Commentary, analysis and opinion.

8 Reasons Why The Next Missionary You Support Should Be A Cessationist – Part 1

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(Justin Bullington – Things Above) As my coworker and I walked down the muddy trail, working intently on the very difficult Kuman language, a young man approached us. “Wagai We!” he yelled. In case you need it later, this means “hello” in the Chimbu Province of Papua New Guinea. We exchanged pleasantries and immediately got down to business.

“Why are you here?” he asked.

“Well…”

I’ll spare you the painfully long exchange, but we went on to describe that we were there to learn their language and culture so we could teach them God’s Talk and translate it into their mother tongue. “i wagai. na ama Papa God ka kaungo yomba mocha,” he responded. What he meant, of course, was, “I am a pastor too.” … Continue reading →

Polygamy, Robot Sex Are Consequences of the Sexual Revolution

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(Bruce Ashford – The Daily Signal) Not for nothing, but the latest fruits of the sexual revolution are even more bizarre than most of us imagined.

We knew things would get a little freaky, but maybe we didn’t know it would involve an upswing in polygamy, amorous activities with plastic women, or cuddling sessions with electric candelabra.

But that is the state of affairs as we approach Valentine’s Day this year.

We shouldn’t be surprised. When a society deifies sexual expression, it deifies a jealous god who will not be satisfied until every biological, social, and moral norm is overturned. Continue reading →

Liberty University Professor Promotes Illegal Immigration

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(Pulpit & Pen News) Karen Swallow Prior is a radical animal rights activist who believes animals go to Heaven because naming them gives them personhood, says she’s more upset over animal abuse than abortion, says abortion isn’t murder and calling it such is unchristlike, promoted erotic gay literature, and has attended gay fundraisers and uses gay-affirming language. She calls herself a feminist and attacks complementarianism as unbiblical.

Karen Swallow Prior is also a professor at Liberty University and a research fellow for the leftist Southern Baptist organization, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). … Continue reading →

Enneagram: The Road Back to You, Or to Somewhere Else?

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In a piece I wrote over 10 years ago, Christians are mixed up in… mysticism, I dealt with the Enneagram. In a moment you’ll find out what this personality tool is all about from Kevin DeYoung. In a nutshell, the Enneagram is a form of modern psychology that categorizes people into nine basic personality types. Here’s an excerpt from my piece:

“The concept is rooted in several teachings such as the Seven Deadly Sins and the Kabbalah.  Supposedly the Enneagram symbol, the enneagon, dates back to Pythagoras or even earlier, and is based on Sufi mysticism.  This alone should be a red flag for Christians!”

Continue reading →

Self-Described Smarty Jimmy Kimmel Presents Stupid, Bigoted Anti-Christian Skit

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(NewsBusters} Saturday afternoon, Christian Toto at NewsBusters chronicled how Jimmy Kimmel has gone from being an “aw, shucks” comedian to “a hard-left comic” who believes (Kimmel’s words) that “every talk show is a liberal … because it requires a level of intelligence.”

That said, ignorant transformation was on display Friday night, as Kimmel attempted and failed to make a genuine point in a restaurant skit which attempted to ridicule a Bakersfield, California bakery which refuses to bake wedding cakes for same-sex couples.

Wednesday, Tastries Bakery has thus far prevailed in court: View article →

Christalignment ‘legally’ threaten discerning Christians – caught profiting from plagiarism.

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(Churchwatch Central) Jordan Hall from Pulpit & Pen recently critiqued a video Bethel pastor Ben Fitzgerald uploaded to Facebook, where Fitzgerald accuses Christians of ‘micro-judging’. Not only did Fitzgerald condemn those for calling his mother a ‘witch’ (even though by biblical definition what she  practices is witchcraft), he also accuses someone of passing on information about his family’s occultic practices to discernment sites. As a result of this, his family are now threatening Christians with ‘legal action’.

The video that Jordan Hall reviewed can be seen in this article here: Continue reading →

What Is Truth?

