Commentary, analysis and opinion.

Is Michael Brown Hiding His New Apostolic Identity?

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Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen asks a good question.  Many people would like to know the answer.  Should we believe that prominent apologist Michael Brown is deeply embedded in the New Apostolic Reformation cult, as Maples claims?   In this piece, Maples presents the evidence for his suspicions:

ConfusedDr. Michael Brown, the host of the nationally syndicated radio show, Line of Fire and Vice President of FIRE School of Ministry, is well-known as an apologist for modern day Montanism. Montanism is a heresy that arose early in church history, founded by its leader, Montanus, that manifests today in Pentecostalism, Charismatic churches, and most notably in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) founded by the late C. Peter Wagner.

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The Left’s New Trump Red Herring: Stephen Bannon

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According to Edmund Kozak of LifeZette, “The reason for this barrage of Bannon-bashing is painfully apparent. Trump’s victory having proved that the ‘racist’ label no longer carries the power to shame their opponents into silence, the Left is seeing if they fare any better with the more specific ‘anti-Semitic’ and ‘white nationalist.'” Kozak writes:

cryingLiberals across the country are throwing a hissy fit in response to the news that Donald Trump appointed former Breitbart News Chairman Stephen K. Bannon as his chief strategist.

Why, the unaware observer might ask? Well, according to the progressive punditry and their legions of easily triggered millennial supporters, Bannon is both an anti-Semite and a white supremacist.

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Grace to You is a supplement, not a substitute

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What is John MacArthur’s position on the Grace to You online church services as a substitute for a believer’s hometown church?  GTY’s Jeremiah Johnson asked Dr. MacArthur what he thinks about this trend.  He writes:

John-Press-04Consider for a moment some of the tremendous privileges and blessings the Internet and technology affords believers these days.

Today we have the easiest and freest access to faithful Bible teaching that the church has ever enjoyed. On radio and streaming online, you can hear faithful expositors exalt and explain God’s Word at any time of the day or night. Moreover, you can dig through church history into the teaching legacies of godly men who helped protect and preserve the faith we hold so dear. And through the advent of smartphones, tablets, and other devices we routinely carry today, that immense wealth of Bible teaching and spiritual wisdom is never more than a couple taps away.

However, those technological advancements can actually short circuit the life of the church. Many believers today think they can get the teaching and worship they need from a church through ministries online. In fact, some people have told us bluntly that Grace to You has become their church.

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Another real, raw, ‘Christian’ mommy blogger comes out

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Berean Research has the story of yet another “Christian” who’s in rebellion against God:

Now that Jen Hatmaker has made Christian and Gay Okay, another popular blogger many Christian women follow announced on Facebook and Twitter that she has a new girlfriend. The Washington Post picked it up over the weekend:

Christian author Glennon Doyle Melton — known as the “ultimate confessional writer” for her honest portrayals of her struggling marriage, addiction and eating disorder — has opened up with another big revelation.

She is dating again, her new partner is a woman and that woman is celebrity soccer champ Abby Wambach.

The blonde pair smiled together in a photo posted Sunday night on the Momastery blogger and mom of three’s Facebook page. “Oh my God, she is so good to me. She loves me for all the things I’ve always wanted to be loved for. She’s just my favorite. My person,” wrote Melton, best known for her 2014 New York Times bestseller “Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life” and 2016 memoir “Love Warrior,” an Oprah Book Club pick.

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Calvary Chapel Association: Ready to move on?

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CRN has published several articles regarding what has transpired at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa since the death of  its founder Chuck Smith.  Pastor Smith’s son-in-law, Brian Brodersen, is now at the helm of CCCM.  Many in the Calvary Chapel movement feel that Brodersen has gone off the reservation. Berean Research has been closely following the story.  Here’s BR’s latest report:

Calvary ChapelIt’s been a tough few weeks for the Calvary Chapel movement. Many are now asking themselves, among other things, if their churches need to find a new name to call themselves.  Mark Jeffries over at Emergent Watch has been following last week’s Brian Brodersen split from the Calvary Chapel Association, noting that Brodersen’s Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa legally owns the dove logo and the Calvary Chapel name itself, along with significant financial holdings.

In other words, the pastor is taking his whole ball of wax and going home, leaving the 1,600 other Calvary Churches uncertain if they can even legally call themselves Calvary any longer.

