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

What is the ‘Apostolic Commission’?

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(Churchwatch Central) Is your local apostle equipping or empowering you to manifest God himself as a ‘New Breed’? Is your local apostle trying to get your church to manifest the God-man? The ‘One New Man’? If so, your local apostle is fulfilling the ‘Apostolic Commission’.

Rick Joyner was recognized as a prophet but is, to this day, treated and regarded as an Apostle. Joyner is most famous for his book series ‘The Call’ and ‘The Final Quest’. In this series, he claims to have received greater visions and revelations than prophets and apostles of the scriptures, bringing new teaching of God’s end-times church. Because of his claims, many Christians literally take his work to be scripture. (We’ve personally noted this in a number of friendships, churches and denominations.) Continue reading →

23 Major League Baseball Teams to Promote Homosexuality at ‘LGBT Pride’ Nights

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(Michael W. Chapman – CNSNews) Sadly, 23 of the 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams are promoting homosexuality through “LGBT Pride” nights this year, reported Outsports.com. In addition, only two MLB teams — New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels — have never held such “pride” nights.

Outsports.com co-founder Jim Buzinski wrote that the teams were continuing “to court their LGBT fan base” and that the “pride nights will be a big draw in Major League Baseball this season.”

MLB Vice President Billy Bean, an openly homosexual former player, said of the “pride nights” in 2017, “I couldn’t be prouder of baseball — we’re really leading the way,” reported LifeSiteNews.com.  View article →

Canadian pediatricians tell parents: it’s normal for your kid to switch genders every day

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(Calvin Freiburger – LifeSiteNews)  “American College of Pediatricians president Dr. Michelle Cretella warns that ‘cooperating with a child’s fantasy or delusion of being trapped in the wrong body temporarily mutes the impact of significant underlying emotional and psychological problems that are ultimately causing the gender dysphoria in the first place.'”

The Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) has released a new set of guidelines for discussing transgenderism with children, encouraging parents to accept and reinforce their kids’ gender confusion. Continue reading →

On Heresy

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They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. (1 John 2:19a)

Notice that the mark of an antichrist is finally breaking away from New Testament Christianity. All such invariably do. And when they do, they will insist that they are the true mainstream of Christian truth and that we are living in the backwaters of Christian doctrine. John puts this very plainly. The mark of genuineness is continuity in the truth, continuance in true faith. What does he mean by us? Surely not Christendom in general. He means, as he makes clear in the context of this whole letter, those who love the Word of God and who possess the Spirit of God, those who seek to obey the Word in the power of the Spirit. The emphasis he has been making all along is on those who share the life of Christ by the Word of God in the power of the Spirit of God. Heretics will invariably cut themselves off from these people.

If you suggest studying the Scriptures to those who are involved in heresy, you will immediately feel their scorn of the Scriptures. If they read the Bible at all, they cull out certain portions, omitting the parts they do not like, and then they say, Yes, we’ll study the Scriptures right along with you. But if you read what they are studying, you find it to be emasculated of essential truth. We need not fear heresy if we find someone who wishes to study the Scriptures as they are. …   Continue reading on Ray Stedman Daily Devotions

‘Modern Liberalism Is a Religious Movement’ to Replace Christianity

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(Breitbart) Wednesday night on Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” host Tucker Carlson declared “modern liberalism” a religious movement.

Partial transcript as follows:

CARLSON: In the wake of Eric Schneiderman’s resignation as attorney general of New York, some of his long-time friends on the left are professing shock.

You’ve heard them. We just can’t believe it, they say. How can a man so publicly committed to feminism beat women? It just doesn’t make sense. Continue reading →

Gnat-straining, Camel-gorging

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Are you one of those gnat-straining, camel-gorgers? Not sure? Eric Davis of The Cripplegate has a few examples of what he means by this professing Christian may want to consider:

Jesus is the word-picture Jedi. No one commanded communication so colorfully. But he didn’t do it to merely entertain. There is substance; an eternally-mattering goal. Often that goal was piercing.

The seven woes, recorded in Matthew 23, are no exception. “White-washed tombs.” “Serpents, brood of vipers.” “Twice as much a son of hell.” “Blind guides.” But one of the more tragically comedic is verse 24: “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” Continue reading →

Mormons End 100-Year Ties With Boy Scouts, Form Own Group

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The Western Journal’s post mentions that because Mormons wish to “address diverse needs and fortify all children and youth with gospel-centered growth and learning experiences,” they’ve decided to form their own group. What the article leaves out is that  Mormons believe in a different gospel which doesn’t save anyone, therefore it must be condemned. (Gal 1:8)  Mormonism teaches that the true gospel has been perverted and lost so Mormon founder and so-called prophet Joseph Smith was called upon by God to restore the true church. Clearly this organization is not for Christian youth for the reason that it’s a cult. More on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aka Mormonism here.

