It’s Thursday, April 20th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com).
By Jonathan Clark
300 died in Sudan, Africa
Last Saturday, fighting broke out in the African nation of Sudan between the country’s official military and its paramilitary rival. The streets of Khartoum, the country’s capital, are strewn with bodies. Nearly 300 people have died from the fighting.
Hopes for religious freedom came to Sudan after the overthrow of the brutal Islamic regime of Omar al-Bashir in 2019. A military coup two years later and the latest clashes have pushed back such hopes.
As different military groups fight for control of Sudan, Christians face new threats. Fikiru Mehari with Open Doors said, “Christians, who are already in a difficult situation, will face the war with severity because they have no one around to support them.”
Sudan is ranked 10th on the Open Doors’ World Watch List of nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
Anglican leaders consider their future
About 1,300 Anglican leaders and lay people traveled to Kigali, Rwanda for the fourth Global Anglican Future Conference this week. The conference will be considering the future of the Anglican Communion.
Anglican leaders from around the world are at odds with the Church of England and The Episcopal Church USA. The two Anglican branches among others have come out in favor of sexually perverted lifestyles.
Archbishop Foley Beach addressed the conference in Rwanda on Monday. He called on Anglicans in England and the U.S. to repent and, “Return to the teaching of the Word of God.”
Christian mailman refused to work on Sundays
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday in a case involving religion in the workplace.
Former mailman Gerald Groff is challenging the U.S. Postal Service for discriminating against his Christian practice of honoring the Lord’s Day.
He deliberately started a career as a mailman because, at the time, there were no Sunday deliveries. However, that all changed when the Postal Service contracted with Amazon to provide deliveries on Sunday. For trying to live out his faith, Groff faced disciplinary action for years before quitting.
He hopes his case will send a message. He said, “No employee should be forced to make the same decision the Postal Service forced upon me: faith or job.”
Exodus 20:8 says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Supreme Court to rule Friday on Abortion Kill Pill
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is holding out on a decision about the Abortion Kill Pill (mifepristone).
Yesterday, Justice Samuel Alito extended a temporary block on a lower-court ruling. A U.S. District Court in Texas had invalidated the F.D.A.’s approval of the Abortion Kill Pill as well as mail-delivery of the abortifacient. The move ignited a series of court rulings, bringing the issue before the Supreme Court.
A decision from the high court is not expected until Friday. For now, the Abortion Kill Pill remains legal.
Greater number of Americans are Independents
New data from Gallup shows a record 49% of U.S. adults say they are political Independents, up from 33% in 1990.
The rest of the population evenly identifies as Republican (25%) or Democrat (also 25%).
Jeff Jones with Gallup noted, “What is unusual is that as Gen X and millennials get older, they are staying independent rather than picking a party, as older generations tended to do.”
Federal Reserve expects mild recession
The Federal Reserve expects the U.S. economy to enter a recession this year. The projection comes from documents released last week.
The Fed expects the recent series of bank failures to cause a “mild recession starting later this year, with a recovery over the subsequent two years.”
75% of Americans say faith is important
And finally, a new poll from Rasmussen found that 75% of American adults say their faith is important to their everyday lives, up from 71% in 2018.
Twenty-five percent of respondents identified as Evangelical Christian, 21% as Roman Catholic, 16% as Protestant, 3% as Jewish, 1% as Muslim, 17% as some other religion, and 12% as atheist.
Evangelicals were the most likely to say their faith was important to their daily lives. The religious group was also the most likely to say that religious institutions are watering down or abandoning their traditional beliefs.
In Revelation 3:3, Jesus said, “Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, April 20th in the year of our Lord 2023. 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.