It’s Friday, October 11th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Adam McManus
China and North Korea partner to persecute Christians
China has subjected hundreds of North Koreans to atrocities since last year by forcibly returning them to a country whose leaders hold that religion, especially Christianity, is the greatest threat to its power, experts said at a recent U.S. hearing, reports Morning Star News.
Investigations have shown that torture, sexual violence, enslavement, and murder await those repatriated from China to detention centers in North Korea led by its Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
At the hearing of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on September 26, Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the non-governmental Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, said, “Any religious belief, and Christianity in particular, as well as South Korea, constitute the only challenges to the Kim regime’s absolute monopoly on power. Christianity offers an alternative way of life that delegitimizes tyranny and transcends oppression.”
Hanna Song, executive director of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, explained that when North Koreans are forcibly repatriated from China back to their home country, one of the first questions they will be asked by authorities is whether they have met with a missionary during their time in China.
“The answer determines the severity of punishment they will endure. If an individual admits to or is found to have had contact with a missionary, particularly one affiliated with Christianity, they’re often subject to the harshest forms of torture and imprisonment.”
Joanna Hosaniak, with Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, explained that refugees have revealed that China was using facial recognition technology to track down North Korean migrants in China. And Chinese officials rewarded those who report people aiding them. Chinese authorities share North Korea’s desire to punish those of religious belief.
She said, “The goal is religious persecution,” adding that Chinese companies cooperate in this task in a way that is tantamount to human trafficking. There is evidence that some Chinese companies are linked with North Korean companies.
According to the Open Doors 2024 World Watch List, North Korea is the most dangerous country worldwide in which to be a Christian.
Amos 5:24 says, “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
60 Minutes asks Kamala about inflation, unfair nomination, & flip flops
Appearing on a special Election Edition of “60 Minutes”, Kamala Harris talked with Bill Whitaker this past Monday night on CBS.
WHITAKER: “Groceries are 25% higher, and people are blaming you and Joe Biden for that. Are they wrong?”
HARRIS: “To your point, prices are still too high, and I know that, and we need to deal with it, which is why part of my plan, you mentioned groceries, part of my plan is what we must do to bring down the price of groceries.”
Not surprisingly, Harris never shared her plan to bring down grocery prices. So Bill Whitaker said this.
WHITAKER: “Harris says she will press Congress to pass a federal ban on price gouging for food and groceries, but details are yet to be defined.”
He asked the Vice President about whether the process of her becoming the nominee was fair.
WHITAKER: “Was democracy best served by President Biden stepping down and basically handing you a nomination. You didn’t have to go through a primary process. You didn’t have to fight off other contenders. That’s not really the way our system was intended to work.”
HARRIS: “I am proud to have received the endorsement of leaders around this country from every background and walk of life to fight in this election over the next month for our democracy.”
WHITAKER: “But I think this truncated process is why people think or say they don’t really know who you are.”
HARRIS: “Look, I’ve been in this race for 70 days.”
But she’s been Vice President for almost four years!
In light of her flip flops on multiple issues, Whitaker noted that many Americans don’t know who the real Kamala Harris is.
WHITAKER: “The reason so many voters don’t know you is that you have changed your position on so many things. You were against fracking. Now you’re for it. You supported looser immigration policies. Now you’re tightening them up. You’re for Medicare for all. Now you’re not. So many that people don’t truly know what you believe or what you stand for, and I know you’ve heard that.”
HARRIS: “In the last four years, I have been Vice President of the United States, and I have been traveling our country, and I have been listening to folks and seeking what is possible in terms of common ground. I believe in building consensus.”
Jesse Watters, a Fox News talk show host, had a pithy response to that Kamala comment,
WATTERS: “Kamala hasn’t been seeking common ground. She’s been seeking common sense. All of these positions she’s just adopted are common sense, conservative positions.
“She didn’t build consensus. She’s just agreeing with the rest of the country now to get elected.”
Tampa Bay area battered, bruised by Hurricane Milton, but still standing
In the late hours of Wednesday night, Hurricane Milton battered and bruised Tampa Bay, Florida with sustained winds of more than 100 mph. God’s power shredded Tropicana Field’s roof, uprooted grown trees, snapped power lines and toppled a massive crane into the headquarters of the Tampa Bay Times in downtown St. Petersburg, reports The Miami Herald.
So far, four people have died.
In fact, the storm dumped lots of rain — around 17 inches in parts of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties in just six hours — forcing the National Weather Service to declare a rare flash flood emergency.
But as Tampa Bay awoke Thursday, it appeared the storm didn’t measure up to the dire warnings that had been issued by local and state officials.
Along Beach Drive in downtown St. Petersburg, winds had twisted signs and left branches in the road, but many of the businesses seemed largely unscathed.
Texas couple erects cross in yard, invites people to pray
And finally, ever since Bernie and Dee Ann Tackitt of Lubbock, Texas got baptized several years ago, God has motivated them to reach out to the world with prayer, reports KCBD-TV.
In fact, Dee Ann has the habit of praying with strangers in stores and on the streets.
BERNIE: “She has a habit of finding people who need prayers. I mean, we could be in Big Lots or anywhere, and I’m looking, ‘Where’s my wife?’ She’s praying with somebody. We’ll be out in parking lot praying with somebody.”
On his birthday last year, Bernie added a large cross to the front yard.
BERNIE: “At this point in humanity, we need to pick a team. And I want everybody to know, ‘I’m with Team Jesus.’ Well, I thought I’m going to make a cross.“
They invite people to write their prayer request on a Post-It note and stick it to the cross. The couple will pray for those specific prayer requests
In fact, they have also set up their Bible bench, where people can sit, pray, and read the Bible. Plus, there are free Bibles available for anyone to take.
DEE ANN: “If you need to just sit down, have some quiet time with the Lord, come sit on my bench, talk to the Lord. Put that prayer on that cross. And you know what? Your prayer will be covered every day. If you need somebody to pray with you, please knock on the door.”
And because they believe so strongly in the power of baptism, they have also made their pool available for baptisms.
DEE ANN: “We have dedicated our home as the house of prayer for the nations.”
Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
So, if you live in the Lubbock, Texas area, or perhaps you’re just passing through, the Tackitts invite you to drop by for prayer at their home located at 3302 93rd Street. Or send your prayer request by mail. Send it to Bernie and Dee Ann Tackitt, 3302 93rd Street, Lubbock, TX 79423.
Close
And that’s The Worldview on this Friday, October 11th, in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by Amazon Music or 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.