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

From Mars Hill to Harvest: Hope for a Wounded Church

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“While Harvest and Willow Creek represent two recent, prominent examples in the Chicago area, abuses of power and church mismanagement happen across denominations and in churches of all sizes. Plenty in the pews have been left with the twisted grief of watching once-respected leaders leave their positions and facing the reality of a church in crisis.”

(Kate Shellnutt – Christianity Today) Last weekend was the first time Harvest Bible Chapel gathered for worship without James MacDonald as its senior pastor. Continue reading →

James MacDonald’s Sons Resign As Shakeup at Harvest Continues

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The MacDonald’s sons resignation letters as well as the letter to the elders are included in Julie Roys’ piece. Here’s her report:

The shakeup at Harvest Bible Chapel continued tonight as the sons of founder James MacDonald, who was fired last week, offered their resignations.

In his resignation letter, Lead Pastor Luke MacDonald said his “professional dream” had been “to one day grow to be the Senior Pastor of the church.” But he added that “conversations with elders and staff” had made it clear that he “should move forward to whatever God has next.” Continue reading →

God’s Book & God’s Voice

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Some people who claim they’ve been to heaven say they’ve actually met God and/or Jesus…a couple of the Twelve Apostles…a few prophets…family members…only to be sent back to Earth to tell of their experience. Clint Archer of The Cripplegate offers 3 reasons why you shouldn’t envy those who claim they’ve been to heaven. He writes:

Not many people see heaven and live to tell about it. In Scripture, those who may have (Lazarus, Paul, and the girl we call Tabitha), never recorded a word of what they saw. Only John’s Revelation was given for the church. But among certain Christian circles, extraordinary claims of a trip to heaven are accepted as true. Continue reading →

Will More Teachers Smash Boundaries Under Compulsory ‘LGBTQ’ Lessons?

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“The planned “diversity week” was scrubbed, praise God, because of the push-back by concerned parents led by a social worker mom who blew the lid off the planned corruption.”

(Linda Harvey – Mission: America) The door is now wide open in many public schools for corrupting teachers to enter and poison the minds and bodies of impressionable children.

Most teachers try to do what’s right, but with so-called “non-discrimination” school policies in place, sexually immoral adults or pro-abortion/“LGBTQ” activists cannot be barred from classroom access to children. Continue reading →

What to Do with A Gay Priest

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“Sam Allberry is quite busy running around with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries doing all he can to convince the church that it needs to affirm celibate homosexuals. Of course, the term employed in this project is Same-Sex Attracted. He knows that evangelicals will have a hard time swallowing the stigmatized word “homosexual.” And so, he uses one that is greatly watered down in an attempt to change the mindset of the older generations. Allberry has included in his efforts an attempt to legitimize the category of gender dysphoria. And again, the goal is to provide a degree of affirmation.”

(Ed Dingess – Reformation Charlotte)   To be fair, Sam Allberry says there is a difference between same sex attraction and being gay. I just happen not to agree with him on this point. Continue reading →

Autopsy of a Dead Coup

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“CNN soon proved that it is no longer a news organization at all—as reporters like Gloria Borger, Chris Cuomo, Eric Lichtblau, Manu Raju, Brian Rokus, Jake Tapper, Jeff Zeleny, and teams such as Jim Sciutto, Carl Bernstein, and Marshall Cohen as well as Thomas Frank, and Lex Harris all trafficked in false rumors and unproven gossip detrimental to Trump, while hosts and guest hosts such as Reza Aslan, the late Anthony Bourdain, and Anderson Cooper stooped to obscenity and grossness to attack Trump.”

(Victor Davis Hanson – American Greatness)  The illegal effort to destroy the 2016 Trump campaign by Hillary Clinton campaign’s use of funds to create, disseminate among court media, and then salt among high Obama administration officials, a fabricated, opposition smear dossier failed. Continue reading →

Liberal Lutheran pastor melts purity rings into vagina sculpture, presents it to Gloria Steinem

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Nadia Bolz-Weber presents feminist Gloria Steinem with sculpture made of melted-down purity rings.

“The controversial pastor, who has defended the use of so-called “ethically sourced porn,” first announced her art project at the 2018 Makers Conference, where she explained she wants to “take down” the “church’s teachings around sex” and evangelical purity culture.”

(Leah MarieAnn Klett – Christian Post)  Liberal Lutheran Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber unveiled a sculpture of a [vagina] made entirely of old purity rings to protest evangelical purity culture and presented it to pro-abortion second-wave feminist Gloria Steinem.

