It’s Thursday, July 23rd, 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
Morocco, Africa cracks down on Christians
Authorities in the Muslim-majority African country of Morocco are cracking down on Christianity. Some believers were arrested up to three times a week, reports Aid to the Church in Need.
Arrested Christians experience interrogation, harassment, and abuse, and are pressured to return to Islam.
In Morocco, proselytizing or converting to a religion other than Islam is punishable with prison terms of six months to three years.
3,000 Iranian Muslims coming to Christ monthly
While Iran is facing the COVID-19 pandemic, protests, and military tensions, a spiritual revival is touching the country as thousands of Muslims are turning to Christ.
Mike Ansari, who runs Mohabat TV, a popular Christian satellite channel in Iran, told CBN News that 3,000 Iranians have been converting to Christianity per month since March.
ANSARI: “We are registering around 3,000 personal decisions by Iranian Muslims to leave Islam for Christianity during this revival. That’s why we call this a pandemic of hope.”
California churches suing the state over COVID lockdown
Multiple California churches are suing the state over coronavirus lockdown restrictions on their worship practices.
Liberty Counsel filed a suit last week on behalf of Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena against California’s restrictions on in-person religious gatherings which even target the church’s “critical ministries of home group Bible studies.”
The ACLJ filed another suit last week on behalf of three churches in northern California, challenging Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ban on singing and chanting activities in places of worship.
Both cases noted California has put restrictions on worship while supporting large protests.
Proverbs 24:23 says, “It is not good to show partiality in judgment.”
Only 44% of Americans say belief in God necessary for morality
Globally, over 50 percent of people say God, prayer, and religion are important in their lives, according to a study by Pew Research of 43 countries across six continents.
However, the study found that people in emerging economies compared with advanced economies were more likely to say that religion is important in their lives.
In America, while 70 percent of people say that religion is important in their lives, only 44 percent of them said it was necessary to believe in God to be moral.
Louisiana Governor calls for 3 days of prayer and fasting
Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards called for three days of prayer and fasting during a press conference last week in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
EDWARDS: “We’ll be doing lunch fasting for those three days, and certainly praying as well. Praying for the people of Louisiana. Praying for those who are sick. Praying for those who care for those who are sick. And certainly praying for the families of those who have passed on.”
Louisiana’s Department of Health reports over 99,000 cases of coronavirus and over 3,500 deaths as of yesterday.
Ohio, Illinois representatives guilty of bribery
Federal officials have implicated multiple state representatives in huge bribery schemes.
FBI agents arrested Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder on Tuesday along with four associates in a $60 million federal bribery case.
And Democratic Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan also faces charges in a bribery scheme. The utility company ComEd agreed to pay a $200-million fine in connection with the case.
Proverbs 17:23 says, “A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back to pervert the ways of justice.”
U.S. retail sales up 7.5%
U.S. retail sales were up by 7.5 percent last month as many businesses resumed operations after coronavirus lockdowns.
With a new wave of coronavirus cases following reopening, some regions are enforcing new lockdowns or pausing reopening, affecting business.
Texas town becomes 14th Lone Star sanctuary town
And finally, on Monday, East Mountain, Texas became the 14th city in the state to become a “sanctuary city for the unborn.”
The city council voted in favor of an ordinance to outlaw the murder of unborn babies in the city and to prevent abortion mills from opening there.
Mark Dickson, the man who led the fight for the ordinance, talked to KETK-TV.
DICKSON: “We have outlawed abortion. And we want to see more cities throughout Texas stand up and say definitively, ‘Babies will never be murdered in this city.’”
Amos 5:15 says, “Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, July 23rd, 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.