Jeffries reports that there are many more facts that most Christians are unaware of:

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Honor the Lord, Remember the Vet

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Denny Autrey of Theological Matters reminds us that today, Nov. 11, 2016, is a day of remembrance. Why is this day significant and what are Americans to remember?

tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier

Words are significant to the expression of language in the art of communication, just as dates are significant to the cycle of one’s life. Each year, some days are more important in meaning than others. We remember our birthday; hopefully, our wedding anniversary; and, without question, the birth of our children. Holidays abound, yet their remembrance is scheduled for us.

Memory is significant. It is a gift that brings to mind actions and events that shape our lives and impact our future. For “The Greatest Generation,” every American will remember exactly where they were and what they were doing on the fateful day of Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. In like fashion, for this generation, Sept. 11, 2001, will live as a day of infamy in the annals of American history. Scripture records that “the memory of the righteous is blessed” (Proverbs 10:7). Thus, the act of remembrance is designed to be a blessing to the people of God.

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It’s the Culture, Stupid

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In this piece over at News With Views, Lee Duigon tackles moral relativism.  Duigon points out that for many people “there’s no true truth, there’s only ‘your truth’ and ‘my truth.’” And when a culture turns away from moral truth and moral facts, the inevitable result is that people will revel in “waste, violence and perversion.”  Listen to what he has to say about education, entertainment and sports:

Truth - falseI had to write this column before Election Day, but you won’t see it until afterward. Anyway, by now you’ve probably had enough.

Even more important than elections is the condition of our culture. We can’t screw up our culture and expect that everything else will be okay. In fact, our politics and our economy are the way they are because our popular culture is a mess.

Movies, TV shows, music videos; best-sellers, worst-sellers, and comic books; big sports and little sports: this is our popular culture, most of which we like to call “entertainment.” This is what we pump into our heads every day, hour after hour. This is how we educate ourselves.

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May God Bless President Trump

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David French of National Review weighs in on Donald Trump’s historic upset.

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I have never been more wrong about anything in my life than I’ve been in my assessment of Donald Trump’s political prospects. I discounted him in the primary, and I was discounting him in the general election all the way until about 9:30 p.m. on election night. He is now my president-elect and the future commander-in-chief of the most powerful military the world has ever seen. I pray earnestly and unambiguously that God may bless him, grant him wisdom, and open his ears to wise counsel. I pray earnestly and unambiguously that I end up being just as wrong about his character and capabilities as I was about his political prospects. I want him to be good, to be wise, and to be worthy of the Oval Office.

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Without Apology: 7 Reasons Not to Be Ashamed of the Hard Parts of the Gospel

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Sadly, many who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ fail to stand up for Him.  When it comes to standing up for what they believe in, they cannot find the words to defend their faith.  For example, when the subject of homosexuality comes up in conversation, many professing Christians are reluctant to share what the Bible teaches on the sin of homosexuality.  Why?  Because they’re ashamed to pass on what God says about sinful behavior in His Word.  For those who find themselves in this quandary, author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley offers 7 reasons Christians must not be ashamed of the hard teachings of the Gospel.  She writes:

silentRomans 1:16 is such a great verse, isn’t it? And one of the things that’s great about it is that we can all agree on it. I mean, no self-respecting Christian would dream of saying she’s ashamed of the gospel, would she? It’s a rallying cry for evangelism and for standing against persecution. Of course we’re not ashamed.

In theory. But in practice?

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Brodersen splits from CCA; calls for new “Global Network”

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CRN has published several articles on the bizarre direction Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa has taken since Brian Broadersen stepped into Calvary Chapel founder Chuck Smith’s shoes after his death. According to Berean Research, Brodersen has resigned from Calvary Chapel Association:

Calvary ChapelThe Calvary Chapel fracture was bound to happen, and now it appears Costa Mesa senior pastor Brian Brodersen is leading that split, calling for “like-minded” pastors to stand with him.

Over the weekend Brodersen quit his leadership position at the Calvary Chapel Association, and  announced he is establishing a new Calvary Chapel Global Network. This network, he says, will be a place for pastors on his side of the split “be a part of something greater than our own local congregations.”

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Is evangelical Christianity becoming more open to gay marriage?

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Denny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, addresses the “progressive Christian” push to normalize homosexuality and same-sex marriage in the Church.  Are these people the sheep spoken of in John 10 or are they goats?  “At the end of the day,” says Burk, “the church follows the voice of the Lord Jesus and will not go after the voice of ‘strangers’—those offering a teaching that is contrary to Christ and his word. Those who do go after the “strangers” are revealing themselves not to have been a part of the fold to begin with. They leave the church because they were Christians in name only.”  So, what is going on in the evangelical movement right now?  Burk offers his opinion:

"The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."