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Aaron Brake offers three different views of Truth: The pragmatic theory; coherence theory; and  correspondence theory. In his piece over at Stand to Reason, Brake explains these views and then makes the case for what he believes is the only option for the Christian. He writes:

“What is truth?” Pontius Pilate wasn’t the first, or the last, to ask this.

The question, at first blush, may sound profound. In reality, I think we all know the answer to this age-old inquiry. I say that because we presuppose a certain definition of truth in our speech and actions every day of our lives. ….. Continue reading →

Recalcitrants Versus the Rainbow Ruling Class

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(Bill Muehlenberg) In our brave new world of radical minority activist groups effectively taking over entire cultures, things are looking very bleak indeed for anyone who dares to resist the revolution. The militants have now become extremely powerful as the political world, the media, academia, and other institutions of power and influence readily run with their causes.

Those who refuse to bow the knee are being made to pay. They are being socially and culturally ostracised, hated on, and treated as outcasts. And there are very real ramifications of this: people are now being fired from their job, fined, or even jailed, for refusing to submit to the new agenda of the coercive utopians. Continue reading →

The philosophical contradictions of the transgender worldview

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(Ryan T. Anderson – Public Discourse) People say that we live in a postmodern age that has rejected metaphysics. That’s not quite true. We live in a postmodern age that promotes an alternative metaphysics. As I explain in When Harry Became Sally, at the heart of the transgender moment are radical ideas about the human person—in particular, that people are what they claim to be, regardless of contrary evidence. A transgender boy is a boy, not merely a girl who identifies as a boy. It’s understandable why activists make these claims. An argument about transgender identities will be much more persuasive if it concerns who someone is, not merely how someone identifies. And so the rhetoric of the transgender moment drips with ontological assertions: people are the gender they prefer to be. That’s the claim. Continue reading →

Are you easy prey for false prophets?

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Note from Holy Pivec of Spirit of Error:

The following post was first published on my blog on August 23, 2013. With the rise of men and women calling themselves prophets, many people need to hear its warning more than ever.

The Bible is clear: false prophets are wolves that devour unsuspecting sheep.

Jesus said:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15) Continue reading →

Evangelical Leftists Beg Trump to Help Illegal Aliens

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(Pulpit & Pen News) “Beth Moore, Russell Moore, Matt Chandler, Ed Stetzer, Jen Hatmaker…these are not conservative people. They range from Marxist-leaning New Calvinists to the desperate housewife contingent of feminist, pro-gay lady preachers.”

Illegal immigration has become the most popular issue to talk about among evangelicals seeking to build a bridge between evangelicalism and America’s left. Conceding on the culture wars of abortion and gay marriage, these evangelical leaders can’t be found in the thick of it on those important religious issues, but are at the front of the protest line when it comes to supporting illegal immigration. It’s a winning issue, as George Soros and his Evangelical Immigration Table have successfully convinced certain evangelicals that it’s their job to promote lawlessness. It’s a popular and easy public relations win, and evangelical leftists know it. Continue reading →

Meditation and the Art of Consciousness Hacking

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Pam Frost reports on a very scary movement dubbed “enlightenment engineering” that everyone, especially Christians, should be made aware of. According to Frost, these people are experimenting with new technology to accelerate and enhance the development of meditative consciousness. The scientific technology of consciousness is the brain child of Mikey Siegel, founder of Consciousness Hacking.  You’ll learn about Siegel in Frost’s post. Here’s a glimpse of the man behind the screen:

By suspending the judgment of his normally functioning mind and abandoning himself to mental passivity, Siegel experienced the “enlightenment” of a higher state of transcendent consciousness in which neither “good” nor “bad” exists. According to Hinduism, the material world and the realm of distinctions are only an illusion (maya). The goal of meditation is to transcend these illusions until the soul (atman) is realized as god (brahman). (Bold added)

Continue reading →

The Power of De-Conversion Stories: How Jen Hatmaker is Trying to Change Minds About the Bible

