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

Shack Author Says ‘I Want to Be More Like Oprah’

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Warren B. Smith of Lighthouse Trails has the details:

Oprah Winfrey interviewed Shack author William Paul Young on July 9, 2017 on her Super Soul Sunday television program that was broadcast on her OWN network. Young and Oprah appeared to be like two peas in a New Age pod as they talked of child abuse, traded spiritual quips, and seemed to continually marvel at the other’s brilliant insights. At one point midway in their conversation, Young answered his own rhetorical question regarding where Jesus dwells—he stated that “Jesus dwells in our hearts.” His quick, authoritative response was consistent not only with Oprah’s longstanding New Age beliefs but also with The Shack’s “Jesus” who presented this same New Age heresy when he stated that God “dwells in, around, and through all things.” This false teaching is the foundational teaching of the New Age/New Spirituality/New World Religion. The Bible is very clear that God is not “in” everyone and everything.  View article →

Related:

Video — William P. Young on Oprah

Video — William P. Young on Oprah, part 2

H/T Roxanne Murphy Adams

Apologist James White Draws Concerns After Holding, Defending Interfaith ‘Dialogue’ at Church With Muslim Imam

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Heather Clark of Christian News Network carefully lays out the details of a recent uproar among evangelicals over a debate between Christian apologist James R. White of Alpha and Omega Ministries and Yasir Qadhi, Dean of Academic Affairs at the Al-Maghrib Institute.  The ticketed event, called “Christians and Muslims: Agreements and Differences,” was held at Grace Bible Church on Jan. 24. On his Facebook page Dr. White stated that he is thankful that Heather Clark “actually quoted from the dialogues, fairly, evenly, and then gave extensive quotes from what I’ve written since then.”

A well-known Reformed apologist, elder and professional debater is drawing concerns after presenting, and continuing to defend, an interfaith dialogue event at a Mississippi church with a Muslim imam, which he says was meant to help Christians and Muslims engage in conversation and to “get along without compromise.”

Some objectors, while noting that they support dialoguing with and evangelizing Muslims, do not believe that it was proper to give an unconverted Muslim any type of platform during a special event hosted at a church, and feel that many of the imam’s statements should not have gone unchallenged.

“I’m totally in favor of having an accurate view of what they believe,” Andy Woods, the senior pastor of Sugar Land Bible Church in Texas and president of Chafer Theological Seminary in New Mexico, told Christian News Network. “Working out our differences and sitting down and making sure we understand each other is one thing, but giving someone a platform at a church is a different matter.”

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Correction: When we posted this piece we stated that the event was paid.  We apologize for the error. The event was not paid, it was ticketed. 

Civil Religion–The Chief Rival of Biblical Christianity in America?

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Does confusing Christ’s kingdom with civil religion open the door to exchange the truth of Christianity for what amounts to a false religion, “one in which faith in the national interest eclipses the primary allegiance a Christian owes to Jesus Christ and his word.” According to Pastor Kim Riddlebarger, who is co-host of the White Horse Inn:

One of the most subtle and dangerous temptations Christians face during their pilgrim journey is the allure of civil religion.  James Davison Hunter defines civil religion as a “diffuse amalgamation of religious values that is synthesized with the civic creeds of the nation; in which the life and mission of the church is conflated with the life and mission of the country.  American values are in substance, biblical, prophetic values; American identity is, thus, a vaguely Christian identity.” (1)  Civil religion often functions as an alternative public religious framework for many professing Christians, especially those who accept the “Christian America” myth, or who find exclusive Christian truth claims too controversial to play any significant role in the public square.

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Southern Baptist-Owned LifeWay Stores Won’t Pull ‘Message Bible’ After Author’s ‘Gay Marriage’ Retraction

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , ,

As previously reported here and here, a huge hullabaloo erupted after retired pastor and author Eugene Peterson, best known for “The Message,” commented during an interview that he would be willing to officiate a same-sex ceremony for “Christians of good faith” if he were pastoring today. According to Heather Clark of Christian News, Peterson “acknowledged that he did respond yes (that he would officiate a same-sex ceremony) during the interview, but said he only did so “in the moment” and felt the need to retract his answer upon praying about the matter.”  Clark now reports that if Peterson keeps his true feelings on homosexuality to himself, his books could have a long shelf life:

LifeWay Christian Stores, which is owned by the Southern Baptist Convention, says that it will not pull the “Message Bible” or any of Eugene Peterson’s other writings now that the author has retracted his initial statements about same-sex “marriage.”

