Author Archives: Marsha West

About Marsha West

Marsha West is the owner and managing editor of Christian Research Network, Apprising Ministries (the late Ken Silva’s blog) and On Solid Rock Resources. She is also co-founder of Berean Research. For two decades Marsha was the owner and managing editor of Email Brigade website as well as the EMB News Report, a bi-weekly email report for conservative people of faith. For many years Marsha was a regular contributor to several blogs including CRN, RenewAmerica, News With Views and Web Commantary as well as popular websites she no longer endorses: American Family Association, Worldview Weekend, Stand Up For The Truth, The Christian Post and Christian Headlines. Although Marsha still blogs, her primary focus is CRN. Marsha also writes Research Papers (White Papers) on various topics that are published on CRN, Berean Research and On Solid Rock Resources. Visit Marsha’s other sites: On Solid Rock Resources https://www.onsolidrockresources.com/ Apprising Ministries http://apprising.org Marsha’s RenewAmerica Column http://renewamerica.com/columns/mwest Marsha’s Facebook Page http://facebook.com/marsha.west.77

No, God Did Not Speak to You Through, Dreams, Visions, Voices in Your Head, or Divine Impressions

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“If you are the one making such a claim, you must be prepared to defend your claim. If you are going to tell others that God is speaking to you, you must give us a reason to believe it. No one should expect to make the incredible claim that God is speaking to them without being willing and open to showing us why they believe such an event occurred.”

(Ed Dingess – Reformation Charlotte)  “God spoke to me.” “God gave me a dream.” “The Holy Spirit led me.” All these represent claims that I hear just about every time I am around other Christians. Rare is the modern Christian that does not make these claims. Rarer still are those that dare to question such claims. And most rare of all are those that dare to reject such claims in preference for, not just a theological, but a practice view of the sufficiency of Scripture. Why is that? Continue reading →

Context Matters: Abstain from All Appearance of Evil

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“And how does Paul want people to express their dependence on the Spirit? How can they show their regard for those verbal prophecies? Is it by shutting off their minds and swallowing wholesale whatever is spoken in the name of the Spirit?”

(Peter Krol – Knowable Word)  Perhaps you’ve heard the injunction to avoid the appearance of evil. You won’t find the phrase in most modern English Bibles, as it’s a holdover from the King James translation of 1 Thessalonians 5:22. The ESV commands us to “abstain from every form of evil,” and the CSB simplifies it further to “stay away from every kind of evil” (1 Thess 5:22, CSB). This verse could be called upon to support just about any set of personal prohibitions, including interacting with someone of the opposite sex, dining at a tavern, choosing one’s friends, and forming political alliances, to name a few. Continue reading →

Pro-Amnesty Southern Baptist Convention Is in Damage Control After Pushing Open Borders and Its Ties To Soros Are Exposed

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“SBC’s insistence that it has never received money from Soros is an outright lie and BPN’s claims that Soros funded only 2 percent of NIT are demonstrably false. An examination of the IRS 990 filings of the $20 billion Open Society Foundations, the private philanthropic entities of Soros, has granted hundreds of thousands of dollars to the NIF as far back as 2006 and is the group’s largest contributor.”

(Alicia Powe – The Gateway Pundit)  The world’s most wealthy, communist financier, a notorious atheist, is stealthily coordinating the deconstruction of America’s sovereignty and dismantling of our sovereign borders by infiltrating the nation’s most historically conservative channel: The Christian Church. Continue reading →

Criticism of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Role of Discernment Blogs

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Truth is, it may be that SBC leaders are exceedingly fearful that they are losing the ear of the internet consumer, especially the ear of evangelical Christians. Such a fear could very well explain why SBC leaders have become so vigorously vocal and, in some cases, unreasonably hysterical toward the so-called “discernment blogs.” Less than a decade ago,  established blogs by SBC leaders like Al Mohler set the SBC agenda and ruled the information network in SBC circles. But suppose now blogs like Pulpit & Pen, Capstone Report, and some others who are, by and large, critical of the SBC and its stated agenda, rule the internet traffic, perhaps even obtaining the lion’s share of SBC internet consumers.  

