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 Does Jesus’ Death Accomplish?

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(Stacie McKeever – Answers In Genesis) If Jesus suffered the punishment for death on our behalf, why do we still die?

Consider further the following:

  • Our sins are removed from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).
  • We are set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1–4), yet we continue to sin (Paul chronicled his struggle in Romans 7).
  • Jesus “has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4), yet many continue to suffer from horrible illnesses even after they receive the gift of eternal life.
  • The kingdom of God is one of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), yet we continue to cry and experience great sorrow.

Continue reading →

Jordan Peterson, Jung, and Hope for the Faint-Hearted

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Who is Jordan Peterson? If you don’t already know, you will, as he’s the West’s “hottest intellectual.”  Dr. Peterson’s website informs us that he’s a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, a clinical psychologist, a public speaker, and the and author of “12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos.” He’s become a regular guest on the popular  Fox News show Tucker Carlson Tonight and perhaps other Fox shows as well.  Because of his popularity among people of faith, Dr. Peter Jones thought it was important to put up a warning flag about this man. What you’ll learn about him may surprise you. For one thing, he’s a big fan of famous Swiss psychologist and occultist Carl Jung.  Why does this matter? You’re about to find out. Continue reading →

CNN Host Baffled Over Charisma Magazine Founder’s ‘Willful Blindness’ in Placing Trump’s Policies Over Personal Character

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Charismatic journalist Stephen Strang’s skilled tap-dance around CNN host’s straight-forward questions rivals that of the greatest tap dancer of all time, Fred Astaire. Heather Clark of Christian News Network has the story:

CNN “New Day” co-host Alisyn Camerota grilled Charisma Magazine founder Stephen Strang on Wednesday in asking why he and other evangelicals continue to unconditionally support Donald Trump and seemingly brush aside or overlook alleged impropriety in his personal life. Continue reading →

51% of Churchgoers Don’t Know of the Great Commission

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According to new research conducted by the Barna Report, a large number of U.S. Christians are clueless that the Lord Jesus  gave specific instructions to His followers to make disciples (share the Gospel of salvation with the lost and teach them the entirety of God’s truth found in the Bible) as they go about their daily lives. Here’s Barna’s stunning report:

Matthew 28:18-20 is the most well-known biblical record of what is commonly referred to extra-biblically as “the Great Commission.” But despite the significance of these and other verses that call Christians to “go and make disciples of all nations,” a surprising proportion of churchgoing Christians in the U.S. are generally unaware of these famous words from Jesus. Continue reading →

Good Friday Was Not Cosmic Child Abuse

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The account of the crucifixion of Christ is found in the New Testament:

    • Matthew 27:33-36, And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
    • Luke 23:33, And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
    • John 19:17-18, They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.

Josh Buice reminds us that “The entire scene of the cross is filled with brutality, blood, insult, shame, and death.” So, why do Christians call the day Christ was nailed to a cross Good Friday? Should we really think of His brutal crucifixion as a good day….or was it, as some say, actually “cosmic child abuse”? In his blog post over at Delivered By Grace, Pastor Buice takes on the naysayers. He writes:  

On Good Friday each year, Christians remember the most glorious sacrifice and the most horrific murder that ever occurred in human history. Why do we refer to the Friday after Thanksgiving as “Black Friday” and the Friday before Easter “Good Friday”? Should they be reversed? It’s the day set aside on the calendar to remember the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of his people and the heinous murder of God’s Son. Why would we celebrate that day as a good day? Many people flow through Good Friday as if it’s a normal day and they give little to no recognization for the significance of what happened on the day Jesus died. Others celebrate it from a heart of worship. Still others mock the day—calling it cosmic child abuse.  Famed atheist Richard Dawkins writes the following:

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. [1]

Is God guilty of abusing his Son on the cross? According to Isaiah 53, “It pleased the LORD (YHWH) to crush him (Jesus)” (Is. 53:10). Some have stated that the Father was “well pleased” with his Son at the baptism (Matt. 3:17), and then he was vengeful with his Son on the cross. How should we reconcile such statements? Why was Good Friday a good day? How can the death of Jesus be considered a good thing? Is it cosmic child abuse worthy of laughter or substitutionary sacrifice worthy of worship? View article →

The Awful Reality of Hell

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“They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 42). – Matthew 13:24-43

The doctrine of eternal punishment, though unpopular and frightening, is found as a part of the confession of every branch of the Christian church. It has only been in the last century that under the influence of liberalism some have denied the reality of hell. There was a time when preachers proclaimed that “man is very bad and God is really mad.” In those days there was revival, and the church was strong and influential. Then in the nineteenth century it was decided that “man is not so bad, and God surely is not mad.” We reap the rewards of this spineless “Christianity” in society today.   View article →

Pope Francis: ‘There Is No Hell’

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(Michael W. Chapman – CNSNews) In another interview with his longtime atheist friend, Eugenio Scalfari, Pope Francis claims that Hell does not exist and that condemned souls just “disappear.” This is a denial of the 2,000-year-old teaching of the Catholic Church about the reality of Hell and the eternal existence of the soul.

