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

13% of U.S. Adults Say They Smoke Marijuana, Up From 7% in 2013

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According to CNSNews:

Marijuana 2Thirteen percent of adults in the United States say they currently smoke marijuana, nearly double the 7 percent who admitting to smoking pot just three years ago, a new Gallup Poll found.

As part of its July 13-17 Consumption Habits poll, Gallup asked poll participants, “Keeping in mind that all of your answers in this survey are confidential, do you, yourself, smoke marijuana?”

While 13 percent said yes, they are current users, 43 percent admitted to trying it, up from 38 percent in 2013. The percentage of Americans who say they have tried the drug has slowly increased from 4 percent in 1969.

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Travel Advisory: “Pay Up to Pray Up For Instant Miracles Tour” Coming To Florida

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Benny Hinn, Reinhard Bonnke, Bill Johnson, Lou Engle, Todd White, Michael & Jessica Koulianos, all wolves in sheep’s clothing, are among those who will star in an event planned in Orlando in December that discerning Christians will not be attending. Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen fills us in on the details of the “Jesus Conference”:

Wolf packVacation season is wrapping up in Florida as school time is revving up for another year. In the wake of the summer holiday cessation, something else is starting to rev up in the sunshine state … the continuationist healing parade of spiritual charlatans.

While the enemy, we know, is pervasive, persistent, and always on the prowl, his upcoming performances will be particularly focused on the sandy edged shores of the Florida peninsula.

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Canadian Bible Camp Under Fire for Biblical Stance on Homosexuality

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Christian News Network reports:

A Bible camp in Canada is under fire for its stance on homosexuality, and one group is looking for another location to host its leadership event after the camp cancelled a “gay pride” speaker on its grounds.

Lake Ness Bible Camp, located in Prince George, is operated by the evangelical organization One Hope Canada, whose motto is “A passion for the gospel. A burden for Canada.” Hundreds of children and teens attend the camp each year to learn more about the Bible and to engage in recreational activities such as canoeing, paintball and ziplining.

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The problem with tolerating false teachers is…

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In this blog post Elizabeth Prata of The End Time reveals the results of 30 years of letting false teaching in the Church slide. Prata laments that we are reaping the penalty of false teaching from the likes of Beth Moore, Christine Caine, Lysa TerKeurst, as well as “Experiencing God” that took the SBC by storm. Now we are faced with a “soft youth who are growing up as the next generation of leaders.”

Elizabeth offers her view of what should be done about this.

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Judge Refuses to Lift Injunction on Law Protecting Clerks Who Decline to Issue “Gay Marriage” Licenses

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According to Christian News Network:

A federal judge appointed to the bench by Barack Obama is refusing to lift his injunction against Mississippi’s Freedom of Conscience Act, requiring clerks within the state to issue “gay marriage” licenses despite their religious convictions.

“Issuing a marriage license to a gay couple is not like being forced into armed combat or to assist with an abortion,” Judge Carlton Reeves wrote on Friday. “To the extent the preliminary injunction will help alleviate the damage wrought on this State by an HB 1523-caused economic boycott, moreover, that too supports denying a stay of the injunction.”

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New York Times hits Clinton’s “untruthful claims” on emails

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Washington Examiner reports:

Hillary ClintonThe liberal New York Times editorial board said Hillary Clinton essentially lied last week when she claimed she had been forthcoming with the public about sending classified information over her private email server.

In an editorial printed Friday, the Times said that Clinton is breeding distrust with voters, who polls show are already skeptical of her level of honesty, even as her opponent Donald Trump has seen his overall standing in national and state-level polls rapidly decline.

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Andy Stanley’s astonishing lack of discernment worsens

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From Berean Research:

Andy Stanley 3Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Church, has once again drawn attention to himself. This time for featuring a Beatles medley presented at North Point’s Sunday morning worship service. As previously reported, Stanley recently received criticism for allowing a raunchy stage act at the mega church he pastors where the song “Love The Way You Turn Me On” was performed by a “90s Boys Band.”  As Mortification of Spin co-host Todd Pruitt pointed out in a scathing blog post, “Andy is the go-to guy when it comes to effective communication and leadership.” Pruitt believes that the sort of entertainment North Point allows dishonors God and is destructive to God’s people; thus it has no place in a worship service.  He went on to say that those who watch the video will see that the “sickness at the heart of North Point is on full display.”