Bolz-Weber, the founding pastor of Denver’s House for All Sinners and Saints, showed off the sculpture — which was made by melting down the old jewelry — during the 2019 Makers Conference last week. Continue reading →

Chairman of Harvest’s Elder Board Resigns; Executive Committee to Resign Soon

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Disgraced pastor James MacDonald

“Sperling admitted that over the years, various former elders, staff, and members of the church had complained about James MacDonald’s behavior and “its overall effect on Harvest’s culture.” He added that “part of the complexity” concerning the elders response to those complaints was MacDonald’s occasional willingness to submit to increased accountability.”

(Julie Roys) Admitting that they had “collectively failed” to oversee the church properly, the five-member executive committee of elders at Harvest Bible Chapel tonight announced that they will all be resigning over the next few months and a replacement executive committee will be put in place. Continue reading →

Not ‘All Americans’ Are ‘Proud That We Have More Women In The Workforce Than Ever Before’

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“Believe it or not, there are still many women and men who do not agree. We all acknowledge that with enough money and/or familial support, a woman can raise fine children and maintain a happy home and a loving marriage. Nevertheless, we also know that doing all three is difficult enough when a woman devotes full time to those three goals. But when a woman works outside the home, devoting full time to home and family is impossible.”

(Dennis Prager – Daily Wire)  In his State of the Union address, President Trump announced, “All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before.” It was one of the few times he received a standing ovation from both Democrats and Republicans. Continue reading →

McCabe, Rosenstein and the real truth about the 25th Amendment coup attempt

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 Andrew McCabe, former deputy director of the FBI.

“The truth is somewhere in the middle: The conversation was no joke, but the idea was lunacy.”

(Andrew C. McCarthy – Fox News)  Ever wonder why people hate lawyers? Consider Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s non-denial denial of his participation in discussions of an attempted coup against the duly elected president of the United States.

The story is being given a second life thanks to the hype surrounding the rollout of a new book by Andrew McCabe, the former deputy director of the FBI. Continue reading →

Gay Priest at Ravi Zacharias Event: Jesus Had Dysphoria, Body Issues

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Allberry makes the case that the warrior, King David, was effeminate. He claims that the Bible says David was beautiful in a feminine way, and because he wrote poetry, David likely had some gender identity issues.

(JD Hall – Pulpit & Pen)  Ravi Zacharias hosted Sam Alberry yesterday, who spoke at the event to explain “How To Know Your Gender.” The answer was not as simple as, “Do a DNA test.” … Continue reading →

Leading Southern Baptist apologizes for supporting leader, church at center of sex abuse scandal

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“What I did was wrong and caused hurt to the victims and survivors who felt that their experience had been trivialized and dismissed. And I grieve that, I apologize for that, it was wrong. I would never make such a comment again.”

(Robert Downan – Houston Chronicle)  A leading Southern Baptist figure on Thursday apologized for supporting a religious leader who was accused of helping conceal sexual abuses at his former church, and for making a joke that he said downplayed the severity of the allegations. Continue reading →

First legally non-binary person in the US reverts back to being man

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‘I will not be a party to advancing harmful gender ideologies that are ruining lives, causing deaths and contributing to the sterilization and mutilation of gender-confused children.’

(Christian Today)  The first person in the US to be legally recognized as non-binary has reverted back to being male.

In a public announcement on his blog, Jamie Shupe said he had returned to his male birth sex and now believed gender identity to be a ‘fraud’. Continue reading →

Vatican defrocks former US cardinal McCarrick over sex abuse

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Defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, first cardinal in history to step down from the College of Cardinals because of sexual abuse allegations.

In a statement issued through his lawyer, Grein also expressed hope that McCarrick “will no longer be able to use the power of Jesus’ church to manipulate families and sexually abuse children.”

(Frances D’Emilio & Nicole Winfield – Associated Press)  Pope Francis has defrocked former U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick after Vatican officials found him guilty of soliciting for sex while hearing confession and sexual crimes against minors and adults, the Holy See said Saturday.

