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

Half Of Doctors Considering Leaving Medicine — Because Of Health Insurance Headaches

Poll of 600 physicians shows frustration over insurer policies and delays that doctors say could be leaving patients in prolonged pain.

(Study Finds)  Are health insurance policies creating nightmares for physicians and hazards for their patients? A new study finds that nearly nine in ten doctors believe barriers set by insurance plans have led to worsened conditions for patients in need of care. Continue reading

Ungovernable

“The congressional swearing-in event introduces profound incoherence into the solemn ceremonies of investiture that seek to protect the nation from immoral subversion. Biblically-based law (the truth) and Sharia law (the lie) are irreconcilable. One cannot combine these competing “moral” systems without introducing at the highest level a totally chaotic and irrational basis for our nation’s governing principles.”  

(Peter Jones – truthXchange)   Last November’s elections brought into Congress some of the most extreme office holders ever seen. Recently defeated Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill said: “I’d be lying if I did not say I was worried about this place. It just does not work as well as it used to.”[1]Paul Kane of The Washington Post describes how in the early meetings of the new Congress “tensions flared and lawmakers walked toward each other in the well of the House. The chance of physical confrontation seemed to grow by the second… Shouting, near fisticuffs, emotions high…Today’s Washington could get worse.” Continue reading

Here’s How Much Democrats’ Refusal To Fund Border Security Cost America During Shutdown

In total, Vittert estimates that the shutdown cost the American public approximately $40 billion, which she notes would have paid for “the entire wall to be built and maintained for 40 years.”

(Ryan Saaveda – Daily Wire)  A new report by a statistics professor at Washington University in St. Louis estimates that the 35-day partial government shutdown cost seven times more than the $5.7 billion that President Donald Trump requested for a border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Liberty Vittert, who is also an ambassador for the Royal Statistical Society, writes that estimates for the cost of the shutdown per day range from $52 million to $360 million. Continue reading

Days After Enshrining ‘Right’ to Kill Preborn, NY Governor Signs Bill Making ‘Gender Identity’ Offenses ‘Hate Crime’

“Mental health professionals who assist youth who may be struggling with temptations toward the same sex or who feel that they identify as the opposite sex will be considered to have engaged in “professional misconduct,” and may face penalties from their licensing entity that may include censure and reprimand, suspension of their license, the requirement to receive training and education, fines or a complete loss of their license.”

(Heather Clark – Christian News Network)  Just days after enshrining in New York law the “right” for mothers to have their unborn children murdered, and in some cases, even up until birth, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has now signed two new bills into law: … Continue reading

Where Did All This Pentecostalism Come From?

William J. Seymour, leader of the Azusa Street Revival

“The leaders of the movement were convinced that speaking in tongues stood as proof that the Spirit was beginning to work in a fresh way that foretold the imminent return of Christ. This added an urgency to the movement that often overwhelmed reason and discernment. So missionaries were dispatched to foreign lands without preparation, without any view to biblical qualification, and without any thought as to when and how they would return.”

(Tim Challies)  It is impossible to consider the modern history or contemporary state of Christianity without accounting for the sudden rise, the explosive spread, and the worldwide impact of Pentecostalism. To that end, I’ve been reading several books on the subject, focused especially on the Azusa Street Revival, which most historians consider the setting in which Pentecostalism began. Here are a few key points I’ve learned about the Azusa Street Revival and the Azusa Street Mission that housed it. Continue reading

Socialist students bawk to ban ‘white supremacist’ ‘capitalist cult’ Chick-fil-A

We are targeting Chick-Fil-A because it is a central corporation in GA’s economy and we think that it can do better if the people buying its products demand action. Chick-Fil-A has made some strides in sustainability, but the company is short-sighted at best. While they plan to transition to antibiotic-free chickens raised in barns rather than cages, this is little more than a cheap marketing ploy.”

