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

Calvary Chapel Golden Springs Invites A Wolf to Feed the Sheep

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Over at the Last Hiker we learn of the latest Calvary Chapel controversy.  Guitarist of Korn, Brian “Head” Welch, will be a guest speaker at SHINE Diamond Bar May 22 to promote his new book, “With My Eyes Wide Open.”  According to Last Hiker, Welch has extreme charismatic beliefs which will be included in his book.  What are some of his mystical beliefs?:

Brian Head WelchHe believes Jesus drops black angelic feathers on him while he worships, and puts gemstones in his hands at church. He believes that Jesus Himself, has walked into his house (video on his Facebook). He believes that it is better to roll around on the floor and be drunk in the spirit than actually sit and listen to a sermon. He has said that God loves us the way a man loves his wife’s naked body. He has a sensual, mystical, extreme charistmatic, drunk in the spirit type of spirituality. And he is being invited to a Calvary Chapel to sell his book??? Calvary distribution wouldn’t even sell the books that are written by the people that share his point of view–because it is UNBIBLICAL!!!! …

Evidence is provided to prove these claims.

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H/T John Lanagan

 

 

Shirley Dobson Passes Prayer Mantle to Anne Graham Lotz?

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Seems “mantles” are all the rage these days.  Recently Mormon Glenn Beck was presented “a new mantle for the future” from NAR lying “prophet” Chuck Pierce.  A few days ago Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of evangelist Billy Graham, received her own mantle. Berean Research tells us what the mantle thing is all about:

Anne Graham Lotz, Shirley Dobson

Anne Graham Lotz is now the next Chairman of the National Day Of Prayer, having received a ” Prayer Mantle of Leadership” from her predecessor, Shirley Dobson. An interesting choice of words, “Prayer Mantle.”  We Christians tend to use a lot of words that can leave those who don’t share our faith scratching their heads. But “mantle” is one of those words that tend to be used by a subset of Christians, and that word can and should cause more than a head scratch.

Are there biblical mantles?

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DOJ’s Lawsuit Against North Carolina Is Abuse of Power

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According to The Daily Signal:

North Carolina has sustained unrelenting and coordinated attacks from big business, the entertainment industry, the American Civil Liberties Union, and now the federal government over its commonsense bathroom policies.

Gov. Pat McCrory and the North Carolina Legislature have had enough of this bullying and filed separate lawsuits against the Department of Justice Monday in the reasonable expectation that a federal judge will order the ideologues at the Department of Justice to back off.

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London’s Iconic Red Buses To Declare “Glory To Allah”

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Breitbart has the report:

Britain’s largest Islamic charity says it wants to “break down barriers” and portray Islam positively by launching a new advertising campaign which will slap the phrase “glory to Allah” on the side of London buses.

The new campaign by Islamic Relief is, ostensibly, targeted at raising donations for their Ramadan aid to Syria, but is attracting attention for the “hundreds” of buses which will be decorated with the phrase “Subhan’ Allah”, or ‘Glory to Allah’.

Muslims reading the advert are told that to “gather the rewards of Ramadan”, they must donate to Islamic Relief, an organisation which had its accounts with banking giant HSBC closed after “concerns that cash for aid could end up with terrorist groups abroad”.

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Popular Charismatic Worship Artist, Kari Jobe, Teaching Dangerous Theology

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After reading Jeff Maples’ blogpost over at Pulpit & Pen you will wonder why Kari Jobe was invited to lead worship for Women of Faith, an event that draws thousands of women. When you read the lyrics to some of Jobe’s songs, you’ll realize that the words are blasphemous….and you’ll want to repent if you ever uttered those words  Three of Kari Jobe’s songs are featured on the hit CD, Women of Faith Presents Gateway Worship a Collection. So if you own the CD, consider tossing it in the trash.

But this is not about Women of Faith; it’s about contemporary “Christian” music and professing Christians who write and perform it, some of whom are at best biblically illiterate and at worst wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Read it and weep.

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“Big Brother” Shouldn’t Force Americans to Participate in Abortions

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According to The Daily Signal:

Baby in womb - ultrasound

Recently-introduced federal legislation would protect doctors, nurses, hospitals, and health care providers from being forced to provide abortion as part of their practice or insurance plans.

The Conscience Protection Act, House Resolution 4828, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives at the end of March by Rep. John Fleming, R-La., currently has 49 co-sponsors.

“As a family practice physician for over 30 years, I know for a fact that doctors and nurses are dedicated medical professionals uniquely qualified to assess the health and wellness needs of their patients,” Fleming said in a formal statement. “There is no room in the clinic for government discrimination, for Big Brother to force a health care provider to participate, in any way, in an abortion.”

