Free Republic

Can a man who experiences same-sex attraction be ordained as a pastor in the gospel ministry? Many believe that homosexuality is such a heinous sin that it permanently disqualifies a man from any eligibility for ordained ministry. Others believe that he rightly may be ordained, and some conjecture that his homosexual struggles may actually make him more effective as a minister in a culture awash with complex gender issues. But what does the Bible say about this issue? That is the perspective we all need.What Does Scripture Teach? Romans 1:18–32 indeed affirms that homosexuality and lesbianism are unnatural acts of...

... In his last known in-person service on March 22, Bishop Gerald O. Glenn got his congregation at Richmond’s New Deliverance Evangelistic Church to stand to prove how many were there despite warnings against gatherings of more than 10 people. ...

According to a new Lifeway Research survey, while 47 percent of “mainline” pastors now support same-sex “marriage,” only 8 percent of evangelical pastors do. More specifically, “Presbyterian or Reformed (49%), Methodist (47%), Lutheran (35%) and Christian/Church of Christ pastors (20%) are more likely to see nothing wrong with same-sex marriage than Baptist (3%) or Pentecostal pastors (1%).” None of this is surprising in the least.First, as noted by Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, “The movement we see among pastors’ views of same-sex marriage has less to do with their denominational tradition than their view of the Bible.”Accordingly, those...

Please don’t get me wrong. I believe strongly that pastors and Christian leaders should address today’s controversial moral issues. That includes abortion and LGBT activism and immigration reform and social justice. I’ve said this time and time again. But there is a difference between politics and culture, between partisan battles in Congress and family values. And, for the months ahead, as America gets more and more divided over President Trump and the 2020 elections, pastors and Christian leaders need to keep their focus on the gospel. Politics will tear us apart and rob us of hope and peace. The gospel...

Congressional hearings are a fixture in Washington and are supposedly a tool for investigation by the nation's lawmaking body. Unfortunately, too often when Democrats are in charge, it's not the case. Rather than hearings being a means for seeking facts and information, they become a platform just for politicking by members of the majority party and a forum for attacking those whose views they don't like. This distortion of process was in full view at recent House Budget Committee hearings on Poverty in America: Economic Realities of Struggling Families. Of eight witnesses, six were from the same left-wing organization --...

In the latest and most egregious example of attempted government overreach, California legislators have proposed a bill that would dictate what pastors preach from the pulpit. Specifically, “Assembly Concurrent Resolution 99 calls on ‘counselors, pastors, religious workers, educators’ and institutions with ‘great moral influence’ to stop perpetuating the idea that something is wrong with LGBT identities or sexual behavior. ACR 99 also condemns attempts to change unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion as ‘unethical,’ ‘harmful,’ and leading to high rates of suicide.”Put another way, these legislators are telling pastors and spiritual leaders to throw out the Bible, disregard the Lord’s...

A Baptist pastor was arrested and jailed on Saturday after refusing to move across the street from the Spokane, Washington Public Library while exercising his free speech against a “Drag Queen Story Hour.” The event had a significant militaristic police presence, including camouflaged snipers positioned atop the roof to oversee the large crowd that stood both for and against the men dressed like women reading stories to children.

The Northern Virginia pastor who prayed for President Trump on stage after an unscheduled visit Sunday explained why he did so, acknowledging "some within our church...are hurt that I made this decision." David Platt, McLean Bible Church pastor, told his congregation, in a statement, that his "aim was in no way to endorse the president, his policies, or his party, but to obey God’s command to pray for our president and other leaders" as mentioned in the Bible. While the megachurch was not one of the churches that joined Rev. Franklin Graham's "Special Day of Prayer" for Trump, Platt acknowledged...

There are many fine pastors in America. They are devoted shepherds. They are faithful teachers of the Word. They care for their flocks. And when necessary, they sound the alarm. For each of them, I am thankful. Some of them are dear friends and co-workers, and many of them have sacrificed much for God’s work and God’s people. But there are all too many others who do not see the handwriting on the wall. They seem willfully ignorant of the “signs of the times.” For them and, even more, for their congregations, I am deeply concerned. According to a recent...

Andy Stanley preaches to an estimated 33,000 people every Sunday at North Point Ministries' five metro-Atlanta campuses. | Photo courtesy of North Point MinistriesChristians should quit erecting Ten Commandments displays and should instead consider making monuments dedicated to the Sermon on the Mount, popular pastor Andy Stanley said.In a column published by Relevant Magazine, the North Point Community Church pastor argued that the Ten Commandments are “the old covenant” and no longer apply to believers."[I]f we’re going to create a monument to stand as a testament to our faith, shouldn’t it at least be a monument of something that actually...

