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

God Hates Deceit

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According to blogger and author Tim Challies, “God reserves words like ‘hate,’ ‘abomination,’ and ‘despise’ to describe the sins for which he has the greatest revulsion. In his series on the things God hates, Challies delves into God’s hatred for deceit. Deceit, he says, “is the natural condition of those whose hearts are in rebellion against God.” Moreover, “deceit is a sure sign of our depravity.” In this installment, Tim Challies walks us through what it looks like when a person is in rebellion against God. He writes:

The Bible leaves no doubt that God hates deceit. Three times in the book of Proverbs he states it bluntly. In Proverbs 6 we read a list of “six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him,” and two of them relate to deceit: “a lying tongue” and “a false witness who breathes out lies” (17, 19). Proverbs 12:22 echoes the theme: “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight” (Proverbs 12:22).

Zechariah adds that God hates the kind of deceit that takes shape in false oaths, saying, “do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD” (Zechariah 8:17). As we assemble the evidence, it becomes clear: God hates any concealment of the truth, any denial of the truth, or any misrepresentation of the truth.

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US House Votes to Permanently Ban Taxpayer Funding of Abortion

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Christian News reports:

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act on Tuesday, essentially placing a permanent ban on taxpayer funding of abortions, as outlined in the Hyde Amendment. The matter now moves to the Senate for consideration.

The Act had been introduced by Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, a longtime supporter of the Amendment, which was first passed in 1976 to ban the use of Medicaid funds for abortion, with the exceptions of rape, incest and the life of the mother. Noting peer reviewed studies, Smith says that the Amendment has saved two million lives since its inception.

“Two million people who would have been aborted instead survived because public funds were unavailable to effectuate their violent demise, while their mothers benefited from prenatal health care and support,” Smith said on the House floor prior to the vote. “Two million survivors have had the opportunity to live and enjoy the first and most basic of all human rights—the right to life.”

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Jerry Falwell Jr Embraces Prosperity Impastor, Paula White, calls Discerning Christians ‘Pharisaical’ and ‘Self-Righteous’

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According to the Polemics Report:

Jerry Falwell Junior ascended to the stage while a chant originating on the Jerry Springer show of “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” came from the crowd. He would then introduce the Word-of-Faith impastor, prosperity gospel teacher, and former mistress of Benny Hinn, and do so as though she were a sister in Christ.

Falwell would then go on to interview White’s third husband, who is a musician for the rock band, Journey, and who replaced her second husband – pastor Randy White – just a few years ago. White’s rockstar husband, Jonathan Cain, spoke of God’s anointing on his music career, and credited Jesus with his success. Cain’s musical career, with which he credits God, includes songs with lyrics like…

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Have Christians lost the art of biblical discernment?

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By Marsha West

What exactly is discernment? It means “to distinguish, to separate out by diligent search, to examine.”

Search…examine… “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11, emphasis added) The Berean Christians didn’t take Paul’s word for anything. They listened to his teaching and then they went to the scriptures to see if what he taught was true.  Because the Bereans checked Paul’s teaching against Scripture, he commended them saying that they were “more noble than those in Thessalonica.”

Christians who are spiritually discerning are able to properly distinguish between true and false teaching. Those with discernment have wisdom. Moreover, in the Bible we’re told that a true believer possesses the mind of Christ. “The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:15-16)

According to Bible expositor Matthew Henry:

The apostles were not guided by worldly principles. They had the revelation of these things from the Spirit of God, and the saving impression of them from the same Spirit. These things they declared in plain, simple language, taught by the Holy Spirit, totally different from the affected oratory or enticing words of man’s wisdom. The natural man, the wise man of the world, receives not the things of the Spirit of God. The pride of carnal reasoning is really as much opposed to spirituality, as the basest sensuality. The sanctified mind discerns the real beauties of holiness, but the power of discerning and judging about common and natural things is not lost. But the carnal man is a stranger to the principles, and pleasures, and actings of the Divine life. The spiritual man only, is the person to whom God gives the knowledge of his will. … And the apostles were enabled by his Spirit to make known his mind. In the Holy Scriptures, the mind of Christ, and the mind of God in Christ, are fully made known to us. It is the great privilege of Christians, that they have the mind of Christ revealed to them by his Spirit. They experience his sanctifying power in their hearts, and bring forth good fruits in their lives. (Source – bold added)

Only the spiritual man (regenerate) possesses the knowledge of God’s will….because he has the mind of Christ.  Henry calls to our attention that it is through reading the scriptures that the spiritual man receives the knowledge of His will.

