Thursday, November 2nd, in the year of our Lord 2017
By Jonathan Clark
Religious Freedom Group Calls Britain’s Foreign Office to Take Christian Persecution Seriously
A UK-based religious freedom awareness group lead by members of Parliament released a report last week showing 80 percent of the world’s population lives under high persecution for their beliefs.
The report entitled “Article 18: From Rhetoric to Reality” calls on Britain’s foreign office to take this state of religious liberty more seriously and to redirect some of the overseas aid budget to support religious freedom.
The study exposed numerous countries for persecution of Christians, including Iraq, Vietnam, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
In particular, the study called out Eritrea for its brutal torture of Christians and Egypt for leaving Coptic Christians in the hands of ISIS terrorists.
Spain Considers Bill Promoting Gender Confusion at Expense of Parental Rights
The Spanish Congress plans to vote on a bill in the next two months that could restrict parents’ right to stop their children from having hormone treatment or sex change surgeries, reports Evangelical Focus.
The Spanish Evangelical Alliance is calling on Spain’s political parties to oppose the bill’s gender confusion, violation of free speech, and suppression of parent’s rights in educating their children.
Over 10,000 people have now signed a petition to oppose this bill which is linked in our transcript at www.TheWorldView.com.
Female Aides in European Parliament Expose Sexual Harassment
While Hollywood elite like Harvey Weinstein have been exposed for their violations of the Seventh Commandment, over a dozen female aides in the European Parliament have come out saying members of the parliament have treated them indecently.
According to The Times, one assistant described the EU Parliament as “an absolute hotbed of harassment” since parliament members deliberately employ young female aides and feel they are “not accountable to anyone.”
Ecclesiastes 12:14 declares, “God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
Actor with Down Syndrome Says He Doesn’t Have to Justify His Existence
Actor, Special Olympian, and advocate Frank Stephens who has Down Syndrome testified at a congressional committee last week. Stephens called on America to support life and criticized countries like Iceland and Denmark who murder nearly all of their babies who have Down Syndrome.
The touching video of the testimony has received millions of views on social media. Stephens said he didn’t feel like he had to justify his existence.
“Please remember this: I am a man with Down Syndrome, and my life is worth living.”
Christian Ministries Receive Exemption from Contraceptive Mandate
Several Christian ministries have finally received a settlement with the Department of Justice after three years of litigation over the Obamacare contraceptive mandate requiring companies to provide insurance with abortifacient birth control to employees.
Insight for Living Ministries, founded by Chuck Swindoll, and the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination received final exemption from the mandate. First Liberty Counsel Jeremy Dys said, “Our clients can now get back to serving others instead of defending themselves against the government’s attacks on their faith.”
New York City Terrorist Says He Feels Good About What He Did
Officials say the man behind the terrorist attack in New York City on Tuesday was loyal to the Islamic State. Sayfullo Saipov drove a rented truck down a bike path in Manhattan, killing eight people and injuring another dozen.
Now in the hospital, Saipov asked to display an ISIS flag in his room, saying he felt good about what he did, according to Fox News. Federal prosecutors said yesterday the man was “consumed by hate and a twisted ideology.”
Please pray that Saipov would repent of his sins and turn to Jesus Christ.
Jobs on the Rise in the US Private Sector
In God’s providence, the US private-sector exceeded expectations in October, adding 235,000 more jobs up from 135,000 in September.
Construction jobs, in particular, surged after hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Goods-producing companies and manufacturing also grew, reports the ADP Research Institute.
Special Report on Adoption After the Newscast
November is National Adoption Awareness Month. Stay tuned for a World View Special Report immediately following today’s newscast on the ministry of adoption.
Study Shows Volunteering and Serving Others Is Good for Your Health
Recent hurricane and fire disasters have given many opportunities for service. And studies show regular acts of charity, service, and volunteering have an impact on good health, reports Relevant Magazine.
Ichiro Kawachi, a professor of social epidemiology at Harvard’s School of Public Health, said, “Voluntarism is good for the health of people who receive social support, but also good for the health of people who offer their help.”
Proverbs 11:25 says, “The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.”
