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

Google Search Bias Flipped Seats for Democrats in Midterms

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“As the Los Angeles Times notes, Epstein is not a Republican and publicly supported Hillary Clinton in 2016. Nevertheless, Democrats and liberals continue to ignore or doubt his findings.”

(Alum Bokhari – Breitbart)  New research from psychologist and search engine expert Dr. Robert Epstein shows that biased Google searches had a measurable impact on the 2018 midterm elections, pushing tens of thousands of votes towards the Democrat candidates in three key congressional races, and potentially millions more in races across the country. Continue reading →

Beth Moore and Gay Activist Preston Sprinkle Defend Francis Chan

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Echoing John Piper’s famous “Farewell Rob Bell” tweet, one author even wrote an article titled “Farewell Francis,” expressing the long-overdue need to write Chan off. In a half-hearted attempt to save face, however, after much criticism from broader Evangelicalism, Chan responds to his critics and tries to defend his indefensible actions.

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  What do you get when you cross the Cows of Bashan with LifeWay’s incessant need for cash? Beth Moore. Continue reading →

Engaging The Culture: Beating The Secularists At Their Own Game?

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Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

“There is more that could be said but this should be enough for the reader to see some of the difficulties inherent in this new approach to sexuality and to apologetics in the church. The early Christian response to pagan criticisms was not to put forward those who identified themselves according to their sinful proclivities. An important part of the early Christian apologetic was their resolute adherence to God’s moral law, not in order to be saved but because they had been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.”

(R. Scott Clark – Abounding Grace Radio)  In a recent essay, Rebecca McLaughlin calls for Christians to stop retreating and to “go on the offensive.” She makes some valuable observations. She is right to note that, though Christianity seems to be in trouble in the West, globally it is flourishing. … Continue reading →

‘Clinging For Survival’: Mike Pence Issues Urgent Call to Help the Persecuted Church

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According to persecution watchdog, International Christian Concern, some 23 people were murdered in the attacks, which were perpetrated with machetes and firearms. “It was bad. They killed over 20 people. Some were killed by gunshots and some by machete hacks!”

(Will Maule – Faith Wire) Vice President Mike Pence has issued an “urgent call” to assist the persecuted Church around the globe. Speaking at the “Help the Persecuted” summit in Washington D.C. Friday, Pence said that “No people of faith face greater hostility or hatred than followers of Christ” and called on American Christians to stand with them. Continue reading →

LifeWay to Close All of Its Stores This Year

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Christian book seller, LifeWay, carries books by false teacher Beth Moore, Word of Faith prosperity preachers, anti-trinitarians, New Agers, Roman Catholics, those who allege they’ve gone to heaven and returned to tell about it, “gay Christian” activists, and the controversial The Message “bible” written by apostate Eugene Peterson. The retailer announced that all its stores will be closing. Reformation Charlotte has the story:

LifeWay Christian Stores is the retail chain of the Southern Baptist Convention under the direction of Thom Rainer who has been under fire for many years for peddling heresy to Christians for cash. Previously, LifeWay announced that they would be closing “a number of stores” in a letter sent out to employees in January due to “accelerated rate of erosion.” Today, LifeWay announced that they would be closing all stores. Continue reading →

How to Silence Debate, New Zealand Edition

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“Here’s the truth: Radical Islam is dangerous. The Islamic world has a serious problem with radical Islam. And large swaths of the Muslim world are, in fact, hostile to Western views on matters ranging from freedom of speech to women’s rights. To conflate that obvious truth with the desire to murder innocents in Christchurch is intellectual dishonesty of the highest sort.”

(Ben Shapiro – Townhall)    Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has unleashed a barrage of openly anti-Semitic commentary. She suggested that Israel had “hypnotized the world.” She recently suggested that Jewish money lay behind American support for Israel. Finally, she suggested that American Israel supporters are representatives of dual loyalty. … Continue reading →

Short-Term Opioid Abuse Requires ‘Long-Term’ Brain Recovery

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“We’re putting a lot of emphasis on prevention because of how difficult it is once they’ve gotten involved with this,” said Carson. “It means educating people. It means looking at the gateway. It disturbs me that I see so many people trying to legalize marijuana, for instance. It’s a well-known gateway. But not only that, but as a pediatric neuroscience, I recognize that the human brain continues to develop until your late 20s, and it is well-documented that cannabis affects the developing brain and can affect your IQ. We have enough people low IQs. We don’t need to be generating more.”