“Based upon Eugene Peterson’s retraction, we will continue to sell his resources,” Carol Pipes, the director of corporate communications for LifeWay Christian Resources, told Christian News Network in a statement.

The company had said last week that if Peterson indeeds supports homosexual “marriage,” as he seemingly indicated in his recent interview with Religion News Service, it would pull his products.

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Papal Advisers Bash American Christians in Bigoted Screed

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According to Thomas D. Williams, the “sweeping generalizations” of papal advisers and their “lack of familiarity with the complex religious landscape in the United States prompts concern about the quality of advice that Pope Francis is receiving from close advisers.”  Williams has the details:

In a peculiar, rambling essay, papal adviser Father Antonio Spadaro SJ has caricatured white southern evangelicals as well as conservative American Catholics as ignorant, theocratic, Manichean, war-mongering fanatics anxiously awaiting the apocalypse.

It is “these religious groups that are composed mainly of whites from the deep American South” that push conflicts and justify belligerence, while favoring the Old Testament “rather than be guided by the incisive look, full of love, of Jesus in the Gospels.”

The article appeared in both Italian and English in the Vatican-vetted journal La Civiltà Cattolica, of which Father Spadaro is editor-in-chief. In it, the Jesuit priest says that U.S. Evangelicals and Catholics have engaged in “an ecumenism of conflict” that seeks to advance “a theocratic type of state.”

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See our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

David Jeremiah: ‘Appreciates Sarah Young and Jesus Calling’

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

So, is it time we “mark and avoid” this popular pastor, teacher and author?  Christians who are of the opinion that Dr. David Jeremiah can be trusted couldn’t be more wrong as you will see in this piece from Berean Research:

Pastor David Jeremiah recently worked with JesusCalling.com to produce a podcast titled, Keeping Hope In A Darkened World. In addition to promoting his new book, the pastor also promoted Sarah Young, the author of the Jesus Calling books, studies, devotionals, calendars, and coloring book.  The transcript of the interview regarding his admiration for the multi-million dollar Jesus Calling empire is as follows:

Narrator: “As a pastor and a teacher, Dr. Jeremiah advocates daily prayer and scripture reading. He appreciates how Sarah Young has helped many with their prayer lives through the words of Jesus Calling.”

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The Inclusiveness and Exclusiveness of Jesus

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

Jesus made this statement to the disciples to bring to their attention something that they knew but hadn’t realized they knew. He said to them, You know the place where I am going. And Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way? Jesus said that they did know. But they didn’t know that they knew.

Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. That’s what I meant, Thomas. You know me; therefore, you know the way. For I am the way.

This unique claim of Jesus reveals the grandeur of His character and being! There is the inclusiveness of this statement–it all relates to the Father. I am the way to the Father,He says. If you come to know Jesus, He will bring you to God. When I began my Christian life as a boy, my awareness of the one with whom I was dealing was the Lord Jesus. How I loved the hymns about the cross and work of Christ, and I loved to think about Him as the Savior. But gradually the Father has come into focus. More frequently my thoughts are drawn to the fatherhood of God, and I revel in the glory of that relationship. View article →

Hank Hanegraaff Must Step Down After Converting to Eastern Orthodoxy: CRI Founder’s Family

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

The following article by Stoyan Zaimov of Christian Post is posted for informational purposes and not as an endorsement of CP.  Zaimov’s story contains an interview with Jill Martin Rische, the spokesperson for most members of Dr. Walter Martin’s family, where she reveals that they’re requesting that Hank Hanegraaff leave his leadership post at Christian Research Institute (CRI.) As of this writing, daughter Cindee Martin Morgan has not called for Hank to step down.  In May, Morgan stated her view of the controversy in a piece titled “Christians Are Jumping to ‘Shameful Conclusions’ About Bible Answer Man’s Conversion to Orthodoxy, Says Daughter of CRI Founder.”

CRN has reported on Hank’s conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy since the news broke in April. You can follow the story here.

Now to Stoyan Zaimov’s piece:

Family members of Dr. Walter Martin, founder of the Christian Research Institute, are calling on current CRI president Hank Hanegraaff to step down due to his conversion from evangelicalism to Eastern Orthodoxy.

A majority of the family members have signed a statement asking the “Bible Answer Man” to leave his leadership post.

Jill Martin Rische, the eldest daughter of Dr. Martin and who leads Walter Martin Ministries alongside her husband, Kevin Rische, told The Christian Post in a phone interview on Thursday that she and many other evangelical Christians were “shocked an [sic] surprised” when Hanegraaff was formally received into the Eastern Orthodox Church back in April.

