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

‘Bethelated’ spirits? Bethel teaching we can walk through walls & walk on water

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Kevin Dedmon is responsible for the majority of bizarre Bethel Church practices .

(Churchwatch Central) Back in 2008 with many involved in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), the Lakeland revival was going on – with Todd Bentley being recognized as a New Breed (little god) on earth. This theology came out of the New Order of the Latter Rain (NOLR). (That is the sonship spirit, the power gospel and the kenotic Christ.)

‘Prophet’ Paul Cain (a heavy advocate of the NAR), announced he was now seeing the fulfillment of what the NOLR prophesied about the New Breed when he prayed for Todd Bentley. (Cain was involved in the NOLR.) Continue reading →

Bad Examples of Women Pastors (But Great Examples of Godly Women)

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Should there be equality in the roles of men and women as many Christians believe?  Or has God gifted women to fulfill only the roles He has specifically designed for them…. which does not include women becoming pastors, nor is it a woman’s role to teach men.

In this piece over at Junction City, Gabriel Hughes discusses the role of women in the Church. He writes:

In 1 Timothy 2:11-12, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” The context here is church leadership, an instruction that continues into chapter 3. A woman is not permitted to be a pastor in a church (elder, bishop, overseer, etc.). Only a man can be a pastor. Continue reading →

Chip and Joanna Gaines Announce New Partnership With Tim Tebow

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙

The final season of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” promises to share moments with some very special guests, and viewers are sure to recognize the famous faces.

Joanna and Chip Gaines welcomed former first lady Laura Bush to the set for the upcoming episode “A Model Cabin Makeover,” where the couple will be renovating the home of friend and metal artist Jimmy Don Holmes.

According to Country Living, the renovation reality stars have a budget of no more than $70,000 to renovate Holmes’ small outdated home into his mountain-living dream home. View article →

Reprise: Responses to the Most Frequently Raised Discernment Objections

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First posted in January 2017

Bible study author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley responds to those who take her to task for “naming names.” Her answer to #6 “You’re being unkind, unloving, ungodly, divisive, hateful, self-righteous, mean, critical, etc. for calling out false teachers” is spot on.  You will find Michelle’s responses to the opposition a great help in contending with scoffers.  She writes:

Discernment- it’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it. While I’m a women’s discipleship blogger rather than a discernment blogger, discernment is part of discipleship. And it’s sorely lacking among Christian women today, which is why it’s regularly featured in my writing. Continue reading →

Why Dr. Michael Brown Has No Credibility

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In 2016, Anthony Wade came down hard on Christian apologist Michael Brown for showing a stunning lack of discernment over the years. In light of  the company he keeps (see the wolves he associates with here), should we have any confidence in Dr. Brown at all? Should someone who knowingly runs with ravenous wolves be considered credible? “Who we choose to lend our credibility to matters to the people who see us and listen to us,” reminds Wade.

Surprisingly, even though there’s an abundance of evidence to prove that Michael Brown, who is a charismatic, shares much of the of NAR false signs and wonders beliefs, some highly regarded Christian luminaries choose to not only defend him, they go to great lengths to marginalize his critics.  Anthony Wade, who happens to be an Assemblies of God pastor and a cessationist, says that as far as he’s concerned Dr. Brown has lost all credibility.  In a blog post over at 8:28 Ministries, Wade explains why he believes the Christian community should be very wary of Dr. Michael Brown. He writes: Continue reading →

AND THE WINNERS ARE: Trump Gives Out The Top 10 Fake News Awards For 2017

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(Ryan Saavedra – Dailywire) President Donald Trump and the GOP recognized the worst the media had to offer in 2017 on Wednesday with the Fake News Awards.

The press release highlighted reports from Harvard, the Media Research Center, and Pew Research Center that show the media has given the president overwhelming negative coverage through their highly-biased coverage.

The GOP released the top 10 winners of the 2017 Fake News Awards: View article →

To Whom Shall We Go?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

“You do not want to leave too, do you?Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God. (John 6:67-69)

Here is the mark of the true believer: He cannot quit! When Jesus said to them, Will you go away also? it is clear that he would have let them go if they had wanted to. He does not hold anybody against his will. Responding to our Lord’s words, Peter says three wonderful things:  View article →

President Trump Slams Roe v. Wade in March for Life Address: ‘It’s Wrong. It Needs to Change’

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President Donald Trump described the March for Life as a “movement born out of love” during his address to pro-life advocates Friday in Washington, D.C.