(Peyton Dillberg – Campus Reform)  An environmental group in Athens, Georgia is demanding that the University of Georgia ban Chick-Fil-A from campus, calling the fast food restaurant chain an “industrial, white supremacist, imperialist, capitalist cult.” Continue reading

You Can’t Give A Lethal Injection To Criminals In New York But You Can Give It To Infants

“Late-term abortion is never necessary to protect a woman’s life or health. No late-term abortion has ever been committed for the sake of saving a woman’s life. It has never happened and will never happen…It could be necessary, in the case of some kind of cataclysmic complication, to remove the child from his mother’s womb. But it is never necessary to kill the child before removing him. There is no medical reason to take that extra step of preemptively killing the child.” 

(Matt Walsh – Daily Wire)  As The Daily Wire reported, New York is set to legalize abortion through every stage of pregnancy. Once the bill is signed into law, it will be legal to kill a fully developed, pain-capable infant up to the very moment of birth. Continue reading

Planned Parenthood Launches Roo, a Sexual Health Chatbox for Teens

YouTube screenshot

“Initiatives like this one are meant to help Planned Parenthood give information to hard-to-reach audiences like teenagers who don’t receive sex education or are receiving abstinence-only education. In recent years Planned Parenthood has been on the offensive about the breadth of resources they provide as conservative lawmakers and anti-abortion groups have sought to defund the organization.”

Planned Parenthood Sexualizing Teens

(Megan Graham – AdAge)   Planned Parenthood knows teenagers have a lot of questions about sexual health they may not want to ask their parents.

It’s hoping Roo, its new chatbot, will have the answers. Continue reading

Have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too Christianity

The title to this piece by Greg Koukl is actually “One Way Or Another Way? – Part One.”  In part one of the two-part series, Koukl tackles the “confused confession” that many Christians make regarding Christ as savior. Their confused confession is putting the gospel itself in jeopardy, worries Koukl. The confusion Christians are experiencing is caused by people who don’t like what the Bible teaches, “so they wrangle about words and twist the text trying to get the verses to say the opposite of what they clearly mean.” As a result, “have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too Christianity.”

In this month’s issue of Solid Ground, Greg Koukl offers his view of why so many people reject biblical historic orthodox Christianity and are instead adopting different forms of “inclusivism,” including what he terms “radical inclusivism.”  He writes: Continue reading

One World Trade Center Ordered Lit Pink by NY Gov. Cuomo to Celebrate Law Expanding Murder of Unborn in State

“Calling the issue a matter of women’s “equality,” he was joined on stage by Sarah Ragle Weddington, the attorney who had represented the Roe of Roe v. Wade before the Supreme Court, and presented her with an award for her “public service” prior to the signing. The signing was filled with smiles and laughter.”

(Heather Clark – Christian News Network) One World Trade Center, the site where nearly 3,000 Americans were killed by terrorists in 2001, was ordered by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to be lit pink on Tuesday night to celebrate the passage and signing of a bill that not only codifies, but also expands abortion access in the state. New York law will now allow for the murder of the unborn until birth if the child is not expected to survive or if the pregnancy is deemed a threat to the health or life of the mother. Continue reading

U.S. Supreme Court allows Trump admin to enforce ban on transgender troops

“The policy provides that so-called transgender individuals may continue to serve in the military, and it allows recruits who are not transitioning to the opposite sex to serve.” 

(Martin M. Barillas – LifeSiteNews)  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this morning that the Trump administration may temporarily enforce restrictions on transgender people serving in the military.

However, the high court declined to review whether the administration’s new policy is legal until a ruling emerges from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The court split 5-4 on the issue, with the liberal justices in the minority.  Continue reading

The Media’s BuzzFeed and Covington Disasters

“These Catholic boys rode a bus 500 miles from Kentucky to participate in the March for Life, a pro-life event that liberal journalists usually pretend never happened. ABC, CBS and NBC gave Friday’s march just 58 seconds, but by Monday morning, they’d devoted over 19 minutes to the allegedly racist aftermath. Everyone knows that if these teens hadn’t worn MAGA hats, this viral video cesspool (complete with hate speech and death threats) would have never been created.” 

