, I will expound upon one of these “perfect” numbers. The number 12 signifies the perfection of rule or government. “It is found as a multiple in all that has to do with rule. The sun which rules the day; and the moon and stars which govern the night, do so by their passage through the 12 signs of the Zodiac which completes the great circle of the heavens of...

Rick Warren, the founder of Saddleback Church, said in part one of a video series posted online ahead of the Southern Baptist Convention that he has felt compelled to reject both the complementarian and egalitarian views of a woman’s role in the Church and in ministry after a three-year journey that led him to realize both beliefs “have unbiblical weaknesses.”In the video released as part of his four-part series titled “SBC at the Crossroads,” Warren weighed in on complementarianism, the theological framework that says women have distinct roles in the family and church and are forbidden from holding certain offices...

Why even cite the Bible, as if it carried some kind of divine authority, while making yourself the arbiter of ultimate truth? Why quote Scripture if it can be trumped by the latest theories of psychology or sociology?

And then God commanded man to take a woman to be his wife for life and for them to go forth and multiply. Today's God-hating democrats have scrambled their brains with their evil perversions to the point where they refuse to recognize eons-old simple scientific Truth. Their goal is to totally destroy our Christian society and rebuild under Marxism. They've been steadily brainwashing our children for decades but it's now shifted into high gear. Our job is simply to say no. Call them on it at every opportunity. Support the legislators and governors who are fighting against it. Most importantly,...

Texas Tech men’s basketball coach Mark Adams resigned Wednesday night following controversy over a Bible reference he used referencing a slave and master when talking to a player. Adams was initially suspended for the comment over the weekend, but things went it a step further. He was also accused of spitting on a player – something he denied doing. "My lifelong goal was to help and be a positive influence on my players, and to be a part of the Texas Tech men's basketball team," Adams said. "However, both the University and I believe this incident has become a distraction...

The reaction to Pastor Josh Butler’s article and his subsequent cancellation is deeply rooted in the pathologies of some American evangelicalism.Yes, the church is the bride of Christ, and Christ will be united to His bride. Consequently, Christian marriage, including its physical consummation, is an image of Christ and the church. But proclaiming these beautiful and profound biblical truths is now enough to get Christians mobbed by other (ostensible) Christians.Pastor Josh Butler was just canceled by The Gospel Coalition, which caved to an online backlash against him over an article he wrote. The offending essay was erased from the group’s...

President Joe Biden spoke at the 10th Annual National Gun Control Vigil Wednesday night and assured attendees he is still pushing to “limit the number of bullets than can be in a cartridge.” Biden said this after mentioning the gun control legislation he signed into law in mid-summer 2022. After Biden mentioned his gun control legislation, he quickly added, “It’s still not enough,” and vigil attendees broke into applause.

Queen Elizabeth II (born Princess Elizabeth of York), 96, the mother of the United Kingdom’s King Charles III, died September 8, 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, a residence of the British royal family Her televised State Funeral September 19 at Westminster Abbey in London, watched by an estimated 4 billion people, was attended by heads of state and dignitaries from around the world, including US President Joe Biden. She reigned 70 years, the longest of any British monarch and the longest recorded of any female head of state in history.

Revelation begins with these words: “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” The book is all about Jesus’ magnificence and power. From beginning to end, Revelation glorifies our Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation is more relevant than ever before as we watch a great many of its prophecies come into sharper focus. Conditions are all in place for the four “horsemen of the apocalypse” to begin their trek through the world. Never before in history has the technology existed for one man to control the buying and selling worldwide. Unfortunately, the number of those disputing the message of the book of Revelation continues...

The recent now-deleted tweet by Andy Stanley, son of famed pastor emeritus Charles Stanley of the First Baptist Church, Atlanta, reads: “The Christian faith doesn’t rise and fall on the accuracy of 66 ancient documents. It rises and falls on the identity of a single individual: Jesus of Nazareth.”Stanley’s tweet was taken from a sermon he preached on March 6 at Browns Bridge Church in Cumming, Georgia. When first reading the tweet on social media, I was saddened and sickened. This kind of statement was all too familiar to me. I had often heard it made by the moderates and...

All of God's physical creation consists of similitudes patterned after spiritual things. God, in his wisdom and knowledge created all things; whereby, we, by these things, could come to the knowledge and understanding of spiritual things that otherwise would be hidden. In the book of Hebrews, we find an example of this, wherein, the temple was pattered after spiritual things and foreshadowed things that were to come, even things in Heaven. But it is not only the temple in Jerusalem, or the tabernacle in the wilderness, where we find this use of similitudes pertaining to spiritual things. For all of...