The interview between Scalfari and the Pope was published March 28, 2018 in La Repubblica. The relevant section on Hell was translated by the highly respected web log, Rorate Caeli. Continue reading →

Sin Didn’t Kill Jesus—God Did

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(Tim Challies) This sponsored post is adapted from The Gospel According to God: Rediscovering the Most Remarkable Chapter in the Old Testament by John MacArthur—a book explaining the prophetic words of Isaiah 53 verse by verse, highlighting important connections to the history of Israel, the New Testament, and our lives today.

A Shocking Truth

The reality of Christ’s vicarious, substitutionary death on our behalf is the heart of the gospel according to God—the central theme of Isaiah 53. Continue reading →

‘Roseanne’ BLOWS UP In The Ratings. Trump Supporters Cheer. But There’s One Really Big Problem For Conservatives.

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(Ben Shapiro – Dailywire) On Tuesday night, Roseanne’s reboot premiered — and it blew up in the ratings. Fully 18.2 million Americans between the ages of 18-49 watched the show. It received a 5.1 rating. It was the best Tuesday night premier for ABC since 2006. Americans tuned in in shocking numbers.

Many conservatives are overjoyed at this — they see it as a cultural moment of great import, because Roseanne’s character is a Trump supporter. She shellacks Hillary on the show. Her sister, a purported Hillary supporter, couldn’t even bring herself to vote Hillary — she voted for Jill Stein. Continue reading →

New CBS Sitcom ‘Living Biblically’ Decried as ‘Hollywood Mockery of Christians’

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(Heather Clark – Christian News Network) “The script for Living Biblically reads like it has been written by your typical, cynical, atheistic, internet trolls, as the story lines feed into almost every stereotypical caricature of Christianity that we find on the World Wide Web.”

Despite its producers stated intentions not to be offensive, but to bring religion into primetime television, a blasphemous new sitcom on CBS called “Living Biblically” is being decried as a “Hollywood mockery of Christians” and in need of prayer itself. Continue reading →

Backlash after Planned Parenthood branch tweets: ‘We need a Disney princess who’s had an abortion’

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(Fox News) A local Planned Parenthood office in Pennsylvania had some advice for the creators at Disney Tuesday after tweeting about the need for princesses who have “had an abortion” or are “trans.”

The tweet from Planned Parenthood Keystone, which was viewed by Fox News but has since been deleted, said, “We need a disney princess who’s had an abortion. We need a disney princess who’s pro-choice. We need a disney princess who’s an undocumented immigrant. We need a disney princess who’s actually a union worker. We need a disney princess who’s trans.” View article →

EC’s Frank Page resigns over ‘personal failing’

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(Baptist Press) Frank S. Page has resigned as president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, effective today (March 27) over what is described as “a morally inappropriate relationship in the recent past.”

Florida pastor Stephen Rummage, chairman of the Executive Committee, released a 300-word statement Tuesday afternoon (March 27) in behalf of the EC’s officers noting the circumstances of Page’s resignation:

“Last evening, the officers of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee met via phone conference with Dr. Frank Page during which he announced his plans for retirement. Today, I spoke with Dr. Page and learned that his retirement announcement was precipitated by a morally inappropriate relationship in the recent past. Continue reading →

March for Our Lives Says Gov’t Is Our Savior — It’s Not

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(Michael Anthony – FaithZette) Be very aware of what this movement is about — and how many of our freedoms are under threat

Let’s get something straight quickly, as the March for Our Lives events all across the country on Saturday, March 24, 2018, continue to spur discussion and debate: It’s not the federal government’s job to create freedom, but rather to get out of the way and let freedom happen.

Freedom comes from God, not the government.

More and more, the federal government appears to be replacing God — and so many people seem to love it. Continue reading →

Transgender Proudly Admits to Drugging Attendees at Conservative Conference

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(The Western Journal) A transgender woman claimed to be drugging attendees of a conservative conference in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday morning.

The biological male and an alleged Starbucks employee — identified on Twitter as “Lauren” — claimed to be slipping estrogen pills into the drinks of unsuspecting customers at the conference.

“I love my job at the phoenix convention center starbucks and i love slipping my spare estradiol pills in the coffee of anyone wearing a #WesternConservativeConference lanyard,” Lauren tweeted. View article →

‘In Christ Alone’ Dropped From Presbyterian Church Hymnal Over Lyric Dispute And Scriptural Debate

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(HuffPost) Fans of a beloved contemporary Christian hymn won’t get any satisfaction in a new church hymnal.

