Free Republic

Evangelical Church Opens Doors Fully To Gays Renegade pastor in Denver finds new followers, but makes enemies too DENVER - The auditorium lights turned low, the service begins with the familiar rhythms of church: children singing, hugs and handshakes of greeting, a plea for donations to fix the boiler. Then the 55-year-old pastor with spiked gray hair and blue jeans launches into his weekly welcome, a poem-like litany that includes the line "queer or straight here, there's no hate here." The Rev. Mark Tidd initially used the word "gay." But he changed it to "queer" because it's the preferred term...

The election of a second openly-homosexual bishop in the Episcopal Church hardly came as a surprise. Given the actions of the church in its General Convention this past summer, the question was clearly not if there would be more openly-gay bishops, but when. The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles answered that question on Saturday, electing the Reverend Mary D. Glasspool of Baltimore as an assistant bishop. She is expected to be consecrated as bishop on May 15 in Los Angeles.Ms. Glasspool was elected on the seventh ballot, winning 153 clergy votes and 203 lay votes. Her election followed the election...

Out of the Closet; Into the Church Homo McGreevey Finds Higher Calling thelastcrusade.org What does a gay governor do after he resigns from political office in disgrace? He becomes an Episcopalian and enters the priesthood. Jim McGreevey, the former New Jersey love gov, has gone from Turnpike truck stops to All Saints Church in Hoboken, where he is known as “Father Jim.” Last Sunday, the ex governor administered the sacrament of baptism to a bevy of babies, blessed the Eucharist, and carried the cross during the processional. In 2004, Mr. McGreevey resigned as Governor of New Jersey after revealing...

Dear Diocesan Family, A panel of the Virginia Supreme Court will hear our petition for appeal on October 21 and, while it is unfortunate that these legal proceedings were necessary, I trust that this hearing will bring us one step closer to resolution. I am proud that the Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church have chosen the path consistently to defend loyal Episcopalians, and to safeguard and to protect the Church's legacy and the Church from unwarranted governmental and legislative interference. It is with the same determination to stand by the people, traditions and legacy of our diocese that...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In the cornerstone of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, two dates are engraved. In 1948, members broke ground on Ohio Street in South Charleston. In 2004, they held their first service at a new church built on a hilltop off Corridor G. Now, the congregation - and other Lutheran churches around the country - have reached another point in their history. Earlier this month, leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met in Minneapolis and voted to allow gays and lesbians in lifelong, monogamous relationships to serve as clergy.

Updated August 18, 2008 (first published June 4, 2008) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) - Many people have walked into the Roman Catholic Church through the broad door of the “church fathers,� and this is a loud warning today when there is a widespread attraction to the “church fathers� within evangelicalism. The Catholic apologetic ministries use the “church fathers� to prove that Rome’s doctrines go back to the earliest centuries. In...

President Barack Obama will deliver a eulogy at US Senator Edward M. Kennedy's funeral Mass on Saturday, a White House official has told the Globe. Kennedy's funeral will be held at a time yet to be determined Saturday morning at The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Mission Hill section of Boston. Commonly known as the Mission Church, the 1,450-seat basilica on Tremont Street was built in the 1870s. Kennedy prayed there in 2003 while his daughter, Kara, was being treated for lung cancer.

I encourage all readers to take the time to watch this short video in which 17 year-old apostate of Islam Rifqa Bary, pours her heart out to the world as her own father told her "that if you have this Jesus in your heart, you're dead to me. You are not my daughter. I will kill you". She also states that if she has to return back to the Muslim community in Ohio she will be dead within a week. If there are any Islamic apologists reading this I strongly suggest that you watch this video. You might learn something...

No wonder Mel Gibson is giving the thumbs-up. Full time has been called on his 28-year marriage to Robyn Moore. The Pope didn't give the order, though. That edict came from Mel's 90-year-old father Hutton Gibson, and it paves the way for his son to marry his pregnant Russian girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva by Christmas. Having had his request turned down by Catholic bishops, Mel, 53, pleaded his case in front of a tribunal of members from the Church of the Holy Family, his breakaway Catholic church in Malibu. Hutton, who once studied for the priesthood only to leave before he...

