Friday, March 15th, A.D. 2019.
By Jonathan Clark
Chinese Communist fear the “Western” influence of Christianity
Xu Xiaohong. the Chinese government official, who is over the state church of China, said that their goal is to eradicate the Christian Church.
The World View spoke to Gina Goh, International Christian Concern’s manger for Asia, about why the Chinese officials look at the Christian religion as “Western influence.”
GOH: “In China, a lot of people perceive Christianity as ‘Western faith.’ I think there’s also some historical background to it; the Chinese government believes that Christianity was spread widely through China alone through the colonial invasion of Western powers. So they always feel like there’s a threat when it comes to Christianity because the Communist Party thinks with Christianity is going to come a democracy, human rights, and all these other principles, so I think they are wary of that.”
Goh said that the sheer number of those in the Christian church in China is what really intimidates the Communists.
GOH: “Its the number of Christians that makes the government nervous, because right now the estimate is that they are about 60 million. Some people actually estimate it to be 0.1 billion of Chinese Christians. And this number actually surpassed the number of Communist party members.”
1 Chronicles 29:11 says, “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.”
Education Secretary DeVoss: Allow contracts with religious groups
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Monday that her department will no longer enforce a restriction in place “barring religious organizations from serving as contract providers of equitable services solely due to their religious affiliation.”
The move would allow school districts to contract with religious groups to provide equitable services like special education and tutoring.
Iowa Supreme Court: Taxpayers must fund transgender surgeries
The Supreme Court of Iowa ruled last Friday that taxpayers must fund transgender surgeries for people pretending to be the opposite sex as “medically necessary” through state Medicaid funds, reports the Des Moines Register.
This overturns the previous state code regarding Medicaid that banned “surgeries for the purpose of sex reassignment.”
It is the first time the highest court of a U.S. state has ruled to allocate money for such surgeries.
Jesus said in Mark 10:6, “But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’”
Trump’s transgender ban in military takes effect April 12
Meanwhile, after a long legal battle over President Donald Trump’s complete ban on transgender troops last year, a new memo from the Pentagon on Tuesday bars people from the military who need treatment for gender confusion.
As of April 12, people pretending to be the opposite sex will not be allowed to enlist, and current troops must serve in their biological gender.
Mississippi House passed Heartbeat Bill
The Mississippi state House passed the Heartbeat Bill (Senate Bill 2116) on Monday to ban the murder of unborn babies with detectable heartbeats, beginning around six weeks of pregnancy.
The Mississippi Senate voted for the bill last month, but must approve some amendments made by the House. Gov. Phil Bryant said he would sign the Heartbeat bill into law.
Vimeo terminates church’s account over opposition to homosexuality
Last month, conservative Christians held the God’s Voice Conference in Oklahoma City to promote Biblical values and truth in regards to homosexuality, reports Reformation Charlotte.
Fairview Baptist Church of Edmond, Oklahoma posted the videos on their Vimeo page. However, Vimeo terminated the church’s whole account for violating their terms of service and promoting “sexual orientation change efforts.”
Canada grounds Boeing 737 MAX jets after Ethiopian Airline crash
On Wednesday, Canada became the latest of countries around the world to ground Boeing 737 MAX jets after an Ethiopian Airlines plane of the same model crashed on Sunday, killing 157 people, reports Reuters.
The crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, which has yet to be explained, follows a similar incident five months ago when a Boeing 737 MAX jet crashed in Indonesia, killing 189 people.
How God spared the life of man who didn’t get on Ethiopian flight
And finally, God spared the life one man who intended to board Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, reports FaithWire.
Antonis Mavropoulos arrived for the flight just in time to see that boarding was closed and the last passengers were entering the plane.
Upon joining a flight he had been reassigned to, Mavropoulos recounted how a security officer “told me not to protest and say thank you to God, because I am the only passenger who did not enter the flight of 302.”
Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.”
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Friday, March 15th in the year of our Lord 2019. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldView.com. I’m Adam McManus. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
Print Stories
Family of dead U.S. missionary continues work in West Africa
The work of American missionary Michael Riddering continues on through his family after he was killed by al-Qaeda in West Africa, reports the Christian Post.
In 2011, Riddering and wife sold everything and left the U.S. to run an orphanage and women’s crisis center in West Africa in partnership with Sheltering Wings. Minutes after arriving in 2016, gunmen killed Riddering at a coffee shop.
With the help of Riddering’s family and national partners, the Sheltering Wings there has blessed over 1,000 children and provided free Christian education to 468 children.
Philippians 1:21 says, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Egypt approves only 156 churches; 3,700 still wait
Egypt’s committee for the legalization of churches approved 156 more churches last Tuesday, bringing the total to 783, reports Egypt Today.
Over 3,700 churches still await approval in the Muslim-majority country under a 2016 law regulating the construction of churches.
Prior to 2106, these recently approved churches were operating illegally.
Christians in Egypt also face violence and killings at the hands of Muslim extremists.