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

Millennials desperately need to bone up on the history of communism

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MarketWatch reports that when it comes to understanding communism, most millennials are ignorant. And only 42% view capitalism favorably:

CommunismThe Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, citing survey results released on Monday, blames widespread ignorance for the relatively positive views millennials have toward socialism and communism.

Of the 2,300 Americans polled by YouGov, 80% of baby boomers and 91% of the elderly agree with the statement that “communism was and still is a problem” in the world today. Millennials? Only 55%.

Furthermore, almost half of Americans between the ages of 16 and 20 said they would vote for a socialist, while 21% would go so far as to back a communist.

 

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When liars defend liars: Dr Michael Brown whitewashes the heresies of Bill Johnson.

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According to Churchwatch Central:

Michael BrownBill Johnson is the notorious NAR cult leader at Bethel in Redding, CA. He was recently featured by Dr. Michael Brown (promoter of demonic doctrines, and New Apostolic Reformation teachings and their Apostles, in Brownsville). Brown used his program to not only defend Bethel’s false teachings & practices, but to also promote Johnson’s latest book, “God is Good: He’s Better Than You Think“.

Dr. Brown also took the opportunity to specifically target the very well-known and highly respected Todd Friel (TF), the host of Wretched Radio, a conservative, evangelical Christian radio show,  and Phil Johnson (PJ), who is the executive director of Grace to You, an elder at Grace Community Church and pastor of the GraceLife Fellowship.

As if offended by the following dialogue, Michael Brown plays these two clips for Bill Johnson to comment on, (the first at the 4 min 30 sec mark, the second at the 5 min 26 sec mark) taken from his radio program, “The Line Of Fire”:

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O’Keefe Video Sting Exposes “Bird-Dogging” — Democrats’ Effort to Incite Violence at Trump Rallies

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This just in from Breitbart:

bird-dogDemocrats have used trained provocateurs to instigate violence at Republican events nationwide throughout the 2016 election cycle, including at several Donald Trump rallies, using a tactic called “bird-dogging,” according to a new video investigation released Monday by James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas.

The goal of “bird-dogging”: to create a sense of “anarchy” around Donald Trump that would undermine his political support. Often, the tactic uses the most vulnerable people — including the elderly and disabled — to maximize shock value.

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Johns Hopkins Distances From Psychiatrists’ Report That There’s No “Scientific Evidence” People Born Homosexual

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No surprise there.  Anti-science LGBT radicals warned that there would be “consequences” unless Johns Hopkins distanced itself from psychiatrists Dr. Lawrence Mayer and Dr. Paul McHugh who wrote the report. What did the LGBT mean by consequences? First off, they’re going to discredit and marginalize Drs. Mayer and McHugh for daring to write the report. Christian News Network reveals the “Gay Gestapo’s” plans for Johns Hopkins should they fail to throw the psychiatrists under the bus:

no-thinkingOfficials with Johns Hopkins Medicine have distanced themselves from a report written by two of its psychiatrists that states that there is no scientific evidence that people are born homosexual or in the wrong body.

“In recent months, some have questioned our position, both inside and outside the institution, not because of any change in our practice or policy, but because of the varied individual opinions expressed publicly by members of the Johns Hopkins Medicine community,” wrote Dr. Paul Rothman, dean of medical faculty, and Ronald Peterson, president of Johns Hopkins Health System, in an email letter sent on Oct. 7 to students and alumni.

“We have taken these concerns seriously. We want to reiterate our institutional support for LGBT individuals and update you on the work we are doing to further that commitment,” it stated.

As previously reported, in August, Johns Hopkins psychiatrists Dr. Lawrence Mayer and Dr. Paul McHugh penned a controversial report entitled Sexuality and Gender: Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences, which was published in The New Atlantis.

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What makes a false religion false?

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Christians believe that Christianity is the only true religion; thus all other religions are false.

What are the essential doctrines of the Christian faith found in the pages of Scripture? In other words, what must an individual believe to be saved?  There are 5 essentials. Can you rattle them off? In this piece over at The End Time, Elizabeth Prata covers the essential doctrines of Christianity as well as the secondary essentials.  She also reveals what makes a religion false.  Prata writes:

Truth - falseIf it’s not one false religion, it’s another. False religion has been with us since the Garden. It’s nothing new. When Jesus returns, He mused whether He will even find faith upon the earth. (Luke 18:8)

The question of the day is, what makes a religion false?

