Free Republic

Often in history, the "White American Bible Belt" paid homage to racism while calling it "Jesus Christ," according to prominent evangelical Russell Moore. Delivering a speech at the MLK 50 Conference in Memphis, Tennessee, on Tuesday, Moore drew a parallel between America's struggle for racial equality and the ancient Israelites being told to choose between serving God or serving Baal. "Time and time again, when told they could not serve both, the people of God tragically often chose to worship Baal but to rename him God," said Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. "And...

Charmaine Pruitt wrote the names of 12 churches on a sheet of paper, tore the paper into 12 strips, and dropped them into a Ziploc bag. It was Sunday morning and time to pick which church to attend. This time of the week two years earlier, there would have been no question. Ms. Pruitt, 46, would have been getting ready for her regular Saturday afternoon worship service, at a former grocery store overhauled into a state-of-the-art, 760-seat sanctuary. In the darkened hall, where it would have been hard to tell she was one of the few black people in the...

Tavis Smiley announced a bevy of new projects, including a new television series, less than a month after being ousted by PBS amid allegations of “sexual misconduct.” In a Facebook video posted Monday afternoon, Smiley said his new weekly online series “The Upside With Tavis Smiley” will “celebrate the spirit of resilience, the power to overcome that resides in each of us.” He said the show would be distributed by the Word Network, which bills itself as the “largest African-American religious network in the world.” The show is expected to debut in the spring. “We are thrilled to have Tavis...

On Wednesday’s Morning Joe, while discussing President Trump’s remarks to reporters yesterday on the White House lawn, NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Kasie Hunt decided to do an impromptu campaign ad for Democratic senatorial candidate Doug Jones, who is Roy Moore’s opponent in the Alabama special election. Part of Hunt’s pitch involved the fact that Jones is best known for prosecuting the perpetrators of the infamous 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four black girls. Co-host Mika Brzezinski instantly saw a connection between this piece of information and Trump’s earlier claim to journalists that Jones is “soft on crime.” From...

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has assured black faith leaders in St. Louis that the rights of peaceful protesters will be protected if unrest occurs after a judge rules in a former police officer's murder trial. But after the meeting Monday at an AME church in St. Louis, the Republican governor stressed that any protest veering into violence will not be tolerated.

A group of conservative black pastors and intellectual leaders on Monday defended President Donald Trump amid criticism of his initial response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend. While some, like Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer, have claimed that there is a "direct line" between the events in Charlottesville and the choices Trump made in his 2016 presidential campaign, conservative African-American clergy members, scholars and political activists decried such an argument in a Monday press conference at the National Press Club.

You just can't make this stuff up. President Trump and his supporters have been targeted non stop by progressives and the mainstream media since he assumed office, but this may take the cake. Last week, a group of religious leaders were invited to the Oval Office to meet with the president. They took the opportunity, as religious leaders do, to pray for our commander in chief.Johnnie Moore, founder and CEO of The Kairos Company, a public relations firm that works with several ministries, captured the moment. Such an honor to pray within the Oval Office for @POTUS & @VP ....

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in D.C. Superior Court on behalf of Coates and William Lamar, the senior pastor at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, DC. "It is a matter of life and death in our communities," Lamar told CBS News. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012 research showed daily regular soda and fruit drink consumption was most common among black and Hispanic Americans.

A Mississippi man arrested in the burning of an African-American church that was spray-painted with the words "Vote Trump" is a member of the congregation, the church's bishop said. Andrew McClinton, 45, of Leland, Mississippi, was charged Wednesday with first degree arson of a place of worship, said Warren Strain, spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. McClinton is African-American. McClinton was arrested in Greenville, where Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church was burned and vandalized Nov. 1, a week before the presidential election. Hopewell Bishop Clarence Green said McClinton is a member of the church. Green said he didn't know...

A black man has been arrested and charged with burning an African-American church in Greenville, Miss. last month and defacing its outer walls with “Vote Trump” graffiti. The Mississippi state police arrested Andrew McClinton, 45, on Wednesday and charged him with first-degree arson of a place of worship, Warren Strain, a spokesman with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety told The Daily Caller. McClinton allegedly set first to Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, where he is a member, on Nov. 1, a week before the election. The fire destroyed 80 percent of the church. A GoFundMe account raised more than $240,000...

