It’s Monday, January 8th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Adam McManus
Sri Lankan pastor criminally charged for sermon comments
A Sri Lankan pastor was granted bail on Wednesday, January 3rd after being jailed since December 1 on a charge of “outraging religious feelings” for comments in a sermon that appeared online, reports Morning Star News. He spent Christmas in jail.
Authorities arrested Pastor Jerome Fernando of The Glorious Church in Colombo after a court had ordered officials to abstain from arresting him. He was released on a cash bail of $1,540 and two personal bails of $30,810 each.
In Matthew 5:11-12, Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
A video of Pastor Fernando’s Sunday sermon of April 30th went viral on social media in May, prompting accusations that in his message he had offended religious sentiments of the Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic communities.
Some media outlets stated that the pastor said in his sermon that Buddha had been “looking for Jesus,” which led to the uproar among Buddhists.
Days of secrecy around Defense Secretary’s hospital stay
Senior Biden administration leaders, top Pentagon officials, and members of Congress were unaware for days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized since January 1st, reports PBS.
The Pentagon did not inform the White House National Security Council or top adviser Jake Sullivan of Austin’s hospitalization at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland until Thursday.
The Pentagon’s failure to disclose Austin’s hospitalization for days reflects a stunning lack of transparency about his illness, how serious it was, and when he may be released. Such secrecy, at a time when the United States is juggling myriad national security crises, runs counter to normal practice.
The Pentagon, citing privacy, did not disclose the elective surgical procedure that led to Austin’s complications.
Tornado in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
On Saturday, a tornado appeared to touch down three times in Broward County, Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, leaving several structures damaged before it went out to sea, reports NBC Miami.
Florida abortion group hopes to enshrine baby-killing
In other Floridian news, a pro-abortion advocacy group has announced that its disturbing ballot measure seeking to enshrine a right to abortion in the Florida Constitution has amassed the required number of signatures, making it one step closer to appearing on the ballot this fall, reports The Christian Post.
Floridians Protecting Freedom, the baby-killing advocacy group behind the push to make abortion a constitutional right in the Sunshine State, said in a statement Friday that the Florida Division of Elections verified 910,946 petitions.
Isaiah 59:7 describes the misnamed Floridians Protecting Freedom group to a “t.” The prophet wrote, “Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways.”
Harvard president resigns over plagiarism and antisemitism
Last Tuesday, Harvard University President Claudine Gay announced her resignation, following mounting accusations of plagiarism and backlash for her response at a congressional hearing in December to questions about antisemitism on U.S. college campuses, reports ABC News.
Listen to this exchange between GOP Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York and Claudine Gay.
STEFANIK: “What action has been taken against students who are harassing and calling for the genocide of Jews on Harvard’s campus?”
GAY: “I can assure you we have robust …”
STEFANIK: “What actions have been taken?”
GAY: “… disciplinary processes that are underway.”
STEFANIK: “I’m asking what actions have been taken against those students.”
GAY: “Given students’ rights to privacy and our obligations under FERPA – [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act], I will not say more about any specific cases, other than to reiterate that processes are ongoing.”
STEFANIK: “Do you know what the number one hate crime in America is?”
GAY: “I know that over the last couple of months there has been an alarming rise of antisemitism which I understand is the critical topic that we are here to discuss.”
STEFANIK: “That’s correct. It is anti-Jewish hate crimes. And Harvard ranks the lowest when it comes to protecting Jewish students. This is why I’ve called for your resignation. And your testimony today, not being able to answer with moral clarity, speaks volumes.”
Gay was the first person of color and second woman in Harvard University’s 386-year history to serve as president. Her tenure as president is the shortest in the school’s history.
Anniversary of Jim Elliot’s murder in Ecuador
And finally, on this day in history, January 8, 1956, five Christian missionaries — named Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, and Pete Fleming — were speared to death by Ecuadorean Indians they sought to evangelize.
Jim had famously said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Life Magazine published a ten-page article on Elliot and his friends’ mission and deaths.
Remarkably, after their murders, Jim’s wife, Elisabeth Elliot, and Nate’s sister, Rachel Saint, continued the evangelistic outreach to the very people who had killed their relatives.
In October 1958, Mrs. Elliot, and her three-year-old daughter Valerie, went to live with the Indian tribe along with Rachel Saint.
Elisabeth Elliot later published two books featuring the story of the missionaries and how God used them. They were entitled Through Gates of Splendor and Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot.
In the first book, she wrote, “The other wives and I talked together one night about the possibility of becoming widows. What would we do? God gave us peace of heart, and confidence that whatever might happen, His Word would hold. We knew that ‘when He puts forth His sheep, He goes before them.’ God’s leading was unmistakable up to this point. Each of us knew when we married our husbands that there would never be any question about who came first — God and His work held first place in each life. It was the condition of true discipleship; it became devastatingly meaningful now.”
In 2006, a theatrical movie entitled End of the Spear, was released based on the story of the pilot, Nate Saint, and the return trip of Saint’s son, Steve Saint, attempting to reach the natives of Ecuador. I had the great honor of interviewing Steve years ago on Christian talk radio.
You and your family can also watch a 34-minute animated Torchlighters video entitled “The Jim Elliot Story”. We have both films linked in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com.
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Monday, January 8th in the year of our Lord 2024. 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.