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

Professor on Ultrasound Requirement for Abortion: ‘Could Be Compared to a State-sanctioned Rape’

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According to CNSNews:

ultrasoundA law professor from University of California Irvine said on Friday that the requirement by some states that women have a transvaginal ultrasound before getting an abortion can be compared to “state-sanctioned rape.”

“The broad scope of the kinds of efforts that have been taken to undermine woman’s reproductive health are really quite expansive, right? The vaginal ultrasounds that are really like, could be compared to a state-sanctioned rape,” said Prof. Michele Goodwin at a symposium at Georgetown University Law Center, which focused on the pro-abortion movement.

The event, “Dismantling Reproductive Injustices; The Hyde Amendment and Criminalization of Self-Induced Abortion,” featured Goodwin and other pro-abortion advocates who seek abortion-on-demand and taxpayer-funded abortion through federal health programs.

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Trump repeats vow to build border wall, but admits ‘there could be some fencing’

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In a television interview, President-elect Trump said of “Crooked Hillary” and her husband, “I don’t want to hurt them, I don’t want to hurt them.  They’re, they’re good people. I don’t want to hurt them.” It would appear that he may not be interested in appointing a special prosecutor to probe Mrs. Clinton’s “situation.”  According to Andrew C. McCarthy in a piece over at National Review, “A prosecution of Clinton would provoke Democratic outrage, which means media outrage, which, in turn, means Republican panic.”

Fox News has the “60 Minutes” interview:

donald-trump-6President-elect Donald Trump, in his first television interview since his surprise election victory, repeated his vows to build a wall across America’s southern border, deport criminal illegal aliens, and repeal and replace ObamaCare.

But Trump also appeared to back off from commiting to build a solid wall, telling CBS’ “60 Minutes” the barrier might look more like a fence in spots.

“Certain areas, a wall is more appropriate,” Trump told interviewer Lesley Stahl. “I’m very good at this, it’s called construction.”

Trump emphasized that securing the border is his very first immigration priority, but he also promised to deport people living in the country illegally who had committed crimes beyond their immigration offenses.

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Five-Month-Old Girl Wows World After Spending 17 Years as Frozen Embryo

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Christian News Network reports:

Human embryoA five-month-old baby girl is wowing the world as her adoptive par ents are sharing the story of how their Snowflake baby was a frozen embryo for 17 years before her birth.

Elizabeth and Marty Wilson turned to Nightlight Christian Adoptions a few years ago after having difficulty conceiving again following the birth of their first child. The organization, established in 1997, runs the “Snowflake Adoption Program” to provide a means for remaining embryos from IVF procedures to be utilized instead of destroyed.

“Over 1,100 families have donated their remaining embryos through Snowflakes (sometimes referred to as leftover, excess, unused embryos)– allowing them to choose the family for their embryo gift,” Nighlight outlines on its website.

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Scenes from the liberal meltdown

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New York Post Editorial Board reports:

trump-protestorsDays after Donald Trump stunned the world by winning the presidency, liberal America remains in the throes of a massive mental and emotional meltdown.

Anti-Trump protests have spread to more cities and continue to turn violent. In Portland Thursday night, rioters stoned police and vandalized businesses and cars.

Anyone expressing support for Trump has become the target of unrestrained venom: There are calls to boycott New Balance — its sneakers have been publicly burned — because an official said Trump would be better on trade issues.

Meanwhile, the CEO of Grubhub, the online food-delivery service, demanded that employees who agree with Trump resign, because “you have no place here.” (He had to retreat: His lawyers read him the First Amendment and noted that political discrimination also violates California law.)

This is just vicious stuff. But for pure pathos crossing into the absurd, we turn (as usual) to the college campus. Consider:

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Calvary Chapel Association: Ready to move on?

