Tuesday, December 13th, in the year of our Lord 2016
By Kevin Swanson
Suicide Bomber Kills 24 Christians in Egypt
A bomb that killed 24 Coptic Christians during a Sunday morning service over the weekend was the work of a suicide bomber, according to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Three other men and one woman are under arrest in connection with the attack that wounded another 49. Over one thousand people have been killed by Islamic groups in Egypt over the last 16 years.
Cherokee Nation Legalizes Homosexual Marriage
The Cherokee Nation, located in Oklahoma, overturned a ban on homosexual marriage last Friday. Although not bound by the United States Supreme Court decision last year, the tribe’s Attorney General Todd Hembree ruled that the 2004 law banning homosexual marriage violated the constitution of the Cherokees. It is the largest sovereign tribal group in America.
Christian Film Industry on the Rise
Films categorized under the Christian genre grossed $133 million this year, according to Box Office Mojo. That’s up from $107 million last year, a 24% increase. And five of the top ten grossing Christian movies have been released in the last three years.
Ted Baehr, Chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, told The World View that Christian film has gone through waves. He said that Christian films are always more likely to do well in the box office, according to their research.
“If you look at our charts, in the report to the entertainment industry, you’ll see that every year, movies with strong Christian content, whether you go back to The Blind Side, it did better, whether you go back to Chariots of Fire in 1980, it did better, they always do better. Mainly because it’s easier to sell four tickets to a family than one ticket to a guy who wants to see some strange phenomenon in a movie.”
The World View also spoke with Jared Geesey of www.ChristianCinema.com about the rise of the Christian film industry.
“The growth of the Christian film industry over the last few years especially has been a lot of increase in movies in theaters. And that’s an amazing place to support Christian films. You can invite friends. This year some of the major releases were the Rachel Scott movie and you also had Hillsong which was something new. It was a theatrical worship experience where you could come and hear worship music right there in the theater. I know I saw families singing along. That was something unique that I don’t think we’ve seen in theaters before.
“Even more than that, we’re really seeing the growth of digital platform options that allow Christians to watch these amazing, inspiring movies right from their home without having to go find a DVD — whether it’s buried in Red Box or maybe there isn’t a Christian bookstore next to them. One of the digital platforms that is great for families to experience these kinds of films is www.ChristianCinema.com. You can choose from the latest movies to stream them straight into your home on all the top streaming devices — whether that be a Roku, your Apple TV, or FireTV – there’s apps for all of those different platforms. You can find the content that you know is going to be safe for your family, it’s going to inspire you and encourage your faith.”
Not only does www.ChristianCinema.com have an impressive library on-line of 4,000 Christian films which you can stream, but they’ll be releasing the top 100 Christian movies of 2016 this week.
Trump Makes Most Conservative Cabinet Picks of Any President in Decades
USA Today is calling the Trump cabinet picks “the most fiercely conservative of any in decades.” So far, the selections include retired military leaders, wealthy business executives, and conservatives who have registered opposition to the departments they will be appointed to lead. He’s appointing more business execs of any president since Eisenhower.
Ohio Governor John Kasich Considers Pro-Life Bills
All eyes are watching Governor John Kasich in Ohio as he considers two pro-life bills awaiting his signature. The “heartbeat bill” would ban abortion somewhere around the sixth week of gestation, when the child registers a heartbeat. The second bill restricts almost all abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. The governor has ten days to veto the bills or sign them into law.
Please call Governor Kasich at 614-466-3555 and urge him to sign that Heartbeat bill. The Heartbeat bill would save the lives of 20,000 babies in the womb in Ohio every year. (Learn more about what you can do at Faith2Action’s website http://f2a.org/)
Oil Prices at 18-Month High
Oil prices have hit an 18-month high, at $53 a barrel as of Monday. OPEC has agreed to cut outputs for six months.
Mumps at Ten Year High in United States
The Centers for Disease Control has released new data indicating that mumps cases are at a ten year high. 2,879 cases so far this year in the United States. That’s one in every 100,000 people.
City Council Refuses to Remove Ten Commandments Monument
The City Council of Bloomfield City, New Mexico is standing firm against a judge’s decision to remove a Ten Commandments monument from city property. According to Christian News, the city plans to refer the decision to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Two women claiming to be Wiccans brought the suit against the city with the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Film Based on Heterodoxical Novel The Shack Coming in March 2017
The best-selling novel, The Shack, published in 2007, presented God as a woman, and came under heavy criticism from biblical scholars for its heterodoxic teachings. The book sold 20 million copies in 37 languages, and now it’s coming out as a major motion picture in March of 2017.
Heisman Trophy Winners Give Thanks to God
University of Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson received the Heisman Trophy in New York Saturday night, and he was quick to render thanks to God: “First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Jackson said. “Without Him, none of us would be here right now tonight.” Jackson totaled 4,900 yards for the season, and is credited with 51 touchdowns.
Last year’s Heisman trophy winner, Derrick Henry from the University of Alabama, also started off thanking God for the award. Most famous for his faith on the field, University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow received the Heisman Trophy in 2007.
The Heisman Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding college football player in the United States, “whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.”
1 Samuel 2:30 says, “Now the LORD declares: . . .those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.”
50 Million Trees Planted in India in One Day
The nation of India has the new record for planting trees — 50 million in one day. . . The last record was set by Pakistan in 2013.
And that’s the World View in Five Minutes.