Yeah sure, God become man. And He definitely rose from the dead. But there's no way he multiplied loaves and fishes for people to eat. That's the logic of so many when they deny the physical nature of the miracle of loaves and fishes from yesterday's Gospel. What is the problem some people have with this miracle? I've heard it argued (even from the pulpit) that this was not a physical miracle but a spiritual one in that the people were so moved by Jesus' words that they shared. Come on, if it was just about sharing, do they really...

Episcopalians overwhelmingly favor tossing a previously approved resolution that bans ordaining openly gay bishops. In discussions that began Thursday afternoon and continued Friday morning during The Episcopal Church's triennial General Convention, Episcopalians spoke frankly, testifying passionately either for throwing out the ban or against rescinding it. "Gays and lesbians are asked to make sacrifices the rest of us are not asked to make," said the Rev. J. Frederick Barber of Fort Worth, according to the Episcopal News Service. Debate centered on resolution B033, which was approved by the General Convention in 2006. It calls for restraint in ordaining bishops "whose...

President Obama has named to his faith-based advisory council a self-professed Christian who holds that the New Testament's teaching that homosexual behavior is unnatural and wrong--which is found in St. Paul's letter to the Romans--“is not true." The appointee, Harry Knox, has also said that Obama's decision to invite the Rev. Rick Warren to say a prayer at the Inauguration "tainted" the ceremony and that Pope Benedict XVI is a "discredited leader." Harry Knox, a professed gay Christian who is director of the religion and faith program at the Human Rights Campaign, a homosexual rights group, was named to President...

INDIANAPOLIS, April 28 /Christian Newswire/ -- Chris Rosebrough, captain of internet based Pirate Christian Radio and host of the Fighting for the Faith Radio program announced on Monday that Joel Osteen is the winner of the "Worst Easter Sermon Award" for 2009. "Every Christmas Christians whine and complain about secular and atheistic efforts designed to take Christ out of Christmas yet more and more Christian pastors have committed an even worse offense and have removed Jesus Christ and His victorious resurrection from the grave from their Easter sermons," said Chris Rosebrough. "Far too many pastors have played the role of...

Tony Blair has challenged the “entrenched” attitudes of the Pope on homosexuality, and argued that it is time for him to “rethink” his views. Speaking to the gay magazine Attitude, the former Prime Minister, himself now a Roman Catholic, said that he wanted to urge religious figures everywhere to reinterpret their religious texts to see them as metaphorical, not literal, and suggested that in time this would make all religious groups accept gay people as equals

Former premier Tony Blair said the Catholic Church needed to rethink its attitude towards homosexuality, as it is out of step with ordinary church-goers', in an interview published Wednesday. Blair, who converted to Catholicism after leaving office in June 2007, cited a "huge generational difference" as the key to Pope Benedict XVI's opposition to homosexuality. A poll of the congregation at a Catholic Church on a Sunday would reveal how liberal those in attendance were, he claimed. "We need an attitude of mind where rethinking and the concept of evolving attitudes becomes part of the discipline with which you...

I really wanted to go through Holy Week without doing any fisking or public pulling of air or wild rolling of the eyes, but I had the misfortune of reading this piece, just posted by BBC News: "Blair questions Papal gay policy." It reports on a recent interview given by Tony Blair to Attitude, a popular British "gay" magazine (a PDF of the interview, sans advertising, can be accesssed here), which opens by stating Blair "is probably the most prominent pro-gay religious figure in the world." All of those who criticized or expressed serious doubts about the former Prime Minister's...

