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

John MacArthur’s Ten Crucial Lessons We Must Teach our Children

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Jordan Standridge of The Cripplegate has posted Dr. MacArthur’s list. Number one on the list: Parents must teach their children to fear God so that they will fear sinning against Him.  What many children don’t realize is that all sins committed against men are first and foremost done against a holy God. And because God is holy and just, sin must be punished.

According to Dr. MacArthur, there are nine more lessons we must teach our children that are found in Proverbs 1-10.  Standridge writes:

Recently as I was reading John MacArthur’s book Brave Dad, I found a section in which He gives “Ten Crucial Lessons Every Father Should Teach”. Obviously, MacArthur is known for his expository, verse by verse teaching. But sitting under his preaching for almost ten years I always loved his “lists” many he came up with while sitting at a restaurant writing on napkins. Obviously, it wasn’t the bread and butter of his ministry, neither should it have been, but when you’ve preached through the whole New Testament and know the entire Bible so well, you are bound to see patterns in Scripture and are able to come up with lists like these.

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Christians: The Most Persecuted in the World

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According to LifeZette:

One Christian is killed every six minutes in our world today.

Last year, 90,000 Christians were killed for their faith, according to renowned author and sociologist Massimo Introvigne. As the founder of the Independent Center for Studies on New Religions in Turin, Italy, Introvigne spoke of a study that will be published next month through the Center for Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

This research sheds light on the now undisputed fact that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world. Introvigne also reported that, shockingly, 2016 was a better year for Christians than 2015, when 105,000 Christians were killed around the world.

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Not recommended teachers/authors/speakers

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Early in 2016, Michelle Lesley compiled a list of women teachers, speakers and authors that should be avoided like the plague. In October she added several women to the list. There’s no guessing necessary as to why Michelle doesn’t recommend certain high profile Christians because she includes examples of their flawed teaching; likewise, she names some of the wolves those on the list choose to partner with. Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Victoria Osteen and Christine Caine, to name a few.  The Bible urges believers to do their homework (Acts 17:11) for the reason that “false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction (2 Peter 2:1).

Now take a look at Michelle’s list…

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Bill Johnson and Mike Bickle’s mutual admiration society

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In this blog post over at Spirit of Error, Holly Pivec exposes the love fest between two NAR leaders. It’s clear that the duo hold each other in high regard by their on stage behavior at IHOP’s recent OneThing conference.  Pivec writes:

Bill Johnson and Mike Bickle, OneThing conference. Photo credit: Spirit of Error

Anyone who has studied the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) knows how difficult it is to pin down. One reason it’s so hard to pin down the NAR is because it’s a movement. It’s not a formal organization or denomination–with an official list of beliefs, leaders or organizations. So you can’t simply go to a website and find an exhaustive list of NAR churches and teachers.

So how can you tell if a teacher is part of the NAR?

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Check out Berean Research’s White Paper on the New Apostolic Reformation

Alabama Supreme Court Rules ‘Unborn Children … Are Human Beings’ Entitled to Protections of Law

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Christian News reports:

The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that a woman’s wrongful death lawsuit against an OB/GYN accused of contributing to the death of her unborn child may proceed. It declared that unborn children are human beings whether or not at the point of viability and therefore are entitled to legal protection.

“In light of the legislative recognition that a ‘person’ includes an ‘unborn child in utero at any stage of development, regardless of viability,’ we do not believe that probable progression to viability is the appropriate relevant proximate-cause inquiry in this case,” it wrote. “Rather, we hold that, in order to establish proximate cause, Stinnett was required to show that Dr. Kennedy’s actions probably caused the death of the fetus, ‘regardless of viability.’”

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‘Pope Francis’ Urges: ‘Let Us Entrust the New Year to Mary’

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The mother of Jesus was a sinner just like all human beings born into this world. Therefore she needed Jesus Christ as a Savior.  The Bible says nothing about Mary ascending to heaven or having an exalted role there. Yet the pope of Rome urges Catholics to entrust her with the new year “so that peace and mercy may grow throughout the world.” We believe that the mother of Jesus should be held in high esteem, but she is not worthy of our worship or adoration.  So with this in mind, following is Christian News Network’s report:

The leader of Roman Catholicism, Jorge Bergoglio, also known as “Pope Francis,” observed the feast of “the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God” on New Year’s Day, urging followers to “entrust the new year to Mary.”