“Why write about this?” asks Steven Kozar in a blog post entitled Hands Up For The British Invasion At North Point Community Church. He responds, “Because Andy Stanley and many other churches use these tactics which in the end detract from focusing on the gospel at an official church worship service.”

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The Rio Olympics Is Brazil’s Reward for Trusting in Socialism

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Breitbart reports:

As Rio de Janeiro rings in its tenure as host city to the Summer Olympics with street violence, deadly pollution, jihadist threats, incomplete facilities, and a plague, many around the world are wondering: who thought the embattled Brazilian city would be a good host for anything of this magnitude?

The Summer Olympics is the second major global sporting event Brazil clinched hosting duties for under the rule of the socialist Workers’ Party (PT) – and its founder, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – two years after its surprisingly uneventful run as hosts of the FIFA World Cup. Brazil winning World Cup hosting duties made sense; it was the only candidate. The Olympic bid, however, was a competitive one, with highly developed cities like Madrid and Chicago making the case that they were safer, better-prepared venues for such an event.

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The Dirty Little Secret Pot Pushers Don’t Want You to Know About

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According to Cully Stimson of The Daily Signal, some of the risks of smoking marijuana include “higher risks of motor vehicle accidents, heart attacks, and impaired immune systems and short-term memories. Evidently, the pot pushers don’t want you to know this truth.” Pot pushers also don’t want the public to know that the drug is already available in pill or liquid form that are safer to use because THC levels can be monitored.

MarijuanaStates have passed so-called “medical marijuana” laws under the theory that pot has medicinal benefits that can’t be produced by other, legal means.

But what if there was a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug that gave you all the benefits of the active ingredients in marijuana, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol?

What if that drug had been rigorously tested through clinical trials to make sure that it worked as promised, was properly dosed, and had no unanticipated side effects?

And what if you could get that lawful drug from your doctor in pill or liquid form?

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How Does God Speak to Me Today?

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Is the Bible enough?  More than enough?  Does it contain all the guidance you need to do all that God wants you to do?  In this piece, written in 2011, popular blogger, author and book reviewer Tim Challies offers his view of the ways in which God speaks to us today. He writes:

Bible Let me talk about the way God speaks to us through a series of 4 statements. We are taking God’s sovereignty, his secret will, as our starting point and building upon it with these statements.

The first thing we need to affirm is that God can speak to people in many different ways and guide them with their cooperation. The Bible is full of stories of God speaking to his people—God speaking to Adam and Eve in the Garden as he walked and talked with them, God speaking to Moses from the burning bush, God speaking to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream. In each case God told people his will and when God told them what he wanted of them, they were able to consciously participate in it, or they were able to reject it. Adam and Eve defied God even though they knew what he demanded of them. Jonah heard from the Lord and ran away. Abraham heard from the Lord and obeyed. All through the Bible we see God speaking and giving guidance and instruction. In all these ways and so many more, God spoke to people and guided them with their cooperation.

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Church of England clergyman found guilty of historical sex offences

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According to The Guardian:

A senior Church of England clergyman has been found guilty of sex offences committed against two young men in the 1970s and 80s amid claims of a church cover-up.

A jury at Durham crown court found George Granville Gibson, 80, the former archdeacon of Auckland, guilty of two counts of indecent assault against two men, then aged 18 and 26. He was found not guilty of buggery and four other charges of indecent assault. Two charges of indecent assault were dropped.

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World Vision “shocked” by allegations its Gaza operative funneled money to Hamas

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Religion News Service reports:

World Vision, one of the world’s largest Christian humanitarian aid organizations, said it has “no reason … at this time” to believe that its operations manager in Gaza funneled tens of millions of dollars in donations to Hamas’ military wing, as Israeli security officials claimed.

The organization said in a statement Thursday (Aug. 4) it was “shocked” to learn that the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security service, had charged Mohammad El Halabi with providing support to Hamas.