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CRN has published several articles regarding what has transpired at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa since the death of  its founder Chuck Smith.  Pastor Smith’s son-in-law, Brian Brodersen, is now at the helm of CCCM.  Many in the Calvary Chapel movement feel that Brodersen has gone off the reservation. Berean Research has been closely following the story.  Here’s BR’s latest report:

Calvary ChapelIt’s been a tough few weeks for the Calvary Chapel movement. Many are now asking themselves, among other things, if their churches need to find a new name to call themselves.  Mark Jeffries over at Emergent Watch has been following last week’s Brian Brodersen split from the Calvary Chapel Association, noting that Brodersen’s Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa legally owns the dove logo and the Calvary Chapel name itself, along with significant financial holdings.

In other words, the pastor is taking his whole ball of wax and going home, leaving the 1,600 other Calvary Churches uncertain if they can even legally call themselves Calvary any longer.

Jeffries reports that there are many more facts that most Christians are unaware of:

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Honor the Lord, Remember the Vet

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Denny Autrey of Theological Matters reminds us that today, Nov. 11, 2016, is a day of remembrance. Why is this day significant and what are Americans to remember?

tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier

Words are significant to the expression of language in the art of communication, just as dates are significant to the cycle of one’s life. Each year, some days are more important in meaning than others. We remember our birthday; hopefully, our wedding anniversary; and, without question, the birth of our children. Holidays abound, yet their remembrance is scheduled for us.

Memory is significant. It is a gift that brings to mind actions and events that shape our lives and impact our future. For “The Greatest Generation,” every American will remember exactly where they were and what they were doing on the fateful day of Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. In like fashion, for this generation, Sept. 11, 2001, will live as a day of infamy in the annals of American history. Scripture records that “the memory of the righteous is blessed” (Proverbs 10:7). Thus, the act of remembrance is designed to be a blessing to the people of God.

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Chelsea Clinton being groomed to run for Congress

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According to New York Post:

chelsea-clintonWhile some pundits are declaring the Clinton political dynasty dead, sources tell us that it is far from over. Chelsea Clinton is being groomed for the New York seat held by Rep. Nita Lowey.

Chelsea could run for the seat in NYC’s 17th Congressional District once Lowey, a respected, 79-year-old career politician with nearly 30 years in office, decides to retire, we have exclusively learned.

Lowey’s district includes parts of Rockland and Westchester counties and, conveniently, Chappaqua, the Clinton family home base.

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It’s the Culture, Stupid

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In this piece over at News With Views, Lee Duigon tackles moral relativism.  Duigon points out that for many people “there’s no true truth, there’s only ‘your truth’ and ‘my truth.’” And when a culture turns away from moral truth and moral facts, the inevitable result is that people will revel in “waste, violence and perversion.”  Listen to what he has to say about education, entertainment and sports:

Truth - falseI had to write this column before Election Day, but you won’t see it until afterward. Anyway, by now you’ve probably had enough.

Even more important than elections is the condition of our culture. We can’t screw up our culture and expect that everything else will be okay. In fact, our politics and our economy are the way they are because our popular culture is a mess.

Movies, TV shows, music videos; best-sellers, worst-sellers, and comic books; big sports and little sports: this is our popular culture, most of which we like to call “entertainment.” This is what we pump into our heads every day, hour after hour. This is how we educate ourselves.

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What the future of marijuana legalization could look like under President Trump

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Washington Post reports:

MarijuanaAmericans wake up this morning to find a drug policy landscape radically altered from yesterday. California, Massachusetts and Nevada have legalized recreational marijuana, while voters in a handful of Southern and deeply conservative states embraced medical marijuana with open arms.

Regardless of how a still-contested legalization vote turns out in Maine, more than 1 in 5 Americans now live in states where the recreational use of marijuana is, or soon will be, legal.

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US military successfully tests electrical brain stimulation to enhance staff skills

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According to The Guardian scientists are using soldiers for medical experiments to increase brain efficiency. The long-term medical effects are unknown:

brainUS military scientists have used electrical brain stimulators to enhance mental skills of staff, in research that aims to boost the performance of air crews, drone operators and others in the armed forces’ most demanding roles.