“…the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” John 10:3

I was just rereading an essay I wrote about six years ago on what the bible teaches about homosexuality. That essay begins with a discussion of Brian McLaren’s then recent affirmation of committed homosexual relationships.

It is strange to read that essay now and to consider in retrospect how quickly McLaren faded from evangelical view. At the time, the emerging church still had some purchase within the evangelical movement. Now that entire project is defunct and so are its major proponents. They pushed the very edges of the leftwing of the evangelical movement until they pushed themselves right out of the movement. Many of them did so by adopting unorthodox positions on sexuality.

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November 8th: Spiritual Warfare

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spiritual-warfare-1Dr. Peter Jones of truthXchange is talking about the upcoming election, of course.  Tuesday Americans will head to the polls to cast their vote for a presidential candidate that some voters feel is the “lesser of the two evils.” Dr. Jones reminds us that “This election is about more than politics. Perhaps, like never before, it is about spiritual warfare.” [More on Spiritual Warfare here.]  Many of us recall when it was all over the news that First lady Hillary Clinton “held imaginary conversations with Eleanor Roosevelt and Mahatma Gandhi as a therapeutic release.”  Occultist Jean Houston, co-founder of the Foundation for Mind-Being Research, a group that studies the psychic experience and altered and expanded consciousness, worked with Mrs. Clinton at the White House as an adviser and was dubbed “Hillary’s Guru.” Dr. Jones worries that “Electing a president highly influenced by such [occult] thinking would have serious spiritual implications for the country and the Church.”

Dr. Jones is concerned enough about Hillary Clinton’s occult proclivity to warn the Church about it.   View article →

The Hatmakers double down on “holy” homosexual “marriage”

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Berean Research has the latest on the uproar over Jen Hatmaker’s affirmation of homosexuality and same-sex marriage.  (Those who are unaware of the situation can read about it here.) Evidently Jen and her husband, Brandon, both professing Christians, are not only unrepentant, they’re pushing back, big time. Here’s the story:

wolfToday Brandon Hatmaker came out swinging against those who’ve raised alarm at his famous wife Jen Hatmaker’s public stance last week on homosexual marriage, in which she stated that a committed marriage between two people of the same sex was “holy” before God.

Maybe she didn’t mean it?  Nope. Brandon put any vague doubts to rest with his firm statement this afternoon, titled, “Where I stand on LGBTQ” on his Facebook page:

To be clear…

Jen and I are 100% on the same page regarding her recent interview about our love and hope for the LGBTQ community. This is a journey we have been on together. We both believe a same-sex marriage, as a life-long monogamous commitment, can be holy before God.

He explained that his “shift” was the result of studying Scripture and prayer…

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Lifeway: Jesus Wouldn’t Be Calling If They Really Had Doctrinal Guidelines

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Wolf in sheep's clothingBud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen tackles LifeWay Christian Resources’s announcement that they were pulling Jen Hatmaker’s books for publicly declaring that she affirms homosexuality and gay “marriage.” According to Ahlheim, Lifeway deems it “inappropriate to sell an author with Scripturally-illicit views on homosexuality because of ‘doctrinal guidelines.’”  So how is it, he wonders, that Lifeway finds it “doctrinally tolerable to continue promoting and selling works of known false teaching by known false teachers?”  In this piece, Ahlheim discloses who some of those false teachers are. He writes:

“In a recent interview, [Hatmaker] voiced significant changes in her theology of human sexuality and the meaning and definition of marriage — changes which contradict LifeWay’s doctrinal guidelines,” LifeWay spokesman Marty King told Baptist Press today (Oct. 27). “As a result, LifeWay has discontinued selling her resources.” (Source, Baptist Press)

While many on social media and blog-sites were commending the bold stand Lifeway made in pulling Jen Hatmaker’s books after her views on the LGBT issue and her position on gay “marriage” hit the front pages of the Christian “news” media, I sat back somewhat slack-jawed.

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Jen Hatmaker: Yes, let’s remember who’s watching this conversation

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Denny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, responds to Jen Hatmaker’s recent response to her critics on her Facebook page. But first, for those who aren’t up to speed on the Hatmaker controversy–she affirms homosexuality–we addressed it in several articles that can be read here.

Now to Professor Burk’s comments:

Last week I noted Jen Hatmaker’s sad departure from the Christian faith. In an interview for RNS, she revealed that she believes sexual immorality to be compatible with following Christ. As you can imagine, the response to this announcement has been mixed. I am happy to see that many Christians have expressed dismay at Hatmaker’s stance and have said that where she is going they cannot follow.