Two days after the 1999 Soho pub bomb, monthly Masses were launched at a Catholic convent in London, welcoming lesbian and gay Catholics, their parents and families. Unable to find a central London Catholic church, after the convent's closure, LGBT Catholics found hospitality at Soho's Anglican parish church. Increasing numbers resulted in the Masses being held twice a month. While the Diocese of Westminster might have believed that the group would fade away, it recognised that real pastoral needs were being met, converts to Catholicism were being made, and a vibrant community could offer something to the local church. In...

By JOHN P. CONNOLLY, The Bulletin Monday, April 13, 2009 The University of Notre Dame, which has been criticized in recent weeks for inviting President Barack Obama to this year’s commencement, announced a series of events during Easter week to promote inclusivity of homosexuality. StaND Against Hate Week, announced on Holy Thursday, includes a showing of the film “Prayers for Bobby,” which reportedly blames a mother’s Christian beliefs for her gay son’s suicide. The event will take place from tomorrow through Friday, which is during the Christian celebration of Easter week. The week is co-sponsored by Notre Dame’s Gender Relations...

For people whose view of history extends beyond last week, the furor over Notre Dame’s decision to invite President Barack Obama to be its commencement speaker and receive an honorary degree is simply the latest chapter in an old story by the name of “Americanism.� Notre Dame is a paradigmatic institution — flagship of the Americanist impulse in U.S. Catholicism — and with the uproar over our pro-abortion president the university’s special status has come home to roost for folks under the Golden Dome. Pope Leo XIII in 1899 condemned a heresy he called Americanism as a “reprehensible� error. He...

Warren waver on Prop 8 stuns leaders Stance about-face at issue By Julia Duin April 11, 2009 Evangelical leaders say they are bewildered and stunned by the Rev. Rick Warren's apparent turnaround on gay marriage after the famous California pastor said earlier this week that he was not a proponent of California's Proposition 8. Mr. Warren told CNN's Larry King on Monday that he "never once even gave an endorsement" of the proposition, which said marriage in the state could only involve one man and one woman. The measure won at the polls last November by a close margin, in...

The head of a conservative activist group says President Obama's appointment of a leading homosexual activist to his faith-based council is an ominous sign that he may enforce a "pro-homosexuality orthodoxy" on religious groups receiving federal funds, which is itself a form of bigotry. Barack Obama has appointed outspoken homosexual activist Harry Knox to the White House Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Knox, who is the director of the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) Religion and Faith program, will serve a one-year term on the 25-member Council. Two years ago during an appearance on MSNBC, Knox argued that scientific...

The launch by dating service eHarmony.com of a new website for homosexuals is creating concern among customers who were attracted to the company because of its Christian foundations, but they're not getting any satisfaction. WND reported when eHarmony launched its new Compatible Partners website for homosexuals, the result of a settlement of a discrimination complaint brought in New Jersey. Compatible Partners has been put online by eHarmony following the case prompted by a 2005 complaint by Eric McKinley, a homosexual, who claimed eHarmony's heterosexual-only matching service violated the state's anti-discrimination law.

1. Where is the United States in Bible Prophecy? One of the most common questions regarding Bible prophecy is where is the United States in scripture? Many nations of the world are not mentioned in scripture, however it is hard to understand how the world's most powerful nation would not be. At least not in a way that we recognize it clearly. There are many theories and ideas as to why this is but here are three of the most common: The United States is no longer relevant The United States is destroyed The United States is no longer its...

According to new sources, Barack Obama will be meeting with Palestinian officials in Ramallah during his current Middle East Tour. After visiting with Israeli officials, Obama will be escorted by Israeli defense forces until security is handed over to...

Libyan Leader Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi: Obama Suffers Inferiority Complex That Might Make Him Behave "Whiter Than the White." He Should Be Proud of His African, Muslim Identity. Ben-Gurion Gave the Green Light for the Killing of JFK Transcript here: http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1791.htm

The e-mail landed in Danielle Allen's queue one winter morning as she was studying in her office at the Institute for Advanced Study, the renowned haven for some of the nation's most brilliant minds. The missive began: "THIS DEFINITELY WARRANTS LOOKING INTO."

