Thursday, July 12th, in the year of our Lord 2018
By Jonathan Clark
The Nigerian Genocide
Christian leaders in Nigeria, Africa are reporting a case of “pure genocide” as over 6,000 people, largely women and children, have been killed by Muslim Fulani herdsmen this year.
The Christian Association of Nigeria issued a plea recently to the government to protect Christians from these violent attacks.
Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Nigeria.
Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Russian Protestant Churches Evangelize Through World Cup Soccer Tournament
Despite limitations put on religious expression in Russia back in 2016, evangelical churches are finding ways to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ during the World Cup Soccer tournament being held in the country this month.
Mission Eurasia has partnered with 400 churches across 50 cities in Russia who are inviting the avid Russian soccer fans to come in to the church and watch the soccer tournament on big screens as Christians pass out 100,000 Russian New Testaments, refreshments, and share the good news of Jesus Christ as well as inviting the children and youth to attend Mission Eurasia’s Bible camps.
Mission Eurasia‘s president Sergey Rakhuba told Christian Today they are praying for spiritual revival in Russia where pushback and persecution has been strengthening churches to stand firm in the faith.
Africa: Largest Christian Population in World
Africa now has the largest Christian population in the world at 631 million people which is 45 percent of the population, according to a study by Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
The nation with the largest Christian population in Africa is Zambia, at 95.5 percent.
Meanwhile, the percentage of worldwide Christianity in the global south has increased from 43 percent in 1970 to 66 percent in 2018.
Psalm 98:2 says, “The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.”
Trump to NATO: Time to Double Your Military Spending!
During the NATO summit this week, President Donald Trump urged members of the Western military alliance to double their commitment of military spending to four percent of their gross domestic product.
Trump emphasized military spending to protect against Russia, while criticizing Germany for “being captivated to Russia” by relying on the country for much of their natural gas.
Next week, Trump is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Abortion in England & Wales Skyrocketing
The number of abortions in England and Wales reached nearly 200,000 last year, according to government statistics.
That was an increase of 2.3 percent for the year 2017, amounting to approximately one unborn baby being murdered in the womb every three minutes.
Ninety-eight percent of the abortions were taxpayer-funded through Britain’s National Health Service.
Isaiah 1:15 says, “When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.”
Amazon Pulls Plug on Reviewer of Christian Book
Last week, Amazon banned one of their top 500 reviewers for “bias” and pulled down over 600 of his reviews. This came after 5-star reviewer William Struse gave a positive posting on a Bible book called The Gospel in Every Book of the Old Testament by Joseph Farah.
This week Amazon apologized and restored Struse’s 5-star status and reviews.
Farah, the founder of www.WorldNetDaily.com, said such censuring continues the anti-Christian bias among companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook.
Gutsy Governor Says: If Homosexuals Want to Change, That Should Be Legal
Thirteen states have passed laws banning conversion therapy for homosexuals. But Maine’s Republican Governor Paul LePage became the first governor to veto such legislation last week. You can thank him by email through a link in our transcript today at www.TheWorldView.com.
LePage said, “I am vetoing LD 912 because it is bad public policy,” and he warned it could be used to hinder religious freedom.
Sneak Peek: American Pastor in Turkish Prison Needs Special Prayer
American Pastor Andrew Brunson is in need of urgent prayer as an important hearing comes up for him on Wednesday, July 18th.
Stay tuned for a World View Special Report detailing what Christians around the world are hoping will happen at the Brunson trial and how to pray for him and his family. You’ll hear it immediately following today’s newscast.
Florida Firefighters go Above and Beyond Call of Duty
A Florida man named Gene Work was laying sod in his yard recently to avoid a homeowners’ association fine when he had a massive heart attack, reports the Tampa Bay Times.
Pasco County Fire Rescue took Gene to the hospital, and then the firefighters returned to his house to complete the sod work in just one hour!
Gene was in and out of consciousness, but his wife Melissa kept saying, “Jesus will help us. It’s ok. Jesus will figure this out.”
Afterward, Melissa praised God for the deliverance and for the firefighters, saying, “they saved his life and then came back to save his grass.”
Christian Baker in Louisiana Listens While Making the Donuts
Paul Brown from Tioga, Louisiana, wrote me at Adam@TheWorldView.com. He said, “I’ve been listening to The World View for a while now after finding it on www.SermonAudio.com. I listen every morning at work, often with a fellow worker at the bakery. In fact, it’s The Worldview and Wretched Radio that I look forward to every morning!
“After I finish bidding on a charity auction today, I will send a donation to your newscast.
“I really do appreciate the work you do, and I consider it my main source of news. There are few other podcasts I listen to.
“I love the news and the actual good news stories you bring. And, like many others, I love the Bible verses you include, and that at times that is the only commentary necessary for the news story. I also enjoy the Special Reports sometimes included at the end.
“Thank you so much for the work that you do.”