Trump is the first sitting president to address the March for Life. He spoke to the crowd live from the Rose Garden, with Vice President Mike Pence and pro-life advocates gathered around him.

“You come from many backgrounds, many places but you come for one beautiful cause,” Trump said, praising the pro-life advocates gathered on the Mall. “You come to build a society where life is loved, protected and cherished. … You are a movement born out of love.” Continue reading →

‘Pope Francis’ Places Crown on Head of Statue of Mary During Visit to Chile

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Photo credit Vatican News

Jorge Bergoglio, the leader of Roman Catholicism who is also known as “Pope Francis,” placed a crown on the head of a statue of Mary during his visit to Chile on Tuesday.

The coronation took place during mass at O’Higgins Park in Santiago, where the tens of thousands in attendance watched Bergoglio place a crown on the head of the Christ child, and then also on the head of Mary. In Chile, the statue is known as “Our Lady of Mount Carmel,” who is also known by Roman Catholics in the country as the patron saint and “queen” of Chile. View article →

See our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

90% of Network Coverage of President Trump Negative in 2017

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From Inauguration Day (January 20) through the end of 2017 (December 31), the three evening newscasts aired 3,430 stories that talked about either President Trump or his administration, totaling 99 hours, 3 minutes of airtime – about 34 percent of all evening news.

Thus, one out of every three minutes of broadcast evening news coverage was devoted to the Trump story last year, a new Media Research Center (MRC) studyshows.

Investigation into alleged Russia “collusion” was the top item covered (1,234 minutes) – getting more than ten times the attention of the second-most covered topic: response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia (104 minutes). View article →

A New Prophet Chosen for the LDS Church

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LDS Prophet Russell M. Nelson

(Eric Davis – The Cripplegate) Yesterday, a new prophet of the 16-million-member Mormon church was announced. Ninety-three-year-old Russell Nelson will now serve as the 17th prophet and president of the LDS faith. Nelson was set apart and ordained for the position on Sunday, January 14th, at the Salt Lake City temple. The announcement came in a live-streamed broadcast from the temple yesterday morning. Joined by newly selected First Counselor, Dallin Oaks, and Second Counselor Henry Eyring, Nelson gave a short address followed by questions from various individuals from the press. In his earlier days, Nelson was an accomplished cardiothoracic surgeon, having helped pioneer various advances in the field. He then has served as a Mormon apostle since 1984.

For those less familiar with the process, this brings up a few questions: What is the position of prophet in Mormonism? What is the history behind the position? How is a new prophet chosen? And how does this line up with the 66 books of Scripture? Continue reading →

Only 24% of Catholic Women Attend Mass Weekly

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According to Michael W. Chapman of CNS News, a majority of professing Catholic women objectively disobey the Church’s teaching on pretty much everything. Are those who disobey the Roman Catholic hierarchy true Catholics?

Chapman has the details of the survey:

A new survey shows that only 24% of Catholic women of all ages in America attend Mass once a week — Sunday Mass attendance is mandatory in Catholic teaching — but for those women born prior to the liberal reforms of Vatican II, a higher percentage (53%) of them go to Mass weekly.  View article →

See our Research Paper on the Roman Catholic Church

Other Religions’ View of ‘Human Life’ Versus God’s View of ‘Human Life

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(Bodie Hodge – Answers In Genesis) Human life—is it precious? Or is it no different from the life of a mosquito? Human life—is it worth living? Or should we just kill whomever we want? Save a human baby? Or sacrifice our children? From the baby in the womb to the elderly in the nursing home—are they made in the image of God? Or made in the image of an animal?

These are serious questions that impact life or death—perhaps your own one day. Our culture is in dire need of direction. You would think these questions would be easy to answer, but depending on your worldview or religion, the answers can be trickier than you may think. View article →

President Donald Trump will become first president to participate in the national event via live satellite feed from the White House

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(LifeZette) White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced Wednesday that President Donald Trump will become the first sitting president to address the March for Life in Washington, D.C., via satellite feed — very good news for the pro-life community.