Yesterday, Hatmaker posted some additional thoughts on Facebook. I had hoped and prayed that she might return to the fold, but that is not what she did. Instead, she admonished her detractors to remember that the LGBT community is watching this controversy. She writes:

All around you, the LGBTQ community is watching. They are listening. They are watching how we respond, how we talk about them, how we actually feel about them in our churches. They are your neighbors, your colleagues, they are in your churches already, some of them are in your homes, some of them are your children and you don’t know it. Most of them are quiet because they are scared. With good and obvious reason. But they are beautiful people loved by Jesus and no matter what, we should speak in a way befitting the way of grace, the same way that found and saved and redeemed and healed us too. Please don’t mistakenly take me to the mat in public or private and imagine it doesn’t carry weight with tender, beloved people who are bearing witness to all this.

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Pastors, it’s time to audit what your women are studying

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Berean Research has this challenge for pastors: Purge Jen Hatmaker’s anti-biblical influence from your women’s ministries.

Wolf 5Many, MANY churches have latched on to some of the most dangerous teachers in Christendom, and you’ll find the worst of the worst in the studies your women are doing.  We’ve been warning women’s ministries about several such teachers, which you can read more about in the links at the bottom of this article. One in particular is Jen Hatmaker. This past week, the famed author made a huge public affirmation of homosexual relationships. In the days that followed, LifeWay Christian Books pulled all of Jen and Brandon Hatmaker’s products from their shelves.

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Cutting Through Democrats’ Furious Spin and Blame on Renewed FBI Probe into Hillary’s Emails

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Guy Benson of Townhall offers his analysis of the FBI re-opening its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s personal email server.  He writes:

hillary-and-huma

Photo credit: Breitbart

Warning: With Hillary Clinton’s fortunes abruptly plunged into political jeopardy, the Left’s furious hackery has become so piping hot that close contact may result in severe burns.  Before we get to that, let’s review what we know so far. The FBI has reactivated its probe into her improper, unsecure, national security-endangering email scheme, due to the discovery of additional potentially “pertinent” evidence — via a separate investigation into the online sexual conduct of former Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner, who is married to Hillary’s closest aide, Huma Abedin. Agents working that case in New York have reportedly been aware of this connection for several weeks, alerting Washington of what they believed they had in their possession vis a vis Clinton’s emails. As pressure grew, Comey was finally briefed on these developments.  He pulled the trigger to immediately notify Congress of his decision to reinitiate the investigation (apparently over the objections of the hopelessly-compromised Attorney General). Here’s Fox News’ Catherine Herridge with an excellent ‘just the facts’ report on where things stand, cutting through a blizzard of spin:

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FBI Found “Tens Of Thousands Of Emails” Belonging To Huma Abedin On Weiner’s Laptop

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Tyler Durden of Zero Hedge has the story:

now-whatWith furious Democrats – and the Clinton Campaign – now openly blasting the FBI’s reopened investigation (as Republicans take delight for once in having a government agency reinforce their side of events), the question turns to just what emails were found on Weiner’s laptop, and how damaging their contents are for the FBI to take the unprecedented step of “intervening” in a major political event just days before the national election.

We first laid what was the most likely explanation yesterday, when we showed several examples of Huma Abedin emails being sent from her work email account to her personal account at humaabedin@yahoo.com, courtesy of a Judicial Watch FOIA release. Of the more than 160 emails in the latest Judicial Watch release, some 110 emails – two-thirds of the total – were forwarded by Abedin to two personal addresses she controlled. The Washington Times reported in August 2015 that the State Department had admitted to a federal judge that Abedin and Mills used personal email accounts to conduct government business in addition to Clinton’s private clintonemail.com to transact State Department business.

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Christians and Halloween

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Is it appropriate for professing Christians to celebrate Halloween? Some believers say “absolutely not” while others say “what’s the big deal?”  The big deal is the pagan origins of Halloween. Travis Allen offers his thoughts on the “All Saints Day” celebration over at Grace to You. He writes:

halloween-pumpkin-2Halloween. It’s a time of year when the air gets crisper, the days get shorter, and for many young Americans the excitement grows in anticipation of the darkest, spookiest holiday of the year. Retailers also rejoice as they warm up their cash registers to receive an average of $79.82 per household in decorations, costumes, candy, and greeting cards. Halloween will bring in approximately $8 billion this year.

It’s a good bet retailers won’t entertain high expectations of getting $79.82 per household from the Christian market. Many Christians refuse to participate in Halloween. Some are wary of its pagan origins; others of its dark, ghoulish imagery; still others are concerned for the safety of their children. But other Christians choose to partake of the festivities, whether participating in school activities, neighborhood trick-or-treating, or a Halloween alternative at their church.

