Commentary, analysis and opinion.

Praying for Political Leaders

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Biblical Counseling Coalition has a piece by Paul Tautges where he discusses why praying for political leaders is so important. First and foremost, God commands us to pray for them. Tautges writes:

When we commit to praying for our leaders (whether or not we agree with them), God is pleased with us and is pleased to work in their hearts according to His will. In relation to this divinely given duty, one passage in particular contains fundamental principles every believer needs to understand. Paul says in 1 Tim. 2:1–4:

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

In these verses we hear the apostle’s plea to us to be obedient to God by praying for our leaders.

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Liberal churches are dying as conservative churches thrive

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In a piece over at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, David Millard Haskell, professor of religion and culture at Wilfrid Laurier University, discusses a new study he conducted and some of his findings.  What will surely surprise many professing Christians is this:

[C]onservative Protestant theology, with its more literal view of the Bible, is a significant predictor of church growth, while liberal theology leads to decline.

According to Haskell:

Mainline Protestant churches are in trouble: A 2015 report by the Pew Research Center found that these congregations, once a mainstay of American religion, are now shrinking by about 1 million members annually. Fewer members not only means fewer souls saved, a frightening thought for some clergy members, but also less income for churches, ensuring their further decline.

Faced with this troubling development, clergy members have made various efforts to revive church attendance. It was almost 20 years ago that John Shelby Spong, a U.S. bishop in the Episcopalian Church, published his book “Why Christianity Must Change or Die.” It was presented as an antidote to the crisis of decline in mainline churches. Bishop Spong, a theological liberal, said congregations would grow if they abandoned their literal interpretation of the Bible and transformed along with changing times.

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‘Hamilton’ Creator Celebrates Terrorist

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Recently, soon to be former President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of convicted terrorist Oscar Lopez-Rivera which came as a shock to many Americans. Heather Hunter of Lifezette reveals that “Lopez-Rivera was a leader of the FALN Marxist Puerto Rico terrorist group, which claimed responsibility for more than 120 domestic bombings, resulting in several dead, dozens injured, and millions of dollars in property damage. He used his apartment to coordinate bomb-making efforts.” Evidently the creator of the hit broadway play “Hamilton” is a fan of the terrorist. Hunter has the details:

Remember back in November when Vice President-Elect Mike Pence took his family to see the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” and the actor who plays Aaron Burr lectured and harassed him from the stage?

And remember Lin-Manual Miranda, creator of “Hamilton,” who applauded the highly irregular instance of that actor, Brandon Dixon, using the theatrical platform to deliver a broadside against the newly elected administration?

Well, earlier this week, President Obama granted 209 commutations and 64 pardons in one day. Most of us focused on the commutation of Chelsea Manning’s sentence. The U.S. Army private, who was serving 35 years for leaking thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks, now will get out in May.

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Defrauding Millions: Bethel Church and Benny Hinn Together

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Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen reports that arch heretic Benny Hinn, who is well known for “fake healings, false prophecies and promises of fortune through his false teachings” was invited to grace the stage of Bethel Church in Redding CA by NAR “Apostle” Bill Johnson who pastors the church. Maples writes:

If you go to an evangelical church in America, you’ve probably heard Bethel’s music. This means that your church is paying royalties to Bethel Church and their artists which directly supports their ministries. Songs like This is Amazing Grace by Phil Wickham and Love Came Down by Bizzy B are popular songs you’d probably recognize from your modern worship service. While being able to rightly refer to this music as “worship” is questionable, at best, one thing is for certain–their music supports the church that backs them. And that church is Bethel Church in Redding, California.

Bethel Church is a New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) church pastored by the “Apostle,” Bill Johnson. Bethel Church is a hothouse for serious theological error and heresy. Bill Johnson and his associates are advocates of the heresy known as Word of Faith (WoF), which teaches that through your words you have the ability to access the power of your faith or your fears–that is, your words have power. It is then taught that this power can be used to funnel material wealth and health into your life.

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Leaving the NAR Church: Dina’s Story

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Berean Research presents Dina’s compelling story of how she left the New Apostolic Reformation cult.:

“I was so addicted to the experience that I was always on the hunt for more.”

