It’s Thursday, April 1st, A.D. 2021. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Nigerian Muslims killed 2,800 people, mostly Christians, in 2020
International Christian Concern released their 2020 fact sheet on religious freedom in Nigeria.
Boko Haram and Muslim Fulani herdsmen, the two Islamic extremist groups there, are the main sources of violence in the African country. During the last quarter of 2020, both groups killed a combined 410 people. The groups caused over 2,800 deaths during the entirety of 2020.
Violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt heavily affects Christians there.
Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Nigeria, ranked 9th on the Open Doors World Watch List of countries where it is hardest to be a Christian.
French President orders 3rd COVID Lockdown
Yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron ordered France into a third coronavirus lockdown in the face of rising cases. Macron closed schools for three weeks as well as non-essential shops. And people cannot travel more than six miles from their homes.
Meanwhile, in Belgium, a judge ruled that the government’s COVID restrictions are illegal and will be removed in 30 days. Belgium enacted the restrictions through ministerial decrees instead of through the country’s parliament.
Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down Governor’s mask mandate
In a similar story in the U.S., Wisconsin’s Supreme Court struck down Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate. The court ruled Evers acted unlawfully by extending states of emergency without legislative approval.
In Minnesota, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz responded to legal pressure and removed the state’s 50% occupancy limit on places of worship.
Erick Kaardal, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, said, “The dominoes are falling in favor of abolishing the states’ limitations on church attendance . . . Next, our plan is to similarly abolish all the other states’ remaining limitations on church attendance, which have been occurring nationwide.”
Biden pushes abortion and hostility to religious liberty worldwide
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced this week that the Biden administration will reverse the Trump administration’s global focus on religious freedom and pro-life activism. Instead, the administration will promote abortion and the so-called “rights” of homosexuals and transgenders.
Blinken also announced that the U.S. will consider a nation’s restrictions on abortion as a human rights violation.
Isaiah 5:20-21 says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness . . . Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”
Georgia Governor adds I.D. for absentee mail-in ballots
Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed the Election Integrity Act of 2021 last week.
Kemp said the new law is aimed at making elections more secure. The bill adds identification requirements for absentee mail-in ballots, restricts drop boxes, and expands in-person voting.
$4,600 per WV student for private schoolers/homeschoolers
West Virginia Republican Governor Jim Justice authorized the historic Hope Scholarship Program last week. The program opens education funding to parents who opt out of the public school system.
Parents will now have access to about $4,600 per-student, per-year for private education or homeschooling.
80% of U.S. pastors will have in-person services with precautions
Last year, 58% of U.S. pastors planned purely online services for Resurrection Sunday, reports Barna.
Now, 80% of pastors are planning to meet in their building this coming Sunday with some COVID precautions. Twenty-two percent of pastors plan to meet outdoors and 11% plan to meet indoors, with no social distancing or masks.
Last year, churchgoers whose church switched to online services said they missed taking communion, fellowshipping, and hearing a live sermon the most.
Acts 2:42 says, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Bible becomes official state book of Tennessee
And finally, the Tennessee state House of Representatives passed a resolution this week to make the Bible the official state book of Tennessee.
The resolution notes, “The tulip poplar was chosen as the State tree because, according to the Blue Book, ‘it grows from one end of the state to the other’ and was ‘extensively used by the pioneers of the state’ for practical purposes such as the construction of ‘houses, barns, and other necessary farm buildings,’ similar to how the Holy Bible is found in homes across the State and has been ‘used’ for practical purposes such as recording family histories.”
The bill also notes the Bible’s economic impact on Tennessee with multiple Bible publishers located in the state.
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, April 1st, in the year of our Lord 2021. 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.