Commentary, analysis and opinion.

Asking the Right Questions about Intersex Athletes

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In part 1 of this 2 part series Denny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, tackles the intersex condition called 5-ARD that affects male sexual development.  If you missed the headlines, an intersex athlete competed against females in the 2016 Olympic games and won a gold medal.  Burk writes:

Olympic medalAs the Olympics wound up last week, there were numerous reports about an Olympic runner whose sex was a point of controversy. It is reported that this athlete has an intersex condition called 5-ARD and has the testosterone level of a man. The athlete competed as a woman and won the gold medal in the 800m by a jaw-dropping margin of victory. The athlete not only looks like a man but also competes like one.

Even though the athlete’s name is in the news, I hesitate to mention it here. The reports I’ve read say that the athlete has never discussed the topic publicly, and it appears that news stories about the athlete’s intersex condition and testosterone levels have been the result of leaks and not the result of the athlete’s willing disclosure. So I will focus here on the issues raised by this controversy and not on this particular athlete.

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Your Berean Battle Plan: Remember

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Wolf 5In this series Cameron Buettel of Grace to You lays out a detailed biblical battle plan to help the serious Christian emerge victorious in the war for truth.  In part 2 he reminds us that “when it comes to biblical role models for discerning truth from error, the Bereans are the benchmark. The Jews in Berea needed to be able to distinguish the truth of apostolic preaching from the pseudo-spiritual lies competing for their attention. God’s Word was their measuring stick for truth because they carefully examined it on a daily basis (Acts 17:11). ”  He goes on to say:

Not only should we not be surprised when false teachers appear in the church; we ought to have anticipated and prepared for the reality of it. When an absolutely reliable source tells us terrorists are coming, it then behooves us to find out who they are and expose them before they do their damage.

The question readers need to ask themselves is: Are you a modern-day Berean?

Now to part 2 of Buettel’s series:

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“Dead Raising Tents” Coming To The SBC or A Denomination Near You?

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Scripture teaches that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” (Heb 9:27) Even so, NAR “prophet” Todd Bentley claims that he routinely raises the dead. “I actually have a dead raising tent that I’ve used for ten years in Africa,” declares Bentley. “I also use it for the demon possessed … cause I figure the dead and the demon possessed could be in the same tent.”  Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen has the story as well as the video of the false prophet making this absurd claim.

Raising of LazarusThe story of Lazarus in Scripture (John 11) is a powerful testimony to the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Given “authority over all things in heaven and on earth,” (Matthew 28:18) Christ’s act of resurrecting Lazarus had to be, for those contemporary onlookers, an event invoking staggering awe of His power. Equally, it serves for us as a powerful metaphor that we who, once dead in trespasses and sins, (Ephesians 2:1) have been brought from spiritual death unto spiritual life.

But … if you’re an instrument of demonic deception, the self-proclaimed power to raise the dead is a toxic talent that will drive thousands of Word-void souls to seek solace in the alleged divine touch of your hands, the presumed power of your prayers. Oh, yeah, they’ll no doubt fill your “support our ministry” coffers as well.

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Marriage Reduces Child Poverty, but Our Welfare System Penalizes Marriage

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Rachel Sheffield of The Daily Signal has the report:

Marriage 2According to a recently released study from the American Enterprise Institute, 82 percent of lower-middle-class families with young children face “marriage penalties” in the welfare system.

Couples who marry would lose all or some of their welfare benefits because their combined income is often greater than each of their independent incomes.

The study found that couples with young children are less likely to marry if they face a significant marriage penalty. Furthermore, nearly a third of Americans between the ages of 18 and 60 reported that they personally know someone who has chosen not to marry because of the marriage penalty.

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Whatever Happened to the Fear of the Lord?

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Isaiah 6 holy, holy holyHow would you react if you were suddenly face-to-face with God?” inquires Bible expositor John MacArthur in a blog post he penned over at Grace to You. When Isaiah saw a vision of God he fell prostrate before Him and cried, “Woe is me! For I am undone.” Isaiah felt his guilt and shame in the presence of a holy God.  MacArthur reminds us that “We ought to be shaken to our roots when we see ourselves against the backdrop of God’s holiness. If we are not deeply pained about our sin, we do not understand God’s holiness at all.”

