New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1st, in the year of our Lord 2018
By Adam McManus
Iranians Protest Rising Food Prices
Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets of several cities in response to a surge in prices of basic food supplies, like eggs and poultry, reports the Associated Press. Police arrested 52 people. The demonstrations appear to be the largest to strike the Islamic Republic since its 2009 Green Movement arose after Ahmadinejad’s re-election.
Some protesters chanted the name of Iran’s one-time shah, who fled into exile just before its 1979 Islamic Revolution.
President Donald Trump tweeted, “Many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with regime’s corruption & its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad. Iranian govt should respect their people’s rights, including right to express themselves. The world is watching.”
Violence Against Jews Increases in Germany
Jews in Germany are increasingly under threat in public and may require police protection to lead a normal life without harassment and violence, according to Charlotte Knobloch, the former president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, reports Breitbart.com.
Knobloch told the publication Die Welt that events such as the public Menorah lighting have been cancelled.
Many have blamed the influx of Muslim migrants under Chancellor Angela Merkel for the growth in anti-Semitic incidents.
Actor James Woods Responds to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Claim to Believe in Science
On Thursday, President Donald Trump tweeted: “In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!”
Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts responded by tweeting, “I believe in science. Climate change is real and we have a moral obligation to protect this Earth for our children and grandchildren.”
Conservative actor James Woods brought up Warren’s dubious claim that she has Native American ancestry. He tweeted, “DNA is also based in science. Yours does not show you are Native American. So either you are an outright liar or you actually don’t believe in science. Which is it? #Liewatha”
Franklin Graham’s Niece Says He Should Tone Down Praise of President Trump
Jerushah Armfield, the granddaughter of famous evangelist Billy Graham, has said that her uncle Franklin Graham should tone down his praise for President Donald Trump, whom she argued has not shown himself to be a Christian.
In an interview by CNN’s Pamela Brown, Armfield said, “I think my uncle has an incredible humanitarian ministry that’s been on the front lines often before a lot of ministries have been there. I think he probably needs to stick to doing that.”
In a December Facebook post, Franklin Graham wrote, “Never in my lifetime have we had a president willing to take a strong, outspoken stand for the Christian faith like President Donald J. Trump has. Whether you are Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox, Catholic — all Christians need to get behind him with our prayers.”
Man Invites 89-Year-Old Veteran to Live with Him and His Family
And finally, Corey Jones couldn’t bear to see 89-year-old Art Quick living out the rest of his days all by himself – so instead of allowing the Navy veteran to face the world alone, Jones invited him into his family, reports Good News Network.
Quick first met Jones and his 6-year-old daughter Malia at the Family Golf Center in Antioch, Tennessee. As the senior coached the father-daughter duo on their swing, he mentioned that he had been living in motels since the last of his relatives passed away.
That’s when Jones asked the veteran if he would like to move in with him and Malia.
This is what the 89-year-old said.
“He let me stay here and be a part of the family.”
But, more importantly, listen to how Jones described his motivation for opening his home to WSMV-TV.
“I couldn’t imagine being alone, especially the point that he’s at in his life. I don’t think family is all tied with blood lines. It’s the people who take care of one another, that’s family.”
1 John 3:17 says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”
Closing Line
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1st 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.
Print stories
Big Changes Expected in Saudi Arabia This Year
In 2017, Saudi Arabia laid the groundwork for momentous change next year, defying its conservative reputation for slow, cautious reforms by announcing plans to let women drive, allow movie theaters to return, and to issue tourist visas, reports the Associated Press. The kingdom could even get a new king.
WorldNetDaily.com Compiles Big List of Trump Accomplishments
Americans are subjected to a relentless drumbeat from the Democratic Party, amplified by virtually the entire establishment press, that Trump is not only undisciplined, unfit for office and possibly racist, but that embarrassingly little has been accomplished by the Trump administration.
But WorldNetDaily.com has compiled a Big List of 170 Trump accomplishments in 340 days.