CH Spurgeon called it "the Down-Grade", when preachers and churches fell away from the pure Truth of God's Word for those methods and teachings that would appeal to the flesh. It ain't stopped and the technology of today make it obvious to anyone with spiritual discernment (that of the Holy Spirit) to see the danger and falsehood of "the Down-Grade".

Stafford, Va. - Osama bin Laden must be chuckling in his safe house. After all, the 2008 campaign could very well give Al Qaeda the ultimate propaganda tool: President Barack Hussein Obama, Muslim apostate. The fact that Senator Obama – the son of a Muslim father – insists he was never a Muslim before becoming Christian is irrelevant to bin Laden. In bin Laden's eyes, Obama is a murtad fitri, the worst type of apostate, because he was blessed by Allah to be born into the true faith of Islam. There are two types of apostates according to sharia (Islamic...

-- snip --As the son of the Muslim father, Senator Obama was born a Muslim under Muslim law as it is universally understood. It makes no difference that, as Senator Obama has written, his father said he renounced his religion. Likewise, under Muslim law based on the Koran his mother’s Christian background is irrelevant. Of course, as most Americans understand it, Senator Obama is not a Muslim. He chose to become a Christian, and indeed has written convincingly to explain how he arrived at his choice and how important his Christian faith is to him. His conversion, however, was a...

ELDORET, Kenya) — U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama phoned Kenya's opposition leader as diplomatic attempts to end Kenya's political crisis intensified Tuesday. The death toll from a week of violence after President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election has reached nearly 500, according to the government, though the opposition claimed the death toll could be up to 1,000. On Monday, Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga made key concessions under U.S. pressure. Obama — a Democratic Party candidate who is of Kenyan descent — called Odinga late Monday or early Tuesday, said Odinga's spokesman, Salim Lone. "He called to express grave concern...

A leading Democratic candidate for president attends an “Afrocentric” church that bestows awards on Louis Farrakhan and practically defines itself through race-baiting. Burt Prelutsky asks, why isn’t Barack Obama’s faith-based problem making national headlines and the nightly news? One of the obvious differences between Democrats and Republicans is the role that religion plays in their presidential campaigns. For instance, every Democrat, while pretending to believe that “separation of church and state” actually appears somewhere in the Constitution, must also insist that religion plays an essential role in his or her life. But just about the only time you see them...

As the primary season finally gets started the issue of Barack Obama’s religion takes the stage once again. While there are some aspects of his religious affiliations that cause legitimate concern, the contention that he is a danger because he practiced Islam as a child, under the guidance of his father and then his step-father, is being overblown for what it is not and ignored for what it is.

As the primary season finally gets started the issue of Barack Obama’s religion takes the stage once again. While there are some aspects of his religious affiliations that cause legitimate concern, the contention that he is a danger because he practiced Islam as a child, under the guidance of his father and then his step-father, is being overblown for what it is not and ignored for what it is. The notion that Barack Obama is a closeted Islamist is akin to a black helicopter theory. He has established that he is a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ....

As Ben Smith noted over the weekend, conservative writer Daniel Pipes has authored a new piece that unveils the next Obama Muslim smear. Pipes wrote: "If I were a Muslim I would let you know," Barack Obama has said, and I believe him. ...suggesting that the next conservative attack on Obama could be, "he says he's not a Muslim, and I believe him." It's worth adding a second point: That Pipes, whose hostility to Islam is well documented, is one of Giuliani's foreign policy advisers.

As the National Council of Churches (NCC) in the USA reshapes amid budget shortfalls, top officials were installed Thursday to lead the ecumenical group. Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, who represents the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) in Washington, and the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) clergyman, were installed as NCC president and general secretary, respectively. Aykazian is the third Orthodox president and the first from the Oriental Orthodox tradition, according to NCC News Service. He will succeed outgoing president Michael Livingston, who served in the office since January 2006, as the 24th NCC...