Before we move on, we must add a word of caution from blogger and author Tim Challies.  Speaking on discernment in “How can I increase my spiritual discernment?” he wrote:

Some have mistakenly defined spiritual discernment as a God-given awareness of evil or good spiritual presences—the ability to tell if a demon is in the room. While some people may possess this capability, it is not the biblical meaning of discernment. Spiritual discernment ultimately has to do with wisdom and the ability to distinguish truth from error.

So – how do Christians grow in spiritual discernment?  Two ways.  By allowing the Holy Spirit to be their guiding light; likewise, thorough carefully studying the Bible.

What should we do to determine if a person’s teaching is unbiblical? We are commanded to test what’s being taught. In fact, Paul urges believers to “test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) Likewise, John encourages us to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” How does one test a spirit?  By reading the scriptures, in context, for that’s where Truth is found. Why is “testing” so important? “For many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) False prophets/teachers distort the truth….which is why the Bible refers to them as false teachers and wolves in sheep’s clothing.  It’s no exaggeration to say that a large number of charlatans knowingly—and without a smidgeon of guilt–lie through their teeth. Admittedly, examining someone’s teaching is no easy task.  But nowhere in Scripture are we told that it should be left to “professionals”; it is clearly our responsibility.

We mustn’t ignore the fact that any teaching that fails to line up with what the scriptures say is not from God! And if the Bible’s not the source of his/her teaching, most likely its source is the “spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.”  Satan’s not called the father of lies because he’s a truth teller!

Far too many Christians rely on the discernment of other believers, like those of us involved in online discernment ministries. It’s okay to learn from each other (iron sharpens iron) but, again, we must do as the Bereans did – test!  Regrettably, when it comes to testing for errors, a growing number of professing Christians deserve a failing grade.

Because so many people spend a huge amount of time on one form of technology or another, it’s easy to see why the views so many evangelicals hold is derived from TV preachers, radio/podcast personalities, best-selling books, popular bloggers and even social media. Many individuals who claim to be evangelicals search religious TV networks such as TBN, Daystar and God TV looking for a spiritual fix.  Unbeknownst to them, they’re exposed to rank heresy taught by Word of Faith (WoF) teachers like Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Fred Price, Creflo Dollar as well as “life coach” Joel Osteen.

If Christians would take the time to test those mentioned above, they’d discover that their teaching is decidedly unbiblical. The fact of the matter is that WoF is a theological cult. What often happens when this fact is pointed out to those who have bought into the teaching of these wolves is that they become defensive, even enraged, take aim and “shoot the messenger.”  Sadly, many professing Christians prefer to hold onto their conspiracy theories, unbiblical philosophies and their distorted view of Scripture than spend time studying the Bible, in context.  As the saying goes: Context, context, context!  Why?  For the reason that taking a verse out of its proper context leads to error. According to 2 Timothy 3:16, all Scripture is “God-breathed” which means that the words on the page are inspired by or come directly from God, not from the writers.  We’re commanded to read, study, and understand God’s Word.  But first we must pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance so that we are able to discern the things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:14) In John 16:13 we learn that the Spirit of truth guides us into all truth.

What about believers who claim that they hear directly from God, those who say “God spoke to me”…“God told me” to do …”I felt led to”…I sensed that God wanted me to___”  You fill in the blank.  “There is no divining of the will of God through feelings or extra-biblical visions or pictures that appear in our minds or voices we hear,” says Mike Ratliff. “God will never violate the truths He has given to us in His Word.”

Televangelists, who pretend to have a direct pipeline to God, prance around in front of the TV camera, claiming to hear a “word from the Lord.” At the risk of sounding divisive, most televangelists teach outright heresy (I can prove it), so why would God speak to them at all? Frauds should not expect to hear from God; they should expect to be rebuked by God.

What are we to do about false teachers?  We are to “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. (Ephesians 5:11) To expose means “to reprove with conviction upon the offender,” says Ratliff.  So we must point out to the offender their error.  And if they do not listen and repent? Then we “prove to the Body of Christ that this is so using the Word of God to show how they are not being obedient to God.” (Source)

The goal for every Christian is to eliminate aberrant and heretical teaching and all that this includes from Christ’s church. The only way for this to happen is for each of us to become a Berean.  So with this I mind, those who love the Lord Jesus must “contend [fight in its defense] for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3)

I’ll close with a quote from Dr. Albert Mohler:

The tragedy that evangelicals have lost the art of biblical discernment must be traced to a disastrous loss of biblical knowledge. Discernment cannot survive without doctrine.

