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

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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙

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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

(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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ ,

(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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , , ,

(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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ ,

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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , ,

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?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , , ,

(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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ ,

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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Satire ∙ , , ,

(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

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

(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 →

Court Rules Against Amish Family’s Religious Beliefs, Orders Them to Use Electricity

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ ,

(Western Journal) An Old Order Amish family in Pennsylvania will have to abandon their religious beliefs and hook up their home to the public sewer system, a Commonwealth Court panel decided earlier this month.

The Yoder family abstains from using electricity due to their religious beliefs, especially when the public grid is the source of the power. Instead of the modern-day sewer system, the family uses an “old-fashioned privy” — an outhouse — that doesn’t require electricity or running water. View article →

Who Is Jesus?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙
He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:2-3)
 
John says without any doubt that Jesus is God. He declares that Jesus is the Creator of all things. This accounts for Jesus’ strange and remarkable personality. He is the originator of all things. Eight times in the opening chapter of Genesis it says. And God said. God said, Let there be light, and there was light. God said, Let there be a firmament between the heavens and the earth and there was. God said, Let the earth bring forth trees and vegetation, and these sprang into being. The Son of God, was speaking into being what the Father had designed in that amazing mind of his. View article →

The Modern Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

Those involved in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) continually blaspheme the Holy Spirit. This is a grave sin, brethren. Sadly, people involved in this movement refuse to receive correction, even when it is coming from highly regarded Bible scholars. A complete misunderstanding of the function and activity of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer has become epidemic in the Church. For example, charismatics would have us believe that the Spirit of God is responsible for bringing people to a point of making strange sounds, crawling on all fours, heads and bodies shaking uncontrollably, crying, laughing (dubbed “Holy Laughter“), getting “drunk in the Spirit,” and other bizarre phenomena. Are charismatics right in saying that this sort of behavior is a manifestation of the Spirit? No, says Bible expositor John MacArthur. Continue reading →

Paula White Reps. Scrub Web Page of Language Urging ‘First Fruits’ Offering of Day, Week, Month’s Wages, ‘Consequences’ for Not Giving

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(Heather Clark – Christian News Network) Following media reports and public backlash over the matter, representatives for false teacher Paula White, who also serves as the chair of President Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board, have scrubbed a page on White’s website of any mention that she had urged followers to give a “first fruits” offering of a day, week, or month’s wages—and that there are “consequences” for those who don’t give God their first fruits out of “ignorance or direct disobedience.” Continue reading →

Twitter Censors Conservative Speech

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In the latest undercover Project Veritas video investigation, current and former Twitter employees are on camera explaining steps the social media giant is taking to censor political content that they don’t like.

This video release follows the first undercover Twitter exposé Project Veritas released on January 10th which showed Twitter Senior Network Security Engineer Clay Haynes saying that Twitter is “more than happy to help the Department of Justice with their little [President Donald Trump] investigation.” Twitter responded to the video with a statement shortly after that release, stating “the individual depicted in this video was speaking in a personal capacity and does not represent or speak for Twitter.” The video released by Project Veritas today features eight employees, and a Project Veritas spokesman said there are more videos featuring additional employees coming. View article →

Your smartphone is making you stupid, antisocial and unhealthy. So why can’t you put it down?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ ,

(Eric Andrew-Gee – The Globe and Mail)  “They have impaired our ability to remember. They make it more difficult to daydream and think creatively. They make us more vulnerable to anxiety. They make parents ignore their children. And they are addictive, if not in the contested clinical sense then for all intents and purposes.”

In the winter of 1906, the year San Francisco was destroyed by an earthquake and SOS became the international distress signal, Britain’s Punch magazine published a dark joke about the future of technology.

Under the headline, “Forecasts for 1907,” a black and white cartoon showed a well-dressed Edwardian couple sitting in a London park. The man and woman are turned away from each other, antennae protruding from their hats. In their laps are little black boxes, spitting out ticker tape.  View article →