“Let us entrust the new year to Mary, Mother of God, so that peace and mercy may grow throughout the world,” he Tweeted on Sunday, generating over 33,000 likes and 11,000 shares.

The feast “coincides with the octave-day of Christmas” on the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and was initially the feast of the Circumcision of Christ until being replaced in 1974 by Pope John VI. The “mother of God” concept, however, can be traced back as early as the Council of Ephesus in 431.

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See our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

Skeptical Climate Scientists Coming In From the Cold

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James Varney of Real Clear Investigations addresses how attitudes are changing about global warming and all those scientists who dare question its validity.  He writes:

In the world of climate science, the skeptics are coming in from the cold.

Researchers who see global warming as something less than a planet-ending calamity believe the incoming Trump administration may allow their views to be developed and heard. This didn’t happen under the Obama administration, which denied that a debate even existed. Now, some scientists say, a more inclusive approach – and the billions of federal dollars that might support it – could be in the offing.

“Here’s to hoping the Age of Trump will herald the demise of climate change dogma, and acceptance of a broader range of perspectives in climate science and our policy options,” Georgia Tech scientist Judith Curry wrote this month at her popular Climate Etc. blog.

William Happer, professor emeritus of physics at Princeton University and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, is similarly optimistic. “I think we’re making progress,” Happer said. “I see reassuring signs.”

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Texas Judge Halts Federal Transgender Health Protections

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ABC News posted this piece from Associated Press:

A federal judge in Texas on Saturday ordered a halt to another Obama administration effort to strengthen transgender rights, this time over health rules that social conservatives say could force doctors to violate their religious beliefs.

The latest injunction signed by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor comes four months after he blocked a higher-profile new set of transgender protections — a federal directive that required public schools to let transgender students use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity. Several of the Republican-controlled states that brought that lawsuit, including Texas, also sued over the health regulations that were finalized in May.

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Go-go Silhouette Dancers for Christmas Eve at Northpoint Community Church

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Museum of Idolatry’s blog features a few GIFS of silhouette go-go dancing that was performed on Christmas Eve at Pastor Andy Stanley’s church. Are these people attempting to mimic a red-light district, as MOI suggests? Clearly, people behind screens shaking their booties to a catchy tune about Santa Claus and Christmas cheer is not the proper theme for a Christmas Eve church service — and the stage act was not glorifying to God. MOI has the video.

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Putin Won’t Expel US Diplomats in Response to Washington Sanctions

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According to NewsMax:

The United States unleashed a string of sanctions and ordered expulsion of 35 Russians in retaliation for alleged cyber-meddling against the U.S. election, but President Vladimir Putin ruled out any move to kick out American diplomats in response to Washington’s move.

In a statement on the Kremlin’s web site Friday, Putin referred to the sanctions as a “provocation aimed to further undermine Russian-American relations.” But he also said Moscow would not be expelling American diplomats, as the Obama administration had ordered against Moscow.

“The Russian diplomats returning home will spend the New Year Holidays with their relatives and dear ones,” Putin said. “At home. We will not create problems for U.S. diplomats. We will not expel anybody.”

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Just Announced: SBC Endorses NAR-Charismatic False Teaching

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Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen, who often reports on the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), has some troubling news for Southern Baptists. In this must-read-to-the-end post, he charges the SBC with not caring what its “pew-sitters are being taught so long as what they’re being taught retains them as pew-sitters.”  What most people don’t realize is that the SBC has had a million member loss in the last decade. So SBC’s leadership is desperate to retain its members and bring the sheep who have wandered off back into the fold.  Ahlheim informs us of some of the ways they’re going about accomplishing this task, which includes introducing New Apostolic Reformation teaching to its members. This is a terrible idea for the reason that the NAR movement has its roots in the Latter Rain cult and it is steeped in mysticism.

Ahlheim begins with a quote by Presbyterian theologian J. Gresham Machen:

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Here’s Who Will Pray at Trump’s Inauguration

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According to Kate Shellnutt of Christianity Astray Today, three New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) wolves are going to play a significant role in Donald Trump’s Inauguration.  Who are the trio that masquerade as evangelicals? Pastrix Paula White, Samuel Rodriguez and Wayne T. Jackson. Shellnutt fills us in on the details:

Donald Trump has enlisted a larger, more diverse lineup of clergy than usual to pray him into office at his upcoming inauguration ceremony.