Now listen to Dr. MacArthur’s teaching on the Fear of the Lord:

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The Book of Mysteries: Hidden Keys or Hype?

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Berean Research has the story:

Can you judge a book by its cover? If the statements made by any Bible teacher are to be biblical, than perhaps we ought to be Bereans to examine said cover. The often-controversial Rabbi Jonathan Cahn has published a new book titled, The Book of Mysteries, that comes out in a few weeks, and already there are three rather interesting declarations we are going to examine.

The author, Jonathan Cahn, wrote The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah. Additionally, Cahn has given himself the title of Prophet, claiming direct, extrabiblical revelation from God for the Church, as his biography states: “JONATHAN CAHN is known throughout the world as a prophetic voice for this generation and for the opening up of the deep mysteries and treasures of God.” Source.

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What could be wrong with learning to “hear God’s voice”?

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Sheep listeningIn this blog post, Holy Pivec of Spirit of Error shares some of the highly unbiblical teaching that’s coming out of the apostate New Apostolic Reformation and is being taught to young and old alike. Sadly, many pastors and church leaders are biblically illiterate; thus they’re feeding their sheep unsound theology, even heresy, as evidenced in Pivec’s piece.  As a result of biblical illiteracy in the visible Church, more and more professing evangelicals are embracing Roman Catholic mysticism….which allegedly brings people to a place where they can experience God in a whole new way.  One way of doing this is through contemplative prayer.

So with this background in mind, Holy Pivec reveals why some folks teach that God is a “chatterbox.”

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Obama: “Much more to do” on climate change

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The Washington Examiner reports:

President Obama praised his administration on Saturday for the progress it has made combating climate change over the past seven-and-a-half years, but pressed Americans to step up their resolve to save the environment in his final six months in office.

“There’s still much more to do. But there’s no doubt that America has become a global leader in the fight against climate change,” Obama said in the weekly White House address. “And if we keep pushing, and leading the world in the right direction, there’s no doubt that, together, we can leave a better, cleaner, safer future for our children.”

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It’s Not Too Late

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By Ken Silva, 2012

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” (Matthew 5:13)

Confusing Times

Confused 3Unfortunately we live in a time where there is just so much misinformation floating around; not only in the religious arena, but in every area of life. It brings this quote from wise old Solomon to mind: he who increases knowledge increases sorrow  (Ecclesiastes 1:18b). Many people seem so confused; and there’s lots of good reason why because with the false philosophy of postmodernism things that once seemed certain, are now being debated, and/or are simply redefined.

Christian Apologists Paul R. Belli and G. Richard Fisher of the respected counter-cult/apologetics ministry Personal Freedom Outreach are correct when they point out:

For too long, the Church has avoided essential Christian doctrine. Because we don’t do our homework, we produce theologically weak Christians. As a result, members fall prey to cults which could ultimately lead them away from a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Messages from the pulpit and from Sunday School teachers rarely focus on the essentials of our faith.

If anything, they are quickly touched upon or referenced to, causing little understanding and lots of confusion in the process. “Doctrine divides” has been the hue and cry. Yes, doctrine does divide – that’s its very purpose.

It divides us from the Jehovah’s Witnesses and from those [who would teach false doctrine, and] who promote a distorted view of Christ…[w]ith such a teaching vacuum created, this was bound to happen. Until the issue of how to properly handle the Word of Truth is dealt with by the Body of Christ, these problems are going to continue and false teachers…will continue to flourish.

Our young people are growing up in a dying nation, awash with relativistic political correctness, and skeptical, godless school systems indoctrinating them into the religion of secular humanism. The older generation is angry with the young because they will not listen to them, and the kids are bitter and angry because they don’t know who to listen to! People end up feeling like the frazzled housewife in the old TV commercial going through an incredibly hectic day until she finally cries to the product, “take me away!”

Is it any wonder why everybody is so on edge, and growing ever more nervous and confused in our caffeine-driven society? As the story goes:

There was a young man who was pacing back and forth incessantly in a room adjoining an auditorium where a series of lectures was being given.

A kind lady finally stopped him and said, “You seem quite nervous about going up to speak next.”