(Peter Lumpkins) Last week, The Capstone Report, a popular website that focuses on issues it perceives as troubling in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), released a story concerning the president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Jason Allen, claiming he was personally lobbying the Missouri governor to settle more refugees in the state…. Continue reading →

Kanye West to Join Host of False Teachers for Awaken 2020 Conference

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“It appears that Kanye West has fully embraced the charismatic New Apostolic Reformation “signs and wonders” movement and will be joining a host of self-proclaimed “prophets” and “apostles” at the Awaken 2020 Conference this weekend. Some of the false prophets and false apostles heading up the event include Cindy Jacobs, Lou Engle, Guillermo Maldonado, Brian Welch, and many others.”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  I’ve been cautiously optimistic about Kanye West’s supposed conversion to Christianity. While I’ve been hopeful that his conversion is true, I’ve been skeptical about the sincerity of his conversion and have refrained from promoting him or his music to other believers. Continue reading →

Pelosi ‘played into’ McConnell’s hands, ‘destroyed’ her own case for impeachment

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“The fact is that Pelosi played into the hands of McConnell by first rushing this impeachment forward with an incomplete record and now giving him the excuse to summarily change the rules, or even to dismiss the articles.”

(Sam Dorman – Fox News) Constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley laid out a sweeping indictment of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., arguing that her impeachment strategy backfired and gave Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the upper hand. Continue reading →

Impeachment, Karl Barth, and Christianity Today

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In the interest of answering Mr. Galli’s call for reasoned dialogue on this issue, my question for him is, Why does he give Karl Barth a pass on similar issues? The question requires some explanation so that readers understand what I mean by “give Karl Barth a pass.” Several months ago Mr. Galli wrote an essay, “What to Make of Karl Barth’s Steadfast Adultery?”

(J.V. Fesco)  In recent days Christianity Today’s  editor-in-chief Mark Galli published an editorial calling for the impeachment and removal of President Trump from office. Before I wade into the debate, I want to distinguish two important issues that Mr. Galli raises in his article. First, there is his call for President Trump’s impeachment. Second, there is the way that he characterizes Evangelical supporters of the President…. Continue reading →

Bernie Staffer: Kill Political Opponents, Burn People In Streets, Cops To Be ‘Beaten’ If Bernie Loses

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On Soviet gulags: “There’s a reason Joseph Stalin had gulags, right? And actually, gulags were a lot better than what the CIA has told us that they were. Like, people were actually paid a living wage in gulags, they had conjugal visits in gulags, gulags were actually meant for like re-education.”

(Ryan Saavedra – Daily Wire)  A far-left campaign staffer for 2020 Democratic Party presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) appeared to repeatedly advocate for the use of extreme violence in an undercover video that was released on Tuesday by James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas. Continue reading →

What Churches Should Know About YWAM: ‘Hearing God’s Voice’

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“[G]iving prophetic words to another person while blindfolded – has been practiced at YWAM’s Impact DTS in Skien, Norway. A former student named Stephen – who attended this DTS in 2018 –  reports that, through this exercise, God confirmed he should serve in the U.S. Army as a chaplain. Thus, he made a major life decision based on what he believes he “heard” from God during this exercise. But how do Stephen and other YWAM students know that the messages they have heard are actually from God and not from their imaginations or another more sinister (i.e., demonic) source? Such a practice is irresponsible at best and dangerous at worst.”

(Holly Pivec – Spirit of Error)  This post is the third in a series on the influential Christian missions organization Youth With a Mission (YWAM). YWAM was founded in 1960 by Loren Cunningham as a way to deploy young people as missionaries throughout the world…. Continue reading →

Idaho State Capitol to Hear Arguments in Favor of Stopping Charismatic ‘Faith-Healers’ From Harming Children

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“A panel of experts and advocates is set to discuss whether to limit a faith-healing religious exemption in Idaho, one of few states that shields practicing adherents from civil or criminal prosecution when their child dies or sustains disabling injuries without medical care.”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte) The charismatic “faith-healer” movement is one of the most nefarious perversions of Christianity in the world plaguing practically every populated continent with its false gospel of physical healing, health, and wealth. Faith-healing, a subsect of the sub-Christian Word of Faith sect, features false teachers like Todd White, the now-defunct Todd Bentley, and most people you’ll find featured on the sub-Christian television network, TBN. Continue reading →