(Robert Kraychik – Breitbart)  Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, joined Tuesday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily to discuss opioid addiction and abuse with host Alex Marlow. Continue reading →

Al Mohler: No Surprise Compromise

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Al Mohler…repented of his biblical view of sexuality by retracting earlier statements regarding sexual-orientation: “I got that wrong”  – “I repent of that.”  

(Toni S. Brown – Jude 1:4)  There is much confusion in the aftermath of the Shepherd’s Conference 2019 Q & A Session, especially regarding the embarrassingly blatant, evasive and downright rude behavior of Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. But there shouldn’t be, as there is a wealth of reliable evidence clearly testifying to the fact that Mohler’s associations, as well as his position and public statements on any number of issues stands in stark contrast to his statement of faith – so why was everyone so surprised? Continue reading →

The Left Must Keep Its Bizarre Religious Doctrines Out Of The Classroom

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The “transgender” advocates are proposing a very strange kind of dualism, whereby the human body can be bifurcated into girl parts and boy parts, and the various parts can be combined into one confused whole. This is superstition, not science. It is an item of faith, and a very weird faith at that.

(Matt Walsh – Daily Wire)  As the Daily Wire reported this week, an elementary school in Virginia conducted a brainwashing session with a group of kindergartners. The susceptible children were required to sit on the floor and listen to a cross-dressing man read a book promoting “transgenderism.” … Continue reading →

Ligon Duncan, Gay Christians and the Bizarre Tweet Delete

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“What’s interesting is that instead of reaching out to his church elders or fellow theologians to know how to best deal with Buck’s tweet, Duncan reached out to a leftist political operative.”

What is happening? Ligon Duncan sat on stage at the ShepCon Q&A and tried to assure us (quite unsuccessfully) how totally non-liberal and uncompromising he is. Then, he went to the Ligonier Q&A and endorsed the work of a gay priest who he said was the best one to teach us the Biblical sexual ethic. Today, when pressed on Twitter, he (seemingly) called out for support from a pro-gay advocate. Then he deleted it. It’s bizarro world. Continue reading →

‘Day of Silence’ is a Day of Dumbed-Down Sin

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“The“Day of Silence” in 2019 is on Friday, April 12 and it’s time, parents, to find out if and how it will be observed at your child’s school. If it is, you can count on a flood of propaganda selling “LGBT” identities to children in the pretense of preventing bullying. It’s an event created by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, GLSEN, which is a homosexual group, and the whole thing is a scam to promote homosexuality and gender confusion to impressionable children—the younger, the better.”

(Linda Harvey – Mission: America)  If two middle school girls “date,” that’s normal – didn’t you know? Boys in girls’ restrooms, locker rooms and showers is also a “right” and anyone who objects is a racist. Continue reading →

ECFA Finally Suspends Harvest Bible Chapel’s Accreditation

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“The fact that ECFA didn’t discover these violations itself is bad enough. But the fact that the group failed to act even after I reported these glaring violations is inexcusable. What it took to finally force the group’s hand was my report that MacDonald had funded African safaris, Florida vacations, and other luxury purchases with church funds. And even then, it took nearly a week for the group to act!”

(Julie Roys)  The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) has suspended Harvest Bible Chapel‘s accreditation following my report last week about gross misappropriation of church funds to support James MacDonald‘s lavish lifestyle. Also last week, I confronted the ECFA for continuing to accredit Harvest despite my repeated appeals over several months to ECFA to investigate financial impropriety at the church. Continue reading →

Gospel Coalition Says God Raised up ‘Same-Sex Attracted Christians’ to Lead Us

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“The position of TGC is indistinguishable from the position of the mainstream liberal denominations 30 years ago. These New Calvinist believers behind TGC, led by ultra-liberal New York progressive, Tim Keller, hold the same position today as the Episcopalian, ELCA, and United Church of Christ did just a few decades ago.”

(Pulpit & Pen) The Gospel Coalition, a subversive political organization funded by suspect financial sources, posted an article earlier today telling Christians that we should get behind ‘faithful’ Same-Sex Attracted Christians who God has raised up to lead us.

The progressive organization, that has as an editor and contributor gay Anglican priest named Sam Allberry, has steadily been attempting to shift evangelical opinion away from condemnation of homosexual lust unless it is acted upon.