Dina’s story is one of many from people I’ve met who desire as I do to see the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) movement exposed for what it is: An anti-biblical counterfeit that sounds almost like biblical Christianity.

In this series, I want to take readers beyond the textbook What is the New Apostolic Reformation Movement explanation, into the personal experiences from those who have been there, and what happened when God opened their eyes to the truth.

Eight years ago, Dina left the church she was a member of.  This is her story in her own words.

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Jennifer LeClaire Claims ‘New Age Angels of Transition’ Will Save America?

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Charismatics dabble in all sorts of strange practices these days.  In this case, an occult practice known as telepathic communication….with angels, supposedly. If Jennifer LeClaire knew anything at all about the Bible, she’d be aware that God’s people are to have nothing whatsoever to do with sorcery.  In fact, He forbids it:

There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD… (Deut 18:10-12)  

The Lord is not kidding around!  So why would any professing Christian dabble in sorcery? Two words: Zero discernment.  Lack of discernment is epidemic in the visible Church.

Ms LeClaire needs to go to the Bible to find out what it teaches about angles because what she’s been teaching people is not from Scripture. If she took the time to study God’s Word, she’d know that He has made it crystal clear that spirits, including angels, are not to be evoked, called on, invited in, or channeled. Believers must never attempt to connect with spirits and we certainly shouldn’t try to glean information from them.  Our Lord Jesus would tell demons to keep quiet! 

Jennifer LeClaire is leading people astray as you will see in Chris Rice’s blog post over at Museum of Idolatry:

We are witnessing the merging of New Age channeling and false prophetic pronouncements from Charismaniacs, who have once again reached deep into their Charismania Adjective Grab Bag to give their latest vain imagination an air of credibility.

The Charismania Adjective Grab Bag has a simple formula. First, come up with a vain imagination and claim it’s from God. Second, pin a legitimate Bible word to it. Third, reach deep into your bag of adjectives, and feel around for a correct sounding adjective. If you need a little help with ideas, the demons are more than happy to plant words in your head; or if you are a New Age channeler, you would say that you have “telepathic communication from Guardian Angels and Spirit Guides.”

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No Middle Ground: Evangelical Leaders Reject Compromise on LGBT and Religious Rights

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Christianity Today’s Kate Shellnutt reveals who the leaders are and tells us why they refuse to compromise. Albert Mohler addresses Shellnutt’s piece in The Briefing under the heading “Religious liberty in the balance: Why the Fairness for All campaign is a threat to religious liberty.” Dr. Mohler warns that the LGBT revolutionaries won’t settle for any sort of compromise. Evangelicals know this all too well.

Now to Shellnutt’s piece:

Compromises designed to safeguard both religious freedoms and LGBT rights won’t fly among many of America’s most influential conservative Christians.

Leaders from nearly 90 evangelical seminaries, publications, ministries, and churches—as well as Catholic and Orthodox clergy—signed a statement last month rejecting any legal efforts to protect sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).

“[We] believe that proposed SOGI laws, including those narrowly crafted, threaten fundamental freedoms,” they wrote as part of the “Preserve Freedom, Reject Coercion” campaign, hosted by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview.

The declaration follows months of conversations among Christian college leaders around the Fairness for All strategy, which would bring religious leaders and LGBT advocates together to try to secure satisfactory legal protections for both. Parties from each side of the conversation are convening this weekend for a conference at Yale University.

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Regulators Get Cozy with Cannabis

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Lifezette reports:

Public health experts have been questioning the lax regulations on the marijuana industry ever since the legalization tide began sweeping across this country. Edibles, for example, pose a substantial risk to children because they often come in a form and packaging that is very appealing to kids — gummy bears, cotton candy, lollipops, even “Pot Tarts.”

Now, it appears there’s a very questionable coziness with private industry.

A number of regulators recently left their jobs to make big money as consultants for marijuana companies. It began with Bob Morgan in 2013, whom the Illinois governor appointed as director for medical marijuana oversight. Morgan stayed in his post for two years, then left to work for the Illinois Cannabis Bar Association. His successor, 32-year-old Joseph Wright, had an even shorter term. Wright left the director post — where he made just over $50,000 a year — to become a private sector consultant for the marijuana industry. Consultants are known to charge clients more than $100,000 for various services.