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Fans of Jen Hatmaker may not realize that she follows the same basic playbook used by former megachurch pastor and Oprah Winfrey pal Rob Bell and other progressive “Christians.” According to Michael J. Kruger, professor of Reformed Theological Seminary, the details may be different, but the overall point is the same.  Berean Research has posted numerous articles to show that even though they profess to be evangelicals, both Jen and her husband Brandon are firmly ensconced in the Religious Left. In other words, they’re progressives.  As you’re about to see, Jen rejects the inerrancy of Scripture.  A few years ago the Hatmakers came out in support of the LGBTQ community and in doing so the couple made it clear that they deny the biblical teaching on marriage, sexuality and family. Continue reading →

Are All Angels Safe?

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(Marsha West – Christian Research Network)  Contrary to popular belief, angels are neither chubby little babes with rosy cheeks nor are they exquisite young women with gossamer wings decked out in long flowing gowns. The Bible reveals very little about angels. What we do know is that God sends angels to do His bidding.

The Bible mentions two elect holy angels (the good guys) by name: Michael and Gabriel. Scripture also mentions the Angel of the Lord; Michael the archangel; the Captain of the Host of the Lord; messengers; and guardians.

Also mentioned are fallen angels (the bad guys). Lucifer, one of God’s highest angels, led a revolt against God and was banished from heaven along with his followers which is said to be a third of the angels. There are many names for Lucifer such as Satan, Devil, Prince of Darkness and Beelzebub. The other rebels became demons. In the future God will judge Satan and his demons.

Angels are spirit beings.  They are neither male nor female. In every single angel visitation recorded in Scripture, angels always appear as men, never women.

Because I have written several articles on angels I am often asked if angels are among us today. Yes!

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2).

Those who believe they are experiencing an angel visitation must scrutinize what the angel purports. For example, does the angel point you to Jesus Christ or away from Him? Elect holy angels (from here on out referred to as angels) will always point you to Christ, never to anyone else, living or deceased, which includes the Apostles and the Virgin Mary.

Angels never espouse new doctrines or extra-biblical (special) revelation. Likewise, they do not point individuals to religions such as Mormonism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, et al.

Angels by no means encourage participation in the counterfeit religions’ holy days, festivals, ceremonies and rituals. Angels do not advance the idea of having a sacred place or space.

Angels would never suggest that people involve themselves in occult activities. Currently, Transcendental Meditation (TM) is all the rage, even among some Christians. Angels absolutely do not direct anyone to embrace this pagan practice. TM is not biblical meditation.  Instead of meditating on God’s Word, the practitioner goes into an altered-state-of-consciousness (alpha state) which is a light dream state in order to connect with “god.” It should be a big red flag that New Agers advocate TM. In fact, for the so-called psychic, meditation is the “spiritual practice” they employ when they wish to contact their “spirit guides.”

Sadly, many Christians who have embraced The Silence aka contemplative, or centering, or breath prayer are woefully unaware that they’re practicing unbiblical meditation.

“Christian yoga” is also spreading like a wild fire through the visible Church. This may not set well with some readers, but practicing yoga is taboo….even when your yoga instructor’s a professing Christian.

The bottom line is this: Angels would not, could not, promote anything God expressly forbids –and He forbids His children from participating in any way shape or form in pagan religious practices or disciplines.  The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God’s people are not to embrace the world’s philosophies.

Bear in mind that holy angels are incapable of going against God, whereas unholy angels continuously go against God in their quest to lead people astray.  In 2 Corinthians 4:4 we learn that Satan is the “god of this world.”

The phrase “god of this world”… indicates that Satan is the major influence on the mind-set expressed by the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people. His areas of influence also encompass the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce. The thoughts, ideas, speculations and false religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his lies and deceptions. (Source)

Does God allow His people to contact angels through mediums? According to Leviticus 19:31  we are commanded not to involve ourselves with “mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.”

So the answer is No!