Max Lucado’s Endorsement of Jen Hatmaker: What it Means and Why it Matters

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[Paul’s] comments on unity were actually followed by specific instructions for Christians to reject their old way of life and to pursue holiness and Christlike compassion. Paul warns the readers to avoid even a hint of sexual immorality or greed. He advises them not to partner with anyone who is openly disobedient to Christ but instead to live as children of the light. So, according to Paul, Christian unity can only exist within the framework of God’s holiness.*

(Alisa Childers) In the past couple of years, Jen Hatmaker has received quite a bit of attention, not only as a New York Times best-selling author and social media sensation, but also as one of the most high-profile Christians to affirm same-sex marriage. This ignited a controversy that lit up the blogosphere with equal parts disagreement  and praise.… Continue reading →

Golden Globe Awards Speech Defends Abortion

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“The number of women who have abortions because of rape or their own life being in danger pales in comparison to the number of women who, like Williams, will kill their unborn child to fulfill their life goals.”

(Alan Shlemon – Stand To Reason)  I often hear abortion defended for two reasons: rape and the life of the mother being in jeopardy. It turns out these are two of the least common reasons why women have abortions in the United States. That’s not according to me, but according to the Guttmacher Institute, an organization started by Planned Parenthood. Continue reading →

President Trump is doing something with Iran that every American should be proud of

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Let me say this clearly: this is precisely what the President of the United States should be doing, and every American, regardless of his or her politics, should be proud that he’s doing it.

(Peter Heck – Disrn)  In June of 2009, hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets of Tehran to protest the stolen election by the then Ayatollah-approved dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Dubbed the “Green Movement,” desperate protestors braved bullets from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to rally for freedom and change. Continue reading →

Karma Versus Sowing and Reaping — What’s the Difference?

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“The principle of karma burdens people with an unknown amount of effort throughout an unknown number of life cycles in order to attain a supposed state of bliss called nirvana. Yet, the Bible encourages us that the one true God will right all wrongs and bring about complete justice in his perfect timing.”

(Lee Ann Trees – Beautiful Christian Life) Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap (Gal. 6:7).

If people reap what they sow, why do we see so many instances where justice is not carried out in this world? The principle of karma has an answer for this dilemma: people will eventually be paid back with good or evil in future reincarnations for the deeds they have done in the past. Continue reading →

Passion Conference: Parents barred from attending, errant teachings introduced, false teachers lauded, and more. Linkapalooza inside

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Elizabeth Prata has blogged about her concerns before, as you will see in the links she provides at the end of her piece. Before we get to her major concerns, I must remind you that in 2012 CRN reported that Lectio Divina, a sacred reading that was introduced to the West by John Cassian, one of the Roman Catholic “Desert Fathers,” early in the fifth century. Lectio Divina, a form of contemplative prayer, was practiced by over 40,000 people who gathered for the Passion 2012 conference led by John Piper, Beth Moore, Francis Chan and Passion founder Louie Giglio. These supposedly solid Christians took turns reading from the book of Ephesians [watch here]. Following each reading the entire stadium was asked to “be still” as all waited to “hear” from Jesus. So much for spiritual discernment.

Now to Elizabeth’s report over at The End Time: Continue reading →

Nunes: Defender Of Carter Page Surveillance Picked To Oversee FBI Reforms

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Nunes told SaraACarter.com Sunday, that “It’s a ridiculous choice. The FBI lied to the FISC, and to help make sure that doesn’t happen again, the FISC chose an FBI apologist who denied and defended those lies. The FISC is setting its own credibility on fire.”

(Sarah Carter)  Former Justice Department official David S. Kris was selected by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Friday to oversee the FBI’s reforms after Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz revealed serious malfeasance within the FBI as it illegally spied on short term Trump campaign advisor Carter Page. Continue reading →

IG Report Bombshell: Did The FBI And DOJ Ask Putin’s Buddy To Help Get Trump?

