Thursday, May 26th, in the year of our Lord, 2016.
By Kevin Swanson
A recent report by China Aid indicates that persecution in China has increased sevenfold since 2008. The Chinese government is working to replace “Christ as the head of the church with submission to the Communist Party,” according to China Aid. The province of Zheijang has suffered the most, with 20 churches destroyed, 1,300 crosses removed, and over 500 Christians arrested.
Paul reminds us in no uncertain terms: “Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:23). Pray that our Christian brothers and sisters in China will have confidence in Christ’s salvation and lordship.
Christian Today reports that the Church of Scotland general assembly has voted unanimously to unite with the Church of England. This brings the two churches together after 400 years of separation since the Protestant Reformation. The union occurs as the Church of Scotland formally embraced sodomy in the same assembly.
Here’s an FYI. Presidential hopeful Donald Trump has appointed Frank Amedia of Touch Heaven Ministries as his new liaison for Christian policy. Amedia is a Pentecostal preacher from Ohio who wants to “extend the Kingdom of God by force by casting out demons, healing the sick, performing signs, miracles, and wonders: by raising the dead, [and] preaching.”
A State Department Inspector General report faulted Hillary Clinton for violating protocol in her use of a private email server, according to CNN. The report claims that Clinton did not surrender all emails dealing with State Department business upon leaving the agency.
In the providence of God, a Christian pastor from Kentucky named Israel Avelar, as well as his three sons Kevin, Daniel, and Matthew, all sadly died in a car accident. The accident occurred just hours after the pastor had graduated from Bible college. Pastor Avelar’s wife and daughter are still in critical condition. Police report that the vehicle was struck from behind, shoving it into the path of an eighteen-wheeler. The World View spoke to fellow pastor Jeff Fugate about the accident: “Well certainly we need to pray for the wife. She has just today (on Wednesday) begun to ask some questions, but she is not aware that her husband and children are in heaven, and so we need to pray for her. The daughter should be getting out of surgery here in a little while, so we need to pray for those two situations for sure.”
There is a GoFundMe campaign at https://www.gofundme.com/25rwv3bg for the Avelars to help with funeral expenses.
While Americans polled estimated that 23% of the population are gay or lesbian, a Gallup report indicates that only 3.8% of the adult population identifies as such. The homosexual agenda has been pushed by a minority through politics and the media for decades, according to Christian Headlines.
An association of Japanese pastors is requesting that the American president and other representatives of the G7 nations not endorse the Japanese imperial state religion of Shintoism. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to visit the Ise Shrine with the G7 leaders this week. Christian pastors are concerned that this will encourage an abridgment of religious liberties in Japan. During World War II, Christians were persecuted for refusing to render homage to the Emperor god at the Ise Shrine. Christians were dismayed with President George W. Bush in February of 2002 when he rendered homage by clapping and bowing in the Meiji shrine.
Eleven states are suing the Obama administration for a recent directive issued to schools requiring transgendered access to bathrooms. The states included in the suit are Alabama, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, Maine, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Utah, and Georgia.
“A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 22:5).
Praise the Lord! Israel Stinson has been airlifted to a hospital where he will be cared for, according to Life Site News. His parents have been undertaking a legal battle for his care after he was declared brain-dead by the Sacramento-area Kaiser Permanente facility, which was withholding full medical care for him. On Saturday, he was transported to a hospital outside of the U.S., where he will get the treatment he needs.
“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 82:3-4).
Praise God! The number of donors to help keep The World View on the air has gone from 34 to 59. Now we’re looking for the final 191 listeners to pledge just $20 per month by May 31st. Go to www.TheWorldView.com, click on “Give” in the top right corner, and check the recurring donation box.
And that’s the World View in Five Minutes.
You have to admit that The World View in 5 Minutes is unique. Nobody else pairs the latest news stories with timeless Scripture verses. The result? The Bible comes alive in the context of everyday news! Researching, writing, voicing, and producing The World View costs money. If you value what we’re doing, vote with your wallet. We need 250 listeners to pledge just $20 a month by May 31st. Click on “Give” in the top right corner and check the recurring donation box. It’s just 64 cents a day. We’ve spent thousands to get this going, and now we need you to help keep it going. Let’s proclaim to the world that God is at work in everyday news!