It’s Wednesday, March 9th, A.D. 2022. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Iran seeks to reduce Christian presence
York University Professor Farhad Rezaei reports the government of Iran is behind a campaign to reduce Christianity in the Middle East.
In a recent presentation, Rezaei said it’s not just Muslim jihadist groups that are persecuting Christians in the Middle East. Iran has been suppressing Christian populations in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. Under Iran’s campaign, Christians in these countries face confiscation of property, detention, torture, abduction, and death.
The Christian populations of Iraq and Syria alone have fallen between 70% and 90%.
Rezaei attributed Iran’s campaign in part to a “new Shi’ism” that views Christians as “pollution.” No wonder Iran is listed as the ninth worst country in the world for the persecution of Christians.
Jesus said in John 15:20, “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
406 Ukrainians killed & 801 injured
The United Nations has recorded 1,207 civilian casualties in Ukraine since Russia invaded the country on February 24. The casualties include 406 people killed and 801 injured.
An estimated two million refugees have fled Ukraine.
In Russia, authorities have arrested over 10,000 people who are protesting the conflict.
Biden bans Russian oil
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports.
He said, “Today, I’m announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy. We’re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy. That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable to us ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine.”
About 8% of U.S. and U.K. oil imports come from Russia.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida called for America to produce its own oil.
RUBIO: “I’m happy that the President has announced the ban on Russian oil imports. We import about 200,000 barrels of Russian oil a day. And we can easily replace that by just producing 200,000 barrels a day more of our own oil. We can easily do that very quickly. We don’t need oil from Iran. We don’t need oil from Venezuela. In fact, Venezuela can’t even produce enough oil. At this moment, they’re less than 1% of the global production.
“So, part one of the plan is in place. We’re not buying oil from Russia. Now we have to do part two. We should replace it with American oil, not Saudi oil, not Iranian oil, not Venezuelan oil.”
Meanwhile, the European Union said it will phase out gas, oil, and coal imports from Russia by 2030. Forty percent of European Union natural gas imports come from Russia.
British Christian doctor allowed to help do abortion pill reversals
Praise God! The General Medical Council in the U.K. lifted restrictions on a Christian doctor who was providing abortion pill reversals to women.
The General Medical Council had banned Dr. Dermot Kearney from providing the life-saving treatment. He challenged the decision which the country’s High Court was set to hear this week. However, the General Medical Council dropped the ban ahead of the hearing.
Kearney had helped 20 women save their babies.
Psalm 43:1 says, “Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!”
Arkansas county declared itself pro-life
On Monday, Newton County, Arkansas passed a resolution declaring itself a pro-life county.
Newton County joins 23 other counties, cities, and towns in Arkansas that have passed pro-life resolutions.
Last year, Arkansas passed a bill that affirmed the right of local jurisdictions to declare themselves pro-life.
Texas Children’s Hospital no longer allows transgender mutilations
The largest pediatric hospital in the U.S. announced last week it will no longer offer transgender procedures and hormone prescriptions.
This comes after Republican Governor Greg Abbott called on state agencies to investigate transgender treatments as child abuse.
In response to the hospital’s decision, Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said, “Glad to hear that, today, Texas Children’s Hospital halted their child-abuse procedures.”
Majority of Brits approve of sexual perversion
A YouGov survey found that people in England are increasingly supportive of people living in vile passions with members of the same sex.
Sixty-three percent of the general public in England support it this year, up from 46% in 2013. Meanwhile, 55% of Anglicans also support faux homosexual marriage, up from 38% in 2013.
Among Anglican respondents, women and young people were the most likely to support such abhorrent unions.
First ever heart/thymus transplant
And finally, U.S. doctors have performed the first combined heart and thymus transplant, potentially pioneering a new transplant treatment.
Months after the historic surgery, Baby Easton is doing fine now.
Normally, a heart transplant would require lifelong, immune-suppressing drugs to keep the patient from rejecting the new organ. However, in God’s providence, Easton had another condition: his thymus did not function properly, the very organ which helps the immune system identify foreign cells.
Dr. Joseph Turek at Duke University Hospital in Durham, NorthCarolins, said, “There’s a chance that by taking [the thymus] from the same donor, the body will recognize the heart as self.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, March 9th, in the year of our Lord 2022. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.