The group—bigger than any president’s since Ronald Reagan—reflects his politics, pragmatism, and personality. It includes evangelical leaders Franklin Graham and Samuel Rodriguez, as well as spiritual advisor Paula White, the Florida televangelist credited with his rumored recent Christian conversion, and a Detroit prosperity preacher, Wayne T. Jackson.

“Taken together, [Graham and White] have embodied Trump’s embrace of the twinned ideologies of Christian nationalism and capitalist Christianity,” Kevin Kruse, a history professor at Princeton University and author of One Nation Under God, told CT.

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Mysterious illness tied to marijuana use on the rise in states with legal weed

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CBS News reports:

For more than two years, Lance Crowder was having severe abdominal pain and vomiting, and no local doctor could figure out why. Finally, an emergency room physician in Indianapolis had an idea.

“The first question he asked was if I was taking hot showers to find relief. When he asked me that question, I basically fell into tears because I knew he had an answer,” Crowder said.

The answer was cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS. It’s caused by heavy, long-term use of various forms of marijuana. For unclear reasons, the nausea and vomiting are relieved by hot showers or baths.

“They’ll often present to the emergency department three, four, five different times before we can sort this out,” said Dr. Kennon Heard, an emergency room physician in Aurora, Colorado.

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Conservative Attorney Jay Sekulow Supports Judge on Trump’s Supreme Court Shortlist Who Called Abortion ‘a Right’

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According to Christian News:

Well-known attorney Jay Sekulow, who serves as chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, which takes up cases for conservative, pro-life and pro-family causes, expressed his support on national television this week for two of the picks on President-elect Donald Trump’s Supreme Court shortlist—Judges Diane Sykes and Bill Pryor—stating that they have a “proven track record.”

However, others have voiced concern about the judges precisely because of their track record, which includes Sykes’ favorable Planned Parenthood ruling calling abortion “a right” and Pryor’s prosecution of “Ten Commandments Judge” Roy Moore. Reports state that both Sykes and Pryor are “top contenders” on Trump’s Supreme Court list.

Sekulow had been interviewed on Tuesday’s Fox & Friends regarding the more than 100 court vacancies Trump currently will have to fill as president, as well as whether he agrees that Trump should not compromise in his Supreme Court pick, but choose someone who is “hard right.”

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Carrie Fisher’s Death: ‘Wake-Up Call’ for Heart Screen Tests

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According to Lynn Allison of NewsMax “heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. today.”  Here’s Allison’s advice:

“Star Wars” Actress Carrie Fisher’s death from a heart attack at age 60 should be a “wake-up call” about the threat of cardiovascular disease — particularly in women — and should prompt every American 55 and older to be screened for common factors that can flag risks.

That’s the view of Dr. Kevin Campbell, a leading cardiologist from North Carolina, who says many Americans miss the signs of heart disease that often precede a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

“One thing for sure — Carrie Fisher’s death should be a call to action for all women,” says Campbell, assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, Division of Cardiology.

“Know your risk factors, assess and modify your risk. This can be a way for all to increase awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. today. A yearly physical with doctors to assess her risk factors couple with a stress test or echocardiogram may have prevented her demise.”

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Netanyahu Spokesman: Beyond ‘Shadow of a Doubt’ US Intervened With UN Vote

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NewsMax reports:

Israel is “deeply, deeply disappointed” by the actions concerning a United Nation Security Council resolution aimed at ending the nation’s West Bank settlements, and has information that shows “beyond a shadow of a doubt” the Obama administration was behind the action, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.

“Some of that information is sensitive, and so I can’t share it on live TV, but i have seen the information myself with my own eyes and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that that is exactly what happened,” spokesman David Keyes told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

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Sex and marriage with robots: science fiction or new reality?

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Ruth Holmes of Phys.org answers the question:

Sex with robots is “just around the corner”, an expert told a global conference in London this week featuring interactive sex toys and discussions on the ethics of relationships with humanoids.

“Sexbots” are a staple of science fiction—the idea of robots as sex partners is explored, for instance, in recent films and television series like “Ex-Machina” and “Westworld.”