Now to Scott Kelnhofer’s report: Continue reading →

Catholic University Opens Sex-Segregated Prayer Space For Muslim Students

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(Paul Bios – Daily Wire) “To put it bluntly: of course St. Ambrose didn’t have a substantial enough prayer room for Muslims on campus; it’s a Catholic school. Nobody forced the Muslim students to attend there.”

There’s accommodation, there’s tolerance, and then there’s just plain lack of logic.

The goal of any religiously oriented school, be they Catholic or Jewish or Mormon, is to instill that religion in their students. By the end of their tenure, a student from one of these institutions should either be super Catholic or super Jewish or super Mormon. Given that obvious framework, it seems counter to a Catholic school’s mission statement to provide sex-segregated “safe spaces” for Muslim students to conduct prayer.    View article →

The Current Downgrade of the Evangelical Church

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(Steve Evans – Pulpit & Pen) “Many of us belong to churches that have a low view of sin, but will have a very high view of love and grace. And then some of us are privileged to belong to churches where the true Gospel of Jesus Christ is declared weekly, where people are being called to repentance and pointed to the cross.”

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.  –II Thessalonians 2:3

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth and turned aside to fables. –II Timothy 4:3-4 Continue reading →

Met Gala’s ‘blasphemous’ Catholic theme

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A post over at CNBCNews contains photos of celebrities wearing costumes that deliberately mock Roman Catholics. MET Gala 2018: Heavenly Bodies was billed as a “celebration of God and beauty.” Pop star Rihanna came decked out in a short skirt and Pope-like mitre hat. Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, attended the event. Reportedly, the Vatican provided items for a display on “religious fashions through the ages.” Not surprisingly, many Catholics voiced their outrage and chided celebs for wearing outfits that were blasphemous, disgusting, disrespectful, and accused them of “cultural appropriation” and hypocrisy.

Now to CNBC’s report: Continue reading →

ERLC panel at SBC to address sexual abuse, assault

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(Tom Strode – Baptist Press) Sexual abuse and assault will be subjects of a panel discussion convened by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission on the eve of the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention June 12-13 in Dallas.

The ERLC will sponsor a conversation on some of society’s hottest topics during “Gospel Sexuality in a #MeToo Culture” at 9 p.m. June 11. Panelists will discuss how the Gospel of Jesus guides the Christian view of such subjects not only as sexual assault, abuse and harassment but domestic violence, pornography and infidelity. View article →

A No Holds Barred Response to Beth Moore’s ‘A Letter to My Brothers’

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“I had no personal aspirations to preach nor was it my aim to teach men. If men showed up in my class, I did not throw them out. I taught.”

Bible study author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley was asked the following question:

Did you see Beth Moore’s recent blog post “A Letter to My Brothers“? What do you think about what she said?

Michelle was in no rush to respond, so her reply is very well-thought-out. As you will see, she offers her overall impressions and then addresses a few of Moore’s statements from the letter she penned. Michelle also provides us with a biblical assessment of Beth Moore’s teaching and calls her to task for throwing out “unsubstantiated, generalized accusations against a wide swath of nameless Christian men and churches.”

Now to Michelle Lesley’s no holds barred response: Continue reading →

Cardinal: Pope’s Failure to Transmit Faith Clearly Hints at Apostasy

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The Roman Catholic Church claims to be the one true Church. CRN’s view is that the RCC is apostate. We urge you to read our informative Research Paper and see for yourself that the doctrines long held and taught by the RCC stand in stark contrast with true biblical Christianity.

Now to Michael W. Chapman’s post over at CNSNews. 

In a forceful commentary on Pope Francis’ decision to not give the German bishops clear guidance on whether Protestants married to Catholics may receive Holy Communion at Mass — intercommunion — in some cases, Cardinal William Eijk of the Netherlands said this was “completely incomprehemsible” and reminded him of the Church’s teaching about its “ultimate trial” and “the price of apostasy from the truth.” Continue reading →

Be Certain Of God’s Will

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For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29)

I have a right to ask for anything that God has promised me, but if I go beyond the range of the divine promises, I also go beyond the range of assured and confident expectation.

The promises are very large and very wide, but when one gets a fancy in his head, he must not suppose that God is there, in his fancy. I have known some fanatical persons who thought they could live by faith. Continue reading →

Scaling the NAR language barrier: ‘Local Church’ means ‘One City-wide Church Government’.

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(Churchwatch Central)  “[Brian] Houston and others in Hillsong have recounted again and again that God said to Houston, “I will give you this city.” Obviously Houston was influence by the ‘Kingdom Now!” thinking of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s where it was popular to take “the city for God”. “

Cult expert Walter Martin was a master in understanding ‘cultspeak’, warning people to realize there is a language barrier between Christians and cultists. He stated, Continue reading →

Bethel Music and Bieber Sang It. But Do We Really Believe in ‘Reckless Love’?