She argued that Hanegraaff has since been teaching a blend of Eastern Orthodoxy and evangelical Christianity on the “Bible Answer Man” show, which she called “fundamentally dishonest.”   View article →

Related:

Christians Are Jumping to ‘Shameful Conclusions’ About Bible Answer Man’s Conversion to Orthodoxy, Says Daughter of CRI Founder

Bible Answer Man Renounces Evangelical Christian Faith

[Added 7/16/17] Walter Martin’s daughter, Cindee Martin Morgan, was accused by Dr. Martin’s eldest daughter of being “untruthful” in her article at Christian Post in May. Cindee and her husband Rick created a video response in order to allow Walter Martin’s own words to show that Cindee was neither untruthful, or mistaken. View the video here

See CRN’s excellent Research Paper on the Roman Catholic Church

 

Group of Religious Leaders, False Teachers Surround and Lay Hands on President Trump

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

According to Christian News:

Rodney Howard-Browne Facebook photo

A group of religious leaders, including several known for their false teachings, appeared in the oval office on Monday, where they surrounded President Trump and laid hands on him.

Rodney Howard-Browne, known for the “Holy Laughter Movement” and his claim of being a “Holy Ghost bartender,” said that he had been asked by prosperity preacher Paula White, who reportedly serves as a spiritual advisor to the president, to pray over Trump.

“Yesterday I was asked by Pastor Paula White-Cain to pray over our 45th president,” he wrote on Tuesday in sharing several photos of the occasion to Instagram. “[W]hat a humbling moment standing in the Oval Office, laying hands and praying for our president—supernatural wisdom, guidance and protection. Who could ever even imagine. Wow. We are going to see another great spiritual awakening.”

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Actually, Eugene Peterson Does Not Support Same-Sex Marriage

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

Earlier today we posted “Eugene Peterson’s Error Isn’t About Gay Weddings” to inform you that Eugene Peterson stated in an interview with Jonathan Merritt of Religion News Service that he had changed his mind on same-sex marriage — he’s all for it. Now we learn from Christianity Today, (CT), a site we do not endorse, “LifeWay Christian Stores had reached out to “confirm with Eugene Peterson or his representatives that his recent interview on same-sex marriage accurately reflects his views.” Had Peterson indeed shifted on the issue, America’s largest Christian retail chain would have stopped selling his books, which include dozens of versions of The Message as well as A Long Obedience in the Same Direction and The Pastor.”

Now to the Kate Shellnutt’s report:

A day after a Religion News Service interview portrayed retired pastor and author Eugene Peterson as shifting to endorse same-sex marriage, the evangelical leader retracted his comment and upheld the traditional Christian stance instead.

“To clarify, I affirm a biblical view of marriage: one man to one woman. I affirm a biblical view of everything,” he said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

Peterson, best known for creating The Message Bible, also regrets the “confusion and bombast” in the fallout of his remarks, which were widely shared and commented on online yesterday.

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Getting wasted with the Holy Spirit at Bethel Redding

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In part 2 of a series Holly Pivec of Spirit of Error penned on Bethel Redding’s Firestarters course, we were alerted to Bethel Church’s attempt to draw people into the world of the occult by teaching participants how to “burn with passion for God.” In this installment Pivec reveals that students were taught to imagine themselves holding a huge bottle of wine and encouraged to “get drunk.”  This is no joke, brethren.  She witnessed this bizarre behavior and shares what she saw:

When I recently attended the Firestarters adult Sunday School class at Bethel Church in Redding, California, I was shocked by the teacher’s announcement at the start of the class. “There are only three rules in this class. Rule 1: Get drunk. Rule 2: Stay drunk. Rule 3: Get other people drunk.”

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The Dark Secret in America That Threatens Kids

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According to Dr. Meg Meeker of LifeZette, there is an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases among teens.  Yet ‘Teen Vogue’ and other popular magazines relentlessly push sex on young people. Dr. Meeker has the story:

When I see magazines, movies, or television shows that market sex to kids, I go ballistic.

Here’s why: There is a dark secret in America that is threatening our kids about which most parents and teens don’t know: Our youth are living with an unprecedented epidemic of sexually transmitted infections.

That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet if your teen reads magazines, watches television, or streams movies — he will never know this.

How bad is it? Let me give you a few solid medical facts.

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Eugene Peterson’s error isn’t about gay weddings

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Berean Research examines what’s behind Eugene Peterson’s change of mind on homosexual marriage:

Stop the presses: Another progressive Christian pastor is “gay affirming.”

