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

Willow Creek Promises Investigation Amid New Allegations Against Bill Hybels

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

(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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

(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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

(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 →

Glenn Beck Selling His Private Jet as His Media Empire Crumbles

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(Breitbart) Glenn Beck is reportedly downsizing his assets as his media empire dwindles, posting his private jet for sale for an undisclosed amount on a site that sells used aircraft.

The Daily Beast reported that Beck listed his 1966 DC9-15 aircraft–which he purchased for $1 million in 2015–for sale on Controller, a online retailer for used aircraft.

The jet’s registration number listed on the website, N8860, is the same Federal Aviation Administration registration number given to a jet belonging to Mercury Radio Arts—Beck’s radio production company. Continue reading →

Exorcism by cellphone: Beating the devil in the 21st century

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Catholics are not the only ones who make use of their Smartphones to communicate with spirits. While on stage in front of hundreds of (undiscerning) fans, Shawn Bolz, who supposedly has a prophetic and healing anointing, uses his phone to foretell a person’s future. He claims he can see deceased folks in heaven and pass down messages from them. If you’re thinking, “That’s spiritualism,” you’re right. Evidently Shawn Bolz isn’t aware that spiritualism is expressly forbidden by God. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)

But this is not about John Edward wanna be Shawn Bolz.

In a piece from Reuters we learn that some Catholics have taken to their Smartphones to perform exorcisms on people who are allegedly possessed by demons. Philip Puella has the story: Continue reading →

Benny Hinn’s Nephew Calls Bethel Church Leader Kris Vallotton ‘False Prophet’ Who ‘Deceives People’

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(Leah MarieAnn Klett – Christian Post) “In a recent interview with Justin Peters, Hinn further opened up about the extreme lifestyle his uncle kept while traveling the world to preach his prosperity gospel.”

Costi Hinn, the nephew of Benny Hinn who frequently speaks out against his uncle’s “prosperity theology,” called Bethel Church leader Kris Vallotton a “false prophet” who rakes in “easy money” by “deceiving people.”

Vallotton, senior associate leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, recently shared a photo on his Facebook page showing where his luxury car had been keyed by an unknown assailant. Continue reading →

Two publishers suspend publication of books by megachurch pastor Hybels in wake of misconduct allegations

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(Manya Brachear Pashman – Chicago Tribune) Two Christian book publishers have suspended publication of books by Bill Hybels, the megachurch pastor and best-selling author who stepped down from the helm of Willow Creek Community Church amid allegations of improper conduct with women.

Tyndale House Publishers in Carol Stream has suspended its plans to publish “Everyone Wins When a Leader Gets Better,” which was scheduled for release in August. That month, Hybels was to have hosted the renowned Global Leadership Summit, a conference sponsored by the related nonprofit Willow Creek Association, but Hybels bowed out of that as well. Continue reading →

Embracing Christ’s View of Scripture

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(Terry Mortenson – Answers In Genesis) Most Christians at least give lip-service to following Christ. But what about His view of the Old Testament? How highly did He esteem its claims, both in His life and in His teaching, and do we embrace Scripture with the same zeal?

How extensively did Jesus trust and live by the Scriptures, which in His day were only the books of the Old Testament? How did He treat them in comparison to other claims of truth? After all, if Jesus is our Savior and Lord, shouldn’t we share the same view? Continue reading →

Boomerang: Since Left’s Boycott Began, Ingraham Viewership Up 20%

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(NewsBusters) A funny thing has happened since the Left began its campaign to drive Fox News host Laura Ingraham off the air: Her ratings are up, a lot — by more than 20 percent compared to her last week on the air before the current controversy began.

The leftist-organized advertiser boycott began on March 29, after Ingraham tweeted about Parkland high school anti-gun activist David Hogg, and continued in spite of Ingraham’s quick apology.

As of Friday, April 13, 27 companies had announced they would pull their advertising from the show, but one — Ace Hardware — announced it would resume its sponsorship of the Ingraham Angle, citing the “incomplete” information it had when it originally announced its withdrawal. View article →

Pope tells crying child that his atheist dad could be in heaven

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“He was a good man … he had a good heart” … “God surely was proud of your father” said the pope to the tearful little boy. Was the boy’s father a good man as the pope claimed? According to Romans 3:10:  “None is righteous, no, not one.” What does the Bible teach on salvation? “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 So, are there any atheists in heaven? The scriptures clearly teach that people are saved by faith alone in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At the final judgment those who reject Christ are separated from God for all eternity … and sent to the lake of fire.

Now to Kathleen N. Hattrup’s report over at Aleteia: Continue reading →

Brian Houston: ‘Jesus became you, so that you could become Him…’

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(Churchwatch Central) Brian Houston recently made the claim that, “Jesus became you, so that you could become Him.” You can watch the footage below and read the transcript. Watch the clip in context and if you agree or disagree with us quoting him, ask yourself this question – why does he think this and why did he even say it? [The video is no longer available – it was pulled from Youtube, as often happens. So CWC did an update that includes Houston’s sermon podcast. Watch it here.]

What other biblically qualified teacher would say this?