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(Kate Shellnutt – Christianity Today)  “CT asked Christian music experts to weigh in on “Reckless Love.” Most agreed that it’s a good thing for Christians to examine the theology beneath catchy lyrics—and said it’d be reckless not to.”

Bethel Music’s Cory Asbury hit it big with his song about the “the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.”

It’s also back at the top of Billboard’s hot Christian songs chart, thanks to a boost from none other than Justin Bieber, who recently posted a clip of himself singing the chorus on Instagram before performing the song as part of an impromptu worship set during the Coachella music festival in California. Earlier this year, Israel Houghton offered his gospel cover. Continue reading →

Jesus the Christ

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But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Acts 2:24

Here revealed is the power of God among men — the resurrection power of God, a power which man cannot duplicate. Resurrection power is the ability to bring life out of death, to correct a situation which is hopeless, to change a person who is irremediable — that is resurrection power. Continue reading on Ray Stedman Devotions

 

Live for Life Everlasting

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“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)

I would that all men at this hour abounded in almsgiving, but specially those who are followers of the loving Jesus. Regard your transactions from the standpoint of eternity.

Weigh what you do, not as it may be thought of by men of the world, but as it will be judged by yourself when you behold in the heavenly country the face of Him you love! I do not want you to have to say when you come to die, “I have had large possessions, but I have been a bad steward. Continue reading →

The Holiness of God and the Sinfulness of Man

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(R.C. Sproul – Ligonier Ministries) One word that crystallizes the essence of the Christian faith is the word grace. One of the great mottos of the Protestant Reformation was the Latin phrase sola gratia—by grace alone. This phrase wasn’t invented by the sixteenth-century Reformers. Its roots are in the theology of Augustine of Hippo, who used it to call attention to the central concept of Christianity, that our redemption is by grace alone, that the only way a human being can ever find himself reconciled to God is by grace. That concept is so central to the teaching of Scripture that to even mention it seems like an insult to people’s intelligence; yet, if there is a dimension of Christian theology that has become obscured in the last few generations, it is grace. Continue reading →

‘Show pornography in sex ed lessons’, C4 presenter

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(The Christian Institute) “Parents would be in outcry, but so what.”

Pornography being shown in sex education would be “very helpful” for children, a doctor and TV presenter has alleged.

Dr Christian Jessen, who presented Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies, made the claim during an interview with The Daily Telegraph.

He called for parents to make their kids “cringe and squirm” by watching pornography with them, and said it would also be helpful in sex ed lessons.  View article →

A Letter Back to Beth Moore from Seth Dunn

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Beth Moore took a selfie with uber false teacher Joyce Meyer while promoting unbiblical unity on Meyer’s show.

From Seth Dunn to Beth Moore:

Dear Beth, 

Today you wrote a letter to your brothers in Christ.  Allow me to respond. 

Be silent.  You are not a good Bible teacher.  You preach and write about yourself all the time as is if you were a character in the Biblical story.  You’re not.  You are a character in the farcical and cruel story of the evangelical industrial complex. I read Believing God recently; it was one of the worst Christian books that I have ever read.  It pains me to know that so many women erroneously think that you are a good source for biblical teaching.  You are not.  Let me be clear, you aren’t a terrible Bible teacher because you are a woman, you are a terrible Bible teacher because you are not good at teaching the Bible.  That you are a woman is irrelevant. Continue reading →

When Psychological ‘Science’ Defines Ultimate Cosmology

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(Peter Jones – truthXchange) “The great danger is that the state, in classic Marxist fashion, and in the name of psychological science, will take on the religious role of defining the “true” mystery of human life and will impose that definition on other religious views of human life, punishing by the power of the state those who disagree. A totalitarian state always claims religious authority.” 

Assembly member Evan Low (D-Cupertino), Chair of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, has recently introduced Assembly Bill 2943, declaring “homosexual conversion therapy” a fraudulent and therefore unlawful practice in the state of California. Continue reading →

Amazon Boots Christian Nonprofit From Donations Program Because Of SPLC’s ‘Hate List’

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(Bre Payton – The Federalist) A non-profit, public interest law firm which focuses on religious freedom issues has been booted from AmazonSmile, after the Southern Poverty Law Center deemed the law firm a “hate group.”

In a statement released Thursday, Alliance for Defending Freedom President Michael Farris said the law firm has been excluded from the retail giant’s program, which donates a small portion of purchases to the nonprofit of the customer’s choice. Farris said the firm’s exclusion is the result of Amazon’s reliance upon SPLC, an organization that has long been regarded as a glorified direct-mail scam that profits from hate-mongering.  View article →