Research

Discernment

CRN has compiled a list of false teachers and several other professing Christians we’ve warned you about over the years. The list also contains those we must keep an eye on plus movements, organizations and “frauds, phonies and money-grubbing religious quacks” to mark and avoid as per Romans 16:17-18

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International Planned Parenthood Will Lose U.S. Funds Because of Trump’s Pro-Life Policy

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CNSNews reports:

The International Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International, two major beneficiaries of U.S. funding, indicated Monday they will not comply with a newly-reinstated policy that prohibits federal funding for organizations that promote or perform abortions around the world.

The IPPF acknowledged it will lose $100 million U.S. tax  dollars for its programs, but declared that it and its partners in 170 countries around the world “will not sign a policy that denies human rights and puts the lives of women at risk.”

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Obama Gave $221 Million to Palestinians in Last Hours

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According to Breitbart:

The Associated Press reported Monday that former President Barack Obama released $221 million in U.S. funding for the Palestinian Authority on the morning of Friday, January 20 — just hours before he was to leave office. The AP details:

A State Department official and several congressional aides say the outgoing administration formally notified Congress it would spend the money Friday morning, just before Donald Trump became president.

More than $227 million in foreign affairs funding was released at the time, including $4 million for climate change programs and $1.25 million for U.N. organizations.

At least two GOP lawmakers had placed holds on the Palestinian funds. Congressional holds are generally respected by the executive branch but are not legally binding.

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Pure Flix an arm of dominionist International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders

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Berean Research has the story on Pure Flix Entertainment, a Christian film and television studio that “produces, distributes, acquires and markets Christian and family-friendly films”:

Is Christian-themed movie subscription site PureFlix a strategic tool of the New Apostolic Reformation, or does this movie company simply focus on delivering films with a pro-Christian message? I’m about to make a case for the former.

We know that one of the hallmarks of the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) movement is taking dominion over seven spheres of life on Earth, in order to activate the reign of Jesus’ Kingdom. It’s called the “7 Mountain Mandate,” in which Christians are to dominate and fix business, government, media, education, the family, religion, and arts and entertainment.

NAR leaders are very methodical about these takeovers, as you can read about in the extra links below. But what fascinates me is the arts and entertainment sphere. In doing research I stumbled across, quite by accident, a sub ministry of a highly influential group called the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders, or ICAL for short.

ICAL was brought to America in 2000 by “Apostle” John P. Kelly, who set up shop in Fort Worth, Texas. Kelly was “directed by the Lord” to ask C. Peter Wagner to accept the position of Presiding Apostle over the network of apostles. New Apostolic Reformation is the term Wagner gave to this movement that encompasses hundreds of similar apostolic networks around the world, but not everyone uses Wagner’s exact terminology.  Another common term for the movement is “apostolic and prophetic.” The late Wagner turned the keys back over to Kelly, whose ICAL mission statement reads:

“ICAL is designed to connect apostles’ wisdom and resources in order that each member can function more strategically, combine their efforts globally, and effectively accelerate the advancement of the Kingdom of God into every sphere of society.” (Mission statement)

On its website, you can find out which leaders have been appointed as modern-day “Apostles,” who are to rule over all Christians and bring forth utterances of actual fresh words – oracles if you will – of God Almighty Himself.    View article →

Research:

New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)

Why Christians Submit to the Government

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Over at the Grace to You blog, Cameron Buettel shares his view that Christians “are never called to go to war with our mission field.”  He believes that “our interactions with civic leaders and rulers should be fueled by our desire to further the gospel.”  In Romans 13:1 Paul makes it clear that we must submit to the authorities in power. So, “what should that subjection look like for a Christian living in a dark and fallen world?” queries Buettel. Moreover, “Is there a threshold of evil where Paul’s command no longer applies?”

Cameron Buettel not only communicates his own view on this controversial subject.  He also quotes Pastor John MacArthur and includes a sermon he gave on Romans 13:2-5 you’ll want to listen to.