“Who, me? Nervous?” replied the man. “Not me. I’m not nervous. I make speeches all the time.”

The woman asked, “Is that so; then what are you doing here in the Ladies Room?”

So you see, it’s quite easy to get turned around.

Study To Show Yourself Approved

Bible How is it there is such confusing, and conflicting opinion in virtually every area of life? Well, the answer must be stated bluntly; there are too many who just do not have the proper qualifications to speak on the subjects about which they are so quick to pontificate on. Today we have a veritable cornucopia of so-called “experts,” who are simply no more capable in their fields than TV’s fictional Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor is in his Home Improvement workshop.

So, now it’s imperative that you be very careful to thoroughly check out whom it is that you choose to listen to. From the poison fruit of secular humanism and relativism we now have a severe crisis of morality in our society, and as a result there are many scholars who do not use proper ethics in their works. The honest scholar seeks to discover the actual truth; regardless of his own personal convictions. And while all of us, as human beings, are biased to at least some degree, the honest researcher does his best to set these presuppositions aside.

In the case of those of us who are Christians, we sincerely ask the Lord to keep our prejudices out of our work, but the fact remains: the objective seeker of truth is interested in one thing only: What does the actual evidence show to be true. And today more than ever as we see this apostasy growing and the sky turning red this morning, we must — Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

The time is now for the Christian to get back to studying what the Bible itself has to say and to further equip the saints to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). I tell you in the Lord that teachers of a counterfeit Christianity like Rick Warren and Brian McLaren and Joel Osteen have been allowed by the Lord as judgment against the church visible. It’s a wake-up call if you will; but the good news is, it’s not too late. Let’s renew our vows to our great God and Savior to boldly stand for His Truth, no matter what; to the end.

For it is written:

My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. (Lamentations 3:20-26)

Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries

Republished With Permission

 

Bethel Redding, Danny Silk Mocks People Who Question Their “Glory Clouds”

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Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen reports on the never ending shenanigans at Bethel Church [of Satan] which includes a video of Danny Silk discussing “glory clouds.” For those who’ve never seen a glory cloud, the video is one you don’t want to miss.

Glory cloudBethel Church, a charismatic New Apostolic Reformation church in Redding, CA, is well-known for its music. It’s theologically watered-down lyrics and emotion-stirring melodies ring through churches of all types on Sunday mornings. But many people don’t know about Bethel’s dark side.

Bethel church is a Christ-perverting (see here) manifestation of pure evil with a deceitful facade of Christianity–and no wonder, for even Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Recently, Kris Vallotton, the man who claims he holds the office of Apostle, told the world that he believes in the Pope’s call to unify Protestants with Rome.

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They’re Coming For Christian Lawyers

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According to Rod Dreher of American Conservative, Christian lawyers will no longer have the freedom to express viewpoints that liberals deem “biased.”

SilencedWell, it has happened. Law professor Eugene Volokh blogs about the latest move from the American Bar Association. In this excerpt, Volokh quotes from a new provision in the ABA’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct, described by Volokh as “an influential document that many states have adopted as binding on lawyers in their state.” In the passage below, the boldfaced parts were highlighted by Volokh:

It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to . . . engage in conduct that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or socioeconomic status in conduct related to the practice of law. This paragraph does not limit the ability of a lawyer to accept, decline, or withdraw from a representation in accordance with Rule 1.16. This paragraph does not preclude legitimate advice or advocacy consistent with these rules.

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The Gender Bender War on Children Rebutted by Science

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According to Bill Muehlenberg of Culture Watch, the American College of Pediatricians has released a statement titled “Gender Dysphoria in Children.”  He is urging everyone to read the documents included in this blog post and then share them far and wide. He writes:

Child blowing bubblesI have penned dozens of articles now seeking to expose the madness and harmfulness of the radical gender bender agenda. Children are especially being targeted by these activists, and are being greatly harmed as a result. The insanity gets worse by the day.

Consider a brief item out of Seattle, Washington: the city council has declared a ban of any attempts to change unwanted homosexual attractions. It is now illegal to try to help someone in this area, even if you are a pastor. But the city of course fully supports the idea of gender bending.