Well, it’s not exactly surprising that “The Message” author and retired pastor Eugene Peterson would announce that he has changed his mind on homosexual marriage and would perform a “gay wedding” in his own church.

The real news is that this really isn’t about same sex marriages, or even homosexuality. The error is much bigger than that.

First, the hullabaloo: Folks are talking about a Religion News Service article penned by progressive Jonathan Merritt, in which Peterson states:

“I wouldn’t have said this 20 years ago, but now I know a lot of people who are gay and lesbian and they seem to have as good a spiritual life as I do. I think that kind of debate about lesbians and gays might be over. People who disapprove of it, they’ll probably just go to another church. So we’re in a transition and I think it’s a transition for the best, for the good. I don’t think it’s something that you can parade, but it’s not a right or wrong thing as far as I’m concerned.”

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Global Leadership 2017 doubles down on carnality

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Bill Hybels’ claims his vision is for a better life and a better world. According to Berean Research, Hybles’ mission misses the point, as it completely takes the focus off of Christ:

On Aug. 10-11, 2017, hundreds of church host sites in North America along with telecast centers in over 100 nations world-wide will tune in to the 2017 Global Leadership Summit, hosted by founder Bill Hybels of Willow Creek church in greater Chicago.  That means a wide swath of pastoral and church leadership will hear how to lead their churches through following Christ and biblical principles worldly, non-Christian leadership authors, social justice organizations, and corporate gurus from Facebook and Google. When we call these leaders non-Christian, let’s be honest and call them “enemies of the Gospel,” which God’s Word says they are. (Luke 11:23 and James 4:4)

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Mental Illness Gets New Attention from Police

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LifeZette reports:

A new South Carolina law requires all police officers to be trained on how to de-escalate situations involving people with mental illnesses.

The Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia has a 4 1/2-hour class dedicated to covering the topic of mental health. The cadets are taught how to pick up on cues from a person who may be mentally ill, de-escalate the situation, and get that person to communicate with them.

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‘Kids endangered by puberty blockers’, academics warn

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According to The Christian Institute:

Giving out hormone blockers to ‘pause’ puberty ‘endangers’ young children, medical experts have warned.

In an article published in the New Atlantis science journal, experts warned against using hormone-suppressing drugs to encourage gender-confused children to “transition.”

The authors concluded that there is little scientific evidence to support the use of hormone blockers and they should not be considered a prudent option.

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Yet Another One –An Undiscerning Believer– Is Being Deceived!

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Lois Putnam of Learn to Discern Granny has a quote from Roger Oakland women should heed: “In fact, in many churches … books replace the Bible altogether.  Rather than teach verse-by-verse … the leader of the women’s study teaches page-by-page through a book that is very appealing to the flesh and provides additional revelation to the Bible.  When a discerning woman in the study goes to the pastor and expresses her concerns, she is often chided for being divisive, or her concerns are totally overlooked.” Putnam offers some good advice to women and men alike:

Not long ago a dear friend wrote me an e-mail that she titled: “Yet Another One.”  In her note she wrote that a former pastor’s wife had just messaged many on Facebook touting “Jesus Calling.”    Now this seasoned pastor’s wife seemed to have absolutely no clue, or discernment, that there were any problems with Sarah Young’s devotional Jesus Calling.  Sadly, she had never read Warren Smith’s classic critique: Another Jesus Calling.

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Church of England Overwhelmingly Votes to ‘Welcome and Affirm’ Transgenders

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Christian News reports:

Photo credit: Hans Musil3

According to the denomination’s website, the General Synod voted on Sunday to approve a motion that “recognizing the need for transgender people to be welcomed and affirmed in their parish church, call[s] on the House of Bishops to consider whether some nationally commended liturgical materials might be prepared to mark a person’s gender transition.”

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TBN Spends $20 Million on Attorneys’ Fees in Four Years

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Barry Bowen of The Christian Sentinel has the story:

In 1987, Congress held hearings to examine government oversight or the lack thereof for religious institutions. The hearing was spurred on by allegations of fraud involving televangelist Jim Bakker and PTL.

Pastor D. James Kennedy meekly told Congress, “I would think that if a person is going to give money to something, that they have … a responsibility to learn where it is going.”

Donor Responsibility. It is an important concept. Christians should check out televangelists before sending them checks or making donations by phone. Besides examining a preacher’s theology, donors should determine if giving to them is good stewardship.

