Monday, July 3rd, in the year of our Lord 2017
By Adam McManus
Street Preacher Who Was Arrested in London Exonerated
The BBC reports that London street preacher Michael Overd was exonerated last Thursday on his appeal in the Bristol Crown Court. The judge ruled in favor of what he called “the right of freedom of speech and freedom of expression.”
Listen to Michael Overd’s own analysis.
OVERD: “Even though the law is not being broken, it’s people being offended by the gospel and what it says about our sin. Jesus said, ‘For God so loved the world, He gave His only son.’ When I’m preaching out there, I love all those guys. That why I go and preach. The hatred is directed toward preachers at times as it was to Jesus Christ. I’m not ashamed; I’m not afraid to preach the truth.”
Overd was initially fined 3,600 pounds for “homophobic comments.”
Additionally, he testified to the court that “If we truly love the Muslims, we must bring the truth. Jesus said any prophet who comes in any other way is a liar and a thief.” (John 10:1)
Watch an astounding video of Michael’s arrest after preaching the Gospel of Christ.
Here’s a snippet.
OFFICER: “You’re causing a disturbance.”
OVERD: “No, I’m preaching sir.”
OFFICER: “You are not welcome”
CROWD: “Go home, go home.”
OFFICER: “What is your name?
OVERD: “Michael.”
OFFICER: “Michael what?”
OVERD: “Michael. I don’t have to give you my surname.”
OFFICER: “Then I’m going to give you a dispersal notice to leave the area.”
OVERD: “I’m not going to leave the area, sir.”
OFFICER: “If you fail to leave to do so, you will be arrested.”
OVERD: “Okay. I’ll be arrested. (The officer throws him to the ground) Ow, ow.”
OFFICER: “Get up, get up!”
OVERD: “I’ve got a bad back, sir.”
OFFICER: “Well, get up!”
CROWD: “Get up!”
OVERD: “You’re hurting my arm. Why are you hurting my arm like this? You don’t need to do this, sir. Ah! You don’t need to do this to me, sir.”
OFFICER: “You were challenging Muslims.”
OVERD: “I’m just saying what the Bible says.”
OFFICER: “That’s fine.”
OVERD: “If it’s fine sir, why have you arrested me?”
European Court of Human Rights Rules Doctors Can Pull Baby’s Life Support
In a cruel turn of events, the misnamed European Court of Human Rights has ruled that a sick child can be taken off of life support, despite his parents’ wishes, reports the National Review.
Ten-month old Charlie Gard was born with an extremely rare disease called infantile MDDS, a disease so rare that there are only 16 known cases in the entire world.
Since his birth, Charlie Gard has been living in the intensive-care unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. He is unable to breathe without assistance, suffers from seizures, and has severe brain damage.
His parents were hopeful that a new treatment in America may help him.
Because of the court’s decision, Charlie’s parents now have no say in whether he lives or dies, but that decision has instead been transferred to his doctors.
Join other pro-life Christians around the world and sign a petition to help save Charlie Gard’s life. You’ll find the link in our transcript at www.TheWorldView.com.
FBI Investigates ISIS Threats All Across the US
Days after Charlotte-area ISIS sympathizer Justin Sullivan was sentenced to life for planning mass murder in support of the Islamic State terror group, a terrorism expert says the FBI is investigating about 1,000 ISIS-related active threats in all 50 states, reports The Charlotte Observer.
Pastor John MacArthur Says People Aren’t Gay
Pastor John MacArthur asserted that people are “not gay any more than an adulterer is hardwired to be forced by his own nature to commit adultery,” reports the Gospel Herald.
“No one is gay,” said the pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. “People commit adultery, they commit sins of homosexuality, they lie, they steal, they cheat. That is not an excuse for what you do… I think one of the really deadly aspects of this is to let people define themselves as gay.”
Leviticus 18:22 says, “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.”
Germany Legalizes Homosexual Marriage
In a vote of 393 to 226, German lawmakers voted to legalize homosexual faux marriage last Friday, reports CNN.
Germany now joins more than 20 other countries where the civil government has endorsed a marriage of unnatural relations.
Creation Geologist Finally Gets Permission to Collect Grand Canyon Samples
A Christian geologist has asked that his lawsuit against the National Park Service be dismissed after he finally obtained a research permit that had been held up for years by red tape, reports WorldNetDaily.com.
Andrew Snelling filed suit when the Park Service denied him permission to obtain a few fist-sized rock samples from the Grand Canyon, charging the reason was his Christian beliefs regarding the origins of the earth.
