Commentary, analysis and opinion.

Students Warned, ‘Don’t Pray in Public’

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“This is perhaps a double-edged sword: on one hand, going back to the 1960s there has been an agenda to remove God from public schools and the culture. On the other hand, too many Christian leaders and parents have quietly backed out of culture, avoiding any controversial issue and choosing not to take a stand for the faith, the gospel, and for truth.” 

(David Fiorazo)  In Texas of all places, a few public school students sat down at an empty table in the lunchroom to quietly pray for a classmate who was in an accident. The school principal, Lee Frost, immediately walked over to them and warned them: “Don’t do that again.” It’s as if they just dropped f-bombs, looked at porn, vandalized something, or bullied another student. Continue reading →

Karen Prior Creates ‘Guild’ with Wildly Unorthodox Women to Help Women Attain Biblical Orthodoxy

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“Make no mistake about it, Karen Swallow Prior – who serves the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission – wants the group to lead the way to a fully-egalitarian, women-centric, feminist-focused church experience.” 

(JD Hall – Pulpit & Pen)  For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions. – 2 Timothy 3:6

If you added all of these women together, their theological credentials wouldn’t cover a napkin. Their accumulative doctrinal teaching has all the stability of a Midol commercial. In a Luke 6:39 scenario, Karen Swallow Prior and other wildly unorthodox women are creating a feminist ‘guild’ to help women move toward Biblical orthodoxy. When they’re not orthodox themselves, one wonders what male pastor will help them do that. Continue reading →

‘Boy Erased’ Movie Foments Anti-Christian Bigotry

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“Boy Erased depicts a residential treatment program for males struggling with “gay” attractions. In the film, a young man is beaten with a Bible. There’s shaming and yelling. Alleging that “God won’t love you” unless homosexuality stops instantly in this young man’s life.”

(Linda Harvey – Mission:America)  Hooray for Hollywood! The cinematic dream masters are powerfully adept at making fantasy seem real. We get flying super heroes, cosmic meteor strikes, even an Emerald City.

And now, another fable–a tale of mean Christians forcing a boy to be un-“gay.” Continue reading →

Veterans Deserve Sincere Thanks for Our Freedom, Our Country, Our America

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Taking a moment to share appreciation lets our brave men and women know we are forever grateful for their sacrifice.

(Deirdre Reilly – LifeZette)  Veterans Day is one holiday that is all too easy to overlook.

There are no gifts given, no big family gatherings to attend, no cards or decorations marking the anniversary.

There are gifts they’ve given us, actually — the gift of precious freedom to every American, from those brave men and women who have fought in all wars since the beginning of our republic. Continue reading →

Blasphemy: Jesus is not Isa, Isa is not Jesus

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Former International Mission Board President David Platt

“As warm and joyful as it makes any Christian to hear that many are coming to the Messiah, the method of their coming must align with the Bible. Secondly, the Messiah they are coming to must be this same Jesus. (Acts 1:11)  Names are important. Count how many times in Acts, a mission-book of the Bible if there ever was one, the word “name” is stated. One must know to whom one is appealing for forgiveness of sins. Isa is not the Messiah. Isa is a devil.”

(Elizabeth Prata)  For several years now we have been hearing stories of Muslim people in closed Islamic societies claiming to have had a dream of a certain person appearing to them in a white robe, sometimes introducing Himself as Isa, and variously either sharing the Gospel in the dream or saying that someone will soon come to share the Gospel with them. Missionaries have reported many Muslims allegedly coming to faith by this method. Continue reading →

Notre Dame President: Don’t Turn Abusive Cardinal McCarrick Into A Monster

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“Jenkins is essentially likening McCarrick’s corrupt sexual abuse to that of a drunk that just cannot help himself. He also claims to have only heard “rumors” of McCarrick while noting he benefited Notre Dame greatly.”

