Free Republic

Christians and followers of other religions in China suffered the worst abuses in a decade last year as part of a state-sponsored crackdown on dissent, according to a Christian human rights group.The organization China Aid said the persecution of religious practitioners and human rights advocates in China increased by more than 150 percent last year.According to its annual report released on Tuesday, 17,884 individuals were persecuted for their religious beliefs. Authorities detained nearly 3,000 dissidents and sentenced 1,274 people, compared to just 12 in 2013.President Xi Jinping of China, widely viewed as the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) most authoritarian leader...

A very touching speech made by the Father of the Bride to the Groom that shows this father’s love for his daughter.

~snip~ "What I call the Benedict Option is this: a limited, strategic withdrawal of Christians from the mainstream of American popular culture, for the sake of shoring up our understanding of what the church is, and what we must do to be the church. We must do this because the strongly anti-Christian nature of contemporary popular culture occludes the meaning of the Gospel, and hides from us the kinds of habits and practices we need to engage in to be truly faithful to what we have been given."

An Oregon administrative law judge recommended today that the bakers who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding should be fined $135,000. “[T]he forum concludes that $75,000 and $60,000, are appropriate awards to compensate [the same-sex couple] for the emotional suffering they experienced,” wrote Alan McCullough, administrative law judge for Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries in his proposed order. Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa located in Gresham, Ore., say the fine is enough to potentially bankrupt their family of seven. The dispute began in January 2013, when Aaron denied Rachel Cryer a...

By now you’ve probably seen the video. Simple text overlaid on sweeping and beautiful natural vistas set to a serene — but determined — instrumental soundtrack. Subtle stylistic choices: the use of lens flare, vintage film effects, and mirroring; the use of just enough motion graphics to make a point without being distracting. Beneath it all, a translation in Arabic script for the intended audience. Together, it forms the most potent and moving message I’ve seen addressing the rise of the Islamic state. It cuts through the noise, and offers the reality of God’s love and the opportunity for salvation to men...

Former Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann stated that President Barack Obama’s handling of the Iranian nuclear deal is a symbol of the coming of the end of times and the “imminent” return of Jesus Christ, during a recent radio interview. Bachmann explained that if Obama and the United States turn their back on Israel, this would bring severe “curses” upon the United States, similar to those seen in the end of days. But, Bachmann is not afraid of the end of days, rather she says that “these are the most exciting days in history” because nothing is more important than the...

Terrorists release propaganda video showing two massacres of Christians from Ethiopia ISIS has released another video depicting the slaughter of Christians in Libya, showing footage of two massacres in which 30 Ethiopian Christians were killed.Before the executions a masked militant said: “To the nation of the cross, we’re back again… Muslim blood that was shed under the hands of your religion is not cheap.”“We swear to Allah … you will not have safety even in your dreams until you embrace Islam,” he added.Later a militant with a Yemeni accent said: “Those who convert to Islam are safe. Those who...

Really? Another story about bakeries and cakes and who will or won’t bake what without the feds crashing your business? Apparently so. At Right Wing News, Warner Todd Huston has been tracking the story of an Arizona pastor, Joshua Feuerstein, who has been concerned over trends where Christians seem to be exclusively targeted for action if they assert their rights to Freedom of Religion, specifically in the case of so called “gay wedding cakes.” To prove his point, he contacted a “gay bakery” (though how this is defined is a bit hazy) owned by Sharon Haller and asked them...

EXCLUSIVE - Islamic State militants are demanding up to $30 million in ransom to release the hundreds of Christian hostages in Syria, according to an officer within the Assyrian leadership. In ongoing negotiations between ISIS terrorists and the Assyrian leadership to free the 250-300 Christians abducted by the militant group in February, ISIS is demanding $100,000 per individual, according to the source. Third-party Syrian Sunni Muslims from the local area are reported to be brokering the talks between the two groups. “They know we cannot come up with this kind of money, so they are hoping other groups and countries...

Denzel Washington is a two-time Oscar winner; however, he isn't afraid to speak out against liberal Hollywood and support his Christian faith. “I read from the Bible every day, and I read my Daily Word,” he told a reporter, adding that it was not difficult for him to grow up as the son of a preacher. “He wasn't a taskmaster, but there were certain things you couldn't do,” Washington said. “He had his own church, and it was a long Sunday, because you had to be there all day.” “Everyone I grew up with didn't have a father,” he continued....