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Roman Catholicism: Idolatry and Bondage

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What happens if a person wishes to break communion with the Roman Catholic Church?  Glenn E. Chatfield of The Watchman’s Bagpipes explains:

Indulgences, those things made up by the Roman Catholic Church to fill their coffers and/or for continuing to scare their followers with the invented place called “Purgatory,” are being offered by the Pope to those who celebrate the anniversary of the demonic apparition pretending to be Mary at Fatima, Portugal.

Here are the three ways you can get rewarded by the Pope:

You an make a pilgrimage to the shrine at Fatima and participate in the occultic celebration and rituals.

You can pray before any statue of “Our Lady of Fatima” — bow before and pray to an idol, as well as doing the same rituals.

RZIM Speaker, Editor at The Gospel Coalition Compares Jesus to a Transgender

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Brandon Hines of Pulpit & Pen has the story:

Sam Allberry, an editor for The Gospel Coalition and a global speaker for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), recently wrote an article at The Gospel Coalition entitled, What Christianity Alone Offers Transgender Persons. The only acceptable answer that could have been provided in the article would be, “forgiveness for the sin of transgenderism as well as all other sins and eternal life in Jesus Christ.”

That, sadly, was not what was included in the article. As Pastor Justin Pierce remarked,

Not once did the author mention repentance, a broken heart over the sin that destroys us and breaks our fellowship with God. Not once did he say placing one’s faith in Christ and learning to mortify the flesh and identify with Christ and we fight the wicked sin that He overcame.

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Fasten Your Seat Belt for the Health Care Ride

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According to Lifezette:

At the top of Donald Trump’s White House priority list is a better and stronger health care system at a more affordable price for Americans. There are many questions as to what will change, how it will change, and how American households of all sizes and shapes will be affected.

As the Trump transition team and others work on a viable plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, how might the average health care consumer prepare for the years ahead?

Many experts take the long view. “Nothing is really going to happen until as early as 2019 as far as changes to the [health care] system,” according to Paul Moyer, author of SavingFreak.com and licensed insurance agent in Anderson, South Carolina. Moyer explains it takes a lot of legislation, which is often then delayed, to turn the tide of one of the country’s biggest industries.

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The Hopelessness of ‘Contending For Miracles’

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Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen examines what the Bible says about miracles. We all know that God can, has and does perform miracles.  But what’s the purpose of His miracles?

Often times we find ourselves in a dire situation that we can’t manage on our own. It may be a frantic financial situation. It may be a devastating blow to our health. It could be any number of things, but time and again we seek a divine intervention into whatever circumstances we face–a quick fix. A miracle.

A popular worship song by Chris Tomlin summarizes the miracle seeker’s sentiments thus:

Water You turned into wine Opened the eyes of the blind There’s no one like you None like you

. . . .

Our God is greater, our God is stronger God You are higher than any other Our God is Healer, awesome in power Our God, Our God

These lyrics, while true, actually embellish the work of the Holy Spirit by distorting the purpose of miracles. There is a serious error penetrating the walls of Christ’s church that is leading people away from the true gospel into a false gospel of hopelessness. There are preachers and teachers who suggest that divine miracles are the primary purpose of the Christian faith and that contending for them should be our mission. This view is prevalent in the Word of Faith (WoF) and Prosperity Gospel camps. The carrot of hope in temporal miracles sells–it sells books, music, and speaking engagements. Notable proponents of this theology include Steven Furtick, Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, and many others. Biblical passages that are descriptive of a historical event are regularly twisted into a prescription for all people who will “activate” their faith in some way. Miracles, as opposed to Christ, then become the quintessential element of faith.

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‘I Got Gay Married. I Got Gay Divorced. I Regret Both.’