(Brent Bozell & Tim Graham – CNSNews)  The last few days have been absolutely terrible for the reputation of the badly named “mainstream media.” Continue reading

Covington Student Speaks Out About Encounter With Native American Activist

“We’re a Catholic school, and it’s not tolerated. They don’t tolerate racism, and none of my classmates are racist people. I never heard anyone say ‘build the wall’ and I don’t think I’ve seen it in any of the videos.”

WATCH THE VIDEO CLIPS

(Leah Barkoukis – Townhall)  Nick Sandmann, the high school student at the center of the media frenzy over his interaction with Native American activist Nathan Phillips in Washington, D.C. last week, said he does not believe his actions that day were disrespectful.  Continue reading

HORROR: New York Set To Legalize Abortion Up To Birth

Since New York Republicans lost control of the Senate in November, the bill is expected to pass with Democrat support. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), a Catholic, is expected to sign the legislation.

(Amanda Prestigiacomo – Daily Wire) The womb will become an even less safe place for unborn babies in New York come Tuesday. Democrat legislators are set to legalize abortion up to birth and remove the fatal procedure from the state’s criminal code altogether with the passing of the euphemistically named Reproductive Health Act. Continue reading

Why is Christianity So Close-Minded and Exclusive?

How could a good God let so many good people perish? The idea of Jesus being the only way sounds very offensive to some people. Won’t God accept someone who is sincerely trying to do good to others, even if he never hears about Jesus Christ or refuses to believe in him? Won’t God understand and be sympathetic?

(Nicholas Davis – Core Christianity) According to the recent study, “The State of Theology” by Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research, 46 percent of self-identified evangelicals in America believe that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.” So the question, “Does a person really have to go through Jesus to get into heaven?” is clearly a divisive one within evangelical Christianity today. Some might wonder, “Why is Christianity so exclusive?” This is a good question, but there is an even better question to ask. Continue reading

New Book Explains Why Millennials Are Obsessed With Witchcraft, Astrology

“It is unclear if some of the alternative spiritual practices young adults are attracted to can have the same benefits as traditional religious beliefs and practices. For instance, in a new study our lab hopes to publish soon, we find evidence suggesting that these alternative beliefs are not doing a good job of actually providing meaning,”

(Toni Airaksinen – PJ Media)  It’s a Monday afternoon in January and in an ironic twist of fate, it’s my boyfriend who’s dragging me to the local shopping mall. While he’s here to find new athletic wear (he teaches tennis), I’m left meandering through gaggles of teens and clearance aisles. Continue reading

Covington Catholic High School Cancels Classes Over Safety Concerns

“According to Fox 19, the school had readied additional security at Covington Catholic High School for when students return Tuesday following threats of violence issued against the school and its students since the weekend. The American Indian Movement Chapter of Indiana and Kentucky are scheduled to protest at the Diocese of Covington at 10:00 a.m. local time.”

(Joshua Caplan – Breitbart)  Covington Catholic High School, the Kentucky school at the center of a national controversy over a viral video of an encounter between some of its students and a Native American activist at Friday’s March for Life in Washington, D.C., has canceled classes Tuesday due to safety concerns. Continue reading

Beth Moore Joins Liberals in Falsely Condemning Boys Who ‘Taunted’ Indigenous People

In a piece we posted earlier, Here’s What You Need To Know About The Confrontation Between Covington Catholic Students And Native American Protesters, Emily Zanotti of Daily Wire lays out what really happened when a group of Native American protesters claimed they were harassed and intimidated by a group of Catholic High School students who were waiting for their bus at the Lincoln Memorial. Taking it a step further, Reformation Charlotte castigates popular Bible teacher, speaker and author Beth Moore for a tweet that went out from her when she heard about the brouhaha:  Continue reading

Pope Francis Knew His Protégé Took Nude Selfies, Abused Seminarians; But Promoted Him to Top Vatican Post

“Manzano said the Vatican had information about sexually inappropriate behavior starting in 2015, with the naked selfies, and reports of alleged misconduct and harassment in May or June of 2017, though he noted they didn’t constitute formal canonical complaints.”