McCarrick, 88, is the highest-ranking churchman to be laicized, as the process is called. It means he can no longer celebrate Mass or other sacraments, wear clerical vestments or be addressed by any religious title. Continue reading →

Church Matters

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

The body is a unit, though it is comprised of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 1 Cor 12:12-13

Is the local church really that necessary for the Christian life? Aren’t there better, more relevant ways to thrive spiritually as a Christian? It is my experience that an increasing number of believers are asking these sorts of questions. Continue reading →

Teach Your Kids How To Turn The Table on Socialist Democrats

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It’s well past time to teach your kids the truth with every spare moment you have.

(Judi McLeod – Canada Free Press)  Parents with school and university age children can make the Democrat-endorsed ‘Green New Deal’  a prime opportunity for a teachable moment, to turn the tables on socialists running amok in Congress.

Children can be taught at home what they’re never taught in class that socialism kills human souls and human hope, that it has a proven track record of bankrupting entire nations leaving their populations to starve.

Lessons need not be long, but short and to the point, backed up by unfailing repetition.

Continue reading →

Medical Waste Giant Stericycle Burning Bodies of Aborted Babies in ‘Modern-Day Auschwitz’ Plant, Investigation Reveals

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Stericycle burns bodies of aborted babies (Youtube screenshot)

“Babies who are being murdered in numerous states are continually shipped by Stericycle to the incineration chambers to be burned with other medical garbage. This vivid picture is eerily reminiscent of the Holocaust that took place in Nazi Germany when the bodies of gassed Jews were burned in ovens.”

(Heather Clark – Christian News Network)  An investigation out of Georgia has confirmed that the medical waste giant Stericycle is burning the bodies of aborted babies at its North Carolina incineration plant. The mounting evidence of the ongoing operation, which has been characterized as a “modern-day Auschwitz,” further documents the corporate collaboration in the systematic annihilation of unwanted children. Continue reading →

The Left Attacks ‘Homophobia’ In Christian Churches, Ignores Mosques. The Double Standard Is Insane

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“We must also note that majority Muslim countries are, to borrow a phrase, infamously anti-LGBT. Sometimes, depending on the country, those anti-gay sentiments are expressed through violence and legal persecution.”

(Matt Walsh – Daily Wire)  A few days ago, actress Ellen Page publicly blasted actor Chris Pratt for his membership in an “infamously anti lgbtq” church. The comment sparked a week’s worth of backlash against Pratt, who eventually issued a statement denying the charges of homophobia. In reality, Hillsong, the church Pratt attends along with Justin Bieber and some of the Kardashian clan, is far from doctrinally traditionalist. If it’s “infamous” for anything, it’s certainly not social conservatism. When Page attacks Pratt for attending an “infamously anti lgbtq” church, she’s really just attacking him for attending any church at all. Continue reading →

Border Security Bill Provides Aid, Buses, Legal Shields to Migrants

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Democrat legislators added numerous aid and welfare programs in the 2019 spending bill to support the growing wave of economic migrants, even as they agreed to provide $1,375 billion for construction of a border wall.

(Neil Munroe – Breitbart)  The border spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security offers “$192,700,000 for improved medical care, transportation, and consumables to better ensure the health and safety of migrants who are temporarily in U.S. Customs and Protection] custody,” according to a congressional Explanatory Statement of the provisions. Continue reading →

The SBC and Its Mostly False Gospel

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Here is a high-level leader who is “in the know” within the SBC. He is telling us what we have all suspected for a very long time now. And the question is, will anyone do anything about it? There is absolutely no sign whatsoever that anyone in the SBC has the guts that it will take to grab this bull by the horns and do the necessary work to address the problems.

(Ed Dingess – Reformation Charlotte)  By now it is clear to most non-SBC evangelicals that the SBC is coming unraveled at its seams. Some might say that the reasons for the SBC’s collapse are complex and numerous. However, I have to say that I don’t really think that’s the case. In the interest of fair disclosure, I am a late-comer to the SBC and a reluctant one at that. …  Continue reading →

‘Fairness For All’ But A Growing Unfairness For Many [Christians]

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This arrangement “would penalize many Americans not in these protected Christian institutions who [still] believe that we are created male and female…. [It] will impose a nationwide transgender bathroom policy, a nationwide pronoun policy, and a nationwide sex-reassignment health care policy, and the free speech and religious liberty and the rights of countless professionals who find themselves outside the select group of institutions who are exempted will be denied.”

(Peter Jones – truthXchange)  In 2018 well-meaning fellow Christians on the boards of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), adopted an initiative called Fairness for All. Among notable signers were Philip Graham Ryken, President of Wheaton College and Derek Halvorson, President of Covenant College. …  Continue reading →