Free Republic

(RNS) — Since taking the pulpit at Legacy Baptist Church in Coolidge, Arizona, Pastor Rob Hudelson has not shied away from hot-button political issues, including disputing the results of the 2020 election. His taste for politicking has expressed itself in his two campaigns for state representative. Recently on X, formerly Twitter, Hudelson responded to a post from the conspiracy minded journalist Lara Logan about recent arrests of Jan. 6 rioters with a post that read: “Marxism will not be something that is debated… only taken by force. It cannot win in the battlefield of ideas.” That kind of rhetoric has...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business; End to Sex Slavery; Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14) Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

On May 19, 2024, prosperity-gospel heretic Joel Osteen preached his 1000th sermon before a packed crowd at Lakewood church, giving a message of health and wealth in a sermon titled A Thousand Times More. Osteen was ordained through his father’s church in 1983 and preached his first sermon on January 17, 1999. He was a stand-in for his father, John Osteen, who was in a hospital bed at the time and passed later that day. Bristling with nervous energy and wearing a suit and jacket too large for him, a mulleted Osteen fumbled his way through 1 Corinthians while encouraging...

A 600-year-old church in southern Germany drew some 1,200 people to a Taylor Swift-themed worship service on Sunday, local media reported. Heidelberg’s famous Church of the Holy Spirit, originally Catholic and now Protestant, hosted a liturgical service bearing the title “Anti-Hero — Taylor Swift Church Service,” in an effort to attract younger people, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported. “The Church of the Holy Spirit has always been a place of encounter and exchange,” said Heidelberg Pastor Christof Ellsiepen. “That’s why a pop-music religious service fits so perfectly. With it, we are giving space to the questions and issues that occupy the...

A First Communion service in Louisiana erupted in panic when a 16-year-old armed with a rifle attempted to storm the church through a back door. But parishioners spotted the teen and swarmed him — holding him outside until police arrived and arrested him. The terrifying scene unfolded at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville — which was full of parents with young children who were there for the rite of passage in the church. The incident was streamed live on the church’s website Saturday morning as Fr. Nicholas G. Dupré led the faithful in prayer from the altar. In...

DOJ’s report on FBI leaked memo on traditionalist Catholics leaves many questions unanswered, omits Biden admin’s targeted persecution of Catholics.In mid-April, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Joe Biden administration released a 10-page report to Congress stating that those who penned an internal memo dated January 23, 2023, likening traditionalist Catholics to violent extremists “failed to adhere to FBI standards” but displayed no proof of “malicious intent”. The memo was subsequently leaked to the public.Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s recent April report to Congress claimed that it found no proof that anyone instructed either of the unnamed authors of...

Three years after reports of indigenous mass graves triggered the torching or vandalism of 85-plus churches, no graves have been found.Three years ago, a major story broke in Canada that seemed to confirm every left-wing prejudice against Christians imaginable: A mass grave containing the remains of indigenous children was supposedly discovered on the grounds of what had once been a government boarding school run by the Catholic Church.It turns out the whole thing was a hoax, a modern-day blood libel against Christians that ended with at least 85 Catholic churches across Canada destroyed by arson, vandalized, or desecrated. Canadian political...

Allendale United Methodist “Church” is already under fire for allowing minors to attend a drag queen show during its worship service, blatantly disregarding Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s legislation that prohibits exposing children to sexualized performances. One particularly egregious instance in 2022 involved Isaac Simmons, also known as drag queen “Ms. Pennycost,” who is now an ordained “pastor” or “priestess” or whatever in the UMC. Simmons openly challenges the authority of Scripture and adopts a heretical view of God, evident through his sacrilegious writings. In their most recent display of egregious sex cult aberrant behavior, this place, calling itself a “church,”...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business; End to Sex Slavery; Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14) Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. (Excerpt) Read more at freerepublic.com ...

A pastor is thanking the Lord for his province after a man entered his church, pulled a gun on him, and fired at him in the middle of a church service that was being live-streamed. Mercifully, the gun jammed and did not fire, causing the gunman to be tackled and apprehended by a brave congregant, who quickly jumped into action. The incident happened at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock, PA, a small church of about 25 people. Pastor Pastor Glenn Germany, who was the victim of the attempted murder by Bernard Junior Polite, 26, recounted the harrowing incident....

