It’s Wednesday, February 15th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Pray for release of Mission Aviation Fellowship pilot
Mission Aviation Fellowship is inviting Christians around the world to join today in prayer and fasting for the release of one of their pilots.
Officials in Mozambique, Africa unlawfully detained 31-year-old Ryan Koher last November. The missionary pilot faces false charges and has been denied bail. He was on his way to fly supplies to orphanages in the country. Now, he has been separated from his wife, Annabelle, and their two sons for months.
Annabelle shared some prayer requests in a video message.
ANNABELLE: “As you’re praying today, I ask that you would pray for Ryan to be comforted by the Lord, as he draws nearer to Him and studies His Word. Pray that God would use this time to grow and deepen Ryan’s faith.
“Pray that God would give Ryan the words to say to those he encounters, that they would hear the goodness of the Gospel, and see the peace of God in Ryan’s life.”
You can also send prayers and words of encouragement to PrayForPilotRyan@maf.org.
The apostle Paul wrote from prison in Philippians 1:19, “I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.
Church of England greenlights blessings for sodomite couples
Last Thursday, the general synod of the Church of England voted to authorize blessing ceremonies for homosexual couples.
Between the House of Bishops, House of Clergy, and House of Laity, 56% of members voted in favor of the motion. Support for the motion was most pronounced in the House of Bishops, while opposition was most pronounced in the House of Laity.
Ahead of the vote, synod member Luke Appleton called on the Church of England to return to God’s standards.
Listen.
APPLETON: “How can it be right to say to the world that our doctrine is the marriage between one man and woman for life, in accordance with Cannon A5 and Matthew 19, and in the next breath be issuing prayers and liturgies inconsistent with that position? That is hypocrisy. That is below the standard that God calls us to.”
Supreme Court reconsidering religious liberty case
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider accepting an appeal in a religious liberty case.
Back in 2014, the City of Ocala, Florida held a public prayer vigil after a drive-by shooting left several children injured. Atheists claimed the move violated the First Amendment. They even received “offended observer” status from a district court.
Abigail Southerland with the American Center for Law and Justice told The Epoch News, “This is the only area of law in which ‘offended observer’ status has been recognized by lower courts … the Supreme Court has indicated that offended observer standing is not sufficient standing to bring an Establishment Clause case or claim.”
Missouri Attorney General investigating Pediatric Transgender Center
Last Thursday, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office confirmed it has launched an investigation into the Pediatric Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Officials are responding to a sworn affidavit from a former employee. She accuses the center of causing permanent harm to many children.
Missouri’s Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey said, “We take this evidence seriously and are thoroughly investigating to make sure children are not harmed by individuals who may be more concerned with a radical social agenda than the health of children.”
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem bans sex-change surgeries for kids
Meanwhile, South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem signed the “Help Not Harm” bill on Monday. The new law bans sex change surgeries and puberty blockers for children.
And last week, two medical boards in Florida voted to expand prohibitions on chemical and genital mutilation of children. The vote closed a loophole that allowed colleges to give puberty blockers and transgender surgeries to students.
Ohio train derailment threatens environment with spilled toxic chemicals
Around 9 p.m. on Friday, February 3, a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, a village of 4,700 residents 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, reported The New York Times.
There were 150 cars on the route from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating, said on February 14 that 38 cars derailed and a fire ensued, which damaged another 12 cars.
The train, operated by Norfolk Southern, had been carrying chemicals and combustible materials for the production of plastic and paint manufacturing. Vinyl chloride, a toxic flammable gas, is the one of primary concern to investigators. A huge fire erupted from the derailment, sending thick billowing smoke into the sky and over the town. Residents on both sides of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border were ordered to evacuate.
Resident Melissa Henry told CBS News that she evacuated with her son.
HENRY: “It smelled like really, really strong paint thinner and then his eyes turned, like bloodshot, and he started coughing and I was, like, ‘Yeah, we’re leaving!’”
The derailment has caused concerns about air, soil and water pollution.
On February 10, the Environmental Protection Agency said that about 20 rail cars were reported to have been carrying hazardous materials
Another local East Palestine, Ohio resident, Linda Murphy, expressed concern about dead fish in a number of different waterways.
MURPHY: “There were several dead fish floating at multiple locations. That’s what we bathe I, that’s what we drink, that’s what we cook with and they could not reassure me that the water was safe.”
65% of voters respect politician who sticks to his gov’t
And finally, a new survey by Summit Ministries found most Americans say they respect people who maintain their religious convictions despite cultural pressure.
According to the study, 65% of voters have more respect for people who hold to their religious beliefs despite trends in the culture.
This was true especially of Republicans (80%) and Independents (66%). Fifty percent of Democrats also respected religious conviction.
Dr. Jeff Myers, President of Summit Ministries, said, “The cancel culture tells us we must give up our religious beliefs to fit in. But that’s not how most Americans see it.”
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 says, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, February 15th in the year of our Lord 2023. 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.