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

Trump Cleared in Russia Collusion Scandal Report

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(Mark Tapscott – LifeZatte) President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign did not collude, coordinate or conspire with elements of the Russian government in an effort to defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, according to a report made public Friday by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

But committee investigators did find substantial evidence of “poor judgment and ill-considered actions” by both candidates’ campaigns. The Clinton campaign, for example, was severely criticized for its role in funding opposition research heavily based on Russian sources. View article →

Strange Fire

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Lev 10:1-2

The very same Shekinah which had consumed the sacrifice now flashes out again to destroy these two priests. What a shock this must have been to Aaron, to his remaining two sons, and to the whole camp of Israel. Continue reading on Ray Stedman Daily Devotional

God’s Not Like ‘Whatever, Dude,’ About The Way He’s Approached in Worship

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Is God sitting up in heaven saying “Cool! Whatever y’all want to do in the name of worship is just fine and dandy with Me. You do you,” as some Christians seem to think? Um….no. God clearly lays out in Scripture how His people are to worship Him. Bible study author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley applies biblical principles to help us understand true worship.  And according to Michelle, “God demands – and has every right to do so – that He be approached properly.” To begin with, we must approach the Lord God in reverence…in awe…in holy fear. “With clean hands and a pure heart.”

Michelle has much more to teach us on the sort of worship God demands. She writes: Continue reading →

The Double Standards of the Mueller Investigation

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(Victor Davis Hanson – National Review) “High-ranking Obama administration officials may also be subject to indictments, given that they may have requested the “unmasking” of American citizens whose communications were intercepted during the surveillance of foreign parties and then leaked the names of those citizens to the press.”

The more Mueller searches for hypothetical lawbreaking, the more he ignores the actual lawbreakers.

The country is about to witness an investigatory train wreck. Continue reading →

80% of Americans Believe in God. Pew Found Out What They Mean

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(Kate Shellnut – Christianity Today) What Protestants, Catholics & Jews believe about God.

Does God talk to you? Has God punished you? Here’s how denomination, gender, and political party relate to how we see the divine.

“We believe in God,” Amy Grant famously sang in the ’90s. Today, 4 out of 5 Americans still say the same.

But according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center, what they mean by God varies a lot. Continue reading →

Man Who Identifies as Woman Sues North Carolina Prison for Not Accommodating Practice of Witchcraft

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(Heather Clark – Christian News Network) A male inmate who identifies as a woman has sued the Lanesboro Correctional Institution in North Carolina for not accommodating his practice of Wicca, also known as pagan witchcraft.

Duane Fox, who goes by the name Jennifer Jasmine, alleges that chaplains at the institution have violated his constitutional right to religious exercise, including his specific dietary needs.

Fox says that he has been denied his request for vegan meals, and states that he was told that if he wanted vegan accommodation, he must be Rastafarian or a Buddhist. He outlines that each Wiccan festival entails a specific focus, such as dairy or dried herbs. Continue reading →

CA Bill Against Gay Conversion Could Ban Christian Books, Speech

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(Michael W. Chapman – CNSNews) The California House recently passed legislation (AB 2943) that says “advertising, offering to engage in, or engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with an individual” is a fraudulent business practice, and if it passes in the Senate and becomes law, it could result in certain books, speakers, and conferences being banned, including the Bible, said Mat Staver, president of the Liberty Counsel.

The bill “is so broad that it bans books, printed materials and advertisements that provide information that a person facing unwanted same-sex attractions or gender confusion can change,” said Staver. “[It] is a dramatic infringement on First Amendment rights and is a classic viewpoint discrimination. It declares certain kinds of speech as consumer fraud.” Continue reading →

Urgent Need for Discernment Among Evangelicals

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Photo credit: 8:28 Ministries

(Robert Nelson – Reformation Charlotte) “It is in this hour that the evangelist needs doctrinal discernment. A preacher must be ready to tear down these false gospels that oppose the true gospel of Jesus Christ. We must be equipped as Paul says In 2 Corinthians 10:4-6.”

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. –Matthew 10:16

One of the most important qualities among evangelists is passion. It takes real passion to stand before a group of heathens at, for example, a Gay Pride parade and proclaim the truth of God’s word. … Continue reading →

Obama Justice Dept.’s attempts to influence investigations exposed in McCabe probe

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President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder

(Jeff Mordock – Washington Times) Tucked inside the inspector general’s report on former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was the story of an August 2016 phone call from a high-ranking Justice Department official who Mr. McCabe thought was trying to shut down the FBI’s investigation into the Clinton Foundation while Hillary Clinton was running for president.