But some specialists believe the first animated lovers made of metal, rubber and plastic, programmed to provide sexual bliss, will take a step into reality just months from now.

“Sex with robots is just around the corner, with the first sexbots coming… some time next year,” artificial intelligence expert David Levy told the International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots at Goldsmiths, University of London.

US California-based company Abyss Creations next year will start marketing sex robots that are billed as life-like, with the ability to talk and move like humans.

Ultimately, Levy said, people should entertain the thought of marriage with robots as early as 2050.

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Hallucinogenic plant ayahuasca gains foothold in US

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According to Yahoo News:

Dominique was hooked on cocaine and smoked two packs of cigarettes a day until she stumbled onto ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic concoction that she says has changed her life.

The French-American woman, who lives in Los Angeles and did not want her real name used, is among thousands of people across the United States who are increasingly turning to the powerful psychedelic brew from the Amazon to overcome addiction, depression or psychological trauma.

The potion, prepared and consumed as part of a shamanic ritual, is especially gaining a following in Hollywood and Silicon Valley.

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Sex On the Silver Screen – Outsourcing Depravity

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Many professing Christians sit through sex scenes in movies, on TV and elsewhere. But by doing so, are we asking unbelievers–those who act in those scenes–to behave in ways we would never tolerate among ourselves? Do we view sex scenes so we can enjoy entertainment we otherwise couldn’t enjoy?  Author, blogger and pastor, Tim Challies, addresses an important topic that those who say they’re followers of Jesus Christ may not have thought through.  He writes:

I once read a memoir by a man who, as a teen, had been a Shabbos goy. A Shabbos goy is a non-Jew who performs some of the Sabbath-day functions that that are forbidden to the devout. Traditionally, a Shabbos goy would extinguish candles and lights, or he would stoke up a fire on a cold Sabbath morning, all actions considered work by strict interpretations of Jewish law. But since those regulations pertain only to Jews, some would hire Gentiles as a means of circumventing the law. The primary task of this young man was to sit in an elevator and push the buttons. Pushing buttons involves closing an electrical circuit and this was considered a violation of the Sabbath within that community. They outsourced the work to him.

Christians quickly identify this as hypocrisy, an adherence to the letter of the law that violates the spirit of the law. It’s hard to find an ethical difference between actually pushing a button and hiring someone else to do it. And, in fact, many Jews see it this way as well and most communities have dropped the very notion of the Shabbos goy. However, I think some Christians may have picked it up, or something like it at least. Our concern is not Sabbath-day functions, though. Our concern is enjoying entertainment, and to enjoy entertainment we need to hire people who disregard the law. We let them violate the law so we can enjoy the benefits.

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American Psychiatric Association Expresses Opposition to Assisted Suicide for Mentally Ill

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Christian News reports:

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has released a formal position statement expressing opposition to assisted suicide in cases where the patient is not terminally ill.

According to reports, the statement was approved this month by the APA’s board of trustees after being passed last month by the general assembly.

“The American Psychiatric Association, in concert with the American Medical Association’s position on medical euthanasia, holds that a psychiatrist should not prescribe or administer any intervention to a non-terminally ill person for the purpose of causing death,” it states.

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Andy Stanley: Please Relent or Step Down from Pastoral Ministry

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Seems Andy Stanley, pastor of Northpoint Church, is once again in hot water over another “foolish statement” he made.  In this piece over at Patheos, Grayson Gilbert takes Pastor Andy to task:

If anyone has not heard by this point, Andy Stanley, being infamous for making some foolish statements about the nature of the church and the scriptures, has done it yet again. Yet the interesting thing here for those paying close attention, is that the recent debacle over him making the claim that Christianity doesn’t hinge off of the biblical account of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, is really just the outworking of his previous statements. Incidentally, it also mirrors the decent into liberalism and unbelief – more clearly, it is the preamble to that notable thundering of ol’ Harry Emerson Fosdick who asked, “Shall the Fundamentalists win?”

Fosdick stood on the mount of liberals, decrying the virgin birth, making exceptions to the inerrancy of the scriptures, and eventually came to deny the literal resurrection of Christ. His reason: fundamentalists were intolerant for making claims that such things could not be denied while one remains a Christian. Ultimately, he divided the secular and the sacred in expressing that science, reason, and modernism could not be harmonious with such historic doctrines. I’ll concede on the point that modernism and Christianity are not compatible; interestingly, one of these things has already faded away.

