Friday, May 18th, in the year of our Lord 2018
By Jonathan Clark
Trump’s Appointment of Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins
Tony Perkins, president of the Christian lobbying group Family Research Council, was appointed on Monday to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, devoted to “defending the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad.”
Simultaneously, the U.S. State Department criticized the Chinese government for arresting hundreds of Christians attending a church service in the Sichuan Province last week. The State Department also called on China to respect religious liberty as officials have reportedly confiscated Bibles.
How God Used Missionaries in an African Nation
Christian Aid Mission recently shared how the Gospel is going forward in the Muslim-majority African nation of Burkina Faso.
90-year-old Adama was banished from his village over false accusations after a cultic ritual. The village had been rejecting the Gospel message shared by some missionaries, but they were able to reach Adama in his despairing situation resulting in him accepting Christ. The village admitted the mistakes of their occult practices and a house church was born.
The missionary director said, “The leaders of the village decided to abandon the divination practices. . . . Now four families, including the family of the village chief, praise the Lord.”
Psalm 98:2 declares, “The Lord has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.”
Christians Praying for Muslims During Ramadan
As the Islamic holy month of Ramadan began Tuesday, the Australian government issued travel warnings about countries targeted by the Islamic State following recent terror attacks in Indonesia.
Over 1,600 people were killed last year during Ramadan in terror attacks.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Christians around the world are joining in prayer for the salvation of Muslims in the 25th annual 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World. Get a prayer guide today.
My children – Honor who is 8 and Mercy who is 6 – and I have been reading through these days of prayer for Muslims. It has been both fascinating and eye-opening!
One Irish Student Flying Home to Vote to Protect Babies
21-year-old Sarah Gillespie is flying home early from college in Pennsylvania to Ireland so she can vote to protect the lives of unborn babies in the country’s May 25th referendum on abortion.
An Irish Times poll found fewer voters are in favor of repealing Ireland’s pro-life amendment at 44 percent, down from 47 percent three weeks ago.
Missouri: Porn Creating “Sexually Toxic Environment”
The Missouri Senate passed a resolution this week to join 10 other states in declaring pornography a public health crisis.
The resolution warns that pornography has created a “sexually toxic environment,” having an accelerating influence on children while destroying marriages and leading to abuse and violence.
1 John 2:16-17 says, “All that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Americans Ignoring God’s Counsel to Be Fruitful
The U.S. birth rate fell below 1.8 in 2017, hitting a 30-year low according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And the birth rate for women ages 15 to 44 was 60 births per 1,000 women, the lowest recorded since the government started tracking it in 1909.
New study: Fewer Christians Believe Great Commission
In 1993 a Barna study found 89 percent of Christians who have shared their faith believed this is a responsibility for every Christian.
Now, that number has fallen to 64 percent, a 25 percent drop in 25 years.
However, the study did find more Christians are actively seeking to create opportunities to share their faith with unbelievers, up from 11 percent in 1993 to 19 percent today.
Jesus said in Matthew 10:32, “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.”
Sneak Peek: How Christian Legal Group Rescued Nursing Graduate
One Colorado Mesa University student was allowed to speak of her Savior and Lord last week at her graduation.
Listen to the story in a World View Special Report from Alliance Defending Freedom about why we need to know our First Amendment rights following today’s newscast.
Compassionate Teacher Donates Kidney
And finally, Tanya Thomas, an Ohio school teacher, donated her kidney to a student she had never even met who was in dire need of a transplant.
Ten-year-old Eva Brown had been on dialysis since August last year, but no one in her family was a match for a kidney. So they prayed. A friend posted the need on Facebook. In God’s providence, Tanya responded and was a perfect match.
Eva’s mother said, “I praise God Almighty for never leaving or forsaking us!”
Closing Line
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Friday, May 18th in the year of our Lord 2018. 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: Christians Have Right of Free Speech Too
Time now for a World View Special Report by Emily Swanson. I’m Adam McManus.
By Emily Swanson
The World View recently covered the Colorado Mesa University Free Speech victory, where a student was allowed to speak about her faith in Jesus at the university nurse graduation ceremony.
The World View spoke to Alliance Defending Freedom Attorney Travis Barham, who was on the case, about this positive outcome.
“It’s a great thing because free speech on campus should be a no-brainer. In a sense, it’s disappointing that a situation like this ever had to arise, but it’s to the university’s credit that they quickly recognized that they had overstepped their bounds and that they had violated the student’s rights. They took immediate steps to set things right.”
Barham told The World View about how the case started over Karissa mentioning a Bible verse in her graduation speech.
“Karissa Erickson was a nursing student at Colorado Mesa University. She was graduating this year, and she was selected by her fellow nursing students to speak at the pinning ceremony, the nursing program’s graduation ceremony. And in her speech she simply said that she found comfort in Jesus’s words and that she wanted to pass them onto her fellow graduates. She quoted John 16:33, if I recall correctly. And the school officials said that would not be tolerated; that there would be repercussions if she continued.”
Barham said Alliance Defending Freedom stepped in to remind the university of the First Amendment protecting a student’s right to free speech.
“That’s where we stepped in and said, ‘Wait a minute. You guys are misunderstanding what the First Amendment allows and what the First Amendment requires. The First Amendment has never required universities to purge their ceremonies of all things religious. In fact, two Federal Courts of Appeals have ruled that you can have graduation prayers at the college level. But more importantly, the First Amendment protects a student’s right to mention her own faith in her speech. And it prevents the government from going on a search and destroy mission for student’s religious comments.”
Barham noted that Colorado Mesa University resolved the situation quickly.
“What’s to Colorado Mesa University’s credit here is that they did so within days. On Friday, December 4th, we sent them a letter saying, ‘You’re violating our client’s rights.’ By Tuesday, if I recall correctly, they had rescinded their ban on religious speech. They responded quickly, and they responded in time for Karissa to be able to say what was on her heart at her pinning ceremony last Friday.”
Let’s thank God that Karissa was able to share God’s Word with her fellow students!
With the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, Karissa clearly abided by the Biblical counsel found in 1 Corinthians 16:13: “Stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
This has been a World View Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.