The official was “very pi–ed off” at the FBI, the report says, and demanded to know why the FBI was still pursuing the Clinton Foundation when the Justice Department considered the case dormant.

Former FBI officials said the fact that a call was made is even more stunning than its content. Continue reading →

Google Search Manipulation Can Swing Nearly 80 Percent of Undecided Voters

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(Breitbart) By inserting negative search suggestions under the name of a candidate, search engines like Google can shift the opinions of undecided voters by up to 43.4 percent, according to new research by a team at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology and reported exclusively by Breitbart News.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Robert Epstein, has previously conducted research into what he calls the Search Engine Manipulation Effect (SEME). … Continue reading →

Dr. Michael Brown in Full Damage Control Mode After NAR Debate

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(Pulpit & Pen) Dr. Michael Brown refers to the New Apostolic Reformation (commonly known by the acronym, NAR) as the “so-called NAR.” As virtually anyone with basic reading comprehension can easily know, NAR exists. It hasn’t been a secret. Although its name has been changed over the years, there is no doubt that the New Apostolic Reformation was and is an organized and relatively open movement in charismatic Christianity. Dr. Brown, who is the lead apologist for the heretical movement, is unique among NAR leaders in that he enjoys close fellowship with non-charismatic evangelical leaders. For the most part, Brown denies that NAR exists or is a strange, convoluted conspiracy theory when in front of non-charismatics, but among NAR audiences, he recognizes its existence and embraces its chief leaders. Continue reading →

Parents rally against public school sex-ed over pro-choice, gay rights ideas

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(Bradford Richardson – Washington Times) “We have had enough, and we’re not going to take it anymore. Canada is a nation that has a Charter of Rights, which include freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. Our rights have been trampled by the sex-ed curriculum in our schools.”

“Mom, you won’t believe what my teacher’s talking about right now.”

That is the text message Regina Young, a parent in North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, said she received from her seventh-grade daughter one day. Continue reading →

Five Reasons Why Pope Francis’ Answer Was Demonic

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(Jordan Standridge – The Cripplegate) “The pope’s false teaching would have been bad enough had he just whispered it in the child’s ear. But then, with the child’s permission he decided to relay to the crowd the false teaching as well. He didn’t have to do that. He could have just lied to the child, and one could have said he buckled under pressure. But the moment the pope went out of his way to teach the crowd, was the moment that he went from being a coward to a tool of the devil.”

Pope Francis has made several controversial statements throughout the years, but perhaps none quite as controversial as the one in this video. You can watch it here. Continue reading →

Are today’s Evangelicals following Jesus or following Trump?

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(Cal Thomas – Fox News) “What would happen in our culture and especially in our politics if all of those who call themselves evangelicals began obeying the commands of Jesus of Nazareth?”

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24)

The verse refers to money, but in light of today’s debate about the unaccountable devotion many Christian leaders have for President Trump it is not a stretch to apply it to their relationship with him. Continue reading →

‘Drag Kings’ Hope to Detoxify Masculinity by Dressing Up as Men (Who Act Like Women)

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(Faith Moore – PJ Media) “Is there such a thing as toxic femininity? If not, there should be. It would be the practice of claiming that anything male is inherently wrong and must be destroyed and replaced with femininity. Oh wait, that already has a name. It’s called ‘feminism.'”

For a while now, feminists have been trying to find a way to combat “toxic masculinity.” The feminist belief that rape and other sexual crimes stem from societal norms about masculinity has caused the term “toxic” to come to encompass any behavior that is traditionally considered male. … Continue reading →

Proof of God’s Judgment

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(Josh Buice – Delivered By Grace)  Yesterday morning, I had the privilege to preach Romans 1:24-32 in our series through Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. In our previous study, we covered Paul’s warning regarding God’s wrath and how it’s poured out upon those who continue to suppress the truth and ignore the reality of God’s existence and God’s grace. Many people in our present culture like to talk about God’s judgment as if it’s an eschatological judgment reserved for the future. Could it be that the judgment articulated in Romans 1 is already present in our culture today? If so, what is the evidence of such judgment? Continue reading →

Please don’t say ‘broken’ when we mean sin

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According to Elizabeth Prata of The End Time, the word broken is being used by Christians to change perceptions, even to redefine sin. “Is it acceptable to use the word broken when referencing already-saved Christians? Or even non-saved people?” inquires Prata.  No! “The truth is, we are not broken. We are sinners WITHOUT righteousness. We are totally corrupt. We need HIS external righteousness. We are not just broken, but beyond repair. We’re dead! That’s why the Bible says when we’re saved, we are a new person, from a new birth, regenerated, born again, given a new heart.”