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Homosexuals accomplished what they set out to do — legalize same-sex marriage. It was a hard-fought battle.  Yet for many gay people the victory is bitter sweet.  According to Denny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boice College, “Legal marriage has not transformed gay unions.” However, “Gay unions have fundamentally redefined marriage.”  What are some of the casualties of the battle? Burk reveals what they are:

Meredith Maran had an interesting essay in The New York Times over the weekend: “I Got Gay Married. I Got Gay Divorced. I Regret Both.” In it, she describes her “marriage” to her lesbian partner in 2008 and the subsequent dissolution of their relationship in 2013. She regrets her gay marriage and divorce, but it is not because she is against gay marriage in principle. Rather she says this:

In many cities over many years, my wife and I had marched for marriage equality. We’d argued with the haters and we’d argued with the gay people who said that legal marriage would co-opt us, diminish us, turn us into a caricature of “normal” married people. We swore we could enjoy the rights only marriage conferred and still have our gender-fluid commitment ceremonies, our chosen-family configurations, our dexterity at turning friends into lovers and vice versa.

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The futility of gender-neutral parenting

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In an op-ed piece for the Los Angeles Times, Debra W. Sou, sex writer and sexual neuroscientist at York University in Toronto, admits that when it comes to male and female, biology matters.  She writes:

In steadfast pursuit of gender equality and to promote nonconformity, it’s become popular in some social circles to start early, very early, by raising young children in a gender-neutral way: not revealing the baby’s sex at birth, dressing them and their bedroom in various shades of oatmeal, encouraging them to play with gender-neutral toys. There’s also pressure on corporations to help; parental complaints led Target to stop sex-segregating its toys, for instance.

Offering kids the opportunity to pursue what they’d like, freed from societal expectations, is an undeniably positive thing — whether it has to do with toys, clothing, or their future aspirations. But the scientific reality is that it’s futile to treat children as blank slates with no predetermined characteristics. Biology matters.

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Pastrix Paula White to Wax Eloquent Against Critics Avoiding Fundamentals of Scripture

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Amidst claims that she’s a heretic, “Pastor” Paula White, who’s a word-faith/health & wealth/name it and claim it teacher, appeared on CNN to let the world know that her critics are mistaken and that the views she holds are orthodox. Richard Haas of Pulpit & Pen sets aside White’s heretical teaching and instead tackles her credentials to pastor a church.  According to Haas, Pastrix Paula should not be Trump’s spiritual adviser because a woman is unqualified to hold the position of pastor. He writes:

Speaking on CNN, this past Thursday, January 5th, 2016, Paula White, spiritual adviser to Trump and Senior Pastor of New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Florida defended herself against accusations of being a Trinity-denying false teacher and preaching the false gospel known as the “Prosperity Gospel.”  Over the past years, much criticism has been rightly raised by those in Orthodox Evangelical circles about Pastrix Paula White’s validity due to her heretical theological stance on core essentials of the Christian faith. In the past at Pulpit & Pen, our authors and contributors have raised much concern over Paula White and her false teachings.

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Evangelicals should be deeply troubled by Donald Trump’s attempt to mainstream heresy

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Donald Trump & Paula White. Photo credit: Christian Today

The liberal Washington Post has an excellent piece by Michael Horton who is an author, speaker and J. Gresham Machen professor of Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary.  Dr. Horton expresses his concern that Donald Trump’s inauguration will help to mainstream the heretical Word of Faith (WOF) movement. He points out that “Trump has surrounded himself with cadre of prosperity evangelists who cheerfully attack basic Christian doctrines. The focus of this unity is a gospel that is about as diametrically opposed to the biblical one as you can imagine.” According to Dr. Horton, WOF is “another religion.” Clearly, WOF is not historic, orthodox biblical Christianity for the reason that in the Faith system man is glorified and the God of the Bible is humiliated.

Now listen as a Christian theologian examines WOF teaching and reveals the reasons evangelicals should be alarmed by the people President-elect Trump chose to pray during his inauguration.  Dr. Horton writes:

Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration will include Paula White and possibly other members of his inner circle, Darrell Scott, “Apostle” Wayne T. Jackson and Mark Burns. They’re all televangelists who hail from the “prosperity gospel” camp. They advocate a brand of Pentecostal Christianity known as Word of Faith.

Inaugurations are always curious rituals of American civil religion. It would not be surprising to see a non-Christian religious leader participating. But what’s problematic for me as an evangelical is how Trump’s ceremony is helping to mainstream this heretical movement.