In fact, you can send a thank you note to the president through www.ThankTrump.us.
Justice Neil Gorsuch Has Consistently Voted Conservative
Speaking of Trump accomplishments, during his relatively short tenure thus far, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch has surpassed the wildest expectations of Christians.
National Public Radio reports that Gorsuch has “voted 100 percent of the time with the court’s most conservative member, Clarence Thomas”, and is “probably even more conservative” that the justice he replaced, Antonin Scalia.
And he’s been surprisingly aggressive and outspoken.
An analysis at the Supreme Court blog by Stephen Wermiel notes Gorsuch has made it clear “he had no intention on hanging back to observe the ways of his more senior colleagues. … [He] jumped in with both feet and made his presence known.
“For comparison, if one counts the number of times a justice’s name appears in the oral-argument transcript, Gorsuch spoke 47 times in his first argument, Kagan 10 times and Sotomayor 36 times.”
President Trump Hears Christmas Eve Sermon on Power of Words
President Donald Trump heard an unusual Christmas Eve sermon Sunday night when he attended the 10:30pm service of Bethesda-by-the-Sea’s Episcopal Church service in Palm Beach, Florida.
According to a White House press pool report, the church’s rector, the Rev. James Harlan, gave a homily in which he cited Proverbs 18 which says “death and life are in the power of the tongue”.
In a Washington Post transcript of the sermon, Harlan preached that “Words can build up or tear down. Words can speak truth or obfuscate truth. Words convey information, emotion, motivation. … Your words and mine can have as much destructive and divisive potential as creative and healing potential. But God’s Word, made flesh in Jesus, whose incarnation we celebrate on this holy night, that word is perfect and pure light.”
According to Palm Beach Post, the Trumps arrived shortly after the service began and were greeted with an ovation while the church choir performed “Candlelight Carol.”
Policy Advisor Stephen Miller Gains Reputation for Hard Work
The star of Stephen Miller, President Trump’s true-believer senior policy adviser, is rising, reports Axios.com.
Taking a hard line on immigration and trade, the articulate advocate is known for his hard work, but not his ability to delegate which might make Trump hesitate in naming him Chief of Staff at some point in the course of his presidency to replace General John Kelly.
President Trump Appears to Bargain with Democrats over Immigration Reform
On Friday, President Trump laid down an immigration challenge to Democrats, insisting on funding for a border wall, an end to chain migration and the abolition of the so-called diversity visa program.
In September, President Trump ended the DACA amnesty program that Barack Obama created by executive fiat, which shielded more than 800,000 so-called DREAMers from deportation.
Today, it appears Trump is seeking to use the DACA amnesty as a bargaining chip to achieve some of his larger goals, including abolishing what he calls the “ridiculous Lottery System of Immigration”, which gives up to 55,000 foreigners, their spouses and their unmarried children permanent residency.
On Breitbart Radio, Republican Congressman Steve King of Iowa accused the author of the “Art of the Deal” of essentially having “negotiated against himself” by offering to provide to the Democrats DACA in exchange for border security measures Trump should have already implemented.
Severe Cold Freezes the Northeast
The deadly cold snap across the Northeast is unforgiving. Over the last three days, a dog in Ohio was found frozen solid on a front porch while three Atlantic White Sharks washed up on Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts who had frozen solid, reports The Sun.
Transit systems ground to a halt in Boston while there were 30 crashes in one Michigan county alone on Friday morning due to treacherously icy roads.
Fountains froze over in New York where New Year’s Eve partygoers were warned to lay off the booze and bring some hand warmers to see the famous big ball drop in Times Square as forecasters say it will hit 12 degrees Fahrenheit.
The National Weather Service has warned of hypothermia and frostbite across the country.
Influenza Breaks Out in 36 States
In a related story, outbreaks of influenza are getting an early start this year in part because of cold weather gripping much of the USA and low efficacy associated with this year’s flu vaccine.