The successful tests of the devices pave the way for servicemen and women to be wired up at critical times of duty, so that electrical pulses can be beamed into their brains to improve their effectiveness in high pressure situations.

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Pot, Guns, and the Minimum Wage: Some Ballot Questions That Matter

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The Daily Signal fills us in on state ballot initiatives:

Marijuana 2In addition to casting their votes for president Tuesday, millions of Americans had the chance to weigh in on ballot questions in their respective states.

The measures range from legalization of medical and recreational marijuana, on the ballot in nine states, to increases in the minimum wage—on the ballot in four.

Voters in Colorado faced controversial proposals to create a single-payer system of health care and legalize physician-assisted suicide, while Massachusetts voters considered a measure to lift a cap on the number of charter schools in the state.

Here are some highlights of votes across the country on such ballot initiatives, in unofficial and sometimes incomplete results:

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“I’m Shutting Down” — Celebrities React to Election Result

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CNSNews has a few of the celebrity tweets, which includes this tweet by Rolling Stone Mick Jagger: “Just was watching the news… maybe they’ll ask me to sing ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ at the inauguration, ha!” And this from Material Girl Madonna: “A New Fire Is Lit. We never give up.  We never give in.”

Several entertainers threatened to move to Canada and other countries if Donald Trump won the election. One wonders if they’re in the process of preparing for the move. Waaah!

Entertainment Weekly is reporting on the reactions many celebrities had to the November 8 presidential election, which resulted in Donald Trump becoming the next President of the United States.

While most entertainers in the EW story expressed sadness and disbelief over the result, others were supportive of President-elect Trump.

Some examples:

Actress Lindsay Lohan: “Retweet if you want a recount.”

Actress Dana Delany: “How do you explain to young girls in tears at Hillary HQ that women voted for Trump and misogyny is the way of the world? I won’t. It’s not.”

Author Stephen King: “No more book recommendations, politics, or amusing dog pictures for the immediate future. I’m shutting down.”

Actress Christina Applegate: “I went to sleep early. Woke up to this. To my fellow humans outside of the US. We don’t want this. And we are heartbroken.”

Actress Rashida Jones: “I want to quit life.”

Actress Kirstie Alley: “CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT TRUMP! @realDonaldTrump against all odds…against the establishment and even against most of the GOP…U did it!”

Actor Dean Cain: “Lots of hyperbole by my friends in Hollywood during this election. Are you gonna back up your words now? Just asking…?”

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May God Bless President Trump

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David French of National Review weighs in on Donald Trump’s historic upset.

donald-trump-4

I have never been more wrong about anything in my life than I’ve been in my assessment of Donald Trump’s political prospects. I discounted him in the primary, and I was discounting him in the general election all the way until about 9:30 p.m. on election night. He is now my president-elect and the future commander-in-chief of the most powerful military the world has ever seen. I pray earnestly and unambiguously that God may bless him, grant him wisdom, and open his ears to wise counsel. I pray earnestly and unambiguously that I end up being just as wrong about his character and capabilities as I was about his political prospects. I want him to be good, to be wise, and to be worthy of the Oval Office.

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Christian Couple Denied Adoption of Foster Children Over Opposition to Homosexual Parenting

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According to Christian News Network:

family-4A Christian couple in the U.K. has reportedly been denied their request to adopt two foster children in their care after they told social workers that the juveniles needed a mother and a father, and not two daddies.

According to reports, the couple, which has not been identified, has been looking after the children since early 2016 and has sought to adopt the youth themselves. They had initially been turned down because their house was too small.

When they were later told by a social worker that two men had expressed interest, the couple “expressed a degree of shock and asked if this was a ‘joke.’” They also said that it would be hard to explain the concept to one of the children who had said he was “waiting for a new mummy.”