Humans have an innate sense of worship. We don’t worship who God wants us to worship. We don’t worship in the way He wants us to worship. We don’t worship for the right reasons.

Examples of these are of course, Adam and Eve, who were tempted into worshiping themselves (“you will be like God”.) Cain did not worship in the right way. (Genesis 4:3-5). But there is a right way to worship and a wrong way to worship. Neither did Nadab and Abihu. (Leviticus 10:1). Many in the days of the Incarnation did not worship Jesus for the right reasons. They preferred the glory of men to the glory of God. (John 12:43).

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See our Research Papers on  Roman Catholicism and Mormonism

Evidence of a Young Moon? Study Forces Scientists to Rethink Lunar Dating Techniques

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Christian News Network reports:

moonCould the moon be younger than most realize? A new study shows that craters on the moon form quicker than previously thought, which means many features on the lunar surface are not as old as astronomers had predicted.

Astronomers at Arizona State University and Cornell University recently set out to measure the formation rate of craters on the moon. To do so, they compiled thousands of high-resolution “before and after” images of the moon’s surface captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The amount of time that elapsed between the before and after pictures varied, ranging from 176 to 1,241 days.

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“Nation Now Has Proof” of Hillary Scandals, But Leftist Media “Devote Its Front Pages to the Trump Story”

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Breitbart reports:

corruption-2The Wall Street Journal’s Potomac Watch columnist Kimberley Strassel details the “devastating case against a Clinton presidency” that can be made by reviewing the WikiLeaks documents combined with what is already known in the public record. Strassel notes that although “the nation now has proof of pretty much everything [Hillary Clinton] has been accused of,” the media “has almost uniformly ignored the flurry of bombshells, preferring to devote its front pages” to the story that Donald Trump “made lewd remarks a decade ago and now stands accused of groping women.”

Only subscribers to WSJ have access to Kimberly Strassel’s entire article (here). Dave Andrusko has a piece entitled “Just Some of the Reasons Pro-Abortion Hillary Clinton Must Never Become President” that includes excerpts from Strassel’s article.  Andrusko writes:

Before I began this admittedly very long post, I looked at the online front page of today’s Washington Post. I stopped counting at the links to 15 attacks on Donald Trump, plus the ebook “Trump Revealed” in which a bevy of Post reporters went after Trump, plus a separate link to the “Financials, depositions and interview transcripts: The documents behind ‘Trump Revealed.’”

Whatever happens November 8, reporters/editorial writers of the Media Elite will indulge in ceaseless rounds of navel-gazing. If pro-abortion Hillary Clinton wins, they will congratulate themselves for having done their civic duty. If Trump wins, they will (a) bemoan that they didn’t have 20 attacks each day and (b) attempt to delegitimize his presidency from the hour he carried the day.

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Bad Fruit, Diseased Trees, and the Authority of God’s Word

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diseased-tree-and-graveyardAuthor, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley often has to deal with disgruntled people who contact her to defend a high-profile false teacher she has warned us about.  Yes, some who profess a belief in Christ actually stand up for wolves in the hen house and will even refuse to listen to the evidence.  Why? Because they’re not Bereans.  Moreover, a certain false teacher has become an idol.  Chew on that, brethren. Some wolves are idols.  So when a messenger like Michelle Lesley comes along and knocks down an idol, some professing Christians will shoot at the messenger.

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Churches Seek Exemption From Massachusetts Law Allowing Men in Women’s Restrooms

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According to Christian News Network:

Bathroom - ladiesFour churches in Massachusetts have filed a legal challenge against a new state law requiring the allowance of men who identify as women to use womens’ restrooms and vice versa, contending that they should be exempt from the mandate under the First Amendment.

Horizon Christian Fellowship in Fitchburg, Abundant Life Church in Swansea, House of Destiny Ministries in Southbridge and Faith Christian Fellowship in Haverhill are all a part of the suit, filed on Tuesday against the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and Attorney General Maura Healey.

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Sid Roth’s new Middle East Television Network to reach millions

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Berean Research reports:

This is not good news. If you know anything about the theology of Sid Roth (“It’s Supernatural”) or his guests, then you understand that the announcement that Sid will reach an additional 150 Million viewers in the Middle East is concerning.

