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

Many Americans are too drugged-out to work

According to Axois:

A slew of reports finds a fresh reason for the chronic inability of American companies to fill skilled jobs: not a lack of skills, and hence a training-and-education crisis, but a surfeit of drug abuse. Simply put, prime-working age Americans without a college diploma are often too drugged-out to get the best jobs. Opioids remain at high levels, but the surge in drug use is now heroin and the powerful contaminant fentanyl.

The reports suggest a circularity to the crisis in America’s rust and manufacturing belts: the loss of jobs and wage stagnation has led to widespread disaffection, alienation and drug abuse; and drug abuse has led to joblessness, hopelessness and disaffection.

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U.S. Department of Justice Files Legal Brief Declaring Title VII Does Not Include Homosexuality

Christian News reports:

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed an amicus brief declaring that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not pertain to homosexuality.

“The sole question here is whether, as a matter of law, Title VII reaches sexual orientation discrimination,” it wrote. “It does not, as has been settled for decades. Any efforts to amend Title VII’s scope should be directed to Congress rather than the courts.”

The Department filed the “friend of the court” brief in the case of Zarda vs. Altitude Express, which centers on skydiving instructor Donald Zarda, who was fired by his employer following a complaint from the boyfriend of a female diver.

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True Unity

I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (John 17:23).

Three times Jesus prays for the unity of the church. What is this unity? There is an effort that has been going on for some time to bring about a union of believers, to unite them in one great worldwide church or some organization. We are told that this will at last be the answer to this prayer of Jesus. But I find it impossible to accept that explanation. I do not believe that the church has to wait twenty-one centuries before the prayer of Jesus is answered or that an organization will accomplish what the Holy Spirit (seemingly) has been unable to do. I believe that the Holy Spirit has been answering this prayer from the very beginning, and when we understand the nature of the unity for which Jesus prayed, we will see that the prayer is indeed being answered and has been all along.  View article →

In the World

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one (John 17:15).

In this section our Lord indicated the great realm of controversy between Himself and Satan, the realm in which Satan finds his activity manifested–the world. Throughout this whole discourse you find two communities in view: the world, which is secular society organized in its antipathy against God; and the church, the body of Christ, God’s family.

The Lord knew that there would be this conflict. He called a group out of the world–not to be separate from it–but to be a different group. God always sees humanity divided into two categories. Sometimes they are called two kingdoms–the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Sometimes they are regarded symbolically as two cities–Jerusalem and Babylon. But there are always these two.  View article →

Who cares about Hillsong Pastor Carl Lentz slamming shots with Justin Bieber?

Berean Research looks at the shot slamming clothes stripping incident with the Biebs and the pastor at the Blue Door Bar in Queenstown, NZ:

Fans of celebrities barely bat an eye anymore at the drunken antics of superstars. Instead the public displays of carnality of the rich and famous are celebrated. Smiled at. Wink wink.  Are we seeing this same blasé attitude in the visible Church?

Celebrity Pastor Carl Lentz, who pastors Hillsong NYC and megastar Justin Bieber, a close friend whom Lentz personally shepherds, were photographed partying in a  tavern. The world is now seeing the fallout of the spectacle, in which the two slammed back shots. The pictures show Lentz smiling as Bieber began removing his clothes at Blue Door Bar in Queenstown, New Zealand.

The singer started out his night fully clothed like any other patron, then stripped off his camouflage jacket and white singlet which saw some unstoppable smiles from the two female bartenders serving him. Shots and cocktails were on the menu for the US singer and his mate, Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz. 

We aren’t posting the images. But if you need to see them, an Australian news outlet has them here.

Four Steps Trump Can Take to Hasten Obamacare Implosion

According to Brenden Kirby of LifeZette the Trump administration can take steps to accelerate the demise of Obamacare:

With the wee-hours failure to pass even a modest partial repeal of Obamacare in the Senate, the ball now moves to the executive branch.

President Donald Trump’s administration has considerable power to improve the health care system within the confines of the Affordable Care Act — or make mischief and hasten its demise. The president tweeted in the early-morning hours Friday after the Senate vote that allowing the system to collapse is the best course of action.

“3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!” he tweeted.

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Infant Charlie Gard dies after parents’ futile pleas

Baptist Press has the story:

Charlie Guard. Screenshot from Fox News

Charlie Gard — the infant at the center of a battle over parental authority that gained international attention — has died, his parents announced today (July 28) in England.

Charlie died in hospice care a week short of his first birthday, Aug. 4, after being removed from a ventilator. He was born with a rare condition known as mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDDS). His parents — Chris Gard and Yates — fought numerous legal battles for their son’s life and raised about $1.7 million for an experimental treatment in the United States that he never was permitted to receive.