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DOJ official Bruce Ohr called a meeting of several federal agencies to discuss ‘working with’ a Russian oligarch because of his belief, premised on the unverified Steele dossier, that Trump was corrupt

(Margo Cleveland – The Federalist)  A previously unnoticed passage in Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report on federal surveillance abuse suggests Bruce Ohr and his compatriots were willing to bargain with a Russian oligarch to take down Donald Trump. Continue reading →

Not Pushing Back Fuels LGBT Tyranny

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“We shall sodomize your sons…” “We shall seduce them in your schools, in your dormitories, in your gymnasiums, in your locker rooms, in your sports arenas, in your seminaries, in your youth groups, in your movie theater bathrooms, in your army bunkhouses, in your truck stops, in your all male clubs, in your houses of Congress, wherever men are with men together. Your sons shall become our minions and do our bidding.” – Michael Swift, The Gay Manifesto, 1987

(Lloyd Marcus – American Thinker)  In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state bans on same-sex marriage making it legal in all fifty states. The ruling requires states to honor out-of-state same-sex marriage licenses. Continue reading →

CNN: Racism To Blame For Meghan Markle Split

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“Good Morning Britain” co-host Piers Morgan, who previously hosted “Piers Morgan Live” on CNN, roasted his former employer for using the British Royal Family drama for an escapade of “race-baiting,” arguing that Meghan Markle invited most of the bad press she received.

(Paul Bios – Daily Wire)  The big narrative following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s split from the Royal Family is that Britain’s racism played a role in their decision. Continue reading →

Repudiating the Right-Wing Idolatry of Trump and Believing Trump is a Good President are Not Mutually Exclusive

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Franklin Graham, Greg Laurie, Jack Graham, and a host of other Southern Baptist pastors who surround Donald Trump have endorsed Paula White. This is a serious compromise of the gospel and should be rightly condemned.

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte) I constantly hear from the left-wing progressive branch of Evangelicalism that those who support President Donald Trump are selling out the gospel because we support a man who is immoral and we give credibility to his false testimony of Christian conversion by not calling him out on it…. Continue reading →

Yes, Sadly, The UMC Split Is Pretty Racist

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“The UMC “deal,” boils down to this: the American WASP UMC told their African brothers and sisters in Christ that these Africans don’t get to dictate policy to the WASPs. The African churches were started by western UMC missionaries, and the churches were successfully transitioned to growing, indigenous-led, healthy congregations. Now that the black-led African churches have held to Biblical values that American progressives reject, the lily-white Americans say the black Africans need to learn their place.”

(Steve Berman – The Resurgent)  It’s very sad that the United Methodist Church can’t put the issue of Biblical marriage vs. same-sex marriage to bed. But American progressives won’t let it go until they’ve made every church denomination bow to their worldview…. Continue reading →

Elizabeth Warren Named in New Lawsuit by Nick Sandmann Claiming Damages For Calling His Face “Punchable”

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The lawsuit then lists several “labels” that are now tied to the kid’s image for the rest of his lifetime, including, “racist,” “shameful,” “compared to genocide,” cavemen gestures,” “bullies,” and “be punched in the face.”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  Just one day after CNN settled a $275 million defamation lawsuit against them for falsely portraying a Covington Catholic High School kid as a racist and a perpetrator of “hatred” toward people of color, Nick Sandmann is now going after high profile congresswoman, Senator Elizabeth Warren, along with Ana Navarro, Maggie Haberman, and Kathy Griffin. Continue reading →

Bill Johnson – Power over Principle, Honoring the Dishonorable

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“In reality then, there is no power or principle from God in the NAR.  It’s one big sham, a false movement and a delusion sent by God on those who have rejected truth. This is a movement that dishonors God by attributing false signs and wonders to God.”

(Rick Becker – Famine In The Land) Todd Bentley is the product of a movement that has elevated men, women, and miracles above God. In the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) the supernatural is a vital element. In fact, the value placed on the supernatural is the underlying philosophy that has enabled charlatans, and in this case a sexual predator to thrive in the NAR. The leaders and the movement value power over principle….  Continue reading →

Environmentalists Want To Take Your Food, Your Home, And Your Children

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“How many resources do children consume versus the resources consumed by streaming video via Instagram’s massive array of Facebook server farms in places like Alabama, Singapore, or near the Arctic Circle, to millions of people around the country? But if Alexandria Ocasio Cortez were forced to choose between having 2.5 kids and being a celebrity living in a luxury building with an infinity pool, a rooftop dog park, massage rooms and a wood-fired pizza oven, which is especially good for the environment, it’s an easy choice.”

(Daniel Greenfield – Front Page)  At CNN’s Climate Town Hall, which set out to save the world by having ten of the 2020 Democrat presidential candidates, their staffers, drug dealers, and mistresses fly out to appear in the fake news network’s facilities, Senator Bernie Sanders proposed saving the planet by killing the children. Continue reading →