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

Poverty, Dropouts, Pregnancy, Suicide: What The Numbers Say About Fatherless Kids

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Claudio Sanchez of National Public Radio has a report on the negative effects on children who grow up without fathers.  According to Sanchez, 24.7 million children in the United States do not live with their biological father. Sanchez documents the problems that arise from fatherless homes.  For example, “Children are four-times more likely to be poor if the father is not around. And we know that poverty is heavily associated with academic success.” Liberals would have us believe that it matters not if children have a father in the home. Christians dispute this, as we know that it does matter to God. We know that it is His plan for children to have a mother and a father — a biological father.

Now to Sanchez’s report:

The growing number of fatherless children in this country poses one of the the most serious problems in education today, according to best-selling author Alan Blankstein.

He has spent most of his life advocating for kids who struggle in school. He wrote Failure is Not an Option, a guide to creating high-performing schools for all students.

So, just how many kids are fatherless? NPR Ed put that question to Blankstein, who told us that 24.7 million kids in the U.S. don’t live with a biological father.

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Study: Networks Devote 55 Percent of Trump Coverage to Russia

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Edmund Kozak of LifeZette reports that in a five week period evening newscasts spent 353 minutes on the Trump-Russia probe. He writes:

A new study performed by the Media Research Center (MRC) details the incredible amount of time that mainstream-media networks have dedicated to covering the Trump-Russia probe. Between May 17 and June 20, evening newscasts devoted 55 percent of their coverage of President Donald Trump — 353 minutes in total — to the Russia investigation or other allegations of possible collusion.

Tellingly, the investigation revealed that a full third — 34 percent — of networks’ coverage of the Trump-Russia probe was based on anonymous sources, some of whom turned out to be providing false information. “I think that’s something that should suggest to news viewers that there’s people behind the scenes with an agenda,” said Rich Noyes, research director at the MRC.  View article →

See also Three CNN Employees Resign Over Retracted Story On Russia Ties

 

Rev. Graham: ‘Johnny Depp Is One Dark Soul’

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According to CNSNews:

Commenting on actor Johnny Depp’s alleged “joke” about an actor assassinating President Donald Trump, Christian leader Franklin Graham said “Depp is one dark soul,” and he prays that Depp will one day come to know “the Savior who died so that he could be saved from his sins.”

On June 22 at a festival in England to screen his 2004 film The Libertine, Depp — known for many of his popular films but especially the Pirates of the Caribbean series — said of Trump: “I think he needs help, and there are a lot of wonderful dark, dark places he could go. …. When was the last time an actor assassinated a president? It’s just a question. I’m not insinuating anything.

“By the way, this is going to be in the press. It will be horrible. I like that you are all a part of it. I want to clarify, I’m not an actor. I lie for a living. However, it’s been awhile [since the last assassination].”

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Gender-Confused Kids Need Protection, Not Exploitation

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In a piece over at LifeZette, Dr. Meg Meeker warns us that the moment we stop seeing children’s problems as problems, we stop helping them. “And when we cross boundaries,” says Meeker, “and force others to see their problems as normal, we solidify craziness as the norm.”  She writes:

Once more, the media have gone over the edge and made a mockery of little children. They ran a story about a child who alerted his parents to struggles over gender dysphoria — at the tender age of three.

And shame on his parents for letting them do so. MSN recently reported on the child — named Colt at birth — who rejected his gender and insisted on being called Emma because he said he was really a girl.

OK, I get it. The child has psychic turmoil and needs help. Or he’s playing a game. It’s hard to tell — because when he declared his gender confusion, he was three. Yes, three years old.

But that’s not really the problem. The real beef I have is with adults, particularly those in the media who push their agenda with a finger in our faces, saying, “See, we told you so,” by exploiting small children like Colt/Emma.

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Three CNN Employees Resign Over Retracted Story on Russia Ties

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According to TheWrap:

Three CNN employees have handed in their resignations over a retracted story linking President Trump to Russia, the network announced Monday.

The article was removed from CNN.com on Friday after the network decided it could no longer stand by its reporting.

“In the aftermath of the retraction of a story published on CNN.com, CNN has accepted the resignation of the employees involved in the story’s publication,” a network spokesperson told TheWrap in a statement.

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Analyzing Annihilationism: Will Those in Hell Cease to Exist?

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Eric Davis of The Cripplegage examines the eternality of hell. “The misery of it all is simply unfathomable,” says Davis. “It is one that must move us to the deepest reverence before God and compassion towards sinners

In yesterday’s post, the miseries of hell were briefly described. When the unredeemed enter, there will be a shock as the magnitude of hell sets in. One of the greatest miseries of hell will be the eternality of it: there will be no end to the conscious torment.