Epidemiologists in 36 states already have reported widespread influenza activity to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in data released Friday.
Planned Parenthood’s Tweet “Abortion Is Health Care” Backfires
Planned Parenthood is in big trouble as it’s being investigated for selling baby body parts which was revealed in a series of undercover videos.
But now, in a bizarre tweet, the murder giant repeated “Abortion is health care” an absurd nine times to which a woman named Sandy tweeted “Not for the baby.”
Rebecca McCaleb said, “Last time I checked a BABY was not an illness or injury. And I’m pretty sure care is to protect. So NO cutting a baby into pieces and severing their spinal cord is doing NEITHER OF THOSE THINGS.”
Four Preserved Dead Babies Found in Detroit Warehouse
Federal agents discovered four preserved babies in the Detroit warehouse of a man who sold human body parts, confidential photographs reviewed by Reuters show.
The babies were found during a December 2013 raid of businessman Arthur Rathburn’s warehouse. The babies, which appear to have been in their second trimester, were submerged in a liquid that included human brain tissue.
How Rathburn acquired the deceased babies and what he intended to do with them is unclear.
Republican Congressman Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said, “The actions depicted in these photos are an insult to human dignity.”
The buying and selling of cadavers and other body parts — with the exception of organs used in transplants — is legal and virtually unregulated in America. But trading in baby tissue and organs violates U.S. law.
Author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye Rethinks His Courtship Advice
It’s been 20 years since a 21-year-old Joshua Harris wrote I Kissed Dating Goodbye, a book offering Christians a new approach to dating and romance. Namely, replacing dating with friendship-based courtship. The book exploded in popularity within Evangelicalism and rapidly climbed the bestseller lists. Now the 41-year-old author is rethinking his dating advice.
In a recent Tedx event, Harris shared, ”My eyes have really been opened. I didn’t leave room for the idea that dating could be a healthy way of learning what you’re looking for in a long-term relationship. That it could be a part of growing personally.”
Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, the author of Marriage Matters, wrote an entire chapter entitled “Bring Back Dating” in which she asserts that intentional casual dating actually builds self-confidence and social skills, with which Harris now agrees.
Andrea Logan White Came to Jesus in the Midst of Playboy Party Life
God used Andrea Logan White’s wild party life at the Playboy Mansion and friendship with pornographer Hugh Hefner to help her come to Jesus even while she was on “the wrong path”, reports The Christian Post.
In her new book, Perfectly Unfinished: Finding Beauty in the Midst of Brokenness, the Christian actress and wife of actor/filmmaker David A.R. White, told Fox Radio News that the Playboy founder even provided a limo for her to attend church when she first turned to God.
The “Moms’ Night Out” star grew up in a broken home, turned to Hollywood as a refuge, and found herself having an emotional breakdown in her car, describing the moment as a “crazy answered prayer.” While sitting in her vehicle sobbing, another driver recommended that she listen to a Christian radio station.
“I turned the radio station on and it was a pastor repeating the words, ‘Jesus loves you.’ I just cried out to God.”
Anonymous Donor Initiates Giving Spree in Maryland Community
An anonymous donor whose giving lifted her out of depression earlier this year shared her joy of giving with her brothers and sisters at Severna Park United Methodist Church in Maryland this month when she gifted them $10,000 worth of $100 bills. And the result was stunning.
Before the $100 bills were distributed, Rev. Ron Foster told The Washington Post that he instructed his church members to “Listen to where the Holy Spirit’s leading you. Listen to the need that’s around you, that you find in the community. You may be in the right place at the right time to help somebody, because you have this in your hand.”
Church members who accepted the donor’s gift went on to do 100 good deeds for members of the Severna Park community such as purchasing socks for a cancer patient, gifts for homeless children or just helping grateful cash-strapped strangers.
Foster said, “People have been so thoughtful. The money has just multiplied and blossomed and gone out. There’s been so much joy and excitement just spilling over.”