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It Shall Be Done

I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee. (Psalm 119:168)

O that every Christian were altogether and evermore obedient to heavenly rule. As the planet revolves undeviatingly in its orbit, because with the law imposed upon it there has come forth a constraining and impelling force, so may we also pursue our course of duty.

Let us do so because we not only have heard the divine precept, but feel the sacred energy of the Holy Spirit leading us in the prescribed path.

Brethren, how safe we feel, and how happy in our consciences, if we are certain that we have the authority of the Great King for all our actions!

The business of a Christian upon the earth is not an independent one; he is not acting on his own account, but he is a steward for Christ. View article →

The Power of Prayer and Scalise’s Near-Miraculous Recovery

LifeZette’s Leah Jessen has the story of “How a nation of the faithful has helped buoy the spirits and well-being of a stricken lawmaker and his family.”:

Prayer’s healing power has helped House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) on his path to recovery after a lone shooter went on a rampage last month at a Virginia baseball field, striking the Louisiana congressman and several others.

“As a family of faith, the Scalise family believes in the power of prayer, and have been able to stay in good spirits during this most difficult time from the outpouring of prayers they have received,” Lauren Fine, the majority whip’s press secretary, told LifeZette in an emailed message. “They are eternally grateful and humbled by the support they have been given from folks across the country.”

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Let’s stop supersizing ‘our dreams’

Elizabeth Prata reminds us that God “gives us His Spirit, His love, and grows us in holiness. That’s pretty big.” So why do some Christians desire more? “Must we have huge dreams too?” asks Prata. “Must we encourage each other by saying God has huge plans for our lives?” Well, no  for the reason that “sometimes His plan for our life is not a fantastic rollercoaster of supersized dreams, but difficulty, humiliation, rejection, and heartache.”

What are you supposed to think when someone tells you that God has big things for you? First of all you’re to be a Berean and high-tail it to God’s Word to see if you’re being sold a bill of goods. In the case of  God wanting to supersize your dreams, Elizabeth says that it ain’t necessarily so — and she backs up what she says with Scripture. She writes:

Megan Miller assures us that “God desires to fill our hearts with big dreams.”

In my opinion I believe He desires to fill our heart with holiness and righteousness of His Son.

Certified life coach Holley Gerth assures us that “there’s a God-sized dream knocking on the door of your heart”. Plus, she “shows you how to forget the lies and expectations the world feeds you and instead believe that God loves you and has even bigger plans for your life than you’ve even imagined.”

Before I was saved, I had not just big plans, I had huge plans for my life. After salvation, God showed me how puffed up those dreams were. Thank you, God.

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Mike Bickle: Speaking Falsely on Behalf of God is Not a Big Deal

Anthony Wade of 8:28 Ministries tackles IHOP guru Mike Bickle’s rambling response when asked what should be done if a modern-day prophecy doesn’t come to pass, even though some “prophets” declare “Thus saith the Lord.” Wade writes:

Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. — 1Corinthians 14: 29-33 (ESV)

http://www.charismamag.com/video/33360-mike-bickle-should-prophets-be-punished-if-their-prophetic-words-don-t-come-true

The above link is to a short video clip of false prophet and heretic Mike Bickle answering the question of whether a prophet today should be disciplined in some manner if what they prophesy fails to come to pass. One should expect a ridiculous answer from someone who has prophesied incorrectly in the past and is associated with nearly every false prophet in operation today. The Kansas City prophets, which Bickle is also affiliated with, have stated that a 65% successful prophecy rate makes you a pretty good prophet. How absurd and unbiblical. Beloved, as we have covered before, prophecy is hearing directly from God. In the Old Testament there was no ready access to the Scriptures for people. There were no printing presses. God’s people were also contained to the nation of Israel. These things combined for God to choose people to be His vessels for communicating with His people. Because God is never wrong and does not stutter, the success rate expected for prophets was 100%. God takes it quite seriously when people pretend to speak for Him. If they were found to be false, they were stoned to death.

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Internet Culture, Lone Ranger Christianity, And The Pornification Of Church

Fire Breathing Christian has some questions professing Christians who choose not to attend a local church need to be thinking about…and a few things to consider:

Why settle for the ugliness of a local church body when you can have a much more attractive online version instead?

Why gather with and commit to serving with a local bunch of often incredibly immature, confused, messed up, and biblically illiterate yahoos when you can instead bond with a group of awesome people who share your understanding and your passion in the areas that light you up and make you happy?

Why sit on Sundays in a pathetic little church building alongside pathetic little baby Christians who don’t share your wisdom, your spiritual depth, and your general awesomeness when you can bond instead with your people in Facebook forums and threads on your own schedule?

Why listen to some unenlightened simpleton preacher wannabe pitch some lame-o sermon on some subject you “mastered” long ago when you can instead immerse yourself in online sermons, podcasts, and social media conversations that feed your appetites on your terms at your preferred depth, and (this is important to mention again:) on your schedule?