The reality is that we have been waiting for Brian Houston to say something like this for a long time. Why? … Continue reading →

Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry – Normalizing Mysticism

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Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry is nothing of the sort. It’s a sham. Just a way Bethel Church leaders have devised to get their hooks into people, especially undiscerning young people. If you’re unfamiliar with Bethel Church in Redding CA, the senior pastor is the notorious  “Apostle” Bill Johnson.  For reasons that will become clear, Bethel is considered by some to be a cult. (More on Bethel Redding here.)  Its leaders prey on those who are unschooled in the scriptures, as you will see in Rick Becker’s piece over at Famine In the Land. Becker begins with this warning: Continue reading →

The Four Terrible Things That Are Destroying Boys In Our Culture

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(Matt Walsh – Daily Wire) “He goes to school and his female classmates are dressed like strippers. He goes anywhere and that’s how the women are dressed. It seems that everyone is doing everything they can to make a degenerate and a creep out of him, even as they demand that he control himself.”

Our culture is very bad for boys. It’s bad for girls, too. It’s bad for everyone. But I think we fail to recognize and appreciate the unique struggles that boys face. Partly we fail to recognize it because we are too busy worrying about the Patriarchy’s persecution of women. Partly we fail to recognize it because, collectively, we just don’t care that much about boys. Partly we fail to recognize it because men are not as likely to talk about their own plight. And partly a man will not talk about it because everyone, even his fellow men, will only laugh at him and downplay the problem. Continue reading →

Tyndale Sued by Boy Who Didn’t Come Back from Heaven

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(Kate Shellnutt – Christianity Today) After growing up and retracting his controversial account of “coming back from heaven,” 20-year-old Alex Malarkey is now suing the Christian publisher who made his story famous, then infamous.

Malarkey, who was left paralyzed and spent two weeks in a coma after a 2004 car accident, filed a lawsuit this month against Christian publisher Tyndale House for associating his name with the controversial book coauthored with his father,The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven, and not paying him for the story. Continue reading →

Remembering Elliot Miller

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(Eric Pement – Executive Director EMNR)  Former EMNR board member Elliot Miller passed into the presence of the Lord Jesus on April 11, 2018. Born in 1951, Elliot turned to Eastern mysticism and meditation during the Age of Aquarius in the 1960s, experimented with drugs and psychedelics, but in his confusion was confronted and converted by the real Christ during the Jesus Movement of the late sixties and early seventies. Southern California in that era provided many coffeehouses, cults, and communes, and Elliot lived for a while in one of the Christian communes in the west coast. I believe it was called Shiloh. Continue reading →

You Can’t Love Jesus with a Heart Full of Hate: 7 Reasons to Love and Forgive Your Enemies

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Bible study author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley offers 7 reasons God gives us in His Word to love and forgive our enemies. Here’s one example: You Can’t Love Jesus With A Heart Full Of Unforgiveness. The reason she gives is that “Your enemy – that person you hate and refuse to forgive because he hurt you – has sinned infinitely more against a holy and righteous God than he could ever sin against you.”  Sadly, most Christians never even consider that all sin is first and foremost against a holy God.

Now discover 6 more reasons Christians must forgive those who have sinned against them: Continue reading →

Drop in U.S. Catholic Church Attendance Under Pope Francis Sharpest in Decades

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(Thomas D. Williams – Breitbart) Catholic church attendance in the United States fell by six percent between the pontificates of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, the sharpest drop in decades, a new Gallup poll has revealed.

An average of 39 percent of U.S. Catholics attended church weekly during the heart of the Francis papacy, from 2014 to 2017, Gallup found in a survey released April 9, which represents a significant drop from the 45 percent of Catholics who attended weekly Mass from 2005 to 2008, in the early years of the Benedict pontificate. View article →

Read Our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

God is holding on to you

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

(Warren Peel – Gentle Reformation)  Over and over again God reassures his people that he is holding on to us by his right hand. In Isaiah 41.10, for example: ‘…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ That is a wonderful promise to comfort us—our heavenly Father will not let us go. Even if we might try to break free of his grip and let go of him, he is holding on to us tightly and keeping us safe.

This is one way of picturing the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Every true believer will inevitably make it safely home to glory because the Lord is preserving him or her. We persevere because he preserves us; we keep on going because he goes on keeping. The two halves of Psalm 63.8 reflect the two sides of the doctrine of perseverance: ‘My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.’ Our souls go on clinging to God in faith because his right hand is upholding us. View article →

‘Fake Weed’ Is Leading to Cases of Severe Bleeding

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(LifeZette) “Despite the perception that synthetic cannabinoids are safe and a legal alternative to marijuana, many are illegal and can cause severe illness.” 

Emergency rooms in Illinois are noticing a spike in synthetic pot users suffering from severe bleeding, and state health officials are warning the public to remain vigilant.

The Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) issued a statement on in March announcing that at least six people in northeastern Illinois had been hospitalized after using the man-made substance — also known as “fake weed,” “K2,” or “spice.” On Wednesday, the number of cases climbed to 118, including three deaths, the health department reported. View article →