Gary McCaleb of the Alliance Defending Freedom, said, “When the government refuses to allow a Christian geologist simply to collect information because it dislikes his views, it undercuts science and violates the law.”
Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Seven Planned Parenthood Facilities Close Down in Three States
Seven Planned Parenthood facilities — three in California, two in Iowa, and one in New Jersey — permanently closed Saturday, reports Life News. Six of the seven had conducted medication abortions.
Special Report on New Video on Liberty After the Newscast
Emily Swanson has a Special Report immediately following the newscast today about a new video entitled The Lost Secrets of Liberty. Stay tuned!
Special Report: New Video Brings Out the True Meaning of Liberty
By Emily Swanson
As promised now, a special report compiled and edited by Emily Swanson.
A new video from Bill Heid and Heirloom Audio Productions entitled The Lost Secrets of Liberty, released in time for July 4th, has been censored by Facebook.
Heid sought to bring Americans back to a real meaning of liberty and how true liberty is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“When we talk about something like liberty or if we say, ‘There’s oppression.’ That has to have some type of framework. That has to have some type of context. We have to say, ‘What is it that we’re going to be free of? Who is that’s going to be free of what?’”
Heid said that we need a clear definition of liberty in a culture that has made liberty a cliche word.
“The poacher thinks that conservation laws are oppressive. He wants freedom and liberty from that. So what is it that we’re going to talk about? My biggest fear that we cover in the video is this idea of liberty; it’s almost like a throw away word. It’s used so much. What is it that we’re trying to get that has made us free? What is it that has created this? How can we get underneath this concept and start to discuss it?”
The reason given by Facebook for banning the film? “Images of nudity or cleavage.” Heid’s only guess is that it might have been from an image of Michelangelo’s painting. It appears as though Facebook is grasping at straws. And ironically, Facebook, which should celebrate liberty, is actively curtailing it.
Regardless of Facebook’s misguided agenda, Heid remarked that he hopes the video will be a conversation starter about liberty.
“I like to think of the video as conversation starters. You could send it to an atheist friend or a Muslim friend or even a Christian friend that doesn’t see things as we might.”
Heid emphasized the video is to remind us that liberty must be tethered to the right foundation.
“It has to be tethered to something because no one can do anything that they want to do anytime they want to do it. No one has that type of abstract freedom.”
Heid said that the discussion starts at remembering where man’s slavery really begins.
“One of the things that Luther talked a lot about that really was the springboard of the Reformation and the hinge upon which a lot of this turns is that if we don’t understand that being a slave to sin is a foundational issue, we’re going to find ourselves way off track.”
Heid said that the Word of God provides a great framework for discussing the freedom of the one and the freedom of the many.
“There’s always been this battle between the one and the many. And most Americans don’t even know what you would be talking about when you said that. When we’re talking that way we’re talking about, ‘What’s more important? The guy in the pew or the church itself? The individuals in a marriage or the marriage itself? The voter or the entire populace of the United States. If you err on either one of those sides, you’re going to have anarchy on one side or you’re going to have tyranny, on the other side. What I’m positing here is that Christianity is the only thing that handles this one and the many with the equal ultimacy of the Trinity.”
Heid advised how Christians should speak out for liberty in our culture.
“The first thing we have to decide is what Christianity is going to be. If we’re going to reduce it to this idea where salvation is kind of in a closet; I go to God for my fire and life insurance; then quite rightly it doesn’t speak to other aspects of our life and culture. I’m somebody that’s going to push this more comprehensive idea of what it means to be a Christian and where does the Bible apply. I’m going to say all of the Bible for all of life.”
Heid shared a little known story that he portrays in the film about founding father Ethan Allen representing the mindset of God-given liberty.
“Ethan Allen, when he’s at the Fort Ticonderoga, as a young lieutenant, a Redcoat said to him, ‘By what authority are you on the King’s property?’ And he said, ‘By the authority of the Lord God Jehovah and the Continental Congress.’ That’s a really interesting thing because we have to start to say, ‘By what authority? Who has the authority to say this or that?’”
Heid said there needs to be a biblical awakening to reignite a desire for true freedom.
“If there’s going to be an awakening it has to be biblically centered. We have to fall back in love with God’s revealed Word and then we can’t be afraid to talk about it. We’ve got to get it out of its cage and say, ‘How is this applied?’ And then as far as liberty’s concerned, I think that liberty needs to be a byproduct of something else. If you’re faithful to God’s Word, liberty is going to be one of those very enjoyable by-products.”