The committee putting together a new hymnal for the Presbyterian Church (USA) dropped the popular hymn “In Christ Alone” because the song’s authors refused to change a phrase about the wrath of God.

The original lyrics say that “on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.” The Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song wanted to substitute the words, “the love of God was magnified.” View article →  …  Disclaimer

LGBT Activist Rewrites ‘Little Women’ To Make Main Character A Lesbian

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(Paul Bios – Dailywire) “I wanted to see ourselves in the characters”

According to an exclusive by Entertainment Weekly, Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel “Little Women” will be “reimagined” in a graphic novel in honor of its 150th anniversary. Except this one will have a twist: The title character Jo March will be lesbian.

“A whole new generation is about to be introduced to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, the classic novel will be adapted into a vibrant graphic novel form for young readers, in celebration of its 150th anniversary,” reports EW.  View article →

Come Out From Them and Be Separate

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Here’s Mike Riccardi’s latest installment of a series he’s writing on those “whom the faithful Christian minister may legitimately partner with in ministry,” a series we highly recommend. In this installment he urges Bible believers not to unite in ministry with the world, “even that part of the world that goes to church and calls themselves worshipers of Jesus.” He describes who these people are and explains why we shouldn’t even pray with them, and that includes those who identify as Roman Catholics. In Riccardi’s view it’s unthinkable to join hands and pray with apostates. It’s also unbiblical, as you will see in his piece over at The Cripplegate. He writes: Continue reading →

Nunes: We Found Links Between Clinton, the Democrat Party, and Russia

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(The Western Journal) As Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump-Russia collusion continues to bear down on Washington, one House Intelligence Committee member stated that it was not Republicans America had to worry about, but Democrats.

House Chairman Devin Nunes spoke to Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Features” to reveal who he claims to be the true antagonist in the collusion between Russia and the U.S.

“We’ve been listening for over a year to the Democrats in this country scare the American people saying they have evidence of collusion with the Russians — no they don’t,” Nunes said. “We also found no collusion between the Trump campaign,” he added. “But we did find links between the Clinton [campaign] and the Democratic Party to the Russians.” View article →

After years of inquiries, Willow Creek pastor denies misconduct allegations

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(Manya Brachear Pashman and Jeff Coen – Chicago Tribune) “Many of the women who spoke with the Tribune were loath to come forward for fear of betraying a man who had encouraged their leadership in a way that no other pastor had before and undermining a ministry that has transformed thousands of lives. But when they heard there were other women who had similar stories to tell, even in the last year, they said their silence could not last.”

Last October, the Rev. Bill Hybels stood before worshippers at his packed sanctuary and made a stunning announcement. After 42 years building northwest suburban Willow Creek Community Church into one of the nation’s most iconic and influential churches, Hybels was planning to step down as senior pastor. Continue reading →

SFO Airport Terminal Will Be Named After Sexual Predator Harvey Milk

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(Paul Bios – Dailywire) “Gerald Dols, a Christian convert, explained in a 2008 radio interview with Concerned Women for America that Harvey Milk convinced him to run away from his family in Minnesota and join him in San Francisco when Dols was just a teenager.”

When the world discovered that actor Kevin Spacey had an alleged penchant for underage boys, the world rightfully shunned him from the public space. Civil rights icon Harvey Milk, on the other hand, has received no such condemnation and has now been lifted to progressive sainthood.  View article →

Vatican Cracks Down on Critics of Pope Francis

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(Thomas T. Williams – Breitbart) The Vatican has taken new measures to punish critics of Pope Francis in a move that seems to belie the pope’s earlier calls for greater dialogue and debate within the Church.

On Thursday, the Rome-based Sovereign Order of Malta, which reports directly to the Holy See, suspended historian Henry Sire after he was revealed to be the author of the bestselling book The Dictator Pope: The Inside Story of the Francis Papacy, a critical examination of the pontificate of Pope Francis. View article →

See our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

True Spirituality

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…who put no confidence in the flesh. Phil 3:3b

The measure of true spirituality is in contrast to those who put confidence in some self-effort. Paul says, we put no confidence in the flesh. We are living in an age that continually strives to get us to put confidence in the flesh. We are taught from childhood that the way to become proficient and competent and accomplish our aims and desires is to develop our self-confidence. This is what destroys human life.

Self-confidence is not intended to be our strength, but rather it’s to be our confidence in God. We were intended to face life recognizing we are weak, ineffectual, and unable, that it might drive us back upon the one who is totally adequate, and can be our total strength. This is the way God intended us to live. Therefore, the spirit of self-confidence is the most deadly lie that has ever been perpetrated upon the human race. Continue reading on Ray Stedman Daily Devotions