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The Day After Christmas

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Clint Archer of The Cripplegate shares an amazing story that many people have never heard before that took place on The Western Front of World War I.  Archer tells of the unauthorized truce to commemorate the birth of the Prince of Peace.  He writes:

Christmas Truce 1914 by A.Z. Rainman

The Christmas truce of  Christmas Eve, 1914 was a wonderful parenthesis of respite in the animosity of what would become the bloodiest war in human history.

As reports have been collated of that mysterious peace that washed over the Western Front on that silent night, it seems it all started with well-wishing and spontaneous singing of Christmas hymns. The Germans offered their hearty a cappella rendition of Stillenacht from their muddy trenches. In good cheer, from the British side—and by some accounts even in some French trenches—hymns of praise to God resounded throughout the empty battlefields.

Captain Robert Patrick Miles of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry division wrote in a letter that was published in the Daily Mail in January 1915:

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Obama Quietly Signs The ‘Countering Disinformation And Propaganda Act’ Into Law

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Over at Zero Hedge,Tyler Durden reveals what was buried deep inside the provisions of the Defense Authorization Act. He writes:

 

Late on Friday, with the US population embracing the upcoming holidays and oblivious of most news emerging from the administration, Obama quietly signed into law the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which authorizes $611 billion for the military in 2017.

In a statement, Obama said that:

Today, I have signed into law S. 2943, the “National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017.” This Act authorizes fiscal year 2017 appropriations principally for the Department of Defense and for Department of Energy national security programs, provides vital benefits for military personnel and their families, and includes authorities to facilitate ongoing operations around the globe. It continues many critical authorizations necessary to ensure that we are able to sustain our momentum in countering the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and to reassure our European allies, as well as many new authorizations that, among other things, provide the Departments of Defense and Energy more flexibility in countering cyber-attacks and our adversaries’ use of unmanned aerial vehicles.”

Much of the balance of Obama’s statement blamed the GOP for Guantanamo’s continued operation and warned that “unless the Congress changes course, it will be judged harshly by history,” Obama said. Obama also said Congress failed to use the bill to reduce wasteful overhead (like perhaps massive F-35 cost overruns?) or modernize military health care, which he said would exacerbate budget pressures facing the military in the years ahead.

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Kentucky Governor Declares 2017 ‘Year of the Bible,’ Supports Statewide Bible Reading Marathon

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Christian News Network reports:

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has issued a proclamation declaring 2017 the “Year of the Bible,” making it the second year that Bevin has issued such a decree.

He noted that several prominent figures throughout American history have lauded the importance of the Scriptures.

“President Harry S. Truman said, ‘The fundamental basis of this nation’s law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul,’” Bevin’s proclamation reads in part.

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Christmas: Christ in you

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From Jim Stitzinger of The Cripplegate:

The concerts are over and candle-light services are nearly complete. No more caroling, food drives, corporate holiday parties and the sound of Salvation army bells are quickly fading. The world will soon say goodbye to “the holidays” and will soon pivot its attention to New Year’s and Super Bowls.

The world may soon have Christmas almost in it’s rear view mirror, but for Christ’s church the wonder and joy of Christmas never ends. Isaiah prophesied that a virgin will conceive and bear a Son whose name will be Immanuel, God with us. He came to earth that day, and remains with us in every day. The Creator of the universe stepped aside from the full display of His majestic glory and dove headlong into His creation.

The day Christ was born slipped by, uncelebrated throughout the world. It was not for lack of Instagram, satellite communication or weak cell phone coverage. It was not because the postal service lost His birth announcement or a webpage failed to update. Christ entered time and space as planned. The seclusion from the abusive prying eyes of the world kept King Herod from carrying out yet another satanic attempt to assassinate the Savior.

Beyond the safety of our Savior, the world did not see the eternal significance of the first Christmas for the same reason that it cannot understand Christmas today. “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Eyes that are blind to the truth can never see the glory of the Savior who was born.

The world cannot see Jesus, but the world can see Jesus in you.

Here are five windows through which those without hope are able to see Jesus in our lives:   View article →