“This will take place from the Rose Garden,” said Sanders. “The president is committed to protecting the life of the unborn, and he is excited to be part of this historic event.” View article →

Michael Brown is Either Forgetful or a Liar: Rosebrough Pulls Brown Quotes From the Dumpster

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(Pulpit & Pen) Michael Brown recently said that Hank Hanegraaff – who left Christianity for the idolatry and heretical doctrines of the Eastern Orthodox Church – still affirmed all the “fundamentals” of the Christian religion. Perhaps being a scholar in Hebrew doesn’t exactly equate to an educated opinion on interfaith apologetics, but Eastern Orthodoxy, in case you didn’t know, denies Penal Substitution, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, and promotes things like the veneration of Mary, Saints, and icons. This apparent inability to recognize what is and is not authentic Christianity didn’t stop James White at Elephant Room 3 from bringing on Michael Brown to discuss together why he (and according to Brown, charismatics like Heidi Baker and Bill Johnson) are orthodox (lower-case “o”) believers. Continue reading →

6 Deadly Enemies of Marriage

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Tim Challies reminds Christian couples that “Kneeling at the bedside or sitting by the fire, the husband and the wife meet with the Lord together, praising him for his goodness and grace, confessing their sin against him and against one another, and pleading for his wisdom and help.”  Tim urges us to consider what he believes are 6 deadly enemies of marriage:

Marriage is under attack. Marriage has always been under attack. The world, the flesh and the devil are all adamantly opposed to marriage, and especially to marriages that are distinctly Christian. Marriage, after all, is given by God to strengthen his people and to glorify himself; little wonder, then, that it is constantly a great battleground.

I have been thinking recently about some of the foremost foes of Christian marriage and, really, the foremost foes I see creeping up to assault my own marriage. Here are 6 deadly enemies of marriage, and Christian marriage in particular. Continue reading →

Is She a False Teacher? 7 Steps to Figuring it Out on Your Own

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Bible study author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley gives her perspective on how to determine who the wolves in sheep’s clothing are and why we should steadfastly avoid them.  “Birds of a feather flock together,” reminds Michelle.  “If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. Bad company corrupts good morals. It’s all true. A teacher who frequently, favorably, and unrepentantly associates herself with false teachers should be avoided.”

To find out if a Bible teacher, author, or a Christian celebrity is doctrinally sound you must (1) Know your Bible; (2) Pray; (3) Know your criteria (which includes women teaching men). What are 4, 5, 6 & 7? Continue reading →

A Move of the Holy Spirit & Christian Emotionalists

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Christians who depend on signs and wonders, such as gold dust falling from the ceiling, personal prophecies and other visible signs, are seeking a golden calf of experience over faith says Elizabeth Prata of The End Time.  It is Prata’s belief that believers who seek after signs are dishonoring the Holy Spirit and robbing Him of his glory. In the Comments, Sheryl brings up a good point. “If you’re depending on emotional experiences, then you’re subjectively looking inward to feelings that are deceptive and fluctuate, which results in instability of assurance of salvation.”

Now to Elizabeth’s blog post, which includes a quote by Charles Spurgeon’s on “Christian emotionalists”: Continue reading →

University of Iowa lawsuit pits gay rights against religious freedom

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Huh?

(News 4 Tucson) The University of Iowa is caught up in a legal fight with a conservative Christian student group that denied a leadership position to a student who is gay.

The case pits a university policy barring discrimination based on sexual orientation against the religious beliefs of a 10-member group called Business Leaders in Christ. The group sued after the state’s flagship university in Iowa City revoked its campus registration in November. [

The group says its membership is open to everyone, but that its leaders must affirm a statement of faith that rejects homosexuality. The university says it respects the right of students, faculty and staff to practice the religion of their choice but does not tolerate discrimination of any kind. View article →

Black Lives Matter Leader Leads Séance In Methodist Church: Summons Spirits Of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, And Shaka Zulu

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(Jeffrey Cawood – Daily Wire) “Abdullah methodically poured bottled water into a potted plant displayed before the pulpit as the audience responded by chanting, ‘Ase,’ awaiting ancestral energy to fill the chapel.”