Ghana, West African Listener Enjoys Practical Application of God’s Word
Paulina Mensah, a medical student from Ghana, West Africa, wrote to say, “I started listening to The World View after reading Kevin Swanson’s book Apostate. It was a gift my father’s friend sent from London. Apostate was really eye-opening, making me realize how faith is a big blessing and a big responsibility.
“I love receiving The World View emails everyday which examines the news from a Biblical perspective. It helps me to see a practical application of God’s Word and a fulfillment of God’s prophecies in daily events.”
5 World View Listeners Gave $7,567 in the Last 24 Hours!
And finally, the big update on our fundraising campaign. I had asked for 3 World View listeners to step up to the plate by my Thursday newscast. But 5 people made donations in the last 24 hours toward our August 3rd goal of $30,000 to keep The World View in 5 Minutes on the air.
Each day, our team spends 8-9 hours working on The World View between researching, interviewing, transcribing, writing, editing, and voicing the newscast.
Special thanks to Sheryl from Westmoreland, Tennessee and Rebecca from Fountain Inn, South Carolina — each of whom gave one-time gifts of $50. Thanks also to Este from Kearney, Nebraska for a one-time gift of $100 and to Mark from Macedonia, Ohio for his one-time gift of $167. Finally, Lisa from Kodiak, Alaska gave a gift which helped send us into the stratosphere, giving $600/month for 12 months. We are grateful to God for their sacrificial generosity.
Ready to hear our new total? Drum roll please. So far, since July 2nd, the remnant has given or pledged $11,217 toward our $30,000 goal. We now stand at 37% of our goal! Praise God!
We need just 16 more World View listeners to pledge $50 per month for a year and 30 more listeners to pledge $25 per month for a year.
Go to www.TheWorldView.com, click on ‘Give’ on the top right, then on $50 or $25, and check the recurring donation button. Would you prayerfully consider becoming one of 5 more World View listeners to step up to the plate by my newscast on Friday?
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, July 12th in the year of our Lord 2018. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldView.com. I’m Adam McManus. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
Special Report: Why Pastor Andrew Brunson Might Come Home Soon
Time now for a World View Special Report by Emily Swanson. I’m Adam McManus.
By Emily Swanson
Pastor Andrew Brunson, an American clergyman who dedicated 23 years of his life to ministry in Turkey, is now up for his third hearing in a series of hearings before the Turkish government on the trumped up charges of espionage.
The World View spoke to Claire Evans, Middle East Regional Manager for International Christian Concern, about why they hope that this trial could have a positive outcome for the pastor.
“One of the big things that makes this one stand out is that his indictment is public. So you could read that. You could see that. Most of it is public, some parts are blacked out, but you could see how baseless a lot of these charges are and how thematic the Turkish authorities are being. This is a persecution because of his religious faith. And it’s obvious throughout every page of his indictment. It’s over 100 pages.”
Evans said that the indictment is revealing how it seems that the persecution of Pastor Brunson has been very intentional.
“You learn more about the mindset, about what kind of careful calculation has gone into building this case, falsely building this case, each time you come to a hearing. We’ll learn more at this oncoming hearing. What kind of logic is flowing into this from the Turkish authority’s perspective?”
Evans remarked that this hearing is also vital because it comes on the heels of the Turkish election.
“This is the first time he’s having a hearing after Turkey’s election. President Erdoğan has consolidated his power. He has basically transformed Turkey more than any other leader other than Attaturk, who is the founder of modern Turkey. This is Erdoğan’s moment. He has basically reformed Turkey into an authoritarian state, and part of the way he did that was by using Brunson as a political tool, a political hostage, and he used that to pull himself into this position.”
Evans said that now that President Erdoğan has all that power, people are hopeful that he won’t see the need for continuing to imprison Pastor Brunson.
“I think this could be where some of the speculation comes from, where people are thinking or hypothesizing, ‘Well Erdoğan’s in control now. He runs most of Turkey at this point. Why would he keep him there any longer?’”
Proverbs 21:1 gives Pastor Brunson and his brothers and sisters in Christ comfort that President Erdoğan’s heart towards the pastor is in God’s hands. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will.”
Evans said that a Turkish newspaper started the speculation on why Turkey would keep Pastor Brunson now that he doesn’t need to be used as a political tool.
Evans also asked for several specific pressing prayer requests for Pastor Brunson during the trial.
“Definitely prayer is what’s needed a lot right now. Especially because Brunson, he’s defending himself in Turkish for over 10 hours during this trials. That’s not his first language. This is very, very challenging particularly when you’re doing it and you haven’t seen all the charges. You’re defending yourself against secret witnesses. One of the biggest prayers is that, however many hours this upcoming hearing lasts, that he’s given the mental strength and fortitude to keep up with a hearing and defend himself well and to communicate well even though it’s not his mother language.”
Hebrews 13:3 offers wise counsel for those in the body of Christ who are praying for Pastor Brunson and his family. “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”
This has been a World View Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.