Today a new American president will be sworn into office. Maybe you like him. Maybe you don’t. Whatever the case, your view of the president should not determine how you relate and respond to the government as a Christian. Romans 13:1 provides the standard: “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.”

But submission never comes naturally to our seemingly autonomous existence. It’s even harder when we have to bow in subjection to wicked rulers with evil policies. That’s the bitter pill Christians have had to swallow in recent decades, as we’ve wrestled with our consciences over increasingly evil political agendas.

For many of us, our moral outrage is soothed with thoughts of sanctified rebellion. The thought of sticking it to the man and being spiritual about it appeals to our righteous indignation. We know we’re supposed to obey the law, but doesn’t God make exceptions for bad laws?

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Women’s March sponsored by Communist Party USA among others

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Trevor Loudon of New Zeal reveals the names of some of the groups that sponsored the Women’s March that was held over the weekend:

One of the many radical groups who sponsored the anti-Free Market, anti-Trump temper tantrum thinly disguised as a “Women’s March” the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump was the Communist Party USA, whose organization was unapologetically featured at the Women’s March website as a “partner” of the march.

While the New York Times asks “what’s next” after the “success of the Women’s March,” but fails to mention the radical nature of the organizers, as usual.

Other associated groups include the Human Rights Campaign (co-founded by accused pedophile Terry Bean and responsible for the template used to push the ‘bathroom bills’ across America), Planned Parenthood, Americans for Democratic Action, Democratic Socialists of America, Demos, NARAL, EMILY’s List, and many, many others.

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Ashley Judd Accuses Donald Trump of Having ‘Wet Dreams’ About His Daughter at Women’s March

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Actress and left-wing zealot Ashley Judd had some very nasty things to say about President Donald Trump at the star-studded DC march on Saturday. After viewing the video it is CRN’s opinion that unhinged is an appropriate way to describe the Hollywood star. According to Breitbart “During Saturday’s Women’s March in Washington, DC, Ashley Judd ranted, “I am not as nasty as your own daughter being your favorite sex symbol, like your wet dreams infused with your own genes.”

Judd’s disgusting rant becomes far worse than that, so before you click the link we warn you to brace yourself.

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Evangelical Fuller Seminary to Lead Plan to Foster Unity With Muslims, Address Islamophobia

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Fuller Theological Seminary was once a prestigious seminary. Not anymore. According to Berean Research, “Fuller was one of the first seminaries to become infected by emergent thought.”  BR also reported that professor Daniel Kirk changed his position on LGBT inclusion in the church and announced that he now fully affirms same-sex relationships.

That was in Oct 2015.  Now The Gospel Herald is reporting that “Fuller Seminary teams are working with Calvin Theological Seminary and the Lausanne Movement to assemble American evangelical leaders across a broad spectrum of perspectives, values and commitments to foster unity and solidarity in Christian approaches to engaging Muslims.”  Moreover, “a meeting of evangelical leaders is slated to be held at Calvin Theological Seminary this August. Deemed an ‘intra-evangelical’ conversation, the meeting will address respective hopes, fears and questions about moving toward more positive, unified relationships with Muslims.”

Fuller is promoting unity with Islam, which is a pagan religion, in spite of the fact that God commands His people: Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? (2 Cor 6:14).

Julie Brown Patton has the story:

Fuller Theological Seminary received a new $50,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to assist evangelical communities in fostering peaceful, respectful engagement with Muslims neighbors. Fuller is the largest multi-denominational seminary in the world.

Mark Labberton and Richard Mouw, president and president emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary, suggest dedicated work is needed to bring together American evangelicals to address hostility toward Muslims and find ways to counter Islamophobia.

Within the American context, both Islam as a religion, and its Muslim adherents, continue to garner a lion’s share of the public’s attention said Labberton.

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‘Ecumenism For Trump’ Trumps Scriptural Commands For Key Evangelical Leaders

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Bud Ahlheim off Pulpit & Pen reminds us that God commands His people not to engage in a spiritual enterprise with non-believers.  And yet some high profile evangelical leaders ignored the Lord’s command and participated in an interfaith prayer service at the National Cathedral. Ahlheim reveals who these men are:

There’s a supplicant from the Navaho Nation. A few from the now-defunct faith of Judaism. There are Roman Catholics. There’s at least one Hindu. Mormons are represented, as are Baha’is of the United States. Islam and Sikh’s will be there. Episcopalians, Greek Orthodox, Presbyterians, independent charismatics, and Buddhism have a place in the line-up too. And, because no event of ecumenism could possibly be complete without them, so too will Southern Baptists be involved.