Vedic Recitations in a Christian Church on Thanksgiving http://newsblaze.com/story/20071101085222tsop.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html http://tinyurl.com/2kmxfe Nov 1, 2007 Judyth Piazza, News Blaze Recitations from ancient Sanskrit scriptures will reverberate in a Christian church in Nevada on the occasion of coming Thanksgiving eve service. Rajan Zed, the prominent Hindu chaplain, will read from Rig-Veda (oldest existing scripture of the world dated from around 1,500 BCE), Upanishads (Hindu scriptures containing mystical teachings), and Bhagavad-Gita (famous philosophical and spiritual poem) in Trinity Episcopal Church in Reno (Nevada) during Twenty-second Annual Thanksgiving Service of Northwestern Nevada to be held on November 21 evening. Despite conflicts around the world, various...

What is Robert Schuller 'rethinking'? Crystal Cathedral conference accused of twisting biblical Christianity Posted: October 30, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2007 WorldNetDaily.com Crystal Cathedral It's an all-star conference set for the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif., Jan. 17-19. Former President George H.W. Bush will speak. Chuck Colson will make a presentation. Larry King will be there. Rupert Murdoch will address attendees. Ben Stein will appear. And Kay Warren, wife of Saddleback Church mega-pastor Rick Warren, will join Robert Schuller, the white-haired, bespectacled purveyor of "possibility thinking." What could such a diverse group have in common? What's the topic?...

In response to an uproar from gay activists, Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign on Wednesday added a gay minister to the lineup for its weekend gospel tour. Gay activists had criticized Obama's "Embrace the Change" tour in South Carolina because the performers included gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who says homosexuality is a choice. Obama's campaign invited Rev. Andy Sidden, a South Carolina pastor who is openly gay, to appear on Sunday in Columbia. Obama discussed Sidden's inclusion Thursday with Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, which supports gay rights. In a statement, Solmonese said he thanked Obama for...

Gay clergyman bemoans U.S. reputation as forcing its ways on other cultures By Mary Adamski madamski@starbulletin.com The perception of Americans as aggressors affected the politics within the Anglican Church, said the gay clergyman whose election as bishop set off upheaval within the 77-million member global Anglican Communion. "The worldview of America, seen as swaggering around the world and having our way and all others be damned, the energy around this issue (gay clergy) has as much to do with that perception as it does with Scriptures," Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay man to be ordained a bishop...

Perhaps it was appropriate this was announced on 9/11 through a campus-wide e-mail, but we were informed that the University of Dayton (OH), a Catholic University established by the Society of Mary, has now set up a "prayer room" for Muslim students and staff, including Korans and "prayer rugs." I do not know if the university felt this was mandated by government regulations (unfortunately, we take government money) or simply an bent knee toward "diversity," but I imagine the Fathers are rolling over in the cemetary.

Robinson proposes marriage of Church and State? Gay Episcopal bishop endorses Obama Washington DC, Aug 3, 2007 / 10:31 am (CNA).- Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the nation's first openly gay Episcopal bishop, has given his endorsement to presidential hopeful Barack Obama, citing the Illinois Democrat's experience with racism and discrimination. Obama's campaign put out a news release announcing Robinson’s support. It identified Robinson as "a civil rights leader and a leading voice in the faith community." The bishop says he hopes to persuade Obama to embrace same-sex marriage. Obama supports civil unions and rights for gay couples, but...

Outrage as US Lutherans Ease Rules on Pastors in Gay Relationships The largest Lutheran body in the US has caused outrage in the wider Christian community as it controversially decided not to punish homosexual clergy who are in sexual relationships, according to an announcement made on Saturday. by Daniel Blake Posted: Saturday, August 11, 2007, 19:50 (BST) The largest Lutheran body in the US has caused outrage in the wider Christian community as it controversially decided not to punish homosexual clergy who are in sexual relationships, according to an announcement made on Saturday. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)...

