We remain thankful here at Apprising Ministries that God has been leading more and more people to AM, causing a marked increase in readership. We’ve been averaging 3,000 unique visitors in a day and close to 17,000 hits a day as well. With this growth however, we also are experiencing a heavier workload in ministering to these new readers. While I’m very grateful for those of you who have been offering support to us, at this time, things are growing tighter and have become a source of concern.

Despite these additional readers our funding has in fact markedly decreased. But even so, let me share a brief sample of the letters we receive here at AM.

Like this:

I was given the link to your site from a new friend of mine that has been informing us about the Emergent Church movement growing in popularity these days. LOVE your site! It has been a huge help already! Our youth/young adult pastor has been showing the Nooma videos in our church bible study and we’ve been having some issues with this—RED FLAG! Now our eyes are opened but we are trying to inform others in our group, and our youth pastor, that Rob Bell is not to be trusted.

Where he stands on issues is totally wrong and away from TRUTH! I’ve been all over your site about Rob Bell, thanks so much with that. We’ve sent it on to our pastor. Hopefully he will realize the magnitude of this and not blow it off as nothing! This is extremely important! The truth is, he really likes Rob Bell and has been to his church once before. Any advice in this area?

This one is about the Word Faith Movement:

My friend and I were interrupted by a co-worker that wasn’t happy with your website. He told me to check it out, so we did. And to my surprise, you’re right on! Our co worker is part of the Word of Faith movement (name it claim it). All you’re doing is exposing these false teachers in the ‘realm of the church.’

I keep Understand The Times continually at reach. You and Roger [Oakland] are definitely shedding light on this. Thank you and keep up the good work, in love.

Here’s a letter which literally came in as I am preparing this Update:

Dear Apprising Ministries,

Thank you so much for your Web site. It’s very informative, educational, and encouraging; especially dealing with such difficult and sobering topics.

I find it interesting that my only resource these days for sound doctrine and biblical exegesis is found on line. Having said that, praise God for the Web! Not many good things can be said of the Web, but this is certainly one we can boast about.

You and others on line who are contending for the faith and exposing false teachings and heresies are so needed. Please know that you are making a difference, at least for me.

Thanks again and may God bless you as you stay true and proclaim “sola scriptura!”

Yours in Christ,

And this one related to my recent articles about Shane Claiborne and new monasticism:

Dear Pastor Silva,

Thanks for engaging with the Sojourners crowd. You probably encourage many more people than you realize—people like me who read that blog only to get a sense of what is happening to the mainline church.

Frankly, my brain hurts. I often wonder if the time I give to reading such posts could be better spent. Dialogue and rhetoric—at least in terms of what these bloggers say they want—are vastly overrated.

Give me the living Word of God any day!

Another one concerning Rob Bell and his infiltrating of evangelicalism:

Dear Ken,

I couldn’t agree with you more! After reading your article, I forwarded it to my pastor and many other friends. Fortunately, my family is in a great church with a bold pastor who preaches an uncompromised gospel and many of us go out each week to share the gospel but you are right about much of the “so called” American “church”. Please know that you are an encouragement to our family and I’m sure many others. Apprising Ministry was the only website I could find a year and a half ago that exposed Rob Bell.

I wept when I heard your interview on Crosstalk Radio about Rob Bell and the emerging church because our church at the time was using his Nooma junk but everyone there thought it was great except us. I wept because I KNEW what you were saying was TRUTH and I was so glad to hear it and know I wasn’t crazy. Anyway, it is very late and I am rambling but felt I must write and try to encourage you. You are on the front lines and it must get tiresome at times. Praise the Lord that His grace is sufficient!!!

Finally one representing counseling and email correspondence:

Pastor Silva,

Thanks for your email. I am from Costa Rica. I am a daily reader of your blog. I have been publishing a lot of stuff regarding the emergent movement. I am afraid that it is all over latin america too. Thanks again. I learn a lot from you. God bless you.

Your brother in Christ,

Please understand that AM really is one of the very few ministries of its kind theologically challenging evangelical leadership where God really has opened an Internet presence that guarantees they do see it. However, the type of ministry I’m involved in, which now so often requires speaking out against the apostasy and compromise within the American Christian Church, isn’t popular and it doesn’t happen without a cost. One might liken Apprising Ministries, along with its Internet outreach Christian Research Net, as being sent as missionaries to our own country preaching a message of repentance.

You might imagine how popular this makes me. However, as you can see above, the Lord is using AM more and more to make a real impact in people’s lives. And we are blessed that we have been able to function well into our third year now because of those of you who, through your financial gifts, have sacrificed right along with all of us. But we simply can’t do it without your support and the support of others we will need to pray in. For example, we are still asking God for a few churches that will be willing to take AM on as a part of their own missionary giving.

So even though most of you know, and more importantly the Lord knows, that I hate writing things of this sort I must sincerely ask you to seek our Master as to your joining the ranks of those currently assisting us financially and/or to possibly even increase the level of support that you currently offer. If you are interested you can find out how to support Apprising Ministries here:

And finally I pray you’ll consider the following: If God chooses to give AM another three years of ministry, then how many more people will we together reach for our glorious and majestic, great and mighty Christ.

Yours in the Lord,

Ken Silva, pastor-teacher
Truth War Firebase Apprising