The Washington National Cathedral is the site for the “interfaith” prayer service that is to be held the day after the inauguration. Many high profile evangelicals have been involved in the event during recent history. In 1985, Billy Graham preached a sermon at Reagan’s inaugural service.   Since then, the likes of Foursquare’s Jack Hayford, Soujourners’ Jim Wallis, and North Point’s Andy Stanley have all stood on the dais.

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Obama Shows His True Colors as He Leaves Office

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“With no reason to suppress his more radical instincts any longer, the president embraced them on his way out the door,” wrote syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer in a piece published over at National Review.  What did the former president do on his way out that was so radical?  Krauthammer reveals the details:

Barack Obama did not go out quietly. His unquiet final acts were overshadowed, in part by a successor who refused to come in quietly, and in part by Obama’s own endless, sentimental farewell tour. But there was nothing nostalgic or sentimental about Obama’s last acts. Two of them were simply shocking. Perhaps we should have known. At the 2015 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, he joked about whether he had a bucket list: “Well, I have something that rhymes with bucket list.”

Turns out, he wasn’t kidding. Commuting the sentence of Chelsea Manning, one of the great traitors of our time, is finger-in-the-eye willfulness. Obama took 28 years off the sentence of a soldier who stole and then released through WikiLeaks almost half a million military reports plus another quarter-million State Department documents.

The cables were embarrassing; the military secrets were almost certainly deadly. They jeopardized the lives not just of American soldiers on two active fronts — Iraq and Afghanistan — but of locals who were, at great peril, secretly aiding and abetting us. After Manning’s documents release, the Taliban “went on a killing spree” (according to intelligence sources quoted by Fox News) of those who fit the description of individuals working with the United States.

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Praying for Political Leaders

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Biblical Counseling Coalition has a piece by Paul Tautges where he discusses why praying for political leaders is so important. First and foremost, God commands us to pray for them. Tautges writes:

When we commit to praying for our leaders (whether or not we agree with them), God is pleased with us and is pleased to work in their hearts according to His will. In relation to this divinely given duty, one passage in particular contains fundamental principles every believer needs to understand. Paul says in 1 Tim. 2:1–4:

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

In these verses we hear the apostle’s plea to us to be obedient to God by praying for our leaders.

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Liberal churches are dying as conservative churches thrive

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In a piece over at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, David Millard Haskell, professor of religion and culture at Wilfrid Laurier University, discusses a new study he conducted and some of his findings.  What will surely surprise many professing Christians is this:

[C]onservative Protestant theology, with its more literal view of the Bible, is a significant predictor of church growth, while liberal theology leads to decline.

According to Haskell:

Mainline Protestant churches are in trouble: A 2015 report by the Pew Research Center found that these congregations, once a mainstay of American religion, are now shrinking by about 1 million members annually. Fewer members not only means fewer souls saved, a frightening thought for some clergy members, but also less income for churches, ensuring their further decline.

Faced with this troubling development, clergy members have made various efforts to revive church attendance. It was almost 20 years ago that John Shelby Spong, a U.S. bishop in the Episcopalian Church, published his book “Why Christianity Must Change or Die.” It was presented as an antidote to the crisis of decline in mainline churches. Bishop Spong, a theological liberal, said congregations would grow if they abandoned their literal interpretation of the Bible and transformed along with changing times.

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‘Hamilton’ Creator Celebrates Terrorist

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Recently, soon to be former President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of convicted terrorist Oscar Lopez-Rivera which came as a shock to many Americans. Heather Hunter of Lifezette reveals that “Lopez-Rivera was a leader of the FALN Marxist Puerto Rico terrorist group, which claimed responsibility for more than 120 domestic bombings, resulting in several dead, dozens injured, and millions of dollars in property damage. He used his apartment to coordinate bomb-making efforts.” Evidently the creator of the hit broadway play “Hamilton” is a fan of the terrorist. Hunter has the details:

Remember back in November when Vice President-Elect Mike Pence took his family to see the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” and the actor who plays Aaron Burr lectured and harassed him from the stage?

And remember Lin-Manual Miranda, creator of “Hamilton,” who applauded the highly irregular instance of that actor, Brandon Dixon, using the theatrical platform to deliver a broadside against the newly elected administration?