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Without Apology: 7 Reasons Not to Be Ashamed of the Hard Parts of the Gospel

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Sadly, many who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ fail to stand up for Him.  When it comes to standing up for what they believe in, they cannot find the words to defend their faith.  For example, when the subject of homosexuality comes up in conversation, many professing Christians are reluctant to share what the Bible teaches on the sin of homosexuality.  Why?  Because they’re ashamed to pass on what God says about sinful behavior in His Word.  For those who find themselves in this quandary, author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley offers 7 reasons Christians must not be ashamed of the hard teachings of the Gospel.  She writes:

silentRomans 1:16 is such a great verse, isn’t it? And one of the things that’s great about it is that we can all agree on it. I mean, no self-respecting Christian would dream of saying she’s ashamed of the gospel, would she? It’s a rallying cry for evangelism and for standing against persecution. Of course we’re not ashamed.

In theory. But in practice?

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Chilean Feminists Amplify Heartbeat of Their Unborn Children in Pro-Life March of Pregnant Women

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Christian News Network has the report and the must watch video:

baby-in-womb-heartbeat

Members of a Chilean feminist group recently amplified the heartbeat of their unborn children in a pro-life march in the nation’s capital.

The women were a part of the group Reivindica, which decided to utilize the International Day of Non-Violence as an opportunity to be a voice for the unborn. It organized the march as part of its La Voz Del Corazon project, or Voice of the Heart.

“We cannot consider the idea of naturalizing abortion as ‘progress,’” said President Rosario Vidal in a statement. “Women are moved by love, because we love a child—and not just a thing—from the womb, and we love women who have gone through pregnancies in highly adverse situations.”

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Brodersen splits from CCA; calls for new “Global Network”

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CRN has published several articles on the bizarre direction Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa has taken since Brian Broadersen stepped into Calvary Chapel founder Chuck Smith’s shoes after his death. According to Berean Research, Brodersen has resigned from Calvary Chapel Association:

Calvary ChapelThe Calvary Chapel fracture was bound to happen, and now it appears Costa Mesa senior pastor Brian Brodersen is leading that split, calling for “like-minded” pastors to stand with him.

Over the weekend Brodersen quit his leadership position at the Calvary Chapel Association, and  announced he is establishing a new Calvary Chapel Global Network. This network, he says, will be a place for pastors on his side of the split “be a part of something greater than our own local congregations.”

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On Eve of Election, Americans Should Take Voter Fraud Seriously

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According to Jason Snead of The Daily Signal, many liberals “insist–loudly and often–that voter fraud is a  myth. They are flat wrong, as The Heritage Foundation’s voter fraud database proves.” The fact is, “few states have the tools in place to detect fraud, before or after it occurs.”  Snead writes:

Photo credit: Illinois Family Action

Photo credit: Illinois Family Action

It’s only a day before the election. Millions of Americans are putting the stamps on their absentee ballots; millions more are preparing to take their (highly discouraged and possibly illegal) ballot box selfies. The rest of us will don “I voted” stickers and settle in for what promises to be a long night of breaking news in elections across the country.

But some can’t take the suspense and would prefer to have a “sure thing.” Elections are the path to power in our political system, and for these fraudsters, the will of the people is far too fickle a thing to rely upon when it comes to furthering their careers and their causes.

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Farage to lead 100,000-strong march on Supreme Court on day of historic Brexit court hearing

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The Telegraph reports:

GavelNigel Farage is planning to lead a 100,000-strong march to the Supreme Court to coincide with the start of the Government’s attempt to stop peers and MPs delaying Brexit.

The march, organised by the anti-European Union campaign Leave.EU, will end with a rally in Parliament Square within sight of the court building where judges will be hearing the appeal.

The campaign group is planning to “crowd fund” £100,000 from its supporters to pay for barristers to represent Leave supporters in the court action.

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The Risks of Recreational Weed

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According to Healthzette:

MarijuanaThe stakes on Nov. 8 couldn’t be higher.

Not only are voters being asked to choose between leaders who would take our country in very different directions — voters nationwide are also being asked to decide some critical and divisive issues. Among them: the legalization of medicinal and recreational marijuana.