American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was swept up in a wave of arrests in the wake a failed coup attempt in Turkey, was released on Friday, easing a major controversy between the United States and the NATO ally. A judge ordered Brunson's release as part of a reported deal in which President Trump will “ease economic pressure” on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s country. Turkey is not dropping the case against Brunson. The prosecutor “demanded up to 10 years in prison for terror charges,” a pro-government outlet reported, but Brunson will be allowed to leave the country. “The Second High Criminal...

Finally, after an excruciatingly long wait of almost two years, it appears the incarceration of United States pastor Andrew Brunson will finally come to an end. According to NBC News, the White House has brokered a deal to secure Brunson’s freedom: The White House expects North Carolina pastor Andrew Brunson to be released by the Turkish government and returned to the U.S. in the coming days, two years after he was detained, according to two senior administration officials and another person briefed on the matter. Under an agreement senior Trump administration officials recently reached with Turkey, Brunson is supposed to...

What should the role of Christians in politics be? More people than ever are asking that question. Christians cannot pretend they can transcend politics and simply “preach the Gospel.” Those who avoid all political discussions and engagement are essentially casting a vote for the social status quo. (Skip) Nevertheless, while believers can register under a party affiliation and be active in politics, they should not identify the Christian church or faith with a political party as the only Christian one. (Skip) One is that it gives those considering the Christian faith the strong impression that to be converted, they need...

Despite the fact that God expresses His love for the righteous throughout the Old Testament – Jew and gentile alike – in a new book, one of America’s biggest mega-pastors claims the Hebrew Scriptures portray Him as “unapproachable,” living behind a curtain with love reserved only “for His covenant people,” suggesting He is a different deity than the one portrayed in the New Testament. It’s the latest shocking suggestion from Andy Stanley, whose suburban Atlanta congregation exceed 34,000 attendees and a national following. He writes in “Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed on the World,” released last week, that...

Rev. William Cook Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.Ephesians 2:2 For the past four weeks, I have been working on behalf of Ryan McAdams, a pastor and the leader of the Virginia Prayer Caucus, who has been called of God to run for Congress in Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District. My focus has been on encouraging fellow pastors to show the brief video, “What Difference Does [One Vote] Make?” (video below) to their congregations...

A fiery, old-school pastor who is under fire for saying black America is losing "its soul" at Aretha Franklin's funeral stands firm by his words with the hope critics can understand his perspective. Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. told The Associated Press in a phone interview Sunday he felt his sermon was appropriate at Franklin's funeral Friday in Detroit. He felt his timing was right, especially after other speakers spoke on the civil rights movement and President Donald Trump. "I was trying to show that the movement now is moving and should move in a different direction," he said. "......

In the summer of 2008, Bill Hybels stood in front of thousands of pastors and other church leaders gathered at Willow Creek Community Church and admitted his megachurch had failed. “We made a mistake,” he told the crowd gathered for the 2008 Global Leadership Summit (GLS). A detailed Willow study had found that the church had helped many people find new faith in Jesus, but had failed to teach them how to practice the spiritual disciplines needed to grow their faith. He vowed the megachurch would do be better in the future. Ten years later, Willow Creek’s leaders confessed even...

North Point Community Church Senior Pastor Andy Stanley recently explained to popular radio host and Messianic Jewish author Michael Brown why he's quit using the term "the Bible says." In an episode of Brown's podcast "Line of Fire" that aired Monday afternoon, Stanley explained why, although he considers the Good Book inerrant, the term "the Bible says" doesn't work with those he's trying to evangelize. "Once upon a time that was very effective in our country. Those days are long gone. But unfortunately, church leaders still want to leverage 'the Bible says,' which is great for people who take the...

And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,(Ephesians 1:22) For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. (Ephesians 5:23) But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.1 Corinthians 11:3) He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the...

So is the ‘Reclaiming Jesus Campaign’ really about religion or hate-inspired politics? A group of pious pastors are marching on the White House Thursday evening to “Reclaim Jesus from President Trump”. They will rally with lighted candles on White House grounds claiming that “America First is heresy against Christ.” But wait a minute, isn’t it the job of sincere, ordained pastors to bring souls to Jesus, rather than to go about reclaiming them?