It’s Friday, December 27th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. Filling in for Adam McManus, I’m Ean Leppin.
Ministry distributes Bibles in Ukraine
Reported by the Christian Post, a ministry based in Texas is printing and distributing Bibles and other gospel-centered materials through a vast network of churches and Christian organizations to Eastern Europe. The organization is the Eastern European Mission, or the EEM. This year, the EEM had a goal to distribute 970,000 Bibles and other Christian-based materials in over 30 countries in total and in 20 different languages.
This includes the war-torn country of Ukraine. In fact, requests for materials have increased. Vice President of the EEM, Dirk Smith, says, “God uses evil, and this war is definitely not from a good place…”
However, nonbelievers are looking at the believers and wanting to know how they are handling these terrible circumstances. Believers are needing more material to share Christ in these trying times.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 6.8 million refugees from Ukraine are recorded globally, and nearly 4 million people are displaced in Ukraine as of November.
Romans 10:14-15: How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Canadian pastor sentenced on December 23
A pastor named Derek Reimer of Mission 7 Ministries in Calgary appeared in court for sentencing back on November 27 after being found guilty in August of criminal harassment and 4 counts of breaching bail conditions—all of this stemming from a conversation with a service delivery manager of a public library.
According to Rebel News.com, Pastor Reimer approached the manager at Saddletowne Public Library to ask why the library was hosting events where adults dressed in drag and read books to children, often encouraging the children’s exploration of sexual identity and promoting non-traditional values. The manager refused to engage in the conversation and asked Reimer to leave, which he did, but did comment that he would likely return to protest. Reimer also posted about this interaction on his social media, voicing his disapproval. Even though the manager, Shannon Slater, never submitted a victim impact statement to the Canadian Court, Pastor Reimer was still convicted on Dec 23rd. Justice Molle delivered his sentence, including, among other things, a $500 fine, 12 months of house arrest, and 2 years of probation. During his sentence, he must also write an apology letter to the manager Shannon Slater, be banned within 300 meters of a public library on days with a scheduled Reading with Royalty event, and is even prohibited from “entertaining friends at his personal home.” See the full list of his required punishment in his sentencing in the link in our transcript at TheWorldview.com.
Hebrews 10:22-23: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
Chaos at airport in Phoenix
Chaos erupted the day after Christmas at the Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. The Associated Press reports that around 9:45pm on Dec 26th, a group of people at an airport restaurant had a disagreement that escalated to the point that one man pulled out a gun and another man pulled out a knife. An adult female and 2 males were shot, leaving the female with life-threatening injuries. The two men were in stable condition, including another man with a stab wound. Two hours later, in an unrelated incident, another man showed up with a bag full of guns after he had received a text saying there was an active shooter at the airport. He began to distribute guns to other people at the airport before he was stopped by a police officer. The man struggled with the officer and had to be detained. Phoenix police are still investigating.
Christian Posts’ top-five stories on Christian entertainment in 2024
And finally, Christian Post.com has released their top five stories that defined Christian entertainment in 2024. See the full list in our transcript, but here are the top 3.
Number 3: The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris back in July. Many notable people responded, including Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs, Actress Candace Cameron Bure, and Pastor Greg Laurie. Franklin Graham commented, “Even more than being disrespectful to Christians, I would be concerned about being disrespectful to God. His word tells us, ‘Be not deceived, God is not mocked.’ It would be nice if President Biden, a Catholic, would issue a statement condemning this. Whether you’re Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican or Protestant, it is offensive.”
Number 2: Two high-profile baptisms made news this year of actors Russell Brand and Denzel Washington. Brand has been very vocal about his conversion and continues to speak out about his experience with the Lord and his spiritual journey on social media.
Denzel Washington told Esquire magazine “If God can do this for me, there’s nothing He can’t do for you. The sky literally is the limit and there’s no limit to the sky.” When asked if he was unafraid to discuss his faith in the light of what Hollywood might think he simply replied, “I don’t care what anyone thinks … I’m free now.”
Number 1 was the surprising passing of Christian singer Mandisa on April 18th at the age of 47. Mandisa was very open about her struggles with depression and anxiety and how her faith helped her overcome those difficulties. Her rise to fame started on the reality show American Idol in 2006. Her album Overcomer, released in 2013, won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album. During her career, she sold 1.6 million albums. One of her favorite passages was Psalm 13. Verses 5 and 6 say, “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview on this Friday, December 27th, 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. Filling in for Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com), I’m Ean Leppin. Feel free to email me at contact@eanvoiceit.com. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.