The question is, How should Christians respond to Halloween? Is it irresponsible for parents to let their children trick-or-treat? What about Christians who refuse any kind of celebration during the season—are they overreacting?

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Michael Brown Continues to Deny the NAR, Defends Montanism

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Michael BrownJeff Maples challenges noted apologist Dr. Michael Brown to explain why he continues his association with and defends men and women who embrace warmed over Latter Rain theology.  Over the years the Latter Rain cult has gone by many different names such as Kingdom Now, Manifest Sons of God and Joel’s Army.  Most recently it has been dubbed the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR).  Those who embrace NAR teaching assert that God is restoring the lost offices of church governance, namely the offices of prophet and apostle. Allegedly modern-day prophets and apostles have been given the authority to execute God’s plans and purposes on earth.  What these people teach is not in the scriptures, brethren. Thus, it is unbiblical.  So the question is, where do these self-appointed prophets and apostles derive their beliefs from?  You’re about to find out the answer in this hard-hitting piece over at Pulpit & Pen.

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The FBI’s October Surprise Is Devastating for Hillary Clinton

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In light of the FBI re-opening its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s personal email server, David French of National Review wonders if Democrats will ask Mrs. Clinton to step aside for the good of the country.  French writes:

hillary-clinton-2On Friday afternoon, the FBI uncorked the mother of all October surprises, announcing in a letter to Congress that it has re-opened its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s “personal email server.” The reason? During an “unrelated investigation”* it uncovered e-mails that “appear to be pertinent” to Clinton’s case. It is seeking to determine whether the e-mails contain classified information and can’t yet determine their significance.

Stripped of the legalese, it means that Hillary is back in legal jeopardy. The FBI doesn’t investigate and recommend enforcement actions against computer servers. It holds people accountable, and Hillary is the person most responsible for her own e-mail. I have three initial thoughts.

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Conservatives look for a new network

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Journalist and media critic Cliff Kincaid fills us in on what’s going on over at Fox News since the very public departure of Roger Ailes followed by the takeover of Rupert Murdock’s two sons.  The times they are a-changin’.  Kincaid writes:

LGBTWith the far-left Huffington Post proclaiming openly gay Shepard Smith as “the future” of Fox News, many conservatives are looking elsewhere for news and information. Almost on cue, it has been announced that a new digital conservative TV channel called CRTV is launching this December that will be featuring Mark Levin, Michelle Malkin and Mark Steyn. There is also talk of “Trump TV.”

Since the forced departure of Roger Ailes, reports Ryan Grim of The Huffington Post, Rupert Murdoch’s two sons, James and Lachlan, “have taken a bigger role inside the network.” In a reference to host Sean Hannity, a hard-core Trump supporter, Grim says they intend to jettison “some of the knuckle-dragging, opinion-heavy approach to politics,” and give more leeway to Shepard Smith, Chris Wallace, Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly.

It has been rumored for years that James Murdoch, the liberal Murdoch son who buys into global warming hysteria, is the real heir to his father’s media business. The New York Times has described him as “steadfastly liberal” and notes that he “has supported Bill Clinton and Al Gore, whose daughter he befriended at Harvard.”

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The time has come to push back

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"May God give us the strength to keep on pushing back until the whole benighted enterprise comes crashing down—Like the walls of Jericho."

“May God give us the strength to keep on pushing back until the whole benighted enterprise comes crashing down—Like the walls of Jericho.”

In a piece entitled “The Walls of Jerico” over at News With Views, Lee Duigon informs us that people around the world are starting to push back against the ruling elite.  “People in countries all over the world are cluing into the fact that their rulers’ agenda isn’t their agenda,” says Duigon. “[T]he politicians, the courts, the nooze media, the academics, the union bosses, the movie stars, and the whole self-anointed whoopee crowd want their countries to go to places that the people most emphatically don’t want their countries to go to: globalism, open borders, bigger and bigger government trending to world government, mass immigration … the overthrow of Christian faith and social ethics, and vast new tax regimes.” So they’ve begun to push back. Duigon believes it’s just the beginning.

Win or lose, Donald Trump’s candidacy is a sign that the days of a free ride for the ruling class are over. Like the TEA Party movement before it, Trump’s presidential bid gives voice and shape to a deep and general discontent. That discontent is not going to go away.

Because people all over the world are waking up and finding that their house has been robbed while they slept—robbed by the very persons whom they trusted to protect them: robbed by the leaders they elected. Thinking they were choosing public servants, they were only choosing masters.

The time has come to push back.

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