(Breitbart) The Vatican received information in 2015 and 2017 that an Argentine bishop close to Pope Francis had taken naked selfies, exhibited “obscene” behavior and had been accused of misconduct with seminarians, his former vicar general told The Associated Press, undermining Vatican claims that allegations of sexual abuse were only made a few months ago.  Continue reading

Here’s What You Need To Know About The Confrontation Between Covington Catholic Students And Native American Protesters

“Phillips and the students chanted together for a few minutes before the students appear to lose interest and filter away. During that time, though, Phillips claims he felt threatened, though separate videos seem to show that a handful of Native American protesters were taunting the students with racially tinged chants.”

A media disaster.

(Emily Zanotti – Daily Wire)  On Saturday, a video went viral, seemingly showing a group of Catholic high school students confronting and harassing a Native American protester who appeared to be peacefully playing a drum, but by Saturday night it was clear the confrontation wasn’t the end of the story. Continue reading

Does No Name-Calling Week Include Christians?

“Schools have to choose, one or the other. Both messages cannot remain with integrity. Either schools need to wise up and remove homosexuality and cross-dressing from the school climate (meaning: remove the propaganda and get help for these kids), or the conservatives and Christians need to go. That’s what is desired-—for Christians to leave, or be suppressed, or their message watered down to nothing helpful.”

(Linda Harvey – Mission America)  If your school has launched a bullying prevention program, it will most likely be a big focus this winter. Many schools will observe “No Name-Calling Week” in late January. Continue reading

In Defense of Offense: Why Christians Need to Stop Worrying About Offending People

“There’s no such thing as a genuinely regenerated Christian who’s just barely hanging on to Jesus by her fingernails and you come along and push her out of the faith by confronting her sin with biblical truth. Uh uh. If she abandons Christ in favor of her sin, she was never saved in the first place, I don’t care what she claims to the contrary.”

(Michelle Lesley)  “You’re a liar,” he said dryly, the passion in his eyes gleaming through.

“What?!?! HOW DARE YOU call me a liar!” his fellow church member fumed.

“You’re a liar, Joe. You show up at church for an hour a week and claim to be a Christian, yet you’ve been living with your girlfriend for over a year, you’ve told me you use pornography, and I’ve talked to five different people with incontrovertible evidence that you’ve cheated in your business dealings with them. When you say you’re a Christian, you’re lying. Just admit it.” Continue reading

Debunking BuzzFeed and the Wages of Investigative Secrecy

“In this instance involving Cohen’s false testimony to Congress…an apparently incorrect story about the president’s complicity was damning — so much so that many Democrats and pundits had the president on the verge of being removed from office. The president was in a position of dealing with this profound political damage while trying to address a border-security emergency; a government shutdown; the status of American forces in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan; and various other vital matters.”

(Andrew C. McCarthy – National Review)  BuzzFeed published an explosive allegation that the president of the United States ordered his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to lie to congressional committees investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. … Continue reading

Concerns Raised After 10-Year-Old ‘Drag Child’ Photographed With Naked Adult ‘Drag Queen’

“We would never try to overtly sexualise our child. But if he wears something that makes him feel beautiful, what right do I have to stop him wearing that dress because it might cause people to think things they shouldn’t be thinking?” she asked. “It’s a circular problem.”

(Heather Clark – Christian News Network)  Concerns are being raised after a photograph has surfaced of a 10-year-old “drag child” posing next to an adult “drag queen” who is completely naked, except for a pair of high heels and a small covering over his reproductive organs. Continue reading