Jesus, however, taught us that the desires of our heart are sinful as well as our actions.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27 (ESV)

The normalization of homosexual desire has been the very clear goal of The Gospel Coalition (TGC) for several years as they’ve promoted Allberry, who identifies (sometimes, depending upon the audience) as a “Gay Christian.” Chiefly, TGC claims that being gay is not a sin unless actual physical sodomy takes place.

Putting homosexuals into places of church authority is now commonplace among the council members of TGC, with a church affiliated with 9Marx (founded by Mark Dever) that recently installed a lesbian minister. So long as they are celibate, the Evangelical Intelligentsia argue, it’s okay.

In her TGC article entitled Christians, It’s Time to Go On the Offensive, Rebecca McLaughlin writes:

None of this means bowing to identity politics. Truth is truth, whoever is voicing it. But God has raised up leaders whose voices can be heard. We need to field our A-team in the public square. And the rest of us must follow their lead.

In other words, this isn’t bowing to identity politics, but if it does sound like identity politics, hey…truth is truth.

PS…this is identity politics.

However, orthodox believers hold that the Holy Spirit gives us a new nature (Ephesians 4:24), and it’s the kind of nature that pulls us away from homosexual attraction (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Rebecca McLaughlin continues:

Likewise, when it comes to other areas of cultural engagement, we need to let our most credible voices speak. In a world where Christians are seen as homophobic bigots, we need to get behind the biblically faithful, same-sex-attracted Christians God has raised up to speak for and to his church.

McLaughlin had previously written a post at TGC about what Christians could learn from the sexually graphic pornographic sequel, Fifty Shades of Freed.

The position of TGC is indistinguishable from the position of the mainstream liberal denominations 30 years ago. These New Calvinist believers behind TGC, led by ultra-liberal New York progressive, Tim Keller, hold the same position today as the Episcopalian, ELCA, and United Church of Christ did just a few decades ago.

Their trajectory will lead them to the same place, which is the full inclusion of practicing LGBTQXYZLMNOP within the church.

As for the rest of us, we believe in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. While orthodox Christians do not believe that sanctification is immediate or that homosexual desire goes away instantly upon conversion, we deny that those who still wish to be sodomized or to sodomize others should be serving in ministerial positions within the church.

Published with P&P’s permission, 2019.

Research:

Sam Allberry

Tim Keller

Progressive (Social Justice) “Christianity”

The conservative voice and Christian content are being silenced more and more. CRN offers a lifeline to conservative people of faith who are disgusted with social media and the leftmedia for failing to report, even blocking, important news stories that don’t comport with the far left’s narrative. CRN does not run ads or charge for subscriptions. Sign up here to receive email newsletters Monday-Friday and periodically on weekends that contain news and commentary.

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The Dangerous Cult of Hillsong

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“This is the doctrine of Hillsong — it is all about man becoming like God. In fact, one of the main tenets of prosperity theology is “little-god” theology which teaches that we, as “little gods,” have the kind of power that God has to create by speaking things into existence. Brian Houston’s teaching on this comes out clearly in his two books…”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Carlotte)  With familiar tunes and upbeat rhythms filling the sanctuaries in churches everywhere, Hillsong is by far the most popular producer of mainstream Christian music in the world. … Continue reading →

A House Divided

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“What if such a war broke out today, as Dennis Prager imagines? For starters, and it is on their agenda, progressives would have to get rid of the Constitution and/or appoint six radical Supreme Court Justices. For Christians the response cannot be the war of the States but the war as conducted by Jesus and Paul.” 

(Peter Jones – truthxchange)  Respected Jewish commentator Dennis Prager has just made a stunningly bellicose judgment about American culture:

America is currently fighting its second Civil War…There will be unity only when the left vanquishes the right or the right vanquishes the left. Using the First Civil War analogy, American unity was achieved only after the South was vanquished and slavery was abolished. Continue reading →

Francis Chan Defends His Friendship With False Teachers

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“What would it take for Chan to recognize Bill Johnson and others who spoke at The Send actively advance the thing Chan condemns? Yet Chan has preached that if you criticize these teachers, you are taking a sledgehammer to the house of God, and you will have to answer for that before God. He referenced 1 Corinthians 3:17 which says, “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” My friends, Bill Johnson’s “gospel” is anything but holy.” 