How many of them will be duped into the New Apostolic Reformation’s signs and wonders, spiritual warfare and demonic indwellings as told by false teachers that frequently promote their latest book or DVD programs on Sid’s show?

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The Ridiculous Crusade for Gender-Neutral Toys

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In his piece over at Acculturated, Jonathan V. Last says he believes that one of the incongruities in our culture is that “polite society currently insists that you are ‘born this way’ if you are homosexual or misgendered. But when it comes to boys who like to play with swords and build fighter jets? For some reason, this is viewed as a societal construct that should be eradicated so that they’ll want to play with dolls.”

Most parents will tell you that boys do not play with dolls.  Give a boy a doll and he’ll want to blow it up.  Give a girl a GI Joe and he’ll become her Barbie doll’s boyfriend. Boys and girls are different.

So now to Last’s article:

clown-toyChristina Hoff Sommers—who literally wrote the book on the war on boys—notes that there’s a movement afoot to de-gender toys. Target has pulled the “boys” and “girls” labeling from their toy aisles. The White House recently hosted a “summit” on the perils of gender-specific toys. Time proclaims that “the next generation of kids will play with gender neutral toys.”

This is crazy on two counts. First, the kind of people who obsess about gender-neutral toys don’t, as a demographic fact, have many children. In America these days, childbearing tends to be the counter-cultural province of people who aren’t social justice warriors.

Second, even if you give kids gender neutral toys, they’ll gender the heck out of them on their own. Trust me, I know.

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CoverGirl Announces First Male Makeup-Wearing “CoverBoy” Model

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Christian News Network reports:

covergirl-james-charlesThe makeup giant CoverGirl has announced its first “Coverboy” model—a 17-year-old boy who regularly wears makeup and says that the practice is “becoming more widely accepted” in society.

CoverGirl made the announcement on social media on Tuesday, introducing James Charles of Bethlehem, N.Y. as a “boundary breaker.”

“Meet @JCharlesBeauty: makeup artist, boundary breaker, and the newest COVERGIRL!” the company wrote. “Spread the word by regramming using #COVERGIRLJames.”

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Homosexual activist Matthew Vines wages war to make InterVarsity inclusive

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Berean Research has the story:

matthew-vinesMatthew Vines, Author of “God and the Gay Christian,” has been working hard to infiltrate churches across the United States to convince leaders to relax their biblical stance against the sin of homosexuality. Now Vines is personally waging war against one of the largest evangelical organizations on college campuses nationwide because of its stance against homosexual marriage.

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA recently released its new position statement on sexuality, telling its 1,300 staff members that they will be terminated – with severance –  if they voluntarily wish to ‘fess up to personally supporting gay marriage.  Starting November 11th, InterVarsity will begin its process for “involuntary terminations” for any staffer who comes forward to disagree with its positions on human sexuality, which hold that any sexual activity outside of a husband and wife is immoral.

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The old “moral majority” are the new moral relativists

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In a blog post entitled To My Sisters In Christ, Todd Pruitt, co-host of Mortification of Spin, expresses his view that Jerry Falwell Jr, Mike Huckabee, Robert Jeffress and Dr. Ben Carson’s continued support of Donald Trump demonstrates that the old “moral majority” are the new moral relativists. He writes:

locker-roomOver the weekend the world was given the distasteful surprise of the now infamous recording of Presidential nominee Donald Trump bragging in the crudest terms about his adulterous sexual conquests. He even bragged about his success in groping women. Later he explained it away as nothing more than “locker room talk.” By now we have come to expect this sort of disgraceful behavior from Mr. Trump.
However, what is even more disconcerting than Mr. Trump’s fond reminiscences of his lecherous behavior are the vigorous apologetics offered up by his “evangelical” supporters. They have explained away his words by appealing to the fact that the NBC recording was 11 years old (Trump was a carefree youth of 60 years at the time). They have even echoed Trump’s “locker room talk” explanation.

An Unborn Baby’s 1st Heartbeat Occurs 16 Days After Conception

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According to Breitbart:

Baby in womb - ultrasoundA study finds an unborn baby’s first heartbeat occurs as early as 16 days after conception.

A research team funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) at the University of Oxford says a baby’s first heartbeat is now far earlier than was previously understood, reports the Daily Mail.

