Francis Chan: COVID-19 gives Church opportunity, L.A. sheriff closes gun stores, Biden leads Trump in swing counties

It’s Wednesday, March 25th, A.D. 2020. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus.

By Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com)

Two Nigerian Christian women released from captivity

Praise God! Saratu Zubairu, the wife of Nigerian Diocese Bishop Idris Zubairu, and a diocesan secretary identified as Deborah were both released on Friday, March 20th by their Muslim abductors, reports International Christian Concern.

The two women had been taken by Muslim gunmen on March 10th.

Biden has lead over Trump in swing counties

Joe Biden has a substantial lead over President Donald Trump in 300 of the crucial so-called swing counties that could determine the November election, according to a new poll, reports MSN.com.

The Monmouth University poll, taken last week, showed that 50% of voters in crucial swing counties backed Biden, while only 41% backed Trump.

Wall Street has best day since 1933

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged to its best day since 1933 as Congress and the White House neared a deal on Tuesday to inject nearly $2 trillion of aid into an economy ravaged by the coronavirus, reports the Associated Press.

The Dow burst 11.4% higher, while the more closely followed S&P 500 index leapt 9.4% as a wave of buying around the world interrupted what has been a brutal month of nearly non-stop selling of stocks.

53,660 Americans have coronavirus, 703 have died

At this point, 53,660 Americans have contracted the coronavirus, resulting in the deaths of 703 people.

You can look at the nationwide and worldwide Coronavirus Sick Map in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com.

Isaiah 41:13 says, “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.’”

Los Angeles County Sheriff closes gun stores

In a sit-down interview with FOX 11, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva declared gun stores as non-essential businesses that will be forced to close.

VILLANUEVA: “We will be closing them. Yes because they are non- essential.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff Villanueva went on to say, “I’m a supporter of the Second Amendment. I’m a gun owner myself, but now you have the mixture of people that are not formerly gun owners and you have a lot more people at home.  Anytime you introduce a firearm in a home, from what I understand from CDC studies, it increases four-fold the chance that someone is going to get shot.”

Clorox and Lysol are effective at killing coronavirus on hard surfaces

As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that an outbreak of the coronavirus is inevitable in the U.S., a growing question is whether household disinfectants can stop it.

Lysol and Clorox have long been touted as having the ability to kill 99.9 percent of germs, often on contact, reports TheHill.com.

That includes diseases such as flu strains, E. coli and salmonella. While Lysol’s label lists “human coronavirus” as one of the pathogens it can wipe out, it does not include the novel coronavirus now known as COVID-19; The one it references is the strain that causes the common cold.

So, the question remains:  Can they kill the novel coronavirus, COVID-19?

The answers are somewhat reassuring.  Bleach-based products like Clorox are likely to destroy the virus on hard surfaces, since they have worked on similar pathogens such as SARS. Clorox wipes, for example, work against rotavirus.

And Lysol, which uses hydrogen peroxide, has also been proven against similar viruses, but on hard, nonporous surfaces (rather than porous ones, such as paper or fabric).

Other keys include “social distancing”, washing your hands for 20 seconds, and resisting the temptation to touch your face.

Francis Chan: “This is one of greatest opportunities we’ve ever had as a Church.”

Evangelist Francis Chan encouraged the Church to view the coronavirus pandemic as “one of our greatest opportunities to reach a lost world and show them we haven’t lost our love, joy, and peace” instead of succumbing to fear and anxiety, reports the Christian Post.

CHAN: “During this time that you really be thinking, ‘God, I love you. What do you want me to do out of love for You?’ And to be looking at the others around you in love? ‘God, how can I serve these people?’  Because this is this is one of the greatest opportunities we’ve ever had as a church where people are open to talking about serious things, life and death things.”

In a March 20th 11-minute video message posted on his Crazy Love YouTube channel, Chan said, “We can do all things through Christ, and that means even during this time.”

The Crazy Love author encouraged Christians to not lose their love for others amid the outbreak, offering the reminder that believers are “supposed to be people who are loving, that are concerned that hundreds of people every day are dying, and many headed to an eternity apart from Christ.”

In February, Chan, his wife and their seven children moved to Hong Kong to become international missionaries.

The sacrificial act of an Italian priest

And finally, an elderly Italian priest, infected with the coronavirus, gave up a respirator his parishioners had purchased for him, giving it to a younger patient — and then died from the deadly bug, reports the New York Post.

The Rev. Giuseppe Berardelli, age 72, refused to take the respirator while in a hospital after finding out the other patient — who was a complete stranger to him — also needed it, according to the BBC.

Some have compared the late Berardelli with Maximilian Kolbe, who in Auschwitz, volunteered to take the place of a condemned man with a family, and was killed.

John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Close

And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, March 25th 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.

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Christian film “I Still Believe” moves to Video On Demand March 27

The new Christian film I Still Believe will soon be available to watch at home on video-on-demand platforms to accommodate moviegoers during the nationwide shutdown of theaters, reports the Christian Post.

“I Still Believe” chronicles the story of how award-winning Christian singer Jeremy Camp fell in love with and married Melissa Lynn Henning, who died in 2001, less than a year after they were wed.

The film stars country singer Shania Twain, who plays the role of Camp’s mother opposite actor Gary Sinise, who portrays Camp’s father. Actress Britt Robertson gives a stellar performance of Camp’s late wife, Melissa, and the role of Camp is performed by New Zealander K.J. Apa.

The Lionsgate film, made with a budget of $12 million, brought in over $9 million in ticket sales. In order for the Christian film to continue its success, viewers are encouraged to watch it on Video On Demand starting March 27th.

Watch the trailer here.

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