It’s Tuesday, September 1st, A.D. 2020. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Kevin Swanson
L.A. County to MacArthur: You have 30 days to get off our land
Now, the County of Los Angeles has actually threatened to evict Pastor John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church from land leased from the county, effective October 1st. The church has held the lease for 45 years.
In a letter dated August 28th, the County of Los Angeles said, “If Grace [Community Church] fails to vacate the premise as required, the District may enter the premises and remove Grace’s personal property in accordance with the Agreement and applicable law, and Grace will be responsible for any resultant expenses incurred by the District.”
Santa Clara, CA pastor: “We have the right to worship!”
And North Valley Baptist Church, located in Santa Clara, California, has been fined $10,000 for meeting indoors and singing praise to God.
On a Facebook video post, Senior Pastor Jack Trieber said they complied with orders for 24 weeks. But now he notes, “You can’t have any law against assembling in God’s house. None. I know we have a Constitutional right to worship, but we have a Higher Power that we answer to. I have a biblical mandate.”
Pastor Trieber was horrified that the civil magistrates overstepped their jurisdiction and demanded that the church stop meeting.
TRIEBER: “Yesterday, the county came in, they posted on our doors on Friday that we have to ‘cease and desist.’ Those words are horrifying to me — that someone can post that a church in America has to cease.
“You can’t make laws against the church. We have the right to worship. But more than the right from the Constitution, we have a command from God. One of the things that’s amazing we were cited yesterday for was we’re not permitted to sing. So, yesterday morning, a fine of $5,000 and Sunday night a fine of $5,000. They’re ratcheting everything up. This is America! To think that a person can say you cannot sing at church. I am willing to take a stand.
“We need to get back to worshiping God. I am commanded to worship God. So, yesterday Acts 4 and 5, we heard their threatenings. They said, ‘We command you not to teach or preach in this name.’ Here they said, ‘We command you not to sing or speak inside a building.’
(Watch the entire 9-minute video. It’s powerful!)
KY might outlaw Christian counseling for minors drawn to homosexuality
The Kentucky state legislature might join 20 other states which have already banned so-called “conversion therapy” for youth who are drawn to the sin of homosexual lust and behavior.
The legislation targets Christian counselors and others who might discourage homosexuality and encourage repentance for those under 18. The Kentucky legislation only effects licensed counselors.
Only 12,000 U.S. deaths attributed solely to COVID-19
A new Centers for Disease Control report announced that 94% of COVID-19 deaths were attributed to multiple contributing conditions, chief of which were influenza, respiratory failure, hypertensive disease, and diabetes. This year, these multiple-condition-attributed COVID-19 deaths amount to about 6% of the total deaths of the country.
The study concluded that only about 12,000 U.S. deaths in total could be attributed exclusively to the COVID-19 virus.
Living in sin is a disaster for the children
A study issued by the Center for Social Justice in the UK in 2020 found that children living with a cohabiting couple are four times worse off than those kids living with married parents.
By the time they turn five years old, 53% of those kids living with cohabiting parents will experience parental separation. That happens just 15% of the time for kids living with married parents. And the study notes that 70% of young offenders in the correctional facilities come from broken homes. According to Census data, the ratio of cohabitating couples to married couples in the U.S. grew from 1% in 1970 to 14% in 2018.
Galatians 6:7 declares, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
Liberty Univ. board hires top forensics team to investigate
As of yesterday afternoon, the board of Liberty University announced a full investigation into “all facets” of Jerry Falwell Jr.’s tenure as president of the institution. The university will hire a leading forensics team to investigate “including, but not limited to, financial, real estate, and legal matters.”
The board has committed to “a new role in the top leadership of the University for someone who will serve as a spiritual coach, mentor, and guide to help ensure that every member of the University leadership fulfills his or her spiritual responsibility to live out the Christian walk expected of each and every one of us at Liberty.”
Biden and Pelosi plan to push abortion, oppose Hyde Amendment
The Los Angeles Times reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced she plans to push for abortion funding during the 2021 session — detaching the Hyde Amendment from the budget bill.
And Democrat Presidential nominee Joe Biden has also announced his opposition to the Hyde Amendment limitations on federal funding of abortion. This constitutes a break from 40 years of support for the Hyde Amendment among Democrats.
1.66 million acres burned in CA, Next 3 months could be worse
California’s devastating fires this season have blackened some 1.66 million acres. But the season isn’t over yet.
September through November are typically the worst months for the Golden State. The National Weather Service has announced that “Over the next week or two, we will be at the climatological peak of fire weather season in northwest California, and fuel conditions are near or exceeding critical thresholds over much of [the] area.”
By God’s grace, the three lightning complex fires surrounding San Francisco were over 50% contained over the weekend.
BUT Hebrews 12:29 declares “Let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Tuesday, September 1st, in the year of our Lord 2020. 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.