You may have heard that the government is forcing businesses not to discriminate. It isn’t. If you chose to run a business, you have to follow the laws. If you don’t, that’s a choice—and you choose to suffer the consequences. Still, in the wake of the controversy surrounding Indiana’s law, conservatives don’t see it that way. Even potential Republican presidential candidates are getting in on the assertions. Rick Santorum recently said: If you’re a print shop and you are a gay man, should you be forced to print ‘God Hates Fags’ for the Westboro Baptist Church because they hold those...

Recently, while announcing his 2016 presidential bid in front of 13,000 onlookers at central Virginia’s Liberty University, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz garnered tremendous applause, saying, “I believe God isn’t done with America yet.” I think he’s right. Though the forces of evil may try, there are many Christ followers who intend to see spiritual revival break out in this, one of the two greatest nations on earth. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will...

(EXCERPT) A florist in eastern Washington state fined $1,000 for refusing to sell a same-sex couple wedding flowers and also facing a consumer-protection lawsuit has netted more than $87,000 in a crowdfunding campaign. The Seattle Times reports that nearly half of the money on the gofundme.com page set up in February for 70-year-old Barronelle Stutzman came in the last several days. Supporters compare Stutzman's benefit page to an Indiana pizza shop that raised more than $800,000 after closing when the owner said the shop wouldn't cater a gay wedding. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3026692/85K-raised-Washington-florist-refused-gay-couple.html#ixzz3WUHTYV6r

Jesus called for His people to take up their cross and follow Him. For Middle East Christians, the cross is a reality. Christians are being crucified. As we observe Good Friday and the beginning of Passover, safe with our families, and as we celebrate Easter in the security of our churches, millions of Christians face persecution not seen since the early Church. Beheadings, crucifixions, and staged mass executions are abhorrently commonplace – on display for the world to see. Radical Islamic jihadists are targeting and terrorizing Christians throughout the Middle East, Africa, and beyond. This persecution cannot be ignored. It...

Recent video of 21 orange-clad Egyptian Christians being simultaneously beheaded by ISIS thugs – along with a steady stream of other horrifying reports of their crucifying, decapitating and burying Christians alive, including children – have shocked the world. But while ISIS is unquestionably a nightmare-come-true, when it comes to the alarming increase in Christian persecution worldwide the “Islamic State” is just the tip of the iceberg. As WND’s acclaimed Whistleblower magazine reveals in its powerfully moving April issue, “PERSECUTION RISING,” today’s treatment of Christians in a great many nations is disturbingly reminiscent of the brutal persecution of the early followers...

On Tuesday, the co-owner of Memories Pizza told a local Indiana television station that the restaurant would not cater pizzas to a gay wedding. Indiana Pizza Shop Won't Cater to Gays, is Happy with 'Religious Liberty' Law: VIDEO http://t.co/BSOeFRzPyF #RFRA pic.twitter.com/NLrrTW4FLV— Towleroad (@tlrd) April 1, 2015 On Wednesday, talk radio host Dana Loesch spoke with Crystal O’Connor, the co-owner of Memories Pizza. Crystal told Dana the family is in hiding and were unable to open the store Wednesday after receiving several threats. Nearly $500,000 has been raised so far for the Christian business owners on a Go-Fund Me website. 

A high school golf coach in Indiana has been suspended after she threatened to burn down a local pizzeria when she heard its Christian owners say earlier this week that they'd refuse to cater gay weddings if asked to do so. The pizza shop has temporarily closed amid safety concerns after its owners received death threats this week.After Gov. Mike Pence signed into law Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act last Thursday, the O'Connor family, which has owned Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, for over nine years, told a local ABC television news reporter on Tuesday that they agree with the...

Last week, Arlene's Flowers in Washington was fined $1,000 for declining a request to provide floral arrangements for the religious wedding service of gay men that she had served secularly for years. Citing her Christian convictions against participating in pagan rituals, grandma Barronelle Stutzman failed to prevail in her religious freedom case. Faithful American Christians are increasingly under attack across the country by the gay lobby. Religious freedom is being radically and swiftly eroded. Remember the Houston 5, whose sermons and emails were subpoenaed as a repercussion of their opposition to the radical gay lobby in Houston, Texas. It is...

Link only - Gay Group Demands Christian Churches Be SHUT DOWN for Opposing Same-Sex Marriage

Jessey Eagan is a Christian and a mother of two, who works as a children's director at Imago Dei Church in Peoria, Illinois. This year during Lent, she decided to wear a hijab. She kept a diary of her experience in a blog called #40DaysOfHijab, which is sparkling a debate both in the Christian and Muslim community.