It is a complete waste of time to “call your angel” or to try to contact angels by constructing an altar…lighting candles…burning incense…through meditation…or any other way that allegedly makes angels feel comfortable. God expressly forbids any contact with the spirit realm! And besides, the regenerate Christian has direct access to God through the Son, Jesus Christ. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)

So, what would be the purpose of calling on angels when we can go directly to God through His Son?

Anyone who contacts angels (or spirit guides) is inviting demon contact!  The Bible tells us that demons can and often do possess human beings! Do holy and unholy angels have the authority to indwell believers?  No!  The reason they’re unable to indwell humans is obvious: at the moment of regeneration the Holy Spirit takes up residence or comes to live within the new believer. And once the Spirit takes up residence, He never leaves, not even for a second. Listen to the Lord Jesus:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17). (emphasis mine)

Those who are truly saved are God’s property:

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4).

I need to stress that God’s elect cannot be demon possessed. They are, however, susceptible to demonic oppression.

Demonic oppression is when a demon is temporarily victorious over a Christian, successful in tempting a Christian to sin, and able to hinder a Christian’s ability to serve God with a strong testimony. (Source)

I’ll close with this warning: Contacting angels is neither wise nor safe.

Research Papers:

Angels, Demons & Spiritual Warfare

New Age/New Thought Spirituality

Occult – Sorcery

Copyright by Marsha West, 2012.  Revised April 2021.

If You Can’t Heal ‘Em, Beat ‘Em?

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(Costi Hinn – Defining Deception) Why in the world does church history matter? That’s a question more Christians should be able to answer – and a highly important one at that.

In his phenomenal work, Why Church History Matters, Robert F. Rea defines history as “the study of the past in order to understand the present and improve the future.”[1] History teaches us valuable lessons about the good, the bad, and the ugly. It teaches us about the nature of the way things have been and how they came to be. These are certainly lessons we do well to learn because they remind us that even the best of men are still men at best. Furthermore, lessons from history provide us with the motivation to change the future, even when it’s painful to face the facts. Continue reading →

Pope Francis is giving in to the Chinese Communist Party

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(Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian – Washington Post) Such a capitulation of spiritual authority would damage the Catholic Church in China for years to come. How do we know? Because this very scenario has played out before — in communist Hungary.

The Vatican appears to be seeking a rapprochement with China, almost 70 years after Beijing broke ties. But the Catholic Church has little to gain and much to lose from mending ties with the Communist Party-ruled country. And Pope Francis should be under no illusions: Any agreement the two sides may strike will be entirely on Beijing’s terms. View article →

See our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

Amputating Discernment Ministry from the Body of Christ

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Photo credit: 8:28 Ministries

“If there were ever a dire need for discernment ministry done right and biblically, it’s now,” says Bible study author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley. So why do so many Christians rail against discernment ministries? According to Michelle, “One of the most common arguments I hear against discernment ministry is that it’s the job of the pastor, not discernment ministries, to teach discernment. And with that statement, I could not more heartily agree! Discernment work is half of a pastor’s job description.” Right, but “when was the last time you heard a pastor rebuke someone who contradicts sound doctrine? Or call a false teacher by name? Or teach about a currently popular false doctrine and warn against it?” The answer is, not very often, if ever. Continue reading →

Jesus Devastates an Old Earth

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(Bodie Hodge – Answers in Genesis) I was attending a Christian conference and staffing an Answers in Genesis booth. As I walked around to look at the other booths at the beginning of this conference, a man quickly came up to me (from his booth), even though there was a crowd waiting to speak with him. He evidently felt the need to confront me (in front of the crowd at his booth) because he saw that I was wearing an Answer in Genesis conference badge.

In a hostile tone, the first thing out of his mouth was something akin to, “Is Answers in Genesis here at the conference? Well, I guess I am going to have to find your booth and set you straight about the age of the earth!” Continue reading →

Tom Brady’s Hydration Advice: Water Under the Bridge?

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(LifeZette) Nutritionist warns that while drinking lots of water is vital, a world-class athlete’s regimen could be disastrous for the rest of us

Tom Brady’s hydration method might work for a world-class athlete, but one nutritionist warned that drinking as much water as the quarterback could kill you.