The Rev. Dave Peterson got tired of watching members of his denomination vanish. In 40 years, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) lost half its membership, dwindling from 4.2 million to 2.1 million. "It's amazing to me that we have paid so little attention to that drastic statistic," said Peterson, senior pastor of Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church of Houston. In an effort to stop the bleeding, Peterson has joined half a dozen other clergy to plan the second Presbyterian Global Fellowship Annual Conference next week in Houston. Organizers expect 800 people to attend, and although the focus is on the Presbyterian Church,...

No matter what its historical relevance or context, the political and legal dimensions of historical jihad cannot be played out in the international or public policy affairs of modern society. FSM Contributing Editor Dr. Walid Phares explains why modern Jihad is unquestionably against the law. ____________________________________________ Why Military Jihad in Modern Times Is Illegal By Walid Phares One of the strangest, but not unexpected, battles of words and ideologies is over the claims made about the Muslim perception of jihad and Jihadism and their impact on public speech. Although there are various clashes on this level, it is appropriate here...

The openly gay pastor of Atlanta's oldest Lutheran church has been removed from his denomination's clergy roster. But the Rev. Bradley Schmeling said Thursday he will not leave the pulpit of St. John's Lutheran Church, a decision that could open the 350-member congregation to disciplinary action from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. "The congregation issued a call to me in 2000 and as far as we are concerned, that hasn't changed," Schmeling said. "I'm disheartened (the decision) gives the impression the church is more interested in rules than in compassion." In a decision issued Monday, a 12-member appeals committee...

When Pope Benedict XVI attacked Catholic politicians in Mexico who supported abortion rights last month, Rudy Giuliani was asked for his opinion. The presidential candidate replied in the language of the church: "Issues like that are for me and my confessor. I'm a Catholic... Married three times, Giuliani simply isn't the Catholic candidate he claims to be. He can't have a confessor. He can't receive the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist, or marriage. While bishops disagree about whether or not a Catholic politician who supports abortion rights can receive the sacraments, there is no disagreement about the consequences of divorcing...

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) On the other hand: "Jesus is not the only way to God . . ." Rev. Ann Holmes http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/reader_feedback/reader_feedback.php?id=171 http://tinyurl.com/36ss36

DALLAS (ABP) -- Rick Warren, heralded as “America’s new people’s pastor,” will speak Oct. 29 at the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting. David Coffey, president of the Baptist World Alliance, will also speak at the meeting in Amarillo, Texas. Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, will speak about his PEACE plan, an effort for churches to lead the way in eliminating social ills like illiteracy, poverty and AIDS. His sermon will be the centerpiece of the meeting, themed “Missions -- Together We Can Do More.” Charles Wade, executive director of the BGCT, said Warren’s plan is “very similar...

Catholic Bishop Raps Rudy On Abortion WASHINGTON, June 5, 2007 (AP) A Roman Catholic bishop is criticizing Rudy Giuliani, a Republican presidential candidate of the same faith, for statements on abortion that he labeled hypocritical. "Rudy's public proclamations on abortion are pathetic and confusing. Even worse, they're hypocritical," Thomas J. Tobin, the bishop of Providence, R.I., wrote last week in a column in the Rhode Island Catholic. Giuliani has stressed that while he's personally opposed to abortion, he believes women should be able to decide for themselves whether to terminate a pregnancy. Tobin, who says he is not a Republican...

Rick Warren: “Any church that fails to fulfill the five purposes...is not really a church!” by Chris RosebroughYes you read that headline correctly. That is a quote from Rick Warren in Mark Kelly’s latest spin piece for Saddleback entitled “Seven myths about ‘Purpose Driven’” The piece itself has two wildly surreal statements in it, that if you consider what is really being said, ought to make you question the entire ‘Purpose Driven’ church concept. The first is a quote from Rick Warren himself: Rick Warren says: “The five purposes of the church commanded by Jesus in the Great Commandment and...