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Justice Dept. to N.C. universities: Break transgender bathroom law or lose millions in funding

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According to Washington Times:

The U.S. Department of Justice is now directly pitting the University of North Carolina system against its state government.

The University of North Carolina System said it has been given until Monday to comply with a Justice order to break a state law concerning bathroom access, or risk losing more than $1 billion in federal education funding.

In a letter sent to the higher education system’s president and board of directors, which mirrored one sent to North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, the Justice Department said compliance with the state law HB2 discriminates against transgender people and violates federal civil rights law.

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Inscriptions Found in Ancient Fortress Support Biblical Timeline, Challenge Skeptics

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Christian News Network reports:

A team of Israeli researchers has found evidence that literacy was widespread among ancient Israelites, thus challenging critics of the Bible who claim most people in Old Testament times were illiterate.

Critics of the Bible have long alleged that Israelites prior to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. were largely illiterate. Therefore, they argue, many of the Old Testament books were written after the destruction of Jerusalem, which is much later than the Bible suggests.

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Kerry slams Trump’s wall, tells grads to prepare for “borderless world”

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Washington Examiner reports:

Secretary of State John Kerry took a shot at Donald Trump during his Friday commencement speech at Northeastern University, by saying no wall is big enough to keep dangerous terrorists out of the United States.

“Many of you were in elementary school when you learned the toughest lesson of all on 9/11,” he said. “There are no walls big enough to stop people from anywhere, tens of thousands of miles away, who are determined to take their own lives while they target others.”

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Planned Parenthood helping transgender patients with sex changes

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Planned Parenthood’s mission statement is based on helping individuals “manage his or her fertility.” But now the organization wants to add sex-changes to that goal. So it appears that, if Planned Parenthood has its way, the American tax-payer’s hard-earned money will be spent on the mutilation of transgender people’s bodies.  Fox News has the report:

Planned Parenthood has found a new niche that could prove nearly as controversial as providing abortions: helping transgendered people through the sex-change process.

In the wake of last summer’s undercover videos that appeared to show Planned Parenthood officials selling baby body parts for money – which is illegal – legislators in several states have looked for ways to deny funding to the women’s health giant.

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Hillsong exposing their Chrislamic, Roman Catholic agenda

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Terry Crist, senior Pastor of City of Grace as well as the Chair of the Governor’s Council of Faith and Community Partnerships in AZ, shares Hillsong’s agenda in a must watch video.  Following is an excerpt from the transcript:

Isaiah 52, verse 8 says, ‘when the Watchman sing together, then they shall see eye to eye’. So many times we tend focus on what divides us, instead of the man who unites us. Jesus is that God man, who calls us all to himself, and when we respond to that something transcendent happens, something that unites us at a place so much deeper than just mere agreement. And out of that unity comes a shared mission, out of that comes a shared transformation, and that’s really at the core of my heart, my heart longs for the day when we work together and we worship together and out of that we transform our city together, to the glory of God. (emphasis added)

How…ecumenical.  How…New Age.  How…unbiblical.  Note that Crist has spouted 4 Emergent Church buzzwords: transcendent, unity, mission and transformation, i.e. enlightenment.

So with this backdrop in mind, Churchwatch Central enlightens us on what’s going on with the infamous Hillsong Church.  As previously reported, Hillsong has been in the news for all sorts of reasons, including Brian Houston’s cover-up of his father’s pedophilia.   It is also concerning that Hillsong has been propagating a seeker-driven version of the Word of Faith prosperity gospel around the globe.  Now we learn from our friends over at Churchwatch Central that Hillsong has drifted into “Chrislam” and Roman Catholicism.

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Out of the Shadows: Wicca Grows in Austin and Beyond

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According to Reporting Texas:

Witch - caulderonMary Caldwell has spiky pink hair, tattooed arms and works in customer service for a software company. She’s also the leader of a Wicca meet-up that gathers every other Monday at Monkey Nest Coffee on Burnet Road.

On a recent Monday evening, she led the group in a discussion of numerology – the belief that numbers have mystical meanings – as well as rituals and personal experiences with spirits. Recently, some members of the group had visited a local cemetery to commune with spirits.

“Some of the people in the group just see them, some just hear them and some of them just smell them,” said Caldwell, 44.  “It was great fun.”