“We are trying to better understand how the heart develops, and ultimately what causes the heart defects that develop in the womb before birth and to extrapolate to adult heart repair,” said BHF professor and lead researcher Paul Riley. “By finding out how the heart first starts to beat and how problems can arise in heart development, we are one step closer to being able to prevent heart conditions from arising during pregnancy.”

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Why Does the Holy Spirit Keep Falling Down?

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Andy Snider of ParkingSpace23 has constructed a biblical way of thinking about the Holy Spirit’s role in corporate worship and offers three do’s and a don’ts:

worship-musicWhile listening to worship music recently I was struck again with the particular category of songs asking the Holy Spirit to “fall on us,” “come down,” or something similar. I can say just from my own experience that there have been a steady trickle of such songs at least since the Jesus music of the 1970s. I’ve always held these more or less at arm’s length, not hating or loving them, thinking they’re too Pentecostal or—something. But when I realized how relatively unformed my criticisms of these songs were, I decided to think it through a bit more.

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New Study Confirms Marijuana Use Up Drastically in Workforce

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The Daily Signal reports:

MarijuanaThis November, there are a record number of ballot initiatives in at least nine states regarding so-called medical marijuana or outright legalization of the Schedule I drug. The pot pushers, both small businesses and large, want more people smoking, eating, and consuming more pot because it is good for their bottom line.

Before voting yes, voters—and, in particular, employers—should take a look at more disturbing data that was released two weeks ago at a national conference.

At the annual Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association conference, Quest Diagnostics—one of the nation’s largest drug-testing companies—unveiled the results of its Drug Testing Index. The index examines illicit drug use by workers in America each year.

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FBI, DOJ roiled by Comey, Lynch decision to let Clinton slide by on emails, says insider

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Malia Zimmerman and Adam Housley of Fox News inform us that the DOJ insider who spoke to them on the condition of anonymity told them that “FBI Director James Comey’s dramatic July 5 announcement that he would not recommend to the Attorney General’s office that the former secretary of state be charged left members of the investigative team dismayed and disgusted. More than 100 FBI agents and analysts worked around the clock with six attorneys from the DOJ’s National Security Division, Counter Espionage Section, to investigate the case.”

Moreover:

Hillary Clinton“No trial level attorney agreed, no agent working the case agreed, with the decision not to prosecute — it was a top-down decision,” said the source, whose identity and role in the case has been verified by FoxNews.com.

A high-ranking FBI official told Fox News that while it might not have been a unanimous decision, “It was unanimous that we all wanted her [Clinton’s] security clearance yanked.”

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WikiLeaks: Podesta and Left-Wing Activist Plot “Catholic Spring”

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“Longtime Clinton confidante discussed infiltrating the Catholic Church with progressive ideology to foment revolution” claims PoliZette. According to Edmund Kozak:

revolutionA newly leaked email shows Hillary Clinton’s current campaign chairman John Podesta and a Left-wing activist casually discussing fomenting “revolution” in the Catholic Church.

“There needs to be a Catholic Spring, in which Catholics themselves demand the end of a middle ages dictatorship and the beginning of a little democracy and respect for gender equality in the Catholic Church,” Sandy Newman, president and founder of the progressive nonprofit Voices for Progress, writes to Podesta in an email titled “opening for a Catholic Spring? just musing.”

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Joyce Meyer Undead, David Barton Buys A Ph.D & Conan O’Brien Is Ordained

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Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen ties up all the loose ends:

headstoneThe concluding line from the Charisma News article that reported on the erroneous announcement of  wolf Joyce Meyer’s death is itself a perfect example of rhetorical touche.

“And please remember, not everything you see on the Internet is true!”

(Insert melodic drumroll of ignominy here while pondering exactly how much on Charisma News can actually be deemed as trustworthy! Another source on Meyer’s rebuttal about her rumored death is HERE.  Frankly, given that this sheepishly-clothed charlatan so grossly distorts the Truth of God, I cannot confirm that her denial about her death is not, in fact, itself deceptive.)

Despite the Internet announcements that reported her demise last Thursday, Joyce Meyer isn’t dead. On the one hand, then, there remains time for this charlatan to repent of her theological wickedness and seek salvation by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. On the other hand, countless souls will continue to be the gullible targets of her damning false gospel. But if Meyer’s hope – and that of her followers – is in the word-faith, prosperity gospel heresy she hurls, together they remain, as Jesus said in John 3:18, “condemned already.”