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The Importance of Daily Bible Reading for Spiritual Growth

Dave Jenkins of Servants of Grace urges fellow Christians to spend time with the Lord each day. He writes:

Whenever I write or speak about the need for Christians to daily read their Bible, I almost always get some form of pushback. At the heart of most of the pushback, I hear is something along the lines of how I’m making Bible reading a duty rather than a delight. I’ll grant that sometimes I don’t always communicate in the most nuanced way on this topic. With that said I’m often left wondering after these types of conversations, “Why do we need to qualify and nuance daily Bible reading?” After all, daily Bible reading has had a long tradition in the history of the church; especially in the Reformed tradition since the Protestant Reformation.

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Faith Leader Joins Fight Against Teen Vogue’s Disgraceful Articles

“Operation Pull Teen Vogue” is underway reports Leah Jessen of LifeZette:

Christian parents have been expressing their outrage that a magazine aimed at today’s tweens and teenagers is giving young people explicit directions about controversial sexual acts — information that is wholly inappropriate for children in general.

“How disgusting,” evangelical leader Franklin Graham said of the material in a Facebook post. “As parents and grandparents, regardless of one’s faith, we shouldn’t stand by and let this kind of trash be pawned off on our children.”

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Christianity, Inc.

We’ll start with a quote from Erick Erickson’s piece:

The most faithful pastors in this country are not the cowards trying to figure out how to lead their churches to accept gay marriage, but the ones who are willing to stand against the world, and even the President, in favor of Christian orthodoxy.Too many Christian pastors in America, both on the left and right, have become fixated on running businesses and growing profits instead of saving souls. They will all one day be held to account.

Read Erickson’s column over at The Resurgent:

Eugene Peterson is not a name familiar to most Americans, but within evangelical circles, Peterson is well-known. He wrote a translation of the Bible called “The Message,” which is a preferred text for churches trying to lure in new members who might be put off by the “thou shalls” and “thou shall nots” of the King James Version and the more accurate scriptural translations like the English Standard Version.

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DNC Vice Chair Refuses to Denounce Party Embrace of Extreme Leftist

According to Megan Barth of LifeZette a high level Democrat party representative has refused to renounce Women’s March organizer Linda Sarsour who praised a cop killer and called for ‘jihad’ on President Trump. She writes:

As one who believes in the spirit of debate, I had the opportunity to interview Michael Blake, vice chair of the DNC, as I filled in for Kevin Wall on KBET, AM790, out of Las Vegas, Nevada.

The premise of our discussion was the DNC reaction and response to President Trump’s Commission on Election Integrity and the overall integrity of our election system. Blake cited a “leading” partisan study to proclaim there isn’t enough voter fraud evidence to justify an investigation. Yet there was enough evidence, which I had assembled from candidates and whistleblowers, to warrant a FBI investigation, still ongoing in Nevada, related to voter fraud.

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Trump Announces Reinstatement of Ban on Transgenders Serving in U.S. Military

Christian News reports:

President Trump announced on Wednesday that the U.S. government has decided to reinstate the country’s ban on open transgenders serving in the military, advising that the issue is a distraction and would place a burden on the finances of the Armed Forces.

“After consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” he tweeted this morning. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgenders in the military would entail. Thank you.”

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Bad Doctrine in the Hands of an Angry Minister: A Review of Brian Zahnd’s ‘Sinners In the Hands of a Loving God’

Pastor Gabriel Hughes has written a book report on Sinners In the Hands of a Loving God. He writes:

Brian Zahnd has a bone to pick. By the title of his upcoming book, slated to release on August 15, you might think his bone is with puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards. The title of the book is Sinners In the Hands of a Loving God, a play on words against Edwards’ famous sermon Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God, perhaps the most famous sermon ever preached on American soil. But Zahnd’s bone isn’t with Edwards. It’s with the Bible.

Zahnd hates the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. He has made no secret of this. I believe that if he and I were sitting next to one another, he would go, “Yup, I hate it.” He agrees that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but he has a rather vague way of explaining that. Zahnd says, “We violently sinned our sins into Jesus.” Okay, what does that mean? Where is that in the Bible?

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This Pop Singer and American Witches Want to Hex the President

Last October a group called “Feminists Against Trump” organized a “witch-in” to “cast magical spells of love and feminism to destroy the Great Orange One and his alleged racism, xenophobia and sexism. Now there’s a new spell caster in town who plans to do a mass spell binding against the president. LifeZette has the story:

President Trump can count on many plagues in the six months he’s been in the office, such as the leaks, endless obstructionism, and a mainstream media determined to cast him from the White House. But pop artist Lana Del Rey would like to add to his troubles and has already begun to do so—by casting a spell on him.

“Yeah, I did it, why not?” Del Rey told NME.  “Look, I do a lot of [stuff].”