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Transgender man gives birth after falling pregnant during transition

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Oh the absurdity of it all. Looks like “Daddy” will raise the child — and “he” is currently breastfeeding her.  According to Independent:

A transgender man in Iceland has given birth to a baby after falling pregnant during his transition.

Henrý Steinn, 19, had already started living as male when he found out he was pregnant.

He told Gay Iceland that the news came just weeks before he was about to start taking testosterone, and a few months after he began transitioning.

“I was well into the consultation and was living as a man but was about one or two months away from starting the hormone treatment when I found out I was pregnant,” he said.

“It would probably have been less likely for me to fall pregnant after that, but not impossible.”

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New administration rule would permit thousands of eagle deaths at wind farms

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Wind turbineBald eagles and golden eagles are federally protected.  Individuals who kill these birds pay a $100,00 AND the person could face up to 10 years in jail. Now we’re told that our Federal Government has decided to allow wind energy companies (that own the wind farms that operate high-speed turbines that have slaughtered thousands of eagles) to kill or injure 4,200 bald eagles per year without penalty — which is four times the current limit. According to The Associated Press piece, “Golden eagles could only be killed if companies take steps to minimize the losses, for instance, by retrofitting power poles to reduce the risk of electrocution.”  Moreover,”Under the new proposal, companies would pay a $36,000 fee for a long-term permit allowing them to kill or injure eagles.”  Would the Obama Administration offer the same sort of deal to, say, an oil company?

What the story neglects to mention is that wind farms require backup from power sources that use coal, oil, and natural gas.

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Abortion Clinics Are Closing at a Record Pace

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Bloomberg has good news to report:

Pre-born babyAbortion access in the U.S. has been vanishing at the fastest annual pace on record, propelled by Republican state lawmakers’ push to legislate the industry out of existence. Since 2011, at least 162 abortion providers have shut or stopped offering the procedure, while just 21 opened.

At no time since before 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion, has a woman’s ability to terminate a pregnancy  life been more dependent on her zip code or financial resources to travel. The drop-off in providers—more than one every two weeks—occurred in 35 states, in both small towns and big cities that are home to more than 30 million women of reproductive age. (strike through added)

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Targeting Target

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Rod Dreher of The America Conservative reveals the way in which Target has chosen to handle the controversy that erupted after customers found out that Target’s bathroom policy allows for men who identify as women to use the ladies room and changing room. Dreher includes a letter from a mom who’s 14 year-old daughter was in the NYC Parks Department locker room after swim practice when a middle-aged man sauntered out of the showers wrapped in a towel. Dreher writes:

Andy Park, a gay Florida man, walked into a Target store to test its new bathroom policies. He said he was dressed like a male (you can’t see him in the clip), and had two days of beard stubble. He asks the store’s manager if he can use the women’s room. The manager says sure, and if any women have a problem with that, the store will speak to them about it. Read a news story about it here — with dialogue from the clip — and Target’s response, standing by its policy.

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Social Media Campaign Urges Disney to Make Elsa a Lesbian Princess in “Frozen” Sequel

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According to CNSNews:

The sequel to Disney’s “Frozen” won’t be out for a few years, but some fans have already launched a social media campaign calling on Disney to make the main character, Elsa, a lesbian.

The campaign #GiveElsaAGirlfriend began when a teen named Alexis Isabel tweeted: “I hope Disney makes Elsa a lesbian princess imagine how iconic that would be.” Then she tweeted: “Dear @Disney, #GiveElsaAGirlfriend.”

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New York Times Promotes Myth That Man-Made Climate Change Refugees Exist

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The Daily Signal reports:

The New York Times has declared the first American climate refugees. The article, published on May 2, tells the story of families living in southeastern Louisiana on the Isle de Jean Charles who will have to relocate (apparently due to man-made climate change).

The article begins by warning that, “Around the globe, governments are confronting the reality that as human-caused climate change warms the planet, rising sea levels, stronger storms, increased flooding, harsher droughts and dwindling freshwater supplies could drive the world’s most vulnerable people from their homes.”

There’s a big problem, however, with this claim.

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Stunned Cruz supporters ask: What happened?

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Byron York of Washington Examiner lays out the reasons Ted Cruz dropped out of the race.  Did Cruz make a decision to get out even before Indiana?  According to York:

Hours before the Cruz campaign’s election-night event, the buzz was that Ted Cruz would deliver “somber” remarks. “Somber” became the word of the moment as people who were inside the Cruz structure, but not high-up enough to know what was going on, tried to figure out what would happen.

The room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel slowly filled with Cruz volunteers, many of whom had come to Indiana from out of state because they believed strongly in Cruz. Some came thinking Cruz would win the primary. Even those who worried he would lose Indiana were sure he would vow to fight on to the convention.