However, there have been questions as to the eternality of hell. The biblical teaching of unending punishment in hell has often been under attack. Do those in hell suffer forever? Or will they experience annihilation at some point and cease to exist? Annihilationism teaches that those in hell will eventually cease to exist. They will not be punished forever, but for a length of time, culminating in their annihilation.

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Illinois Bishop Decrees: No Communion and No Funeral Rites for Same-Sex Couples

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CNSNews reports:

Before LGBT Pride celebrations begin in Chicago this weekend, Bishop of Springfield Thomas Paprocki issued a formal decree calling on all members of the Catholic faith to enforce the Church’s longstanding policies on the issue of homosexuality.

These policies include no same-sex marriages, no Communion for people in a same-sex union, and no funeral rites for unrepentant homosexuals, among other teachings.

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Pro-Family Groups Push Back After GuideStar Labels 46 American Organizations ‘Hate Groups’

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Christian News reports:

Over 40 pro-family groups recently signed a letter to the charity database site GuideStar after it labeled dozens of organizations as “hate groups” based on a list compiled by the controversial Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). “The ‘hate group’ list is nothing more than a political weapon targeting people it deems to be its political enemies. The list is ad hoc, partisan, and agenda-driven,” the correspondence read. GuideStar added a banner atop the info pages of 46 nonprofits, which reads, “This organization was flagged as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.”

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Canadian Christian School Reportedly Told Not to Teach ‘Offensive’ Bible Verses to Children

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According to Christian News:

A Christian school in Canada says that it is shocked after recently being told by the local school board that it should not teach any “offensive” Bible verses to children, particularly those those that refer to homosexuality. Cornerstone Christian Academy in Kingman, approximately an hour outside of the provincial capital of Edmonton, says that it was recently approached by the Battle River School Division and asked to remove 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 from its student handbook.

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Preacher who lived a life of luxury indicted on tax fraud

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The indictment accuses prosperity preacher William Todd Coontz of a check-cashing scheme. Coontz is charged with hiding income from the IRS “by claiming travel as a business expense while using reimbursements as personal income.” Joe Marusak of Charlotte Observer has the story:

A former Charlotte preacher who wrote the book “Please Don’t Repo My Car” was indicted on tax charges Thursday.

William Todd Coontz enjoyed a life of luxury, federal prosecutors contend, by claiming as business expenses the $1.5 million condo he and his family lived in as their parsonage and the luxury vehicles they drove, including three BMWs, two Ferraris, a Maserati and a Land Rover.

He also claimed a Regal 2500 boat, 400 charges at movie theaters, $228,000 in clothing purchases and $140,000 in meals and other entertainment as business expenses with no proof the expenses were for business, according to a federal criminal bill of indictment returned by a grand jury in Charlotte on Thursday.

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Warren Inspires Followers to Threaten Violence Against Republicans

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According to LifeZette:

In the aftermath of last week’s targeted shooting of Republican congressmen in Alexandria, Virginia, by a left-wing activist, many wondered if the shocking event would herald a new period of political civility and the rejection of sensationalist rhetoric. It hasn’t.

On Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) posted a video to her Facebook page in which she rails against the newly unveiled Senate Republican health care bill — using intensely inflammatory rhetoric.

“I’ve read the Republican ‘health care’ bill. This is blood money,” Warren wrote. “They’re paying for tax cuts with American lives.”

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Federal Appeals Court Reverses Injunction Against Mississippi’s Freedom of Conscience Act

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Christian News reports:

A federal appeals court has reversed an injunction against Mississippi’s Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act, a bill meant to protect residents from punishment when acting in accordance with their religious convictions in regard to the institution of marriage. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana ruled on Thursday that the plaintiffs who filed the legal challenge did not have standing to sue because they could not demonstrate any actual harm created by the law. It said, however, that the matter could be considered if and when an actual incident occurs.

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Obamacare Unraveling as GOP Set to Unveil Fix

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According to LifeZette:

The Affordable Care Act continued its inevitable collapse Wednesday when Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield announced it would be pulling out of most of the Wisconsin and Indiana marketplaces.

The bad news for Obamacare followed on the heels of Anthem’s announcement in early June that it would be withdrawing from Ohio’s marketplaces. Roughly 46,000 Hoosiers purchased health care coverage from Anthem on the exchange, while approximately 14,000 Wisconsinites purchased Anthem’s coverage.

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The Seven Fatal Flaws of Moral Relativism

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Is there a right way and a wrong way for people to behave? The moral relativists would say, “whatever floats your boat.”  “Wintery Knight” tackles moral relativism.