(Gabriel Hughes – The Midwestern Baptist)  Yesterday, Francis Chan responded to the harsh accusations that he has been aligning with heretics. A recent article published at The Cripplegate was entitled Farewell Francis. The author Jordan Standridge warned that Chan “is sharing the stage with false teachers who will spend eternity in Hell (Gal. 1:6-9).” He pleaded for Chan to repent and “come back to your first love!” Continue reading →

Media Silence Surrounds Muslim Massacre of Christians

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“The New York Times did not place this story on the front page; in fact, they did not cover it at all. Apparently, when assessing “all the news that’s fit to print,” the massacre of African Christians did not measure up. The same can be said for the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit Free Press, the LA Times, and every other major paper in the United States.”

(Thomas D. Williams – Breitbart)  Political leaders and public figures were falling over themselves this weekend to condemn the mosque attacks in New Zealand, while dozens of Christians were slaughtered by Muslims in Nigeria to the sound of crickets. Continue reading →

LGBTQ+ Audit simply will not do

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“Living Out states on their website that the audit is directed to the LGBTQ+ same-sex attracted community. Since Living Out believes that one’s sexual orientation is from one’s birth (more about this in my comments on statement numbers seven and ten) then clearly they believe that to live as a celibate homosexual, attracted to people of one’s same sex, but not acting upon one’s desires, is a sacrifice of Christian holiness.” 

(Al Baker – Banner of Truth)  It goes without saying that we must have compassion for all who are outside of union with Christ, including the homosexual. I think you know that I have ministered extensively in the past to the homosexual community, seeking lovingly to make known to them the hope that we all have in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the transforming power of the gospel in our personal lives. We must be open to all kinds of people coming to our churches. Continue reading →

Who Was Saint Patrick and Should Christians Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

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“What casts a far greater shadow than his monument, however, is St. Patrick’s Day. And that day in the middle of March raises a significant question: Should Christians celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? If you do, you might want to consider wearing orange. Orange?” 

(Stephen Nichols – Ligonier Ministries) When it comes to Saint Patrick, the true story is even more exciting than the legend and the myth. The facts are far better than the fable. This day that belongs to St. Patrick has become about leprechauns, shamrocks, pots of gold, and green—green everywhere. … Continue reading →

Killing Worship: The Experience (Part 1)

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“As I was trying to figure out what he meant by this, all of the sudden, the lights went out, and the pastor had an imaginary conversation with God. God’s voice came out of the speakers and the pastor, pretending to be Abraham, had a real life imaginary conversation with God.”

(Christopher Gordon – Abounding Grace)  Years ago I was challenged by a churchgoer that I have no right to critique another church’s worship unless I have personally attended and witnessed for myself what is happening. I took this challenge and visited the local evangelical church in which thousands from the community were attending. The church adopted the Saddleback model of worship that still is, to this day, the common practice of many churches in the United States. Continue reading →

14 Media Outlets Spread Hoax About Trump Calling for Violence During Breitbart News Interview

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“I don’t care how many times you read that, there is nothing there — not a word, not a peep, not anything that has anything to do with violence of any kind…”

(John Nolte – Breitbart)  The establishment media are deliberately spreading fake news about President Trump, saying he called for violence during his interview with Breitbart News.

Outside of the usual-usual fake news to damage Trump and to distract from their failing Russia Collusion Hoax, the media’s propaganda effort here is to make Trump pay a political price for daring to sit down with an alternative news outlet like Breitbart News and to warn other politicians not to violate the rules about who is “supposed” to be allowed to hold high-profile interviews. Continue reading →

Drag queen storytime reader once charged with child sex assault

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This drag queen calls himself “Annie Christ.”

“In our review of our process and of this participant, we discovered that we failed to complete a background check as required by our own guidelines.” 

(ABC13 News)  Houston Public Library is apologizing after a man charged for sexually assaulting a child was allowed to entertain children at Drag Queen storytime.

The library said Friday that a review revealed the volunteer never completed a background check before he was allowed to participate in the program. Continue reading →

Why We Shouldn’t Assume Catholics are Christians

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“Even if a Catholic is truly born again, if they refuse to leave their false church, we must treat them as though they are not. By their own profession, confession, and expression of faith, they continue in sin by practicing idolatry and rejecting Christ.”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  Historically, Roman Catholicism has been considered by Protestants and Evangelicals to be an expression of faith that distorts the Biblical gospel of Jesus Christ. While Protestants hold to a soteriological belief of “grace alone through faith alone,” in contrast, Roman Catholics hold to a sacerdotal view of salvation by faith plus works whereby grace is dispensed through the Church by the intervention of a Sacerdote (priest). … Continue reading →