It’s Thursday, August 10th, 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
Letters from American Christians prompted prisoners release
Praise God! Officials in Eritrea, Africa released 13 Christians from prison two weeks ago. The prisoners included seven women and six men who had been detained for 10 years for their faith.
The African Christians were released after American Christians wrote letters urging the Eritrean Embassy in Washington, D.C. on behalf of their imprisoned brothers and sisters in Christ.
Open Doors estimates at least a thousand Christians are indefinitely detained in the African nation. Since 2002, the government has ordered the closure of any churches outside the Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran denominations.
Eritrea is ranked 4th on the Open Doors World Watch List of nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
Haitian kidnappers release American nurse and daughter
In related news, kidnappers in Haiti released an American nurse and her young daughter this week, reports The Associated Press.
The nurse, Alix Dorsainvil, was working in the country with the non-profit El Roi Haiti. Nearly two weeks ago, armed men took her and her daughter captive. The kidnappers demanded a one million dollar ransom. This is common for gangs that are very active in the country.
Yesterday, El Roi Haiti shared the news of Alix’s release. They said, “We are so thankful for everyone who joined us in prayer and supported us during this crisis. ‘El Roi’ is a Hebrew name of the God of the Bible that means ‘the God who sees.’ It is with that vision that we now rest upon God’s truth that, ‘In His kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So, after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation’ (1 Peter 5:10).”
World Bank cuts funding for Uganda over homosexuality
The Washington, D.C.-based World Bank has cut funding to Uganda over the country’s new law against homosexuality.
On Tuesday, the global financial organization stated, “Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group’s values. We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a livable planet can only succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality. This law undermines those efforts. Inclusion and non-discrimination sit at the heart of our work around the world.”
Uganda’s U.N. representative, Adonia Ayebare, responded on Twitter, now known as X. He said, “The values referred to in taking this draconian decision against Uganda are not universal, they are contested.”
Elon Musk rebrands Twitter as X
Speaking of the social media company, Elon Musk rebranded Twitter as X last month. The tech billionaire said his acquisition of Twitter was “an accelerant to creating X, the everything app.” The goal of the app would be to include not only a social media platform, but also messaging and mobile payments.
Musk has also said he acquired Twitter to protect free speech. In line with that, he wrote on X last Saturday, “If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill. No limit. Please let us know.”
$20 million identified as payments to Biden Family
The House Oversight Committee released a memo yesterday, identifying over $20 million in payments from foreign sources to the Biden family and their business associates.
The payments came from Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan during Joe Biden’s Vice Presidency.
House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer said in a statement, “It appears no real services were provided other than access to the Biden network, including Joe Biden himself. And Hunter Biden seems to have delivered. This is made clear by meals at Café Milano where then-Vice President Joe Biden dined with oligarchs from around the world who had sent money to his son.”
Ohio voters clear way for abortion up until baby’s birthday
On the August 8th edition of Generations Radio, entitled “The Abortion Vote for the Country,” Mark Harrington, founder of the pro-life group, Created Equal, explained the background on a critical vote yesterday in Ohio.
HARRINGTON: “Pro-abortion activists have targeted the state because we have a 50% plus one vote in order to change the Ohio Constitution. We’re in the minority. There are only 10 states in the Union that allow for that, and that’s why they’ve targeted Ohio.”
Sadly, on Tuesday, Ohio voters definitively rejected a closely watched proposal known as “Issue 1” that would have made it more difficult to amend the state constitution. The Associated Press said the measure was failing by a margin of 57.01% to 42.99%. This delivered a crucial victory to abortion supporters ahead of a November vote to affirm abortion in the Ohio Constitution, reports CBS News.
Harrington explained what the pro-abortion activists want to accomplish with their November ballot measure which will only require now a 50% plus one vote.
HARRINGTON: “The ballot measure that would expand abortion up to the very moment of birth in Ohio.”
If the Ohio voters yesterday had raised the threshold to 60%, which would have been in line with the U.S. Constitution, it would have made it much more difficult for the pro-abortion activists to win in November.
Fear reigns supreme in Protestant churches
And finally, Lifeway Research reports that fear is common in Protestant churches.
The survey found that 69% of Protestant pastors believe there is a growing sense of fear in their congregations about the future of the nation and the world. However, that number is down from 76% in 2010.
Sixty-three percent of pastors also see a growing fear about the future of Christianity in the U.S. and around the world.
Psalm 46 reminds us, “God is our refuge and strength. … Therefore, we will not fear, even though the Earth be removed. … Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the Earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, August 10th 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.