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USA Gymnastics accused of failing to report sex abuse accusations

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Fox News reports:

Olympic ringsUSA Gymnastics officials failed to report allegations or ignored multiple warnings that some athletes were being sexually abused by their coaches, according to testimony stemming from a 2013 lawsuit and an extensive investigation by The Indianapolis Star.

Records reviewed by the newspaper showed USA Gymnastics had received complaints against more than 50 coaches. In at least four cases which The Star was able to independently verify, USA Gymnastics did not initiate reports to authorities.

After the warnings, those coaches allegedly abused at least 14 more people. Each of those coaches was eventually arrested.

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U.S. Supreme Court Grants Emergency Injunction to Block Girl From Using Boys’ Restroom

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Christian News Network reports:

Transgender bathroom 2The U.S. Supreme Court has granted a Virginia school district’s request for an emergency injunction to temporarily halt a lower court ruling that would have required officials to allow a female student who identifies as male to use the boys’ restroom.

The court voted 5-3 to grant the injunction while the matter is being considered for an appeal, with Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan siding with the student.

As previously reported, Gavin Grimm, now 17, told reporters in December 2014 that she began using the boys’ restroom after obtaining permission from the school principal when she expressed disapproval over being forced to use the nurse restroom.

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Hostage Deal Is Latest Example of Obama’s Sell-Out to Iran

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According to Genevieve Wood of The Daily Signal:

The only thing more pathetic than the Obama administration paying the Islamist Republic of Iran ransom for American hostages, and thereby ensuring more Americans will be taken hostage by thug regimes around the world, is that they expect us to believe, despite evidence to the contrary, that they didn’t.

Right.

First, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry sidestepped Congress when negotiating the nuclear deal with Iran. Now we’re learning they also sidestepped America’s long-standing policy of not paying ransom for hostages when they secretly shipped $400 million to Tehran last January on the very same day American hostages were released.

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DNC “Put a Sharia Supremacist on Convention Center Stage”

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From Breitbart:

DonkeyAuthor and historian Diana West challenges the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) highlight of Khizr Khan at their national convention: “Don’t you people vet your speakers?”

Dear DNC,

Doubtless, I would reach more people if I wrote the following message in a private, hackable email, but I am concerned Russian cyber-trolls are distracted this week by heaps more breaking scandal about Hillary Clinton’s loyal services to what some people like to call “Mother Russia.” Between that Hillary-approved uranium deal transferring 20 percent of US uranium to Russian control (netting $145 million for the Clinton Foundation) and, now, her success in getting US investors to fund Russian military research in Russia’s very own “Silicon Valley,” I am afraid my little email might languish unread on some cold NSA server. If anyone in Russia is reading, though, do pass along a suggested name change for that Russian R&D hub Hillary has done so much for: “Clinticon Valley” has a wonderful ring to it, don’t you think? Or, maybe better — Clinticonovna Valley.

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U.S. Sent Cash to Iran as Americans Were Freed

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According to the Wall Street Journal, critics are charging that the payment amounted to a 1.7 billion ransom to the ayatollahs for U.S. hostages.

The Obama administration secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth of cash to Iran that coincided with the January release of four Americans detained in Tehran, according to U.S. and European officials and congressional staff briefed on the operation afterward.

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Crisis at Andy Stanley’s North Point Church

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From Berean Research:

Andy StanleyIn his piece “Crisis at North Point,” Todd Pruitt, one of the co-hosts of Mortification of Spin, denounces the raunchy stage act that was performed at Andy Stanley’s church during a Sunday morning worship service.  To enlighten his readers, Pruitt included a video of the all boy band’s performance.  However, the video is no longer available for viewing.  According to Steven Kozar who posted the video on Museum of Idolatry on July 25th:  “North Point Church is making it more difficult to view their “boy band” video (since we published this a few days ago), so we’ve made this video to remind everyone of it’s questionable and foolish content.”  Following is a much shorter version of the performance:

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Vice President Biden Officiates Same-Sex “Wedding” Between White House Staffers

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Christian News Network reports:

Vice President Joe Biden announced this week that he had officiated a same-sex “wedding” between two White House staffers at his home in Washington.