Well, earlier this week, President Obama granted 209 commutations and 64 pardons in one day. Most of us focused on the commutation of Chelsea Manning’s sentence. The U.S. Army private, who was serving 35 years for leaking thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks, now will get out in May.

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Defrauding Millions: Bethel Church and Benny Hinn Together

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Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen reports that arch heretic Benny Hinn, who is well known for “fake healings, false prophecies and promises of fortune through his false teachings” was invited to grace the stage of Bethel Church in Redding CA by NAR “Apostle” Bill Johnson who pastors the church. Maples writes:

If you go to an evangelical church in America, you’ve probably heard Bethel’s music. This means that your church is paying royalties to Bethel Church and their artists which directly supports their ministries. Songs like This is Amazing Grace by Phil Wickham and Love Came Down by Bizzy B are popular songs you’d probably recognize from your modern worship service. While being able to rightly refer to this music as “worship” is questionable, at best, one thing is for certain–their music supports the church that backs them. And that church is Bethel Church in Redding, California.

Bethel Church is a New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) church pastored by the “Apostle,” Bill Johnson. Bethel Church is a hothouse for serious theological error and heresy. Bill Johnson and his associates are advocates of the heresy known as Word of Faith (WoF), which teaches that through your words you have the ability to access the power of your faith or your fears–that is, your words have power. It is then taught that this power can be used to funnel material wealth and health into your life.

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CNN: Assassinating Trump Could Keep Obama Administration in Power

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CNN host Wolf Blitzer and contributor Brian Todd spent valuable airtime fantasizing about what would happen if the far left’s dream came true and both Donald Trump and Mike Pence were blown up on Inauguration Day. Breitbart has the disturbing story:

As the nation prepares for the peaceful transfer of power on Inauguration Day, CNN is dreaming up scenarios whereby the Obama administration can keep power if President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence were blown up as they prepared to take to oath of office.

On the Wednesday, January 18 broadcast of CNN’s The Situation Room, host Wolf Blitzer aired a segment with a chyron featuring the headline “Developing Now.” During that “developing” segment, Blitzer and correspondent Brian Todd discussed what would happen if the unthinkable occurred on January 20.

Blitzer introduced the segment, saying, “What if an incoming president and his immediate successors were wiped out on day one?” and from there, CNN contributor Brian Todd took over to outline the line of succession if an attack blew up the inaugural dais, killing both Trump and Pence.

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Leaving the NAR Church: Dina’s Story

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Berean Research presents Dina’s compelling story of how she left the New Apostolic Reformation cult.:

“I was so addicted to the experience that I was always on the hunt for more.”

Dina’s story is one of many from people I’ve met who desire as I do to see the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) movement exposed for what it is: An anti-biblical counterfeit that sounds almost like biblical Christianity.

In this series, I want to take readers beyond the textbook What is the New Apostolic Reformation Movement explanation, into the personal experiences from those who have been there, and what happened when God opened their eyes to the truth.

Eight years ago, Dina left the church she was a member of.  This is her story in her own words.

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Obama appoints Gabby Douglas, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, transgender figures and more to administration positions hours before leaving office

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According to Aol News, Barack Obama has been “rushing to fill dozens of federal vacancies” with liberals:

With only hours to go until he leaves the White House and loses his executive authority for good, President Barack Obama appointed a slew of sports stars, longtime advisers and other figures to dozens of administration positions on Monday and Tuesday.

The president is rushing to fill dozens of federal vacancies before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Friday.

The White House announced the appointments in a pair of press releases published on Monday and Tuesday. Athletes including gymnast Gabby Douglas, basketball players Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and Jason Collins, and soccer star Carli Lloyd were appointed as members of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. Collins, who made history four years ago when he became the first openly gay player in the NBA, and Lloyd are slotted to chair the council.

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Sen. Tom Cotton Slams Obama on ‘Traitor’ Chelsea Manning

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Newsmax reports:

Sen. Tom Cotton Tuesday slammed President Barack Obama’s commuting of Chelsea Manning’s 35-year prison term, saying that his leaking classified information to WikiLeaks in 2009 provided “grave harm to our national security.”

“I am very surprised,” the Arkansas Republican, an Army veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, told Jake Tapper on CNN. “Chelsea Manning pleaded guilty to very serious crimes leaking highly classified information that put at risk the lives of our troops and our diplomats, our intelligence officers — allies who helped us around the world.