(Paul Bois – Daily Wire)  The Catholic Church is suffering a serious, serious crisis. Not just because several bishops have proven themselves feckless cowards who cover up for sexual predators but also because the clerics have lost their ability to condemn objective evil. Continue reading →

Yoga and meditation on the rise among US adults and kids

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Read this….and then read Going Against God “Just for Fun” to see what God says about His people playing around in the world of the occult.

(Naomi Thomas – CNN)  More Americans are turning to forms of complementary medicine such as yoga, meditation and chiropractors, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, says in reports released Thursday that more than 30% of US adults and about 12% of children use “healthcare approaches that are not typically part of conventional medical care or that may have origins outside of usual Western practices.” Continue reading →

Going against God ‘just for fun’ (Reprise)

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY

This article by CRN managing editor Marsha West was first published May 2, 2013.

Today we’re hearing a lot about Spiritism or Spiritualism, not to be confused with spiritual or spirituality, as in “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual,” or “I’m into spirituality.” The term Spiritism has replaced what was once called animism and other religious practices involving the invocation of spiritual beings.

Some religions meld Spiritualism with Christianity. For example, a blend of Christian and African folk beliefs that originated in Brazil is now practiced in the U.S. Spiritualism is much the same as Spiritism only it has adopted Christian rites and prayers. People visiting Spiritualistic services can be misled into thinking they’re Christian churches. The problem is Christianity cannot be melded with any other religion or practice. Continue reading →

Can A False Teacher Be A Christian?

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“Our job is to evaluate what we can see – the person’s behavior, writings, sermons, teachings, and conversation – and determine whether or not it aligns with Scripture. If it doesn’t – even if we personally believe the person is actually saved – those teachings, and the person who teaches them, have no place in our churches or personal study materials.”

(Michelle Lesley)  I recently had the opportunity to read a fascinating and thought provoking Twitter discussion among some brothers in Christ about what constitutes a false teacher, and whether or not some false teachers might actually be genuinely regenerated Christians. Continue reading →

Christians are People of Truth

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“When you are born again, you have a new heart with new motives and suddenly your loophole deceitful schemes violate your heart in a way that they never did before.” 

(Josh Buice – Delivered By Grace)  It was Daniel Webster who once remarked, “There is nothing so powerful as truth—and often nothing so strange.” We live in a culture of lies. The devil is the father of all lies and this world is filled with a web of lies. When it comes to life in general, people expect to be told lies. We anticipate it at the car dealership, in the world of sales, and certainly in the world of politics. Continue reading →

Colorado Elects First Openly Gay Governor In U.S. History As The State Persecutes Christians

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“I think it really gives Colorado an opportunity to stick a thumb in the eye of Mike Pence whose view of America is not as inclusive as where America is today.” 

(Paul Bios – Daily Wire)  The state of Colorado made U.S. history on Tuesday night by electing the first openly gay man to the governorship.

According to the New York Post, “Democrat Jared Polis, a congressman from the state’s second district, received 51 percent of the vote compared with state treasurer Walker Stapleton’s 45 percent.” Continue reading →

For Trump, challenge of governing with Dem House, but full speed ahead with GOP Senate

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“So look for Trump to pursue an even more Senate-focused strategy. A continued string of judicial confirmations, coupled with executive actions that do not require congressional approval, could give the president more accomplishments even if he cannot pass legislation.”

(Byron York – Washington Examiner)  It took a while for President Trump to get used to working with the Republican-led Congress, but he developed a style of dealing with lawmakers that led to the passage of tax reform and a number of smaller measures. Continue reading →

Seven of the Most Outrageous Media Reactions to the Midterm Results

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“A lot of Americans decided to go out and vote … to support a man who spent the last month of the campaign not making subtle appeals to racism, but making overtly bigoted, racist statements, attacking brown people, attacking black people, attacking people who were the others.”

