Thursday, September 21st, in the year of our Lord 2017

By Jonathan Clark

Earthquake Demolishes School in Mexico City, Killing at Least 21 Children

In the last 24 hours, the death toll from the 7.1-magnitude earthquake which struck Mexico on Tuesday afternoon has nearly doubled. At least 248 people were killed, including 21 children who were crushed beneath an elementary school that was reduced to rubble, reports NDTV.

One of the most gut-wrenching scenes was at the Enrique Rebsamen primary school on Mexico City’s south side, whose three floors collapsed into one, trapping students and teachers inside.

Hundreds of soldiers, police, civilian volunteers and rescue dogs are in a frantic search for another 30 to 40 people who remain trapped inside, while 11 children have been rescued so far.

Christian Man in Pakistan Sentenced to Death on False Blasphemy Charges

Last week, a court in eastern Pakistan sentenced yet another Pakistani Christian to death on false blasphemy charges. Thirty-five-year-old Nadeem James was accused by a friend of sending “blasphemous messages” on the text messaging service WhatsApp, reports International Christian Concern.

Pakistan is 97 percent Muslim and ranked fourth on Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List for the worst persecution. Christians have suffered discrimination and death in recent years from these kinds of blasphemy charges.

Please pray for Nadeem and the church in Pakistan.

Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, those who are mistreated, since you yourselves are in the body also.”

Large Homeschooling Event Encourages Families in Russia

Homeschooling has grown in Russia, and countries formerly part of the Soviet Union, to an estimated 100,000 families, reports the Home School Legal Defense Association. Homeschooling parents Alexey and Irina Komov have devoted themselves to spreading the movement.

They recently held Russia’s largest homeschooling event. Alexey said, “Families from all over Russia, Ukraine and Belarus came to those ground-breaking events to be trained and inspired to start their homeschooling communities in over 30 cities from Vladivostok to Kiev and Minsk. Everyone felt God’s blessing, and left fired up and full of enthusiasm.”

Australia Votes on Homosexual Marriage

Australia is in the middle of a non-compulsory, non-binding vote to advise Parliament on whether to become the 25th country to legalize faux homosexual marriage, according to Australia’s First Post.

The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, urged parents to vote against this perversion of marriage. In a joint letter, Fisher wrote, “Sadly, there has been a campaign to label all those who support traditional marriage as ‘bigots’ and ‘homophobes,’ so as to silence all opposition.”

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is a supporter of these unnatural relations and hopes and expects the people will vote to approve of homosexual faux marriage.

“The Australian people have spoken, assuming they say yes, that what we’re going to do now is to ensure that same sex couples can marry.”

But then, Turnbull also spoke up for the right of the church to presumably only bless the marriages between a man and a woman.

“We provide the protections for religious freedom that a nation whose very foundation document, the Constitution, recognizes religious freedom. I mean, religious freedom is a fundamental principle of our Australian democracy.”

Turnbull went on to say, “Churches are free to marry whomever they like.”

Hurricane Maria Wreaks Devastation in the Caribbean

Yet another hurricane stormed over the Caribbean.

Category 4 Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico early Wednesday morning with winds up to 140 mph, causing widespread devastation and complete loss of power across the island.

Plus, seven people died on the island nation of Dominica. The country’s prime minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, there said, “The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God!”

Candidate for Governor of Oklahoma Wants to Abolish Abortion

Oklahoma pastor and former state House of Representative Dan Fisher is running for governor, stating it’s time to abolish human abortion. Fisher said that although his state is considered the most pro-life state in the union, the murder of the unborn continues by the thousands every year.

He called into question the widespread practice of regulating this form of murder instead of abolishing it.

Fisher put forth a compelling argument in this campaign video .

“I am not running to regulate abortion. I am running to abolish it. If elected, I will do everything in my power to bring this evil to an end and take executive action to ensure that all Oklahomans are equally protected — including the pre-born. I will disregard any unjust rulings or perversions of the U.S. Constitution that claim there is a right to murder pre-born human beings in the womb.”

Republican Senators Give Differing Opinions on New Healthcare Bill

On Wednesday, President Trump praised the Graham-Cassidy Bill, the most recent attempt to replace ObamaCare by Senate Republicans. They have until September 30th to pass the bill.

Bill sponsor Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said the measure would eliminate the individual mandate of ObamaCare at the federal level and send the money back to the states.

However, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky opposed the measure, saying, “My objection is that it keeps the vast majority of Obamacare spending and then just redistributes it in a different formula.”

New Research Shows Climate Change Less Significant Than Previously Thought

Well, climate change is not as dangerous to the planet as previously thought based on new research.

Scientists at the University of Oxford published their findings in the Nature Geoscience Journal, noting that there is now a 60 percent chance of keeping temperatures around the globe within 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

While scientists speculate, Psalm 50:1 reminds us it is “the Mighty One, God the Lord” who “speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.”

Police Officer Recovers Woman’s Lost Diamond Ring

And finally, Fox News reports a New Jersey police officer came to the aid of a woman who lost her diamond engagement ring while changing a flat tire.

Kimberly Garcia filed a report with the Paramus Police Department about the lost ring. And the next day Officer Jon Henderson went looking for it during his free patrol time, successfully restoring the diamond ring to its owner.

Closing Line

And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, September 21st in the year of our Lord 2017. Invite your friends to listen to this unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldView.com. I’m Adam McManus. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.