Free Republic

Who would have thought that just a month into the Trump presidency and the progressive left would be demanding our society ask itself what Jesus would do about foreign refugees? Apparently on some issues, that wall between church and state they’re always harping about is almost as porous as our southern border. But before we get caught up in appropriating Jesus to our side of a political issue, I think it is important to be wary of those who prefer selective application of Biblical principle when it comes to the great moral issues of our day. If God’s word should...

Bible Reading Plans for 2017 from Nathan W. Bingham Dec 28, 2016 Category: Articles Many Christians take the beginning of a new year to evaluate their Bible reading habits, and then change or begin a Bible reading plan.Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105) For your convenience, we’ve compiled a list of Bible reading plans for you to choose from. Maybe in 2017 you will read more of the Bible each day. Perhaps you’ll slow down your reading and instead spend more time considering what you read. Whatever it is you’re looking for...

August 9, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Italian Bishop Nunzio Galantino, a personal appointee of the pope and a prelate who has been extolled as the “prototypical ‘Pope Francis bishop,’” is coming under criticism after delivering a homily to young people at World Youth Day in which he rewrote the story of God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. While the clear meaning of the text is to emphasize God’s hatred of sin, in the bishop’s telling the message of the story is about Abraham’s willingness to emphasize “positive possibilities” and "signs of hope" despite the “misdeeds” of the people of Sodom. It’s...

Ezekiel had his fantastic vision of fire, wind, and four living creatures. John ate a sweet-and-sour scroll out of the hand of a giant angle. Isaiah had his lips scorched by a burning coal from the heavenly altar. Paul was in a catatonic state for three days. Then there’s the agonized lament of Jeremiah:You seduced me, Lord, and I let myself be seduced; you were too strong for me, and you prevailed. All day long I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage I proclaim; The word of...

With remarkable insouciance, NYT writers Jeremy W. Peters and Lizette Alvarez blithely make reference to “a Bible verse from Romans that calls for the execution of gays,” meaning Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans 1:18-32.As anyone who has ever read the New Testament knows, Saint Paul never permits that Christians should commit any violence whatsoever against homosexuals, but the Times editors apparently thought that fact-checking with the original text was superfluous or that readers were too ignorant to check for themselves.The Times report, titled “After Orlando, a Political Divide on Gay Rights Still Stands,” follows on the fatal shooting of...

This is the last in a series of essays on the duty of Christians in civic affairs, adapted from Kevin Kookogey’s weekly radio address and podcasts at www.advancingchurch.com 8. Which responsibilities of providing help to our citizens are the government's and which belong to the Church? The duty of government is plainly described in our founding documents. The Declaration of Independence establishes the philosophical and moral basis for our system of government, famously asserting that governments are instituted among men to secure their rights, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. The Constitution then enumerates those powers,...

Is It Ever Right to Bend the Law? Msgr. Charles Pope • May 4, 2016 • Our relationship with God’s law is complex and we don’t often get it right. When it comes to God’s law we cannot forget that it is personal. That is, it is given to us by a loving God who wants to save us. Therefore, it is important to know both the law and the lawgiver, who is God.In the Deuteronomic code, each law is often followed by the phrase “I am the Lord.” It is as if the Lord is saying, “This is...

The president of the evangelical Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Dr. Everett Piper, was adamant about sending children to the right university and academic institution, in his recent interview with The Daily Caller’s Ginni Thomas. When Thomas asked him what could be done about sending children to liberal institutions, Piper said, "Stop sending your kids to these institutions that teach this pablum." Then, he gives advice on how to distinguish what universities are teaching their students. "Obviously, it can be found out easily by checking the news," he said. But, he added, if you have reservations about the institution, "do two simple...

The Muratorian fragment / The Muratorian canon (click for larger image) I sometimes hear this odd objection that the books that were to be included in the Bible were not decided until the 4th century. I think it comes from some Hollywood movie, or maybe a TV show. Anyway, this post should help fix that myth.I’m going to quote from New Testament expert Dr. Michael J. Kruger from his blog.He writes: One of the key data points in any discussion of canon is something called the Muratorian fragment (also known as the Muratorian canon). This fragment, named after its discoverer...

There is a class that most college students will take at one point in their academic career. It is the course on Western Civilization—“Western Civ” for short. It is a feeble attempt to supplement the modern college curriculum (typically in two freshman-level courses) with what used to be the very backbone of a liberal education. The course revolves around classics of the Western Tradition: Plato’s Republic, Virgil’s Aeneid, Augustine’s Confessions, Descartes’ Meditations, and Locke’s Second Treatise on Government. But one text in particular, I think, has been subject to mistreatment and misuse—the Holy Bible.The problem is simple. One of...

What Is Meant by the "Sacrifice of Praise" in Scripture?" Msgr. Charles Pope January 4, 2016 Please consider the following reflection more of a pastoral meditation than a formal exegesis. I do not seek here to compare every use of the phrase in the Scriptures but rather to ponder how we seem to have lost the connection of personal sacrifice to liturgy and worship. Scripture clearly connects them. Let's look at a few examples from Scripture and then examine how we have strayed from the concept.So Jesus . . . suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people...