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Jennifer LeClaire Claims ‘New Age Angels of Transition’ Will Save America?

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Charismatics dabble in all sorts of strange practices these days.  In this case, an occult practice known as telepathic communication….with angels, supposedly. If Jennifer LeClaire knew anything at all about the Bible, she’d be aware that God’s people are to have nothing whatsoever to do with sorcery.  In fact, He forbids it:

There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD… (Deut 18:10-12)  

The Lord is not kidding around!  So why would any professing Christian dabble in sorcery? Two words: Zero discernment.  Lack of discernment is epidemic in the visible Church.

Ms LeClaire needs to go to the Bible to find out what it teaches about angles because what she’s been teaching people is not from Scripture. If she took the time to study God’s Word, she’d know that He has made it crystal clear that spirits, including angels, are not to be evoked, called on, invited in, or channeled. Believers must never attempt to connect with spirits and we certainly shouldn’t try to glean information from them.  Our Lord Jesus would tell demons to keep quiet! 

Jennifer LeClaire is leading people astray as you will see in Chris Rice’s blog post over at Museum of Idolatry:

We are witnessing the merging of New Age channeling and false prophetic pronouncements from Charismaniacs, who have once again reached deep into their Charismania Adjective Grab Bag to give their latest vain imagination an air of credibility.

The Charismania Adjective Grab Bag has a simple formula. First, come up with a vain imagination and claim it’s from God. Second, pin a legitimate Bible word to it. Third, reach deep into your bag of adjectives, and feel around for a correct sounding adjective. If you need a little help with ideas, the demons are more than happy to plant words in your head; or if you are a New Age channeler, you would say that you have “telepathic communication from Guardian Angels and Spirit Guides.”

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Democratic Rep. Files Resolution to Recognize ‘Darwin Day’ on Feb. 12

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Christian News reports:

A Democratic lawmaker filed a resolution in the House of Representatives that, if approved, would recognize February 12, 2017, as “Darwin Day” and celebrate the father of evolution’s contributions to science.

House Resolution 44, filed on Wednesday by Democratic Rep. James Himes of Connecticut, seeks to honor Darwin on the 208th anniversary of his birth.

“Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by the mechanism of natural selection, together with the monumental amount of scientific evidence he compiled to support it, provides humanity with a logical and intellectually compelling explanation for the diversity of life on Earth,” the resolution asserts.

In addition to celebrating Darwin and his legacy, the resolution criticizes biblical creation, claiming it undermines the well-being of the nation’s education systems.

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In US, More Adults Identifying as LGBT

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There’s a new poll out that shouldn’t surprise anyone. According to Gallup:

  • 10 million American adults identify as LGBT (4.1%)
  • LGBT millennials up from 5.8% in 2012 to 7.3% in 2016
  • LGBT identification higher among women

The portion of American adults identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) increased to 4.1% in 2016 from 3.5% in 2012. These figures, drawn from the largest representative sample of LGBT Americans collected in the U.S., imply that more than an estimated 10 million adults now identify as LGBT in the U.S. today, approximately 1.75 million more compared with 2012.

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No Middle Ground: Evangelical Leaders Reject Compromise on LGBT and Religious Rights

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Christianity Today’s Kate Shellnutt reveals who the leaders are and tells us why they refuse to compromise. Albert Mohler addresses Shellnutt’s piece in The Briefing under the heading “Religious liberty in the balance: Why the Fairness for All campaign is a threat to religious liberty.” Dr. Mohler warns that the LGBT revolutionaries won’t settle for any sort of compromise. Evangelicals know this all too well.

Now to Shellnutt’s piece:

Compromises designed to safeguard both religious freedoms and LGBT rights won’t fly among many of America’s most influential conservative Christians.

Leaders from nearly 90 evangelical seminaries, publications, ministries, and churches—as well as Catholic and Orthodox clergy—signed a statement last month rejecting any legal efforts to protect sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).

“[We] believe that proposed SOGI laws, including those narrowly crafted, threaten fundamental freedoms,” they wrote as part of the “Preserve Freedom, Reject Coercion” campaign, hosted by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview.

The declaration follows months of conversations among Christian college leaders around the Fairness for All strategy, which would bring religious leaders and LGBT advocates together to try to secure satisfactory legal protections for both. Parties from each side of the conversation are convening this weekend for a conference at Yale University.

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