Moral relativism is the view that moral values and moral duties do not exist in reality, but only exist as opinions in people’s minds. When you ask a moral relativist where the belief that stealing is wrong comes from, he may tell you that it is his opinion, or that it is the opinion of most people in his society. But he cannot tell you that stealing is wrong independent of what people think, because morality (on moral relativism) is just personal preference.

So what’s wrong with it?

I found this list of the seven flaws of moral relativism at the Salvo magazine web site.

Here’s the summary:

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Dr. Tim Ball Crushes Climate Change: The Biggest Deception In History

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“With a 50-year academic career focusing on Historical Climatology, Dr. Tim Ball is uniquely qualified to address man-made climate change, and he demonstrates that it is a flat-out hoax. Thinking people everywhere should get multiple copies of this book and hand them out to everyone they know.” 

In a piece over at Technocracy News, Dr. Tim Ballx informs us that:

President Trump was correct to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. He could have explained that the science was premeditated and deliberately orchestrated to demonize CO2 for a political agenda. Wisely, he simply explained that it was a bad deal for the United States because it gave a competitive economic edge to other nations, especially China. A majority of Americans think he was wrong, but more would disagree if he got lost in the complexities of the science. I speak from experience having taught a Science credit course for 25 years for the student population that mirrors society with 80 percent of them being Arts students. Promoters of what is called anthropogenic global warming (AGW) knew most people do not understand the science and exploited it.

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No, We Don’t Want Barbie to Date a Ken with a Man Bun

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Mattel has introduced a new “dolled-up toy collection with feminized figurines.” Just imagine what the toy maker has planned for kids next.  LifeZette has the story:

After introducing a new batch of Barbie dolls last year, Mattel is rebooting the Ken doll. And the most surprising version of the new male counterparts to Barbie is the one with a man bun.

Other new versions of Ken dolls include the “slim” and the “broad” variety. New hairstyles include the previously mentioned man bun — as well as cornrows. There are also six skin tones available for these dolls.

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Oregon Becomes First State to Allow Residents to Be Neither Male or Female on Driver’s License

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Christian News reports:

Oregon has become the first state to allow residents to identify as neither male or female on their driver’s license and identification card.

Beginning on July 1, residents can select an “X” for their gender instead of “M” or “F.” The new policy was unanimously agreed upon by the Oregon Transportation Commission.

According to Reuters, the concept was considered after Multnomah County Judge Amy Holmes Hehn last June granted a man’s request to identify on his driver’s license as “non-binary.”

As previously reported, Jamie Shupe (pictured) was born male, served in the military and married a woman. But in 2013, as he found himself struggling with his gender identity, Shupe decided to seek treatments that would make him look and feel feminine.

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Mattis under pressure to reverse Obama administration’s approval of transgender troops

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Should the U.S. Department of Defense [taxpayers] undertake the cost of hormone treatments, surgery, and post-operative care to facilitate “gender transitioning.”?  No, say social conservatives.  According to Rowan Scarborough of The Washington Times, conservatives have mounted a campaign to persuade General Mattis to suspend the Obama administration’s “transgender directive with the ultimate goal of recalling it and all of the associated manuals.” Scarborough writes:

Photo courtesy US Defense Watch (usdefensewatch.com)

Defense Secretary James Mattis is facing his first significant decision in the military’s sexual revolution legacy left by the last commander in chief, Barack Obama.

Mr. Obama’s defense secretary, Ashton Carter, issued a directive last year permitting transgender troops to remain in the military and undergo sex reassignment procedures instead of facing automatic discharge.

The next step in the transgender agenda is due July 1, according to Mr. Carter’s timeline. Mr. Mattis is to decide whether the armed forces will allow transgender people to join the military.

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Cities Across America Creating Rainbow Crosswalks to Celebrate ‘LGBTQ Pride’

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What if tax payers don’t want their hard earned money spent on rainbow crosswalks that celebrate “diversity”? What about the citizens who find the crosswalk offensive for the reason that the rainbow has been hijacked by the LGBTQ community and some folks don’t approve of their lifestyle choices? Well, too bad for them. Christian News has the story.

Several American cities recently approved the creation of rainbow crosswalks to celebrate “LGBTQ pride,” and homosexual advocacy groups are circulating petitions to request that more cities paint their crosswalks with the “diversity” stripes.

Houston, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, D.C. created rainbow crosswalks to coincide with their June homosexual pride events. In Atlanta, the display will be permanent.

“I believe that symbols of unity matter,” Mayor Kasim Reed said in a statement. “In recognition of the outstanding and ongoing contributions of Atlanta’s LGBTQ community to our city, I am pleased to announce today that the city will install the rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street year-round.”

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Berean Research has put together a White Paper on the Homosexual Agenda.