(Kathryn Blackhurst – LifeZette)  Democrats won the House and Republicans maintained control of the Senate following the Tuesday midterm elections — and the results were met with predictably partisan reactions from liberal mainstream media members. Continue reading →

It’s No Accident When Children are Drawn to Satanism

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“Witchcraft is being normalized and glamorized to young girls through media like Teen Vogue. This fall, a revived “Sabrina” series is debuting on Netflix, and this time, it’s not a comedy but a gruesome drama with storylines that include Satanism. And “Charmed” is back as well, with a plot that’s a diabolical stew of occult rituals along with feminist politics—and of course, the requisite sexual perversion. One of the characters is a lesbian.”

(Linda Harvey – Mission: America)  You may think you don’t have time to deal with your child’s obsession with astrology, weird Internet games, horror movies or dark-themed music. Or that new book about cool teens who are witches. Continue reading →

At Star-Studded Rally, Trump Makes Closing Argument: ‘Stop Radical Resistance In Its Tracks’

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President Trump and Fox News host Sean Hannity

“Hannity said Trump is a man of his word: “Promises made, promises kept.” And Pirro, host of “Justice With Jeanine,” knocked out the crowd when she said: “If you like the American that he is making now, you’ve got to make sure you get out there tomorrow if you haven’t voted yet.”

(Joseph Curl – Daily Wire)  President Trump brought out the big guns in his final rally before Election Day as he made his closing argument, urging voters to “stop the radical resistance in its tracks” to prevent Democrats from undoing the gains he’s made in his first two years.

In a rally in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, talk radio host Rush Limbaugh emerged first, drawing cheers from thousands packed into an arena. Continue reading →

Nadia Bolz-Weber: It’s okay to look at porn, especially if it’s ‘ethically sourced

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Lutheran “pastor” Nadia Bolz-Weber

“Exposing the ELCA, a website which is critical of the teachings and pastoral practices of the Lutheran sub-denomination, identifies Bolz-Weber as its most famous pastor, author, and speaker, noting that she was chosen to speak to 31,000 ELCA teenagers at a summer youth conference.”

EXPLICIT

(Doug Mainwaring – LifeSiteNews)  A prominent progressive pastor has said viewing pornography is just fine, especially if it is “ethically sourced porn.”

Reverend Nadia Bolz-Weber of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) heads a congregation composed of many LGBT members and which features a “Minister of Fabulousness,” according gay news site outinjersey.net. That website recently released a lengthy interview with the female pastor in which she shared some of her pro-LGBT and pro-pornography opinions. Continue reading →

The importance of teaching sound doctrine

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Much is at stake, but great things are in store if a church stops playing games and bolts the Bible to the pulpit and the pulpit to the floor boards. Sure, some people may not like it, but God’s word promises that the blessings will outweigh the backlash. Let’s look at five reasons that preaching sound doctrine matters…

(Costi Hinn – Servants of Grace)  Some years ago we did things a little differently at our church than we do now. We had a band that was filled with hired guns and we paid them to play the lights out every Sunday. To illustrate: our guitarist would tour the world with a famous boy-band, then roll in on Sundays to put on a show for our church—true story. Continue reading →

Tim Keller: Darwinian Evolutionist

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“To prefix the theory of evolution with the term “theistic” makes it a much easier “sell” to the churches. A clear, concise creation account of what God did in the span of six days comes from the word of God. Darwin’s profane and dastardly theory, developed for the sole purpose of eliminating God, comes from the pit of hell.”

(Toni S. Brown – Bible Thumping Wingnut) In order to be true to my own principle, I won’t bother you with information about the different views of the flood. Let me just lay out my own assumptions. I believe Noah’s flood happened, but that it was a regional flood, not a world-wide flood…those who insist on it being a world-wide flood seem to ignore too much the scientific evidence that there was no such thing.”   (Tim Keller, Genesis: What Were We Put in the World to Do? [New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2006],81   Continue reading →

Leftist Race Slander Could Backfire

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“Liberals seek to disparage, intimidate and silence conservatives with these slurs, but they’ve raised it to a new level in the Trump era because they are running out of rational arguments to explain away Trump’s policy successes and they live in abject fear of losing their vise grip on the minority vote.”