People who go to church expect to hear readings from Holy Scripture -- which frequently then become the basis for the sermon. Actually, all of the so-called "proper" elements of an Episcopal or Catholic mass -- the collect, the Old Testament reading, the psalm, the epistle, and the gospel passage are theoretically arranged to show forth or illustrate a unifying theme, which then grounds the homily or sermon that follows. These selections are called the "propers" of the mass because they are chosen for just that particular day of the liturgical year. (The "ordinary" parts of the mass are those...

In Genesis chapter 2 the order of creation seems to be different to that in chapter 1 with the animals being created (2:19) after Adam (2:7). Doesn't the Bible contradict itself here? Between the creation of Adam and the creation of Eve, the KJV/AV Bible says (Genesis 2:19) 'out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air'. On the surface, this seems to say that the land beasts and birds were created between Adam and Eve. However, Jewish scholars apparently did not recognize any such conflict with the account...

If you're looking for a way to critique the authority of Scripture, there are seemingly endless options. There are historical critiques (e.g., many of these books are forgeries). There are logical critiques (e.g., the Gospels contradict themselves). There are moral critiques (e.g., God is immoral to order the slaughter of entire cities). And there are hermeneutical critiques (e.g., no one can agree on what the Bible means). In recent years, however, a more foundational challenge has arisen. All of the above critiques are essentially the same; they all argue the words of the Bible are not true. But this...

Mary's Immaculate Conception Is Fitting as Well as Faithful to Scripture Msgr. Charles Pope • December 7, 2015 • Today's Solemn Feast of the Immaculate Conception is often (mistakenly) thought to refer to the conception of the Jesus in the womb of the Blessed Mother. It does not. Perhaps it does not help the confusion that the Gospel chosen for today's feast is in fact the gospel of the Annunciation, wherein Jesus was conceived in Mary's womb by the power of the Holy Spirit! But there is a reason this gospel is chosen, as we shall later see. The dogma...

Zechariah was a priest doing his duty, making the incense sacrifice in the temple, when an angel appeared to him. The story is told in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel. The angel told Zechariah that, despite he and his wife, Elizabeth, being too old to have children, she would have a son.The language and imagery in the story is evocative of the Old Testament. Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were childless when three angels appeared to announce the birth of their son Isaac. Furthermore, the child who is to be born to Zechariah and Elizabeth will be like...

Redemption and Salvation in the Book of Tobit October 30, 2015 By Fr. John Peck A Sermon by Fr. John A. Peck The Book of Tobit is an astonishing book. It is a part of the Septuagint Old Testament, and therefore only in Orthodox and Roman Catholic Bibles. Until 1929, it was included in Protestant Bibles (in the section called “apocrypha” or “hidden things.” I don’t know why they thought it was hidden.) It is a very Christian book. Most of you probably have never read it, so let me summarize.In a nutshell, it’s about a man named Tobit, and...

When the Green family, founders of U.S. retail chain Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., purchased their first biblical artifact in November 2009, they never expected to assemble in only a few years what is now one of the world’s largest private collections of rare biblical texts, objects, and artifacts. Known as the Green Collection, the compilation of around 40,000 objects includes some of the rarest and most significant biblical texts and artifacts ever assembled under one roof. NOW THEY WANT TO SHARE THAT WITH ALL AMERICANS, BUILDING A BIBLE MUSEUM JUST IN THE HEART OF OUR NATION. The museum in Washington,...

INDEX OF SCRIPTURE TEXTS ABRAHAM:  Patriarch, Matt. 1, 2; 22, 32; Luke 19, 9; John 8, 33; Acts 3, 25; 7, 2; Rom. 4, 1-3; 9, 7; Gal. 3, 6-9; 4, 22; Heb. 7, 1-10; Abraham's faith, Rom. 4, 1-25; Gal. 3, 6; Heb. 11, 8; Jas. 2, 21-23; spiritual children of, Rom. 4, 11 ff; Gal. 3, 7. 29. ABSOLUTION:  power of promised, Matt. 16, 19; 18, 18; John 20, 23. ACCESS TO GOD:  John 14, 6; Rom. 5, 2; Eph. 2, 18; 3, 12; Heb. 10, 19 ff; Jas. 4, 8. ACCOUNTABILITY TO GOD:  Matt. 5, 12; Acts 5,...

A Kentucky coal miner died after refusing treatment for a Sunday-morning snake bit. John David Brock, a member of the Holiness faith, was bitten by a rattlesnake and died four hours later, according to a CBS affiliate. Brock had other health problems, and the official cause of death will be determined from medical records. Snake-handling churches emerged in the early 20th century. It gained popularity in the last few years through the reality show Snake Salvation. The pastor in Snake Salvation, Jamie Coots, died of a snake bite in 2014. The CBS affiliate says Brock is the second person to...