Attorney for Bernie Donor Class Action Calls DNC ‘The Ultimate Ponzi Scheme’

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According to Breitbart:

Backers of Bernie Sanders are suing the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for fraud based on last summer’s hacks revealing systemic bias for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primary campaign.

The class-action lawsuit, Wilding v. DNC Services Corp., is underway in federal court in Florida, where it is awaiting a ruling on the DNC’s motion to dismiss heard in April. The plaintiff class, Bernie donors who also gave money to the DNC under the assumption of its impartiality in the 2016 primary contest between Clinton and Sanders. The suit alleges fraud, negligent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, and a consumer protection violation.

The claims are based on the celebrated leaked emails and memos from the “Guccifer 2.0” hacks last June. The leaks appear to show direct assistance of Secretary Clinton to the detriment of Senator Sanders. The novel legal theory is based on the donors having been duped by the DNC’s claims of impartiality.

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Anti-Trump Resistance Rhetoric Fueling ‘Raging Fever’ in Unbalanced People

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Democratic strategist and public opinion pollster Pat Caddell talked with Breitbart News Daily SiriusXM host Alex Marlow.  According to Marlow:

Unhinged

Caddell said, “I think they are united in a narrative. And that narrative is, somebody did something wrong. It was Donald Trump and therefore, at the end of the day, he must not be president.”

“They’re still fighting the campaign that they lost,” he added, meaning the media.

“They will not put out things that disagree with their narrative,” said Caddell. “That’s when they stop being a press. They’ve become propagandists and this is really dangerous stuff. It is really scary because for many voters, they don’t know where to turn, necessarily, to get a view that gives them both sides.”

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Why Refusing to Resolve Conflict Hinders Prayer

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According to Paul Tautges of Counseling One Another, resisting or neglecting the “resolution of conflict, especially between yourself and another Christian, is a small but real rejection of the gospel itself and hinders our prayers.” He offers his advice as to what we should do about it. He writes:

Some sins are more passive than active. We may call these sins of omission rather than sins of commission because they are all about what we don’t do. These sins involve neglecting (and sometimes refusing) to do what is right rather than willfully doing what is plainly forbidden. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave pointed warnings against areas of neglect that are especially pertinent to this matter of unanswered prayer. Mishandling these warnings severely damages not only our horizontal relationships with others, but also our familial relationship with the Father and consequently the effectiveness of our prayers. One such area is the delay of conflict resolution.

As long as we live this side of heaven, we will continue to experience conflicts with others, and we will continue to hear God’s call to repentance and greater growth in the midst of conflict. Relational conflict, like everything else God puts in our path, is used by him for our good. When responded to with humility, long-suffering, grace, and forgiveness, such conflict leads to stronger, more Christ-honoring relationships. The transformative grace of God converts that which would weaken human relationships into something that substantially strengthens them—evil is turned into good, and cursing into blessing. This makes us more like Jesus and equips us to be better testimonies to the redemptive power of God in a world that is desperate for grace and peace.

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Three Celebrities Who Walked Away from Weed

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According to LifeZette these celebs “finally realized smoking marijuana was doing no one any good, including themselves and their families.” PopZette’s editors reveal who they are and why they quit the drug:

Many artists believe weed is a creative tool — which is why marijuana is so common in places like Hollywood.

Some artists, however, find the drug can hold them back, not to mention threaten their health — and that moving forward without it leads to something far better.

Here’s a look at three celebrities who have publicly talked about why they’ve quit smoking weed and why.

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London Mosque Attacker: ‘I Want to Kill All Muslims’

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Newsmax reports:

Worshipers leaving a London mosque just after midnight on Monday were helping an unwell elderly man when a van deliberately targeted them, eyewitnesses said, driven by an attacker who shouted: “I want to kill all Muslims.”

The van swerved towards the people outside the Finsbury Park Mosque in north London just as they began to assist the man, who had collapsed.

“He turned left into the alleyway, and he just drove at people,” eyewitness Abdiqadir Warra told AFP.

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Army’s Transgender Training Addresses MALE Pregnancies

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Todd Starnes, host of Fox News & Commentary, reports that the taxpayer funded U.S. Army is forcing LGBTQ sensitivity training on our soldiers:

The Army has begun mandatory transgender sensitivity training for soldiers. The training covers everything from “transfemale” soldiers to transgender shower etiquette to dealing with a male soldier who becomes pregnant.

Yes, good readers. Within the ranks of the greatest fighting force known to mankind – the baby’s daddy could also be the baby’s momma.

“That pregnancy scenario is beyond words,” Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty executive director Ron Crews told me. “This is an example of how this social policy can be used simply to promote personal agendas at the expense of taxpayers with no regard for being what the military is all about.”

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