Thursday, May 17th, in the year of our Lord 2018
By Jonathan Clark
China Increasing Crackdown on Churches
Officials in China are trying to pressure house churches into the state-sanctioned Three Self Church for more control and surveillance, with police telling one church in Beijing not to organize any “religious activities”.
The World View spoke to Gina Goh of International Christian Concern about the government’s pressure on churches.
“They will use different kinds of methods, for example, to prevent them from meeting, or ask the landlord to stop renting to them, or just try to disrupt their services or Bible study. And their ultimate goal is to ask them, ‘You should just join a nearby state sanctioned church and stop meeting at the “illegal” church.’”
Goh said Chinese Christians in these churches have more concerns as the crackdowns have increased.
“In general, they are actually getting more and more concerned because after President Xi Jinping came into office in 2013, it has been kind of alright. Sometimes there were sporadic cases of Christian house churches being persecuted, but overall I would say maybe 80% of the churches can still kind of operate without disturbance. But maybe 20% of them would have had troubles, but you can see gradually that’s not the case anymore.”
Pray that the Chinese brothers and sisters would continue to remain strong in the faith as they refuse to back down from following Jesus.
Our Savior said in Matthew 10:22, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
British Prime Minister Confronts Turkish President on Human Rights
Turkish President Recep Erdogan visited Britain this week for talks with Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister Theresa May.
May called on Erdogan to respect human rights as he has cracked down on opponents after a failed military coup in 2016.
Open Doors, the persecution watchdog, called for the governments to support religious liberty as Christian Pastor Andrew Brunson remains imprisoned in Turkey for his faith on false charges related to the coup attempt.
Leftist God Hater, George Soros, Gets the Boot from Hungary
Left-wing billionaire George Soros is closing his Open Society Foundations office in Hungary as the country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has pushed for more restrictions and transparency for non-governmental foreign organizations.
The Soros organization has supported abortion and sexually perverted lifestyles as well as mass migration and open borders.
Psalm 37:1-2 says, “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.”
Wise California Judge Overturns Assisted Suicide Law
California Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia overturned California’s assisted suicide law on Tuesday as unconstitutional.
The law allowed doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill individuals, leading to 111 deaths in six months after the law passed last year.
12 States Take Aim at Christian Free Speech
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, joined 11 other states this week in signing a bill prohibiting medical professionals from offering conversion therapy for young people struggling with homosexuality or gender confusion.
Republican State Senator Bryan Simonaire, who represents the Baltimore suburbs, warned, “The definition is so expansive, this bill could revoke someone’s license and livelihood by a simple conversation. I wonder if Jesus would have been banned if He had been licensed in Maryland.”
Man Wrongfully Imprisoned for 27 Years
A Brooklyn judge exonerated 41-year-old John Bunn on Tuesday, 27 years after Bunn was jailed on murder charges at the age of 14.
Twenty-seven years ago, police received an anonymous suggestion that led to Bunn and had just one witness in a trial that lasted for just a day.
The judge said the justice system failed Bunn, referencing disgraced NYPD Detective Louis Scarcella who has been accused of framing many Brooklyn men for crimes they did not commit in the 1990’s.
Deuteronomy 19:15 says, “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.”
NBC Cancels Show in Cultural Gutter
NBC is cancelling their drama series “Rise” with themes involving abortion, homosexuality, incest, and transgenderism.
This comes after backlash from critics like Dawn Slusher of the Media Research Center, criticizing the series for anti-Christian bias and liberal talking points.
A Man in Blue Saves Infant
And finally, Marion County, Florida Deputy Jeremie Nix was driving home from work recently when two women flagged him down with an unresponsive baby.
After trying life-saving measures, Nix rushed him to the hospital where the baby named Kingston was restored to health, reports Fox News.
Nix said,
“God put me in the right place at the right time for the right reason.”
Closing Line
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, May 17th 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.