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California Imam Prays for Allah to ‘Annihilate’ Jews in Public Sermon

Breitbart reports:

 

Imam Ammar Shahin of the Islamic Center of Davis in California delivered a sermon on Friday in which he quoted an antisemitic hadith and prayed for Allah to “annihilate” Jews “down to the very last one.”

The video of Shahin’s sermon was posted to the Islamic Center of Davis’s YouTube channel on Friday (Update: the video has since been removed), and translated and excerpted by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), though portions of the sermon were delivered in English.

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Hillsong, Bethel Music and The Great Seduction

Satan and his minions are shrewd, deceptive, relentless and exceedingly powerful creatures!  So with this in mind, here’s a reminder from Emergent Watch:

Many have apparently forgotten that the Holy Spirit will not magnify Himself or some alleged experience, but will magnify Jesus! “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me…” – John 16:13-14

Many in the visible church seem to have forgotten that the Holy Spirit always points us to the Lord Jesus Christ, while Satan’s goal is to turn us away from Christ. One of the ways he accomplishes this goal is through “Christian” music, as you will see in the following piece:

 

For the first time, Hillsong United is uniting with Bethel (Redding’s) Music for a “Night of Worship” on July 21 @ the Redding Civic Auditorium. Note that by their participation, Hillsong is effectively declaring their affinity with Bethel Redding, it’s music, and by default, it’s doctrines.

That these two groups should join together is hardly surprising, as both have been at the forefront of the transformation of church music – from the worship of God, to effectively worshiping “worship” music – From music that exalts God, into music that exalts an experiential “encounter” with “the presence”, and which magnifies feelings and emotions.

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Female Pastors- False Teachers or Just Sinning?

Bible study author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley responds to the following email:

Pastrix Paula White is one example of a woman who holds the position of pastor which goes against the clear teaching in Scripture that a woman is not to exercise authority over a man.  1 Tim 2:11-12

Is a woman who is in the position of pastor to be considered a false teacher or merely disobedient to The Word of God? Some churches in my area place pastors’ wives in the position of “co-pastor.” Would she have to be teaching some false doctrine to be considered a false teacher or does the fact that she is in the position in the first place make her a false teacher?

I love it when I hear from women – like the reader who sent in this question – who are thinking deeply and seriously about the things of God. It brings me so much joy to see God working in the hearts and minds of Christian women.

Before we start parsing these ideas out, let’s bottom line this thing. Scripture is both explicitly and implicitly clear that women are not to serve as pastors. Regardless of whether we call what she’s doing sin or false teaching, it is definitely unbiblical for a church to install a woman in the position of pastor, and for the woman to accept the position. So the bottom line is, it’s wrong and nobody should be attending such a church.

Now, onward and upward with the parsing…

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New blood test can check for 13 types of cancers

Among the 13 types are breast, ovarian, lung, stomach, colorectal, pancreatic and liver. Japan News has the story:

A research team led by the Tokyo-based National Cancer Center Japan has developed a new test to diagnose 13 kinds of cancers from a single drop of blood, with a clinical study set to start from next month.

The center’s research and ethics screening committee gave the green light to the study in mid-July. The research team will apply to the central government to put the new test into practical use within three years, at the earliest.

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Trump Taps New Communications Director Who Advocated for ‘Gay Rights Movement,’ ‘Pro-Choice’ Cause

Christian News reports:

President Donald Trump has appointed Anthony Scaramucci to be the new White House Communications Director—a man who has publicly stated his support for same-sex “marriage” and abortion rights.

“Republicans should support gay marriage,” he tweeted in 2012, again writing later that year in response to a follower, “I am not a partisan. For gay marriage, against the death penalty, and pro-choice. I am for social inclusion, fiscal responsibility.”

Just in November, Scaramucci wrote, “I support the gay rights movement and I am an active proponent of equality.”

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Pro-Life Leaders Meet with Pence to Urge Planned Parenthood Defunding

According to Breitbart:

National pro-life activists were among the conservative leaders who met with Vice President Mike Pence on Friday to emphasize the importance of debating an Obamacare repeal bill and the elimination of Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer funding. The pro-life leaders have an ardent advocate in Pence, who became the first sitting vice president to address the annual March for Life in January:

WATCH LIVE! I’m meeting w/ grassroots orgs calling on the Senate to act to rescue the American people from Obamacare https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/vice-president-pence-hosts-roudtable-discussion  pic.twitter.com/HvIjqwqkUe

As @POTUS Trump said, inaction is not an option. Obamacare is collapsing all across the country. It’s time for Congress to act. pic.twitter.com/fnEkJcsBwo

The leaders gathered with Pence Friday as Republicans’ proposals to repeal Obamacare have failed thus far, largely because of a desire on the part of liberal GOP members to keep much of the onerous healthcare reform intact.