Dr. Melina Abdullah — a professor at California State University who also leads the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter — recently summoned the spirits of several deceased people to fill a Methodist church with ethereal energy, including Martin Luther King, several other slain civil rights leaders, victims of police brutality, and an African warrior named Shaka Zulu.  View article →

Pope Francis awards architect of safe-abortion fund pontifical honor

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(Life Site News) “To say that Lilianne Ploumen is ‘pro-abortion’ is an extreme understatement and doesn’t even come close to the scandalous reality of her activism.”

On January 12, reports began surfacing on Twitter that Lilianne Ploumen, former minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the Netherlands, was honored by Pope Francis with the title of Commander in the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great.

The Lepanto Institute was able to confirm from a December 22, 2017, Dutch radio broadcast that Ploumen indeed received the honor. In a brief video clip promoting the broadcast, Ploumen displays the medal while saying that she received it from the Pope.  View article →

See our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

Toronto Blessing & Pensacola Outpouring failed end-times prophetic revivals?

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(Churchwatch Central) Back in the day, it was continually claimed by leaders (particularly Dr Michael Brown), that the Toronto Blessing and the Pensacola Outpuring (aka Brownsville Revival) were not connected in anyway. In this article we let their own Apostles and followers tell the truth neglected by New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) Apostles like Dr Michael Brown.

We’ve documented this all before from another source also worth looking at.

David Yonggi Cho and Ken Sumrall’s “prophecy” over Pensacola

Older prophecies explain why these revivals were meant to occur, demonstrating how cult-like they are. Can anyone now claim that the Toronto Blessing and Pensacola Outpouring triggered Christ’s return and changed the nations for the glory of God? Why would Michael Brown want this failed prophetic end-times revival on his resume?  View article →

Seven Reasons 1 Timothy 2:12 Isn’t the Crazy Aunt We Hide in the Closet when Company Comes Over

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Bible study author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley queries: “Are we more afraid of the wrath of woman than the wrath of God?” According to Lesley, although they may not realize it, for a large number of professing Christians the answer is, sadly, yes. It is evident that many believers fear man (what other people think about them) far more than they fear God (what God thinks about them).

In this piece Michelle examines Paul’s instructions to Timothy: “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.”  Clearly, a women should not wield authority over men.  Consequently “We need to stop blushing ashamedly,” chides Michelle, “and stand unapologetically firm when it comes to denouncing female teachers who preach to men.”

So with this in mind, here are  seven reasons why the serious Christian must stand firm: Continue reading →

The Fortune-Telling ‘Encounter Gospel’ of Bethel & the NAR Explained

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(Steven Kozar – Museum of Idolatry) Tired of getting no results with old-fashioned, Bible-based Christianity? It’s time to go off the map with Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton and all of their New Apostolic Reformation friends! In this first episode of this series we will focus on the fortune-telling aspect of the “Encounter Gospel,” so get out your tarot cards, oops… I mean get out your Destiny Cards and let’s get started! Here’s a quick summary of the new and better Gospel of the Kingdom:

    • People aren’t really that bad, they just need to be convinced of how special they are-they need to understand their “true identity.”
    • Religion is the real source of people’s problems, not rebellion against God (sin).
    • God is desperately trying to get people to “accept” Him, but He’s been hindered by the historic Christian Church, with its specific, Biblical teachings about Salvation, Heaven and Hell, The Atonement of Jesus Christ, and all other forms of unnecessary “head knowledge” found in the Bible.
    • People would believe in God if they could just see some proof for themselves.
    • Bethel teaches how to give people the proof they need to believe that God is real, He loves them, and He wants all of their dreams to come true so they can fulfill their “Destiny.” Continue reading →

Biola University – Going . . . Going . . . Gone As President Takes Sabbatical At Catholic Contemplative Monastery

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(Lighthouse Trails) For many years, Lighthouse Trails has written about the slide that Biola University in Southern California has taken into contemplative spirituality. Our first indication that the school was heading that way was in February of 2006 when we learned that Biola was actively participating in a publication called Conversations Journal, a magazine whose primary purpose is to bring contemplative spirituality to the church, and editorial involvement includes names such as Richard Foster, Basil Pennington (a Catholic mystic), Tilden Edwards (co-founder of the panentheistic Shalem Institute), and others of the contemplative viewpoint. Since then, we have watched as Biola has gotten whole-heartedly on the contemplative band wagon with its own Institute for Spiritual Formation through Biola’s Talbot School of Theology. Continue reading →