Proponents of legalization measures on the ballot in nine states have spent millions on ads and awareness campaigns. These ads and campaigns tout the benefits of recreational use — and the seemingly few risks to individuals and communities as a whole.

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Elon Musk: Robots will take your jobs, government will have to pay your wage

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CNBC reports:

RobotComputers, intelligent machines, and robots seem like the workforce of the future. And as more and more jobs are replaced by technology, people will have less work to do and ultimately will be sustained by payments from the government, predicts Elon Musk, the iconic Silicon Valley futurist who is the founder and CEO of SolarCity, Tesla, and SpaceX.

According to Musk, there really won’t be any other options.

“There is a pretty good chance we end up with a universal basic income, or something like that, due to automation,” says Musk to CNBC. “Yeah, I am not sure what else one would do. I think that is what would happen.”

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Is evangelical Christianity becoming more open to gay marriage?

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Denny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, addresses the “progressive Christian” push to normalize homosexuality and same-sex marriage in the Church.  Are these people the sheep spoken of in John 10 or are they goats?  “At the end of the day,” says Burk, “the church follows the voice of the Lord Jesus and will not go after the voice of ‘strangers’—those offering a teaching that is contrary to Christ and his word. Those who do go after the “strangers” are revealing themselves not to have been a part of the fold to begin with. They leave the church because they were Christians in name only.”  So, what is going on in the evangelical movement right now?  Burk offers his opinion:

"The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."

“…the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” John 10:3

I was just rereading an essay I wrote about six years ago on what the bible teaches about homosexuality. That essay begins with a discussion of Brian McLaren’s then recent affirmation of committed homosexual relationships.

It is strange to read that essay now and to consider in retrospect how quickly McLaren faded from evangelical view. At the time, the emerging church still had some purchase within the evangelical movement. Now that entire project is defunct and so are its major proponents. They pushed the very edges of the leftwing of the evangelical movement until they pushed themselves right out of the movement. Many of them did so by adopting unorthodox positions on sexuality.

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WikiLeaks: Clinton Campaign Chair Participated in Occult Magic

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According to Edmund Kozak of Polizette, WikiLeaks emails reveal “Podesta attended ‘Spirit Cooking’ event that has been described as Satanic.” What exactly is Spirit Cooking?  Brace yourself.  “The origins of Spirit Cooking can be found in Cake of Light, a sacrament in the religion of Thelema which was founded by Aleister Crowley. The ingredients of the Cake of Light include honey, oil, menstrual blood and sperm.” (Source)  To learn more about the world of the occult see Berean Research’s White Paper.

Following is Kozak’s report:

john-podestaJohn Podesta and others in Hillary Clinton’s inner circle may actively participate in bizarre occult rituals, according to an astonishing email released by WikiLeaks in October.

While powerful political insiders partaking in ceremonies that have been described as Satanic may seem like something that could exist only in a Dennis Wheatley novel, a June 2015 conversation between Podesta and famed performance artist and occultist Marina Abramović proves such scenarios are chillingly real.

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November 8th: Spiritual Warfare

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spiritual-warfare-1Dr. Peter Jones of truthXchange is talking about the upcoming election, of course.  Tuesday Americans will head to the polls to cast their vote for a presidential candidate that some voters feel is the “lesser of the two evils.” Dr. Jones reminds us that “This election is about more than politics. Perhaps, like never before, it is about spiritual warfare.” [More on Spiritual Warfare here.]  Many of us recall when it was all over the news that First lady Hillary Clinton “held imaginary conversations with Eleanor Roosevelt and Mahatma Gandhi as a therapeutic release.”  Occultist Jean Houston, co-founder of the Foundation for Mind-Being Research, a group that studies the psychic experience and altered and expanded consciousness, worked with Mrs. Clinton at the White House as an adviser and was dubbed “Hillary’s Guru.” Dr. Jones worries that “Electing a president highly influenced by such [occult] thinking would have serious spiritual implications for the country and the Church.”

Dr. Jones is concerned enough about Hillary Clinton’s occult proclivity to warn the Church about it.   View article →