It’s Tuesday, February 6th, AD 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Kevin Swanson
Vietnamese Christian given 4.5-year prison sentence
The People’s Court of Phu Yen in Vietnam has sentenced religious freedom activist Nay Y. Blang to four years and six months in prison for the crime of “abusing democratic freedoms” during the trial on January 26, 2024, reports Radio Free Asia.
Pastor Blang used his private home in the eastern coastal province of Phu Yen to gather for meetings, pray, and have online fellowship with some key figures of the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ, a church which is not recognized nor approved by the Communist Vietnamese government.
He was falsely accused of “gathering forces, dividing the national unity bloc, inciting secession, self-rule, and establishing a separate state for ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands.”
Nicaragua unfairly jailed 11 pastors
The Nicaraguan government has jailed 11 pastors, and fined an American missionary for eight evangelistic campaigns conducted last year, accusing them of “organized crime.”
The government has indicted dozens of Catholic Churches as well, and removed hundreds of Evangelical groups thus far.
Mountain Gateway, a Protestant Christian group led by Britt Hancock, an American missionary, inspired 200,000 people to attend a crusade in the capital city of Managua last year.
Hancock talked to Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, on Washington Watch, about the amazing openness of the Nicaraguan people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
HANCOCK: “Every space that we got for a campaign, God filled it up with extremely desperate people. We did eight evangelism campaigns starting in February. We did the last one in November. We ended up getting the national plaza called the Plaza de Fe in Managua. We had 200,000 people the second night there. It was just a massive response.”
Sadly, the Nicaraguan government has put a stop to it, falsely claiming that Mountain Gateway is guilty of money laundering and organized crime. Mountain Gateway denied these false allegations. Indeed, the Evangelical group has diligently followed all legal requirements in the U.S. and Nicaragua that apply to non-profit and faith-based groups.
Britt Hancock himself has been indicted. In addition, six Latin American countries, including Mexico, have agreed to arrest him if he enters these countries, and will extradite him to the Nicaraguan government.
MacArthur removes Alistair Begg from conference over controversial remarks
The Christian Post reports that Pastor Alistair Begg, the host of “Truth for Life” heard on 1,800 Christian radio stations, has been removed from John MacArthur’s Shepherd’s Conference speakers’ lineup.
The reason? He made controversial comments encouraging a grandmother to attend her grandson’s wedding to a transgender person.
On his broadcast, Begg summarized her concerns this way.
BEGG: “My grandson is about to be married to a transgender person. I don’t know what to do about this, and I’m calling to ask you to tell me what to do,’ which is a huge responsibility. People may not like this answer, but I asked the grandmother, ‘Does your grandson understand your belief in Jesus?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Does your grandson understand that your belief in Jesus makes it such that you can’t countenance, in any affirming way, the choices that he has made in life?’ ‘Yes.’
“I said, ‘Well, then okay, as long as he knows that, then I suggest that you do go to the ceremony, and I suggest that you buy them a gift.’ ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘What?’ She was caught off guard. I said, ‘Well, here’s the thing. Your love for them may catch them off guard, but your absence will simply reinforce the fact that they said these people are what I always thought — judgmental, critical.’ It is a fine line, isn’t it?”
World Magazine founder Joe Belz has died
Christian Education advocate and founder of World Magazine Joel Belz died on Sunday at 82 years of age. Joel launched World Magazine in 1986, and served as Moderator for the PCA General Assembly in 2003.
World News Group includes an editorial staff of about 60 reporters, editors, producers, and designers. Together, they reach an audience of 500,000 readers and listeners.
Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 seem especially appropriate as we consider the life of Joel Belz. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
King Charles III has cancer
In the providence of God, King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer, reports the BBC. Neither the type of his cancer nor the stage of his cancer has been revealed.
The 75-year-old monarch was coronated 10 months ago, after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Catholic Church split over Pope’s urging to bless homosexual relationships
The Rome-based Catholic Church is experiencing a worldwide division on the Pope’s encouragement of blessings for homosexual relationships, reports LifeSiteNews.com.
Supporting the move are Catholics in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, and Spain.
However, Catholic leadership in Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Hungary, and Poland oppose the Pope’s recommendation.
30-year mortgage rate over 7% again
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate popped back up over 7%, reports Mortgage News Daily. It’s the first time since last December.
Senate’s $118 billion bipartisan aid bill for Ukraine, Israel, and border
The U.S. Senate is considering a bill containing $118.2 billion of bipartisan aid for Ukraine, Israel, and the southern U.S. border, reports The New York Post. It includes $60.1 billion for Ukraine aid, $14.1 billion for Israel and $20.2 billion to handle the illegal immigration problems on the U.S. border.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing a bill which would only fund Israel’s war against Hamas, reports CNBC.
Los Angeles’ downpour
And finally, Los Angeles, California is getting drenched. Rainfall of 6.35 inches has fallen in 24 hours from Sunday morning to Monday morning, reports KTLA.
The city of Anchorage, Alaska has received over 100 inches of snow this year, reports FoxWeather. That’s approaching a record for the city of 134 inches. So far, 8.3 feet of snow, and there are reports of commercial roofs collapsing throughout the city.
Plus, New Jersey and Tennessee have also seen record snowfalls this year.
Jeremiah 5:23-24 offers Biblical insight.
“But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart; They have revolted and departed. They do not say in their heart, ‘Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.’”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Tuesday, February 6th in the year of our Lord 2024. 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.