Free Republic

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke at church service in Columbia, South Carolina, over the weekend and attempted to use scripture to push his progressive agenda. Sanders spoke at Reid Chapel AME and sought to link his campaign and the scriptures by focusing primarily on the need for “justice.”

Though it's not the main point of this verse, there's something here that we can especially take comfort in: "And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." John 5:16-17 In Young's Literal Translation: "and because of this were the Jews persecuting Jesus, and seeking to kill him, because these things he was doing on a sabbath. And Jesus answered them, ‘My Father till now doth work, and I work.’" It's so easy to think about...

In 1 Timothy 6:6-10, Paul writes this: "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Obviously in our time and...

God's will for us: "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you..." 2 Corinthians 6:17 "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." Revelation 18:4-5 "And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the...

Confirmation bias. The Oxford Dictionary of Psychology defines it as “the tendency to test one’s beliefs or conjectures by seeking evidence that might confirm or verify them and to ignore evidence that might disconfirm or refute them.”[1] It manifests itself in all fields of human knowledge, from scientific experimentation to criminal investigation to medical diagnosis. It is that internal “yes man” that stands ready to manipulate information to make it confirm what one already assumes is true. It is that subjective “lens” which is donned to interpret the facts. At its root, confirmation bias is the consequence of the Fall....

Perhaps Mayor Pete Buttigieg would have a better shot at appealing to Christian voters if he would not go to such extreme lengths to contort Scripture to rationalize his party's abominable stance on abortion. The Democratic presidential candidate openly expresses his Christian faith and was the first candidate to hire a national faith outreach director. He believes political conservatism is less compatible with Christianity than political liberalism. Buttigieg says the GOP likes "to cloak itself in their language of religion" and accuses Republicans of hypocrisy for their alleged callousness about family separations at the border. "For the party and the...

I can feel the troops getting edgy.  The battle looks grim.  For the time being we have cover in the trenches, but the enemy's horde is closing in and we're low on ammo, bloodied, and wounded.  And, it would seem, outmatched and outgunned.  But that's only as it seems. The Apostle Paul had to deal with a similarly weary regiment nearly two millennia ago.  Many voices in their midst were sowing confusion, causing disillusionment with God's prophetic promises.  That has always been the enemy's most frequent tactic: striking with subtlety from within, where attacks are least expected.  This is...

The weak, vacillating and ultimately cruel and cowardly figure of Pontius Pilate is one of the most enigmatic figures in Sacred Scripture. From the Gospel accounts, he seems to be a man who almost wants to be a hero, to defend the innocent victim, Jesus, against the murderous lynch mob besetting Him. Indeed, Pilate is urged by his wife to "have nothing to do with that just man." In the end, however, he lacks the courage to act virtuously. He condemns Christ to a horrible death, despite knowing with certainty that He is innocent. But who was Pontius Pilate? Did...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) recently addressed the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities conference in Washington, DC, and a reporter from Slate decided to investigate her repeatedly referencing Biblical scripture that does not exist.

We Three Kings of Orient are, Bearing gifts we traverse afar. . . . Who were these gift-bearing kings, these Wise Men of the East? What has their mission meant to Christians across the ages? The Wise Men—not yet called kings—make only a single appearance in Holy Scripture. St. Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 2:1-12) tells of their arrival in Jerusalem shortly after the birth of Jesus. In ancient texts of Scripture the Wise Men are Magoi in Greek and Magi in Latin. The singular form, Magos/Magus, is the source of our English word “magician” but had multiple meanings in Biblical times....

The Bible records the factual and outrageous tale of a woman, Mrs. Potiphar, and her attempt to derail the promotion of an exemplary man of character. He was a handsome and most trusted official with important duties providentially being prepared for greater responsibilities as a statesman serving the entire nation. This married and manipulative woman hatched a scheme to falsely accuse this man of serious sexual misconduct. She stirred up grave trouble for Joseph by boldly and emotionally lying that he had attempted to rape her. Her wickedness cost him his reputation, position and landed him in jail. Thank God,...

1 Vindicate me, my God, and plead my cause against an unfaithful nation. Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked. 2 You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? 3 Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. 5 Why,...

One of the blessings and curses of the internet is the ability it provides us to read many sermons by both contemporary pastors and those of the past. It’s a blessing because there is great wisdom and insight to be discovered. It’s also a curse because of the immense amount of error to be found – especially in teachings found in today’s sermons. Sometimes I find dogmatic statements by teachers that are wholly untrue. Usually, they are written or spoken to make the erroneous point that something shockingly new, unprecedented and unpredicted in the New Testament – something that represented...

Since at least the 1960s – swathes of the Western world have witnessed unprecedented religious change and (for the most part) decline. We have simultaneously witnessed a series of social and cultural revolutions, most recently the technological and media revolution driven by the internet. That alone has profoundly changed the way people think and act... This “new evangelisation” requires that we (and I mean all Christians) are embarking on a centuries-long endeavour. And given this, we need to approach it in the right frame of mind, fortified with a spirituality of patience and perseverance. While we tend to think of...

It happened again recently. I was listening to a sermon online and the preacher said, “God told me.” Apparently everyone in the congregation enjoyed it from the response I heard, but I immediately turned it off. This type of communication is becoming more prevalent in Christian circles. It’s showing up in conversations because people are hearing it from the pulpit and reading it in books they purchased from the local Christian bookstore. Perhaps it sounds spiritual or is emotionally stirring to the congregation.Although the “God told me” method of communicating makes for interesting, suspenseful, and entertaining stories, what people...

The flagship school for the diocese of Jefferson City has updated its handbook with clear Catholic instruction to counter the LGBT agenda being foisted on schools. Just in time for the new school year, St. Joseph Cathedral School, has posted on their website a handbook, which on page 65 reads, "Students may not advocate, celebrate or express same-sex attraction in such a way as to cause confusion or distraction in the context of Catholic school classes, activities or events." An inside source, who spoke on condition of anonymity told Church Militant their joy at this surprise turn of events as...

Summary The Council of Nicea is often misrepresented by cults and other religious movements. The actual concern of the council was clearly and unambiguously the relationship between the Father and the Son. Is Christ a creature, or true God? The council said He was true God. Yet, the opponents of the deity of Christ did not simply give up after the council’s decision. In fact, they almost succeeded in overturning the Nicene affirmation of Christ’s deity. But faithful Christians like Athanasius continued to defend the truth, and in the end, truth triumphed over error. The conversation intensified quickly. “You can’t...

Prophesy in the Pyramid at Giza.

Five Images of the Holy Spirit from Scripture Msgr. Charles Pope • May 16, 2016 • One of the quirks of the post-conciliar liturgy is that the octave of Pentecost was dropped. Generally, the post-conciliar age has tried to emphasize the gifts and works of the Holy Spirit, so eliminating the octave of Pentecost is quite paradoxical. The Feast of Pentecost ranks right up there with Easter and the Nativity, both of which have an octave, yet the octave of Pentecost fell away. And thus on the Monday after Pentecost we are back to ordinary time and green vestments.However,...

The Catholic church and the various Protestant churches attempt to lure each other into a strange circular argument regarding the doctrinal debate over "Tradition Vs Sola Scriptura" (the bible alone). The Catholic faction gets Protestants arguing against all traditions rather than just the inventions of men; and more specifically, the inventions of the Catholic Church. The argument is really against traditions of men that are not supported by the written word of God.  The Catholics will not regard scripture because they are pushing so hard on the point of traditions that they attempt to prove traditions by traditions, or extrabiblical writings,...