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New transgender “bathroom” law, signed by GOP Governor, already changing life in Massachusetts

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MassResistance reports on what’s going on inside a Massachusetts prison:

  • Male prison guard can use female locker rooms despite objections from women
  • Employees who disagree forced to take diversity training
  • “I’m transgendering and they’re coming along for the ride”

Even though it technically doesn’t go into effect until October 1, the new Massachusetts “transgender bathroom” law is already beginning to force change into society.

Just a month ago, on July 8, Massachusetts GOP Governor Charlie Baker signed the outrageous “transgender bathroom” bill into law. It was no secret that like all LGBT “non-discrimination” laws, this represented yet another legal hammer to impose a perverse agenda on an unwilling society.

Now the LGBT movement and the pro-homosexual Baker Administration are turning up the heat.

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Global Leadership 2016 continues its carnal slide

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Berean Research has the story:

PlanetThe 2016 Global Leadership Summit is kicking off today, hosted by its founder, Willow Creek Church’s senior pastor Bill Hybels.This year’s Summit continues its trajectory in a secular direction by including fewer pastors in its speaking faculty and more worldly leaders.

Case in point: In past years the GLS has featured at least a handful of pastors teaching leadership skills to other pastors, but this year that number has drastically dwindled to its lowest ever since the Summit began: Two. That number again: 2, besides Bill Hybels. That’s down by half over the previous years.

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Do Democrats Support Using Public Funds for Abortion?

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The Daily Signal asks

In 1976, Congress passed the Hyde Amendment, a law that prohibits the use of taxpayer money for abortion, except in the case of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is at stake. For decades, the measure maintained bipartisan support when it came up in Congress. But recently, the status quo took a turn, when the Democrat Party platform officially called to repeal the 40-year-old amendment. To find out where voters stand on the issue of using public funds for abortion, The Daily Signal took to the streets at the Democratic National Convention. View article →

Saving Christian Colleges from Annihilation by the State

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Denny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, informs us that a group of religious leaders across the country have gotten together to stop the State.  He has posted the list of who these leaders are.  He writes:

In case you haven’t heard, the California state legislature is poised to pass a bill that would effectively close down Christian colleges in California. The long and short of it is this. There is bill in California that would deny federal funds to any college or university that maintains faithfulness to what the Bible teaches about sexuality. The ERLC released a statement today opposing the bill and describing its harms:

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Rick Warren to Emcee Roman Catholic Mystic, Roma Downey’s Hollywood Award Ceremony

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According to Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen:

New Age Roman Catholic Mystic, Roma Downey, who is best known for her acting role in the spiritually poisonous television series, Touched by an Angel, will be receiving the 2,586th star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, August 11, 2016. There to stand with her, and speak at the event, along with another New Age mystic, Della Reese, will be none other than “America’s Pastor,” Rick Warren.

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Check out our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

How to Handle Transgender Issues: Meet the Gender Unicorn

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The LGBTQ movement will stop at nothing in their effort to get the public on board with their radical agenda.  Now they’re using an adorable purple unicorn as a tool to brainwash children into believing that it’s perfectly okay for them to choose which gender they’d like to be. Keep NC Safe has the shocking story:

Gender UnicornMeet the gender Unicorn. This was included in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) training presentation on handling transgender issues under the new CMS policy that goes into effect on August 29th. It’s startling enough that the school district feels they have sovereignty to directly disobey state statute as outlined in HB2, but some of the stuff in here is shocking.

Check out some of these quotes:

1. Parental involvement dependent on student’s permission: “Involvement of parents in the plan is determined in working with the student, considering the student’s age and health, wellbeing and safety concerns” (pg. 34).

2. Students can choose their bathrooms and changing facilities: “Students must have access to the restroom/changing facilities that correspond to their gender identity” (pg. 42).

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

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

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

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

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The problem with tolerating false teachers is…

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

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

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Andy Stanley’s astonishing lack of discernment worsens

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From Berean Research:

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

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

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

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According to Genevieve Wood of The Daily Signal:

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

Right.

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

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DNC “Put a Sharia Supremacist on Convention Center Stage”

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From Breitbart:

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

Dear DNC,

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

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Crisis at Andy Stanley’s North Point Church

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From Berean Research:

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

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