Brady, in his book “The TB12 Method,” claims that drinking more than 35 glasses of water per day will help you flush out the toxins in your body and even help you prevent sunburns. View article →

Reprise: Seeing the Unseen: The Nature of Spiritual Warfare

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First posted July 19, 2017

Did the Lord Jesus teach his followers to “bind” the powers of darkness?  Should the emphasis on spiritual warfare be on prayer-infused power encounters? What exactly does the Bible teach on the nature of spiritual warfare? Well, according to Christian apologist Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason (STR), the Bible has a lot to say about how we are to defend ourselves against other worldly forces in the unseen realm. We must be armed to the teeth!

What does a Christian’s armor look like? “The very first step in arming ourselves for battle against the devil is to gird our loins with truth (Eph. 6:14).” In this piece from STR’s Solid Ground magazine, Koukl tells us what the Bible teaches about the armor of God. Some who read this will be surprised by his teaching for the reason that the way in which charismatics go about dealing with the demonic is highly unbiblical, only they don’t know it. To make matters worse, attempting to “bind Satan” is a ridiculous and foolish practice.  Taking on powerful, lying, deceptive demons is dangerous! Continue reading →

The Gospel Coalition Says Church Should Be ‘Safe Space’ for Homosexuals

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(Pulpit & Pen News) The leftist [Social] Gospel Coalition wants your church to know how it can be a “safe space” for homosexuals. Written by Rachel Gilson, the “director of theological development” at Campus Crusades for Christ (CRU) Northeast, the post wags its literary finger at readers within the local church, shaming them for not being a safe enough of a place for people to live in their sin.

Gilson is a lesbian who wrote about her experiences at Christianity Today in a post entitled, “I Never Became Straight. Perhaps That Was Never God’s Goal.” In that article, she made the astonishing claim, “Slowly, I came to understand that ‘making me straight’ wasn’t the answer. There is no biblical command to be heterosexual.” Of course, being fruitful and multiplying – a central command from God to humanity – is a pretty clear requirement of heterosexuality. Homosexuals are clearly incapable of this reproductive fruitfulness. Continue reading →

Destiny Destiny No Escaping That’s For Me

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(Doug Evans – Asleep No More) You can’t read an article or listen to a homily from the Charismatic fringe without hearing the word “Destiny” being beaten into your head. Not just false prophesy but falsely prophetic merchandise like Destiny Pants and Destiny Cards are being sold to the theologically gullible. This got me to thinking; where is all this Destiny nonsense coming from.

Destiny is not just a vacuous concept, it’s a tired and overworked  Buzzword that the charismatics have been flinging at their followers like #4 birdshot at a flock of mallards. Destiny is defined as “the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future” AND “the hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future” Continue reading →

Jesus Did Not Say Lust is the Same as Adultery – Response to Jerry Fallwell Jr.

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(all THINGS for GOOD) To be clear, this post is about theology, not politics.

In a recent interview on CNN, Dr. Jerry Fallwell Jr. said, “Jesus said ‘if you lust…in your heart, it’s the same as committing adultery.”

We need to be really clear…that is not what Jesus said.

Jesus’ Context

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is teaching that the Law not only addresses external sins, but also sins of the heart.

What He actually says is, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28 Continue reading →

Speaking the truth in love

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4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” (Read 9-16 on the site)

Biblical discernment is not legalism. It is not being a know-it-all who just rains on everyone’s parade, taking all the fun away from those exploring new ways of “experiencing God” or “expanding their faith.” No, it isn’t that at all. First and foremost it is done from the context of maintaining unity within one body and one Spirit through speaking of truth in love so that all truly in Christ will grow up in every way into Him who is their head. Those who exercise this discernment from this motive may at times appear to be focusing on the shortcomings of certain “Christian leaders” to the chagrin of those who follow them. Well, when we do that it can be quite exasperating on our part I assure you. Why? Those who are deceived by these deceivers DO NOT LISTEN. View article →