But … speaking of prosperity … heresy pays, doncha know?

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Pope Francis “Dismayed” by Wedding of Two Lesbian Nuns

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Breitbart reports:

pope-francis-4The news of the marriage of two former religious sisters has saddened Pope Francis, according to the Vatican Undersecretary of State, Archbishop Angelo Becciu.

On Friday the Italian daily La Repubblica published an interview with the two ex-nuns, identified only as Federica and Isabel, in which they describe their love as a “gift of God” that no one can prevent.

Pope Francis, who has been a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage, was visibly distressed on reading the news, according to the Archbishop. “What sadness on the face of the Pope when I read him the news of the two ‘nun’ brides,” he tweeted.

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A Recipe for Humble Pie

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Clint Archer of The Cripplegate shares the three ingredients for his Humble Pie recipe “so you can cultivate humility in the presence of true greatness…”:

humble-pieIn elementary school I was really bad at playing soccer. But my school tried to be inclusive and didn’t want any kid to feel left out, so they had as many teams as there were players.

The coveted “A team” was kitted out in glamorous, white, satin shirts and shorts with golden trim, while the rest of us had itchy yellow and brown shirts. But at least we got to play. I was too maladroit to qualify for the talented B or promising C team, or even the undaunted D team. No, I was cast down to the freakish menagerie of hopeless misfits known as the E team.

We seldom actually played games since few other schools even had an E team, but when we did, we played our uncoordinated hearts out!

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Gender-neutral bathrooms, high-quality ethnic studies class and other changes coming to California schools

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According to the Los Angeles Times:

Transgender bathroom signAnyone looking for confirmation of the nation’s cultural divide can add education and gender-neutral bathrooms to the list of proof points.

North Carolina sparked a national furor by requiring transgender people to use bathrooms corresponding to the gender on their birth certificates, citing risks to children in schools as a primary justification. California has been shifting the other way with little fanfare.

A gender-neutral bathroom law, Assembly Bill 1732, was one of many measures with an effect on education that Gov. Jerry Brown signed during the legislative session that ended Friday.

Starting next March, any one-toilet bathroom in a California school — or in any other government building, public place or business — will  have to be designated as all-gender, open to anyone.

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Glenn Beck, conservative pundit, endorses Hillary Clinton for president

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AOL News reports:

Glenn BeckNoted conservative pundit Glenn Beck thinks Donald Trump has gone too far and has officially decided to endorse Hillary Clinton for president, to the shock of many.

“It is not acceptable to ask a moral, dignified man to cast his vote to help elect an immoral man who is absent decency or dignity,” Beck wrote in a Facebook post Saturday. “If the consequence of standing against Trump and for principles is indeed the election of Hillary Clinton, so be it. At least it is a moral, ethical choice.”

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Bethel Church: Pimping Heresy

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The culture of Bethel Church in Redding CA “is one that is defiantly non-orthodox and non-biblical,” warns Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen.  “So experience-driven and Word-avoiding are the faithful at Bethel that it is reported that Johnson’s wife, Beni, engages in ‘grave sucking,’ a maneuver that presumably allows one to absorb ‘the spiritual anointing of deceased Christians by lying atop their graves.'”

Ahlheim begins with a quote from Charles Spurgeon: “That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors.”  Now see why he believes God abhors self-professed “apostle” and lead pastor Bill Johnson’s “church.”

 

bill-johnsonBethel Church of Redding, California was founded in 1952 and was affiliated with the Assemblies of God until 2006, when current pastor Bill Johnson led the church to dissociate itself from the denomination. The current attendance at Bethel’s Redding location is just under 8,700 each Sunday. The now denominationally independent church operates on a $9 million annual budget.

But Bethel’s impact in terms of numbers of souls it touches is far beyond the confines of its Redding headcounts. Bethel is, like Hillsong, an international influence, gaining traction for the prosperity/dominion theology that undergirds it through the primary mechanism of music.

In March 2016, Billboard Magazine noted that, since its first top ten hit on the Top Christian Albums ranking, Bethel Music has had a total of nine Top Ten appearances since that initial 2012 entrance. The album Have It All: Live At Bethel Church sold 25,000 copies in the first week of its release, placing it at number two on the Top Christian Albums chart and taking the twelfth spot on the overall Billboard 200.

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