A black man has been arrested and charged with burning an African-American church in Greenville, Miss. last month and defacing its outer walls with “Vote Trump” graffiti. The Mississippi state police arrested Andrew McClinton, 45, on Wednesday and charged him with first-degree arson of a place of worship, Warren Strain, a spokesman with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety told The Daily Caller. McClinton allegedly set first to Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, where he is a member, on Nov. 1, a week before the election. The fire destroyed 80 percent of the church. A GoFundMe account raised more than $240,000...

Mississippi Church Member Charged in 'Vote Trump' Arson By emily wagster pettus, associated press JACKSON, Miss. — Dec 21, 2016, 4:36 PM ET A Mississippi man arrested in the burning of an African-American church that was spray-painted with the words "Vote Trump" is a member of the congregation, the church's bishop said. Andrew McClinton, 45, of Leland, Mississippi, was charged Wednesday with first degree arson of a place of worship, said Warren Strain, spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. McClinton is African-American. McClinton was arrested in Greenville, where Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church was burned and vandalized Nov. 1,...

Bill Donohue comments on Hillary Clinton’s speech at an African American church in Philadelphia yesterday: Hillary Clinton took her campaign to Mount Airy Church of God in Christ yesterday afternoon. According to one report, “she urged parishioners of a black church in Philadelphia’s West Oak Lane neighborhood to choose ‘hope over fear’ and vote to send her to the White House.” Another story described how she stood “at a wooden lectern in the center of a purple-carpeted altar,” making her pitch to the faithful. There has been no complaint from the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State,...

This is a big endorsement for Donald Trump. Rev. William Owens, who is the president of the Coalition of African American Pastors, gave his endorsement to Trump today and will be urging others to follow suit. He believes that Trump deserves a chance to prove himself to Christian voters. He also points out how blacks have suffered with the Democratic Party. He believes that Trump can be a great president. The man definitely has faith. Owens marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the civil rights movement. He has launched a campaign urging blacks to abandon the broken...

Democrats have routinely used the black vote to retain political power and have a poor record at keeping their campaign promises and they also have a historical record of violence as retribution and sending a message to others who may vote Republican. However in 2016, all standard political prognostications have gone out the window.

@jaketapper https://www.gofundme.com/hopewellbaptist?rcid=c1fd764aa14111e6b844bc764e065880 … Us Trump supporters have raised over 80k please help us also. Pastor knows about this.

>>This is from the HRC Scheduled Events page: Welcome to the redesigned Scheduled Events page. The information displays Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine’s events, but anyone representing Hillary for America, including Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and other politicians and celebrities appearing on the behalf of HFA.<< [snip] It looks like the electorate is being played by the media in coordination with the Clinton campaign. Her campaign is a hoax of spartan appearances replayed to misrepresent her campaign. Hillary's schedule, her minimal appearances, is all for the headlines and the media willfully complies. The media has begun showing reruns of expired...

[Clinton's very small Florida events] 'Rejoice in our sufferings': Hillary tells Florida congregation that setbacks deliver character and 'hope' – after a rough week that brought back her email scandal... Hillary Clinton joined worshippers at New Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday. She told worshippers that 'suffering' produces endurance, character, and hope. On Friday, the FBI dropped a bombshell when it revealed it was reviewing emails in connection with its earlier investigation of her. On Saturday night, Clinton attended a lively concert in Miami where Jennifer Lopez touted her candidacy in an an eye-popping show. Clinton is...

Seating was not an issue during Hillary Clinton’s appearance at a black church in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday morning. Clinton hammered on themes of “systemic racism,” white privilege and police brutality to the overwhelmingly black audience in an apparent effort to shore up that sector of support. But as video shows, there apparently wasn’t much clamoring to hear her speak. Here’s a shot as the camera panned out to show the congregants. Except for the first couple rows, the pews were sparsely filled.

Once again Hillary Clinton finds her racially-driven campaign efforts contrasted against lackluster black audience. This time in Charlotte, North Carolina. ...... CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) –Sunday morning, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made stops at Charlotte. Her first stop was at a church service at Little Rock AME Zion on North McDowell Street. This was the same church where the NAACP held a press conference after Keith Lamont Scott was shot by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer. (read more) .... Once again the MSM hides the reality of a Clinton event targeting the black community, where the audience doesn’t show up to hear her...