But there were clues that Cruz had decided otherwise. A lot of Cruz staff, who normally worked at headquarters in Houston and who rarely if ever traveled with him, were there in Indianapolis. Why would so many travel for this particular event?

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Dem AG Targets 90 Conservative Groups in Climate Change Racketeering Suit

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According to the The Washington Free Beacon:

The attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands is targeting dozens of conservative and libertarian organizations in a racketeering lawsuit against climate change skeptics that has been widely described as an effort to silence political opponents.

In a subpoena issued in March, the office of USVI attorney general Claude Walker demanded from Exxon Mobil copies of communications between the oil company and 90 different political and policy organizations “and any other organizations engaged in research or advocacy concerning Climate Change or policies.”

The subpoena was part of a national, coordinated legal campaign by state attorneys general and left-wing advocacy groups to use the legal system against companies and organizations that disagree with and advocate against Democratic policies to address global climate change.

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Bono meets Eugene Peterson

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Pastor Jim Jenkins penned “He still hasn’t found what he’s looking for” which can be read over at Herescope.  Jenkins informs us that “Fuller Seminary rolled out its inaugural video of a new media site FULLER studio. It is a 20-minute piece featuring Eugene Peterson, author of The Message Bible which sold 17,000,000 copies and the rock star Bono.”  Interesting choice of guests, as Bono is a professing Christian…who doesn’t believe in the Bible.  In The Message, Peterson distorts the relationship between God the Father and Jesus the Son (John 10:30 & John 14:28), deletes homosexuality from key passages (1 Cor 6:9-11 & 1 Tim 1:8-11) and does all sorts of other alterations.   For these reasons CRN does not recommend this “bible.”

Jenkins begins his piece:

Wolf 4

 

It’s entirely possible to look at something so long that you can’t really see it anymore. For years I have been calling people back to simple faith in the inerrancy of God’s Word. I’ve been patronized, mocked and more times than not, simply ignored.

I completed my doctorate at Fuller Seminary at the height of the Church Growth movement. I was exposed to all the marketing influence, the obsession with numerical growth of churches—and it was there that I was first introduced to the term “Progressive Christian.”

We were required to read the book Marketing the Church by George Barna. Some notables at Fuller at the time were C. Peter Wagner, Bob Logan, Carl George, and Eddie Gibbs. The message that permeated the core of the Doctor of Ministry Degree program was that the Church needed to be run as a business, and that the message needed to be contextualized against the backdrop of the culture.

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Connecting the NAR dots: Gumbel, Brodersen and the Neo-Calvary emergence

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Berean Research connects the dots for us:

Yes, London is the hot spot for next week’s big gathering of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) leaders, peddling their latest “words from God” and visions from the realms of glory.

Before you say “ho hum, another heretic convention,” let me point out what makes it newsworthy. These are the false teachers now being embraced by some mighty big church hitters from several mainline denominations.

The Empowerment 21 Conference May 11-13 showcases all the usual cast of prophets and prophetesses, plus one more: Nicky Gumbel, the Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton.  This should make those in the Calvary Chapel movement squirm, as it points to yet another recent signpost of a departure from Chuck Smith’s original standards and doctrinal distinctives — not to mention warnings against these dangerous wolves.

Atheist Activist Group Objects to Public School Visits to Ken Ham’s Creation Museum

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Christian News Network reports:

A professing atheist activist organization is expressing its objection to three public schools that either have already or plan to visit Ken Ham’s Creation Museum in Kentucky.

The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) recently sent letters to officials with Brookville High School in Dayton, Ohio, Jackson Independent School District in Kentucky, and the Big Beaver Falls School District in Pennsylvania to urge the cancellation of the trips to Petersburg.

“It is unconstitutional for a public school to take students on a field trip to a religious venue such as the Creation Museum, a Christian museum which promotes the religious doctrine of creationism and lists is mission as ‘to point today’s culture back to the authority of Scripture and proclaim the gospel message,’” the letters read.

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Glenn Beck Invites America to Join Him in Another Fast

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From Berean Research:

Glenn Beck loves playing the role of America’s spiritual leader.  However, we must remember that Mr. Beck is a member in good standing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints aka Mormonism. Mormonism is a pseudo-Christian cult.  Glenn Beck makes no bones about the fact that he embraces LDS theology, which is decidedly unbiblical.  So is it really his place to advise evangelical Christians on spiritual matters, especially when it comes to fasting and prayer?

No.

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