Trinity Broadcasting Network, America’s largest religious TV network, is amassing huge legal expenses. The network has spent more than $20 million on attorneys’ fees since 2012.

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I’m a Pediatrician. How Transgender Ideology Has Infiltrated My Field and Produced Large-Scale Child Abuse.

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Michelle Cretella is the pediatrician.  In a piece over at The Daily Signal, Dr. Cretella, who is a board member and researcher for the American College of Pediatricians, reveals what pediatricians who don’t go with the flow are up against. For one thing, “The transgender movement has gained legs in the medical community and in our culture by offering a deeply flawed narrative. The scientific research and facts tell a different story.”

Read it and weep.

Transgender politics have taken Americans by surprise, and caught some lawmakers off guard.

Just a few short years ago, not many could have imagined a high-profile showdown over transgender men and women’s access to single-sex bathrooms in North Carolina.

But transgender ideology is not just infecting our laws. It is intruding into the lives of the most innocent among us—children—and with the apparent growing support of the professional medical community.

As explained in my 2016 peer reviewed article, “Gender Dysphoria in Children and Suppression of Debate,” professionals who dare to question the unscientific party line of supporting gender transition therapy will find themselves maligned and out of a job.

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America’s First Free-Roaming Genetically Engineered Insects Are Coming to New York

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Technocracy News has this comment on genetically engineered insects:

And away we go… Moths with a genetically modified kill switch to be released into the wild. The words ‘likely’ and ‘unlikely’ are used repeatedly to justify the release: ‘unlikely to impact the environment or humans’ and ‘likely killed off my pesticides’. The USDA has again fallen under the spell of Technocrats who elevate science to a state of godhood and themselves as the high priests.

Gizmoto has the story:

Diamondback moths may be a mere half-inch in length, but their voracious appetite for Brussels sprouts, kale and cauliflower make them a major pain for farmers. This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a potential solution: moths genetically engineered to contain a special gene that makes them gradually die off. A field trial slated to take place in a small area of upstate New York will become the first wild release of an insect modified using genetic engineering in the US.

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‘When Does a Human Life Begin?’ Answered by Science

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According to Leah Jessen of LifeZette, “many intelligent and educated people don’t know fundamental truths about human life, such as when life begins.” She writes:

“When does a human life begin?”

This question should not be hard to answer — but in today’s culture, the topic is more contentious than ever.

“This is not about opinions, politics, or religion — nor should it be. It is about modern, objective, relevant science,” Brooke Stanton, founder and CEO of the nonprofit Contend Projects, wrote on her organization’s website. Based in Washington, D.C., and founded two years ago, the secular and nonpartisan Contend Projects is working to inform people, based on science, about when life begins.

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The Fight for Charlie Gard’s Life: Maybe Doctors Aren’t Right

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ ,

Dr. Meg Meeker believes that Charlie Gard’s parents, who live in Great Britain, should have the final say over their son, not gov’t bureaucrats or faceless “experts.” Charlie’s story has made headlines, even in America, and it’s a very troubling story indeed. Here’s how Dr. Meeker tells it in a post over at LifeZette:

Charlie Gard’s parents are embroiled in the fight for their son’s life and — importantly — the fight for their right to be parents.

Diagnosed with a rare mitochondrial disease, a condition that disables the cells of the body from functioning adequately, little Charlie — who is not yet a year old — has been on life support. And the British courts, not his parents, are assuming responsibility for his life.

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Transgender Men in Women’s Showers Must Get ‘Dignity and Respect,’ Says U.S. Army

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ ,

According to Breitbart:

Female soldiers must give “dignity and respect” to transsexual men who join them in their shared shower rooms, according to training manuals leaked by soldiers in a mandatory class.

But this “dignity and respect” is a one-way street, according to the training slides, which were developed by officials working for former President Barack Obama. “Transgender Soldiers are not required or expected to modify or adjust their behavior based on the fact that they do not ‘match’ other Soldiers,” according to the slides, which were first leaked by TheFederalist.com:

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The Point of No return

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night (John 13:30).

The chapter began with satanic influence on Judas. In verse 2 John says, The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus (John 13:2). Here you see that Judas’s greed has given the devil an opportunity. When we resist God’s love and follow a determined march toward evil, it gives the devil opportunity. And he had the opportunity to implant thoughts in Judas’s heart that would take deep root immediately. So he had already put it into Judas’s heart to betray Jesus; the deal had been arranged. When Jesus gave him the morsel and Judas took it and ate it without a word or a sign of repentance or remorse, he passed the point of no return.

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