It’s Thursday, October 26th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Pakistani court granted bail to Christian couple
Last Wednesday, a Pakistani court granted bail to a Christian couple accused of blasphemy against Islam.
Kiran Bibi and Shaukat faced charges of defiling the Quran. However, the court said there was not sufficient evidence against them.
Nasir Saeed, director of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement, noted, “This landmark judgment breaks from the norm, where trial courts often refuse bail, burdening accused individuals with lengthy legal battles that can extend all the way to the Supreme Court.”
Rights groups warn that Muslims often use Pakistan’s blasphemy laws to target Christians. Just an accusation of blasphemy against Islam can trigger mob violence and death.
The South Asian country is ranked 7th on the Open Doors’ World Watch List of nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
Psalm 102:19-20 says, “From heaven the LORD looked at the Earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die.”
South African bill would restrict homeschooling
Christians in South Africa are pushing back against proposed legislation known as the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill or BELA Bill. It would restrict parental rights and homeschooling freedoms.
Marie Sukers is a member of the country’s parliament for the African Christian Democratic Party. The party’s website states, “We stand for: Christian principles, freedom of religion, an open market economy, family values, community empowerment, and human rights in a federal system.”
Sukers opposes the BELA Bill, saying the government has not given consideration to public inputs. She called out the country for “its biggest failure: the failure to protect our children, to uphold parental rights.”
Christian House Speaker Mike Johnson: “God raises up those in authority”
In the United States , the House of Representatives finally elected a new speaker after the ouster of Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California from the position earlier this month.
Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, a devout Christian, won the floor vote yesterday. He was the fourth House Republican nominated for speaker this month. Johnson had the unanimous approval of his party and was also backed by former President Donald Trump.
Listen to a soundbite from his speech once he was elected House Speaker.
JOHNSON: “All the American people, at one time, had great pride in this institution. But right now, that’s in jeopardy. And we have a challenge before us right now to rebuild and restore that trust.
“This is a beautiful country. It’s the beauty of America that allows a firefighter’s kid like me to come here and serve in this sacred chamber where great men and women have served before all of us and strive together to build and then preserve what [Abraham] Lincoln did refer to as ‘the last best hope of man on Earth.’ We stand at a very dangerous time. I’m stating the obvious; we all know that. The world is in turmoil. But a strong America is good for the entire world. (applause)
“We are the beacon of freedom. And we must preserve this grand experiment and self governance. It still is. We’re only 247 years into this grand experiment. We don’t know how long it will last. But we do know that the founders told us to take good care of it.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson did not hesitate to mention God’s providence and paraphrased Daniel 2:21 and Romans 13:1.
JOHNSON: “I don’t believe there are any coincidences in a matter like this. I believe that Scripture, the Bible, is very clear that God is the One that raises up those in authority. He raised up each of you, all of us. And I believe that God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment in this time. This is my belief.
“I believe that each one of us has a huge responsibility today to use the gifts that God has given us to serve the extraordinary people of this great country, and they deserve it. And to ensure that our republic remains standing as the great beacon of light and hope and freedom in a world that desperately needs it!”
Speaker Johnson has worked with Christian groups like Answers in Genesis, Alliance Defending Freedom, and the Louisiana Family Forum. Johnson is known for supporting a national abortion ban and opposing the recognition of sexually perverted lifestyles.
Average monthly U.S. abortions are up
A pro-abortion group reports that average monthly abortions are up in the U.S. since the overturning of Roe v. Wade last June.
Research by the WeCount project found states with abortion bans had 114,590 fewer abortions from July 2022 through June 2023. States without abortion bans had 116,790 more abortions over the same period.
Texas led the decline in abortions with nearly 37,000 fewer unborn babies killed. Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana also had significant declines in abortions. Meanwhile, Illinois, California, Florida, and North Carolina saw the largest surge in abortions.
40 attorneys general sue Facebook/Instagram for exploiting kids
The attorneys general of over 40 states are suing Meta for allegedly harming children through its platforms Facebook and Instagram.
The bipartisan group accuses Meta of designing its products to keep children on them for longer and in a way that is damaging to their mental health.
One of the lawsuits states, “Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit … It has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children.”
Anniversary of British King Alfred the Great’s death
And finally, today is the anniversary of the death of Alfred the Great, a Christian king of England.
He became ruler of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex in A.D. 871 in his early twenties. He died on this day in A.D. 899.
During his reign, Alfred defended the kingdom from invasion by Danish Vikings, and built up the kingdom’s defenses. He issued a law code based on Biblical law. Alfred also promoted literacy and learning throughout his kingdom by translating important works from Latin into English.
Historian Philip Schaff wrote, “Amid great physical infirmity . . . [Alfred the Great] developed an extraordinary activity during a reign of twenty-nine years, and left an enduring fame for purity, and piety of character and unselfish devotion to the best interests of his people.”
In 2 Samuel 23:3-4, King David said, “The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the Earth.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, October 26th in the year of our Lord 2023. 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.