To watch the short film with many of the secrets and reminders of the God-given liberty with which we have been blessed, go to www.TheLostSecretsofLiberty.com.
Heid emphasized that we can only taste liberty by seeking God, not by seeking liberty as the end goal.
This has been another Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.
Christians Urge Secretary of State Tillerson to Oppose Persecution in Sudan
Franklin Graham and Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention have urged Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to stand up against the systematic persecution of Christians in Sudan.
Christians are prohibited from rebuilding churches demolished by government officials. And because groups are also not allowed to assemble in public without government permission, Sudanese Christians cannot gather to worship God.
ISIS Kidnaps and Murders Chinese Missionaries in Pakistan
On May 24, ISIS kidnapped two Chinese missionaries in Pakistan named Meng Lisi, 26, and Li Xinheng, 24. Sadly, the Chinese government not only described their mission work “illegal,” but did not make any effort to rescue them.
Then, on June 8th, the Muslim terrorists murdered them as the Communist Chinese officials actually seized four Chinese Christians who attempted to tell their story, reports ChinaAid.org.
Tensions Between Trump’s Staff and Pence’s Staff May Cause Additional Delays
Republicans are growing concerned that the staffs of Donald Trump and Mike Pence are starting to feud, reports McClatchydc.com.
They worry that any rift could be delaying decisions, distracting aides from their already stalled legislative agenda and could lead to more infighting and leaks, problems that have plagued the White House since Inauguration Day.
25 People Shot at Rap Show in Arkansas
At least 25 people were shot at a rap show at a Little Rock, Arkansas nightclub around 2:30 am early Saturday morning, reports Fox News.
The Little Rock police chief said officers suspect multiple people fired weapons but that the incident was not terror related. No one died.
Church in Georgia Sends Oreos and Handwritten Notes to US Troops
As Independence Day is only a day away, one church in Georgia is continuing its annual Operation Oreo tradition of sending nearly three tons of the chocolate sandwich cookies to United States military personnel serving overseas.
Alpharetta First United Methodist Church collected their final donations yesterday during their “Patriotic Sunday” worship services.
Each Oreo cookies package is accompanied by a handwritten note, thanking the troops for their service and a promise to pray for their safety.
Democratic Congressman Proposes Committee to Evaluate Trump’s Fitness for Office
Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin has proposed convening a special committee of psychiatrists and other doctors whose job would be to determine if President Donald Trump is fit to serve in the Oval Office, reports The Daily Mail.
While the U.S. Constitution’s 25th Amendment does allow for a majority of the president’s cabinet to decide if the president is unable to carry out his duties – and then to put it to a full congressional vote, Vice President Mike Pence would also have to agree. Perhaps a team of psychiatrists should examine Raskin’s sanity if he thinks this stunt has a prayer.
Terri Schiavo’s Brother Speaks Up for the Medically Vulnerable
More than 10 years after Terri Schiavo’s death, her family continues to fight for the rights of the medically vulnerable, reports Life News.
Schiavo’s brother, Bobby Schindler who spoke Friday at the National Right to Life Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, said, “Terri had serious brain injuries, but she was not dying or brain dead. She was not hooked up to machines on life support; the only thing she needed was a feeding tube. This continues to happen to this day and it’s only getting worse. There are times when it is appropriate to stop treatment, but in cases like Terri’s, those who are not dying and can function on a feeding tube without rejecting it; those are the people we’re talking about.”
Paramedics in Waco, Texas Stop to Mow the Lawn for 98-Year-Old Lady
When paramedics in Waco, Texas drove past a 98-year-old woman mowing the lawn by herself in debilitating temperatures, they knew they had to turn around and do the right thing.
Paramedic Kent Haney and EMT Matt Linda of the East Texas Medical Center ambulance crew pulled their ambulance over in front of Margaret Durham’s house. They convinced her to allow them to finish mowing the lawn.
Amazingly, she’s been mowing her lawn for years.
Christian Musician Raises over $300,000 for Bereaved Bandmate
Christian musician Josh Wilson has raised more than $300,000 in two days in support of his bandmate Nathan Johnson, whose wife Megan died soon after giving birth, to their daughter Eilee Kate.
According to 5 On Your Side News, Meg had battled a heart infection and had a heart transplant previously.
After the acclaimed Christian artist created a Gofundme page in which he recalled that half of Nathan’s posts online were about his “boo,” his “beauty”, 6,824 donors raised $329,988 and shared the page 78,000 times.
In addition to covering Nathan’s living expenses for 6 months to mourn, they hope to fund his baby daughter’s college tuition.
And that’s the World View in Five Minutes.