(David Limbaugh – Daily Wire)  If you don’t think the political left is conspiring to smear President Trump, his supporters and the GOP as racists, then you probably haven’t been paying close enough attention.

I’m aware of the preferred school of thought that says targets of false political accusations shouldn’t take the bait and respond, the rationale being that defensiveness just makes them sound guilty and calls undue attention to the charge. Continue reading →

Voting – what does the Bible say?

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Bible teacher and pastor Alistair Begg of Truth For Life offers biblical advice on voting. He writes:

Dear Friend,

In less than a week, those of us in the US will exercise our right to vote. I thought it would be timely to consider what the Bible has to say about the privileges and obligations of citizenship.

Many passages and examples in the Bible clarify our responsibilities as citizens, not the least of which is found in Paul’s letter to the Romans, where he writes, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (13:1–2). Continue reading →

Sin is at the heart of what is wrong in your life

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY

This article by CRN managing editor Marsha West was first published October 8, 2013.

No one has any right to believe that he is indeed a Christian unless he is humbly seeking to obey the teachings of the One whom he calls Lord. Christ once asked a question that can have no satisfying answer, “Why do you call me, `Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” –A. W. Tozer

Bill and Beth (not their real names) are professing Christians.  Bill gave Beth a “promise ring” so she decided that God would be okay with them living together as man and wife.  If the arrangement works out, they’ll marry.  If it doesn’t work out they’ll move on to the next relationship.

Beth’s mom is also a Christian.  Beth opened up to me that when her mom found out she had decided to live in sin her only concern was that she could become pregnant.  Both of Beth’s sisters have children out of wedlock and this understandably distresses Mom as she worries that her youngest may follow in her two older sisters’ footsteps.  To me what’s more troubling than the pregnancy issue is that this Christian mother isn’t all that concerned that by living together Beth and Bill are sinning against God!  In fact, she hasn’t even broached the subject with her daughter. Continue reading →

What the Tree of Life Synagogue Massacre Means

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“For Jews to blame the most pro-Israel president since Harry Truman — the only president with a Jewish child and Jewish grandchildren, moreover — for increasing anti-Semitism is another example of a truism this Jew has known all his life: Unlike Jewish liberals, who get most of their values from Judaism, Jewish leftists are ethnically Jewish but get their values from leftism.”

(Dennis Prager – National Review)  ll my life I have reminded fellow Jews in America that we are the luckiest Jews to have ever lived in a non-Jewish country. I know what I’m talking about. I wrote a book on anti-Semitism, taught Jewish history at Brooklyn College, and fought anti-Semitism since I was 21, when Israel sent me into the Soviet Union to smuggle in Jewish religious items and smuggle out Jewish names. Continue reading →

Why Did Media And Democrats Abandon Their Investigation Into Brett Kavanaugh?

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“Any reporter who was able to verify the claims against Kavanaugh would be an instant hero and awarded all the journalism prizes. Is anyone even attempting to do so? Democrats took the claims so seriously that they charged Kavanaugh with the crimes in Senate hearings. Did they mean what they said? If they’re telling the truth, he should be impeached and imprisoned.”

(Mollie Hemingway – The Federalist)  What happened to the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct levied against Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation battle? The claims ranged from Christine Blasey Ford’s remotely plausible if unsubstantiated allegation of a violent attempted rape to Michael Avenatti’s completely outlandish and also unsubstantiated allegation of hosting serial gang rape parties. Continue reading →

The First Project Between the Obamas and Netflix Could Be a Trump Takedown

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Former president and first lady have a major deal with the streaming giant — and they seem to be going political with it.

(Zachery Lehman – LifeZette)  Remember earlier this year when the Obamas got in bed with Netflix?

And remember how they promised that the content they pushed out would highlight “the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples” in a public statement? Continue reading →