The prosperity gospel — the idea that God dispenses material wealth and health based on what we “decree” — is not just fluff. It’s also not just another branch of Pentecostalism, a tradition that emphasizes the continuation of the gifts of healing, prophecy and tongues. It’s another religion.

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How NOT to follow the Holy Spirit

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Jeff Hagan of Pulpit & Pen has listed the ways the Holy Spirit does not lead the believer. For example, the Holy Spirit does not direct a person to sin. To “hear men in charismatic circles say that ‘God told’ them to divorce their wives and marry the woman they’ve been having an affair with” isn’t all that unusual for him. He admonishes: “That’s nothing but foolishness and selfishness. According to Scripture that is clearly sinful, it is wrong.”

So now to Hagan’s tips on how not to follow the Holy Spirit.  He writes:

Do you ever wonder if maybe you made a mistake and missed out on a blessing because you resisted it thinking perhaps it was some kind of temptation from the enemy? At times, when we let our emotions get too involved in something, it makes it more difficult to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit — especially when we, in our flesh, don’t like the way He seems to be heading. Sometimes our flesh battles against God’s Spirit (Gal. 5:7). But when we surrender ourselves to God’s will, when we look to His Word and live accordingly, recognizing the Spirit’s lead becomes easier as we grow in Christ.

Now, with that being said, there are definitely some ways in which the Holy Spirit does not lead. False teaching, being ignorant of His ways, being spiritually lazy, and over-emphasizing the so-called “miraculous” have deceived many into being led to follow the world, or the flesh, or even the enemy while thinking it was the Holy Spirit. And, as one can imagine, this has brought about an incredible amount of pain and heartache into people’s lives. I have listed a few things to be cautious of, some ways the Holy Spirit does not lead us.

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John MacArthur’s Ten Crucial Lessons We Must Teach our Children

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Jordan Standridge of The Cripplegate has posted Dr. MacArthur’s list. Number one on the list: Parents must teach their children to fear God so that they will fear sinning against Him.  What many children don’t realize is that all sins committed against men are first and foremost done against a holy God. And because God is holy and just, sin must be punished.

According to Dr. MacArthur, there are nine more lessons we must teach our children that are found in Proverbs 1-10.  Standridge writes:

Recently as I was reading John MacArthur’s book Brave Dad, I found a section in which He gives “Ten Crucial Lessons Every Father Should Teach”. Obviously, MacArthur is known for his expository, verse by verse teaching. But sitting under his preaching for almost ten years I always loved his “lists” many he came up with while sitting at a restaurant writing on napkins. Obviously, it wasn’t the bread and butter of his ministry, neither should it have been, but when you’ve preached through the whole New Testament and know the entire Bible so well, you are bound to see patterns in Scripture and are able to come up with lists like these.

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Not recommended teachers/authors/speakers

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Early in 2016, Michelle Lesley compiled a list of women teachers, speakers and authors that should be avoided like the plague. In October she added several women to the list. There’s no guessing necessary as to why Michelle doesn’t recommend certain high profile Christians because she includes examples of their flawed teaching; likewise, she names some of the wolves those on the list choose to partner with. Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Victoria Osteen and Christine Caine, to name a few.  The Bible urges believers to do their homework (Acts 17:11) for the reason that “false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction (2 Peter 2:1).

Now take a look at Michelle’s list…

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Bill Johnson and Mike Bickle’s mutual admiration society

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In this blog post over at Spirit of Error, Holly Pivec exposes the love fest between two NAR leaders. It’s clear that the duo hold each other in high regard by their on stage behavior at IHOP’s recent OneThing conference.  Pivec writes:

Bill Johnson and Mike Bickle, OneThing conference. Photo credit: Spirit of Error

Anyone who has studied the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) knows how difficult it is to pin down. One reason it’s so hard to pin down the NAR is because it’s a movement. It’s not a formal organization or denomination–with an official list of beliefs, leaders or organizations. So you can’t simply go to a website and find an exhaustive list of NAR churches and teachers.

So how can you tell if a teacher is part of the NAR?