He Tweeted a photo of the occasion on Monday, writing, “Proud to marry Brian and Joe at my house. Couldn’t be happier, two longtime White House staffers, two great guys.”

Brian Mosteller works as director of Oval Office operations for Barack Obama, and Joe Mahsie serves as a travel coordinator for Michelle Obama.

Biden obtained a temporary certificate to officiate the ceremony as per the men’s request. Biden’s wife, Jill, also Tweeted the photo after the ceremony, writing, “Love is love.”

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The NBA’s Transgender Bathroom Advocacy Could Point to End of Women’s Sports

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Melanie Wood of The Daily Signal reports:

Transgender bathroom signHow far does the NBA want transgender “rights” to go?

The NBA stepped into the culture war with its recent decision to move the 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte, North Carolina, citing “the climate created by HB2,” the bill that requires government single-sex bathrooms be available only to people on basis of the sex on their birth certificate.

When it decided to move the game out of Charlotte, the NBA released a statement:

Our week-long schedule of All-Star events and activities is intended to be a global celebration of basketball, our league, and the values for which we stand, and to bring together all members of the NBA community—current and former players, league and team officials, business partners, and fans. While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2.

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Witnessing to the Watchtower: And the Word was???

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Seth Dunn of Pulpit & Pen examines the teaching of the Watchtower Society a.k.a. Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW’s).  Although JW’s claim they’re Christians they deny fundamental Christian doctrine and manipulate the scriptures to fit in with their own beliefs as you will discover in this piece.  What is the most effective way to evangelize JW’s when they come knocking on your door?  Listen to Seth Dunn’s advice.

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A Look Inside 4 Important Goals of the LGBT Movement

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The Daily Signal has the story:

LGBT 4Despite being proud of advances they’ve made during eight years under President Barack Obama, leaders of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender movement say they still have work to do.

“The future of the LGBT movement hinges largely on the outcome of this election,” Kevin Jennings, executive director of the Arcus Foundation, said at a global LGBT summit held in Philadelphia during the Democratic National Convention.

Jennings, issuing a warning to a mostly friendly audience, said there are “two very different visions for LGBT equality in the Republican and Democratic platforms.”

More than 25 prominent leaders of the national LGBT movement, including elected officials and other influential voices, gathered for the four-day event called the Equality Forum.

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Satanic Temple responds to Christian groups at elementary schools with plan for its own after-school clubs

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Orange County Register published a piece by Brian Reynolds that he wrote for the Washington Post. Reynolds informs us that Doug Mesner a.k.a. Lucien Greaves of the Satanic Temple wants children to understand that “there are multiple perspectives on all issues, and that they have a choice in how they think.”  So Mesner/Greaves insists that kiddos wrap their minds around Satan and the underworld.  How? By starting an after-school club. Watch the very troubling promotion video and then ask yourself what sort of parents would enroll their child in a club that glorifies Satan and also draws them into the world of the occult.

According to Reynolds:

The group at first intends to roll out the clubs in a limited number of schools in districts that also host an evangelical Christian after-school program known as the Good News Club.

 

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Massive turnout for gay pride march in Jerusalem 1 year after fatal stabbing

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DW News labels those who oppose the radical LGBT agenda “ultra-Orthodox extremists.”  According to DW: Israeli military has decided to “re-evaluate” its professional relationship with a West Bank rabbi who called homosexuals “perverts.” The rabbi leads a yeshiva, or religious seminary, that prepares men for army service.

The large turnout was a show of solidarity with the victim’s of last year’s stabbing attack that left Shira Banki dead. The 16-year-old was one of eight people ultra-orthodox extremist Yishai Schlissel tried to kill.

A record number of Gay Pride marchers paraded through downtown Jerusalem Thursday, a year after an ultra-Orthodox Jew went on a stabbing rampage at the parade that left a 16-year-old girl dead and seven others wounded.

Some 25,000 attended this year’s parade – a five-fold increase over last year’s turnout, and far more than organizers hoped for.

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