It’s Friday, February 28th, A.D. 2020. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldView.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
3 Pakistani Christians attacked by gun and ax
Three Pakistani Christians sustained major injuries on February 2 as a mob of Muslim men attacked them with guns and an ax for starting construction on a church building in a village in Punjab province.
One of the Christians, Azeem Gulzar, is now partially paralyzed after being shot in the head. Gulzar had donated a plot of land for the 150 Christians in his village to have their own building. Gulzar was just released from the hospital on Monday.
Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Pakistan, ranked as the 5th worst nation for persecution of Christian by Open Doors.
New Sudanese government leads nation in reconciliation
President Salva Kiir of South Sudan, Africa appointed four new vice presidents on Saturday, starting a new transitional government.
South Sudan gained independence from its northern neighbor Sudan in 2011 but plunged into civil war since 2013. Among the new vice presidents is former rebel leader Riek Machar.
Peace agreements have been tried before, but South Sudan’s presidency announced, “The President and all the Vice Presidents have forgiven each other and urged all the South Sudanese also to forgive them and pray for them so we embark on reconciliation, forgiveness and healing of our broken social fabric.”
Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”
Pence to lead US effort on coronavirus
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Vice President Mike Pence will be leading the administration’s response to the spreading coronavirus.
New coronavirus cases outside of China (at 459) surpassed those reported in China (at 412) for the first time yesterday.
And on Tuesday, the city of San Francisco declared a state of emergency to step-up preparedness for the potential spread of the coronavirus in northern California.
In Hong Kong, officials closed schools for two months due to the coronavirus, causing thousands of students to invest in digital learning at home as the city tries homeschooling, reports the Wall Street Journal.
In defiance of Trump, CA health care to include abortions
Last week, the state of California defied the Trump administration and renewed its mandate for health care plans to include coverage for abortions. Private health insurers and even churches are not exempt from the mandate.
Religious organizations have been fighting the mandate for years. Last month, the Trump administration threatened to cut federal funding to California if the state continued its abortion coverage mandate.
Bold pro-lifer died in car accident
Pro-life advocate Christopher F. Young, 51, died on Tuesday in a car accident in Rhode Island most likely due to a heart attack.
His last act in life was to call for Rhode Island state officials to pass legislation to protect unborn babies.
Listen to some of his last words that evening in a passionate plea to officials.
YOUNG: “What matters is God. In the end, what matters is God. And everything is clear here. Everything is clear. Your decision determines your fate. Okay? And it’s no joke. It’s nothing to profit from. Because the most profitable thing you’ll ever get is your soul. None of this other stuff matters except for your soul and the souls of the babies that you’ll be saving, and the people who are being tricked into killing their own children. You have the power here to break away from the norm, to break away from the power structure. You know, how long are you going to do this for anyways? It’s time to fight against evil. It is time to do what you were put here to do.”
2nd Circuit Court: Justice Dept can withhold money from sanctuary cities
On Wednesday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Justice Department can punish “sanctuary cities” by withholding grant money, a major victory for the Trump administration’s attempt to curb illegal immigration.
Numerous local governments have become “sanctuary cities,” indicating their approval of illegal immigrant residents and lack of cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Survey: Evangelical colleges impart most knowledge on world religions
And finally, the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey released a study about Evangelical schools and religious education.
The study found Evangelical and Protestant colleges imparted the most knowledge to students about world religions compared with Catholic, private secular, and public colleges.
The study also found that 80 percent of Evangelical students who had a high level of knowledge about world religions still identified as Evangelical as seniors.
The study found that greater knowledge of world religions at Evangelical colleges did not make students less grounded in their own faith; if anything students were more grounded.
1 Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Friday, February 28th 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.