Free Republic

Dear friends, the death of Eddie Van Halen has absolutely rocked the music world and has hit millions upon millions of fans of all ages with sorrow, grief, and tears. To those of you who are not aquatinted with Eddie Van Halen because you lived in a Christian upbringing, I cannot even begin to express to you what the music world and its millions of fans are feeling right now! Eddie Van Halen was an Arch Icon and a Mega hard rock guitarist vanguard on so many fronts of the music world since the mid-seventies! His name alone - when...

A church congregation tired of sowing seeds and not being able to harvest anything have unleashed their wrath on their pastor who came to the church in a new range rover. The Ghanian pastor is said to have continuously asked his church congregation to give out tithe to receive more blessings. The church gave all they could but as days went by, their blessings showed no signs of knocking on their doors. The young pastor was nabbed while entering a government building compound with his wife seated at the passenger’s seat. The youth of his church pounced on the preacher...

On behalf of myself, and on behalf of my country, to you and all African Americans, from the beginning of our nation's history, in honor of your ancestors and for the sake of your children, please hear this from my heart...

Several theological issues are addressed in the canonical Epistle of Paul to Titus. Since the Book is relatively short, let's review the whole thing -- chapter by chapter. In the first 4 verses of chapter 1, Paul gives a simple salutation. And in verses 5-9, he begins to describe desirable traits in Christian leaders. He says in Titus 1:10-14: "For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. One of themselves, a...

Is Mormonism Christian? This may seem like a puzzling question to ask. Mormons include the Bible among the four books they recognize as Scripture and insist that Jesus Christ is central to their faith as evidenced by their official name, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Furthermore, Mormons’ commitment to high moral standards and strong families is impressive. Doesn’t it follow that Mormonism is genuinely Christian? The question here is not whether individual Mormons are saved (a question we cannot answer) or whether the LDS Church is “Christian” in the sense that any group that professes faith in...

“Theology is important,” wrote scholar Millard J. Erickson, “because correct doctrinal beliefs are essential to the relationship between the believer and God.”6 A corollary to this statement is that an incorrect theology will lead to incorrect beliefs about God, His Word, and His dealings with men. The thesis of this paper is that the prosperity gospel is constructed upon a faulty theology. Consequently, many of its doctrines, including the teachings concerning wealth, are erroneous. While it is beyond the scope of this study to examine in detail all of the specific doctrines of prosperity theology, there are four crucial areas...

Grace for Today Today's Scripture "Give us this day our daily bread…" (Matthew 6:11, NKJ). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria God has grace in store for you every single day. Grace is His supernatural empowerment, His unmerited favor on your life. All throughout scripture, we see God giving daily grace, empowerment and provision to His people. For example, when the people of Israel were in the wilderness headed toward the Promised Land, God gave them manna each morning to eat. It would just appear on the ground. But, He specifically instructed them to gather up only enough for...

Victory Today's Scripture "But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 15:57, AMP). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria God wants to pour out His favor on you so that you can live in victory in every area of your life. The scripture says He always causes us to triumph through Christ Jesus! That means, no matter what you may be facing today, God wants to make you more than a conqueror. Are you battling sickness? God wants to give you healing. Are you struggling with a...

No Eye Has Seen Today's Scripture “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him” (I Corinthians 2:9). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Have you ever tried to imagine what God might have in store for your future? No matter how great the dreams are that you may be able to come up with, God has more in store for you than you can even begin to imagine! It’s starts in this life and then carries over into the eternal life. God is a creative...

Hold On to Your Dream Today's Scripture "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria At some point in life we all face hardships. It may be something physically or emotionally challenging. Or it may be a dream or an opportunity that we missed out on. Whatever your difficulty is, don't let it discourage you from believing in God's best. The enemy wants to keep you focused on everything negative that's happened, but don't let him steal the dreams God has given you....

Take Action Today's Scripture "…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Have you ever met a person who prayed one way and spoke another? One minute they’re believing for their dreams to come to pass, and the next minute they're talking about how they're never going to get where they want to be. What they haven't realized is that their actions aren't working together with their faith. This lack of consistency doesn't do our prayers any good. God wants our words, actions and beliefs to...

Trust over Fear Today's Scripture "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe" (Proverbs 29:25, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Fear is one of the enemy's favorite tools to keep us from going forward in our lives. As soon as we make a decision to step out in faith and do what God is telling us to do, immediately the enemy will bring fear. He'll put thoughts in your mind like, "What if I fail? What will others think? Maybe I don't have what it takes." He'll...

Who Are You Walking With? Today's Scripture "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm" (Proverbs 13:20, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Sometimes, in order to embrace the destiny God has in store, you have to be willing to make some changes in your life. You have to be willing to examine where you are and what you need to move forward. This may mean you need to change some friends that you're spending time with. Maybe they were fine for a season in your life, but you've outgrown them....

Write the Vision Today's Scripture "…Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it" (Habakkuk 2:2, ESV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Most businesses today have a mission statement that talks about the purpose of the company. In life, every person should also have their own mission statement. What's your purpose? What are you dreaming about? What are your goals? How are you going to use your talents and abilities? Many people have an idea about where they are headed in life, but something supernatural happens when you write down your vision...

Get into Position Today's Scripture "Sing, O childless woman, you who have never given birth…" (Isaiah 54:1, NLT) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Sometimes, when we don't see our dreams and desires coming to pass, we can feel empty and barren like a woman who is unable to have children. But look at what this verse is saying: if you've got unborn promises, don't just sit around in defeat. Don't just give up and say, "Too bad for me." No, God says when you're barren, the first thing you need to do is sing a song of praise....

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...

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. - Galatians 1:8 Though few seem to realize it, Satan has been in the "another gospel" business for a long time. His goal, since the glorious good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ burst onto the world scene nearly 2000 years ago, has always been to produce a counterfeit gospel, which would replace the true, and keep men in darkness and spiritual slumber. In the early days Gnosticism suited his purposes well. The...

Abortion Can Be a Sacred Choice BY CONNIE SCHULTZ With the simplest of gestures, any woman in America can lay her hands on the battleground here at home. It's beneath the soft flesh of her own body, the area nestled between her hips where babies are conceived or not, carried to term or not. By merely resting her hand across her abdomen, a woman can find the combustible intersection of politics and religion where the mighty turf war is being waged. If you listen only to those who scream the loudest, you might think that most Americans of faith believe...

God's 'motherly' role By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent (Filed: 24/02/2006) A Church of England bishop has urged Christians to recognise the "motherhood" of God. The Bishop of Bolton, the Rt Rev David Gillett, said God's motherly role was an established element in Christian belief and should be emphasised to counter masculine images. In the latest issue of Crux, the Manchester diocesan magazine, the bishop said that Mothering Sunday, which falls on March 26, was a good time to explore the theme. "Some dismiss the idea as a modern heresy linked with the rise of feminism," he said. "But recognising the...

United Church of Christ: "...possession of a nuclear weapon is the best deterrent to a pre-emptive strike by the United States" November 22, 2004 - Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ issued an action alert today criticizing the United States, and particularly Colin Powell, for releasing information "alleging Iran of secret weapons facilities". The alert suggests that Powell and an exiled Iranian resistance group, which is recognized by the State Department as a terrorist organization, conspired in releasing the information simultaneously. The alert goes further and states "In the new post-Iraq war world where possession of...