Preacher Attacked by Gunman in Pittsburgh Man arrested, charged after trying to shoot pastor during sermon at North Braddock church A Braddock man is facing charges after allegedly trying to shoot a church pastor during a sermon in North Braddock Body found in home of man who allegedly pulled gun on pastor in North Braddock

A gunman has been arrested after pulling a firearm on a Pennsylvania pastor over the weekend in the middle of a sermon in a terrifying caught-on-camera ordeal. Bernard Polite, 26, was nabbed after trying to shoot pastor Glenn Germany at the Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock on Sunday afternoon, cops said. A terrifying livestream of the ordeal showed the pastor ducking for cover as the perp brandished the weapon. (Video at link)

A Coptic Orthodox church in British Columbia was destroyed in a fire on Monday, July 19, just days after an attempted arson attack damaged the church’s door. Local police said they were alerted to a fire at St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Surrey around 3:17 a.m. on Monday. By the time the fire was extinguished, the building was almost entirely demolished and only a single wall was left standing. No one was reported injured in the fire. “While today is a day of sadness, we will not be deterred and we will rebuild,” said Bishop Mina of the Coptic...

St. William Catholic Church in Cashion, Arizona, was destroyed in an overnight fire May 1. The fire broke out just before 1 a.m. Local station Fox 10 Phoenix reported that firefighters arrived and found flames coming from the attic of the church. The roof of the church ultimately collapsed as firefighters fought the flames. "This is a devastating loss to this community," Avondale Fire Battalion Chief Steve Mayhew said. "This church is a pillar of this community, so definitely a lot of heartbreak this morning." "I also run the pantry here at St. Williams — that's gone," Gonzalo Ortiz, a...

As the founder and executive director of Not Forgotten Ministries (NFM), a nonprofit organization that helps women find healing after abortion through online Bible studies and in-person weekend healing retreats, I can personally attest to the importance of generosity offered by people, businesses, and churches. Without that essential support, pro-life ministries cannot survive. Living Hope Church of Kernersville, North Carolina, recently provided a wonderful example of how a church can come alongside pro-life organizations to raise awareness, show support, and bless their efforts financially. The small church family of approximately 80 adult members first heard about NFM in January when...

Rico Tice, a well-known Evangelical leader and former Church of England clergyman, has left the denomination in reaction to what he perceives as its growing departure from biblical values, especially concerning same-sex marriage and repentance. Tice, best known for co-writing the evangelism course Christianity Explored and co-founder of Christianity Explored Ministries, cited the denomination's recent decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples and its lack of substantive response to concerns laid out by him and five other leaders of CofE-connected parachurch organizations last October.In an interview with Evangelicals Now, Tice, the former senior minister at All Souls, Langham Place...

The United Methodist Church General Conference has advanced a measure meant to allow different regions of the global denomination to determine their own standards on LGBT issues.At the Thursday plenary session of the General Conference, delegates voted 586-164 in favor of a petition for an amendment to the UMC’s constitution allowing for regionalization. The petition will now be sent to the annual conferences for possible ratification.The amendment will need to gain at least two-thirds support from the annual conference clergy and lay voters to be added to the UMC constitution, reports UM News.>At present, the UMC Book of Discipline, the...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business; End to Sex Slavery; Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14) Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

Kevin R. Johnson, founding pastor of Dare to Imagine Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been recommended to take the helm of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City, ensuring that the church’s long line of male pastors remains unbroken after the church was sued earlier this year by a woman who sought to become the congregation’s first female pastor.“The Pulpit Search Committee is confident in Rev. Johnson’s ability to lead and uphold the history and legacy of our institution of faith,” an internal church memo dated April 13 and cited by The Associated Press said. “We look forward...

Two juveniles were arrested for allegedly vandalizing a Catholic church in Kentucky on April 9. The juveniles are accused of causing damages to St. Theresa of Avila Catholic Church “well over” $10,000, WDRB reported. “Sheriff Phillip Wimpee said his deputies responded to St. Theresa of Avila Catholic Church [on April 9] about a vandalism complaint,” according to the report. “When officers arrived, they saw extensive damage inside and outside the church and the Parish Hall on Rhodelia Road in Payneville, Kentucky.”