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Check out Berean Research’s White Paper on the New Apostolic Reformation

Skeptical Climate Scientists Coming In From the Cold

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James Varney of Real Clear Investigations addresses how attitudes are changing about global warming and all those scientists who dare question its validity.  He writes:

In the world of climate science, the skeptics are coming in from the cold.

Researchers who see global warming as something less than a planet-ending calamity believe the incoming Trump administration may allow their views to be developed and heard. This didn’t happen under the Obama administration, which denied that a debate even existed. Now, some scientists say, a more inclusive approach – and the billions of federal dollars that might support it – could be in the offing.

“Here’s to hoping the Age of Trump will herald the demise of climate change dogma, and acceptance of a broader range of perspectives in climate science and our policy options,” Georgia Tech scientist Judith Curry wrote this month at her popular Climate Etc. blog.

William Happer, professor emeritus of physics at Princeton University and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, is similarly optimistic. “I think we’re making progress,” Happer said. “I see reassuring signs.”

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Go-go Silhouette Dancers for Christmas Eve at Northpoint Community Church

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Museum of Idolatry’s blog features a few GIFS of silhouette go-go dancing that was performed on Christmas Eve at Pastor Andy Stanley’s church. Are these people attempting to mimic a red-light district, as MOI suggests? Clearly, people behind screens shaking their booties to a catchy tune about Santa Claus and Christmas cheer is not the proper theme for a Christmas Eve church service — and the stage act was not glorifying to God. MOI has the video.

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Just Announced: SBC Endorses NAR-Charismatic False Teaching

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Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen, who often reports on the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), has some troubling news for Southern Baptists. In this must-read-to-the-end post, he charges the SBC with not caring what its “pew-sitters are being taught so long as what they’re being taught retains them as pew-sitters.”  What most people don’t realize is that the SBC has had a million member loss in the last decade. So SBC’s leadership is desperate to retain its members and bring the sheep who have wandered off back into the fold.  Ahlheim informs us of some of the ways they’re going about accomplishing this task, which includes introducing New Apostolic Reformation teaching to its members. This is a terrible idea for the reason that the NAR movement has its roots in the Latter Rain cult and it is steeped in mysticism.

Ahlheim begins with a quote by Presbyterian theologian J. Gresham Machen:

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Here’s Who Will Pray at Trump’s Inauguration

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According to Kate Shellnutt of Christianity Astray Today, three New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) wolves are going to play a significant role in Donald Trump’s Inauguration.  Who are the trio that masquerade as evangelicals? Pastrix Paula White, Samuel Rodriguez and Wayne T. Jackson. Shellnutt fills us in on the details:

Donald Trump has enlisted a larger, more diverse lineup of clergy than usual to pray him into office at his upcoming inauguration ceremony.

The group—bigger than any president’s since Ronald Reagan—reflects his politics, pragmatism, and personality. It includes evangelical leaders Franklin Graham and Samuel Rodriguez, as well as spiritual advisor Paula White, the Florida televangelist credited with his rumored recent Christian conversion, and a Detroit prosperity preacher, Wayne T. Jackson.

“Taken together, [Graham and White] have embodied Trump’s embrace of the twinned ideologies of Christian nationalism and capitalist Christianity,” Kevin Kruse, a history professor at Princeton University and author of One Nation Under God, told CT.

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Carrie Fisher’s Death: ‘Wake-Up Call’ for Heart Screen Tests

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According to Lynn Allison of NewsMax “heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. today.”  Here’s Allison’s advice:

“Star Wars” Actress Carrie Fisher’s death from a heart attack at age 60 should be a “wake-up call” about the threat of cardiovascular disease — particularly in women — and should prompt every American 55 and older to be screened for common factors that can flag risks.

That’s the view of Dr. Kevin Campbell, a leading cardiologist from North Carolina, who says many Americans miss the signs of heart disease that often precede a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

“One thing for sure — Carrie Fisher’s death should be a call to action for all women,” says Campbell, assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, Division of Cardiology.

“Know your risk factors, assess and modify your risk. This can be a way for all to increase awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. today. A yearly physical with doctors to assess her risk factors couple with a stress test or echocardiogram may have prevented her demise.”

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