Elizabeth has more thoughts on substituting the word brokenness for what the Bible calls sin. She writes: Continue reading →

Willow Creek Promises Investigation Amid New Allegations Against Bill Hybels

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(Bob Smietana – Christianity Today) Last night, Willow Creek Community Church made a promise to its members following the early departure of its founder and senior pastor, Bill Hybels.

“Even though Bill is no longer in his role, our work to resolve any shadow of doubt in the trustworthiness of [Willow] is not done,” the church’s board of elders told members in a Friday evening letter. “With the benefit of hindsight, we see several aspects of our past work that we would have handled differently, and we have identified several areas of learning.” Continue reading →

The Importance of What We Do in Secret

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(Derek Thomas – Ligonier Ministries) According to Jesus, it is what we do in secret that matters most. Jesus is not suggesting that the outward is unimportant—far from it. “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14).

The answer is emphatically no. Still, it is also possible to have outward works but no inner reality. In this instance, religion is a pretense. Six times in the Sermon on the Mount, alluding to three distinct exercises, Jesus employs the term secret: View article →

10 Reasons Why You Should RUN AWAY From Bethel Redding

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There are a gazillion reasons for those who attend Bethel Church in Redding, CA to RUN AWAY from that “church.” Steven Kozar of Messed Up Church lists 10:

1. Bill Johnson & Kris Vallotton (and other Bethel pastors) put their own words above the Word of God. Listen to them talk and you’ll hear very few actual Bible verses, but you will hear a lot of their own thoughts and ideas that they claim to have received directly from God. This is not accidental. They believe they are a new and better type of Christian leader who can hear directly from God and get “downloads” of new information. They believe the Bible is merely a good starting point that has useful information about God, but to really know Him you must go further than the Bible-you need to go “off the map.” Continue reading →

Never Underestimate Satan

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(George Stiekes – Proclaim & Defend) And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Job 1:8

 

There are so many questions asked in the book of Job. When God’s people suffer hurt and tribulation, it is not unusual at all for them to ask questions.

      • Is there some great sin of which I’m not aware that has brought this kind of a consequence? Job dealt with this one.

Continue reading →

Courts Sentence Another Baby To Death, Again Showing Why Socialized Medicine Is Evil

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(Matt Walsh – Daily Wire) If you want to catch a glimpse of the horrific, dystopian implications of socialized medicine, you need not skim through a science fiction novel. Simply look overseas to Europe, where yet another sick child has been sentenced to death by a U.K. death panel. First Charlie Gard and now this.

Little Alfie Evans was put into a coma by a mysterious brain condition that doctors still have not been able to diagnose. Doctors at Alder Hey hospital in London have decided that Alfie will never get better and his life is no longer worth living. … Continue reading →

Christian Villain: Is an actor’s pretend sin still sin?

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(Clint Archer – The Cripplegate)  “They don’t use computer graphics to remove the clothes off actors in nude scenes; that’s them baring what God wants to be covered in public (Gen 3:7,21; 9:22-25). And they don’t CGI a finger on the Christian actor to create the illusion of a rude gesture.”

Actor William Shatner once did a parody performance of himself reacting to his obsessed fans at a Star Trek convention. He exploded with a sharp rebuke: “Get a life! It’s only a TV show!”

To a Trekkie that’s like being told Santa isn’t real…by Santa.

Continue reading →

TIME 100 List: Liberals Outweigh Conservatives 14 to 4

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(Kyle Drennen – NewsBusters) “Singer Cher touted the “humility” and “grace” of openly gay Olympic skater Adam Rippon, who made headlines for his repeated attacks against Vice President Mike Pence.”

On Thursday, TIME magazine released its annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people, spanning across politics, entertainment, music, and sports. Predictably, the reliably liberal publication featured 14 glowing profiles of liberal activists, politicians, entertainers, and athletes, but only managed to find four conservative figures to highlight, one of which was a nasty hit piece.   View article →