Closing Line
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, November 2nd in the year of our Lord 2017. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldView.com. I’m Adam McManus. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
Special Report: Adoptive Mother Describes the Sacrifices and Blessings of Adoption
Time now for a World View Special Report from Emily Swanson.
By Emily Swanson
November 1st marked the beginning of National Adoption Awareness Month. The World View spoke to Shari McMinn, adoptive mother and author of the book, “Adoption: Encouragement and Advice for a Hopeful Journey.”
The World View asked McMinn to share lessons she’s learned as an adoptive mother.
“People need to understand that adoption is a sacrificial mission work of the whole family. It’s the best, hardest thing we’ve ever done, but God works miracles.”
McMinn emphasized the importance of trust between parent and adoptive child in the process.
“When you adopt children, trust has to be established first through a connective relationship between the parents and the child before any inappropriate behaviors will change. Trust is very important. In biological children it’s nurtured from them being in utero and then you establishing a nurturing relationship with them. Adoptees didn’t get that from their birth parents, and they have to get it from you and a relationship.”
McMinn said that when you adopt children, it means that the lives of the adoptive families have to slow down.
“Adoptive families need to slow down their life a lot when they adopt children, because adoptees take, I would say, roughly two to three times the amount of actual time to parent and raise them compared to birth children.”
McMinn encouraged adoptive parents to be willing to learn as they go through the process of bringing the child into their family.
“Adoptive parents need to be teachable. They need to be willing to read books on good parenting or brain trauma or child development or transracial adoption. And there’s a lot of articles on the internet. There’s training you can go to, but you need to be teachable. You do not know everything you need to know as a parent when you adopt a child. It is the beginning of your journey to learn about parenting adoptees.”
McMinn reminded families that the support of the local body of Christ is crucial for adoptive families.
“Adoptive families need the physical or practical support, spiritual and emotional support of their local church through all phases of adoption, from beginning, prayer, with the home study, to getting the child selected, to having the child come home to you, and then specifically after the child is placed, and the honeymoon period is over.
“It is crucial to have prayer support, a social system in place that can help the family, and just spiritual growth with a good foundation for the husband and wife, or if it’s a single parent, that they would just have a really good biblical foundation. The church has GOT to come alongside adoptive families or the likelihood of adoption succeeding, I just think, is greatly lessened.”
McMinn expressed that adoption has taught her the heartfelt lesson of unconditional love and most of all God’s incredible unconditional love for sinners.
“We have to love these kids even when they don’t love us back. And we’re doing this as the hands of Christ on earth. Just as God adopts us into His family, and He loves us no matter what. We all fail Him as believers every single day. Our adopted children are adopted into our family, and they are going to fail us every single day, just because they’re human beings. But also because they are traumatized children who simply do not know better and they carry baggage from their past on their back.
“Even if it’s a precious little infant — that infant was separated from its birth parents, and it has a primal wound that only unconditional love can heal.”
McMinn said it can be hard, but you have to love those children even when they don’t love you back.
“I think it’s really important that no matter how frustrating your adoptive child is — and of course this is for biological children too — no matter how many times they say, ‘I hate you,’ or, ‘You’re controlling me’ or ‘I don’t love you’ or ‘I don’t trust you,’ we have to never give up on them and always say, ‘I love you. I give my life for you,’ and we cannot reject them even if they reject us or break our hearts.”
McMinn ended by sharing how she has seen the power of God work through even the hardest places in adoption.
“From the very beginning of when we thought, ‘Hey let’s adopt some kids,’ God went ahead of us. We prayed that He would go ahead of us and He did. And the two sets of siblings that we adopted as a sibling group of two and a sibling group of three so perfectly were meant to be in our family in looking back over the years, it’s just a miracle. And the power of His love changes hearts. It changes the hearts of parents. It changes the hearts of biological siblings. It changes the heart of adoptees. And if you really want to see the power of God work, then adoption is a great mission, because you will be totally amazed that even in horrible circumstances He is there, and He’s walking with you and He has a plan.”
James 1:27 says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
To glean more from Shari’s adoption journey, visit her website at www.ShariMcminn.com. Plus, you can buy her book through Generations.
This has been a World View Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.