It’s Monday, October 7th, A.D. 2019. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes and heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus.
By Adam McManus (adam@TheWorldview.com)
Filipino missionaries, who were kidnapped by Muslims, share story
For 17 years, Martin and Gracia Burnham were serving as missionaries in the Philippines with New Tribes Missions where Martin was a jungle pilot delivering mail, supplies, and encouragement to other missionaries, as well as transporting sick and injured patients to medical facilities.
On May 27, 2001, they were kidnapped by Muslim terrorists and spent a year in the jungle as hostages enduring hardships of all kinds, including constant shortage of drinking water, near starvation, and 17 gun battles.
On the afternoon of June 7, 2002, over a year since their abduction, the Philippine military attempted a rescue. Tragically, Martin was killed during the gunfight. Wounded, but alive, Gracia was rescued and returned home under a national spotlight.
Her 2010 book has now been republished with an additional chapter with the exciting conclusion. It’s entitled, “In the Presence of My Enemies: The Gripping Account of the Kidnapping of American Missionaries and Their Year of Terror in the Philippine Jungle.”
Paul Hastings, host of the podcast “Compelled” which features the stories told by the people compelled to live for Him, interviewed Gracia.
Even more difficult than the physical challenges that Gracia faced were the questions with which she wrestled. How could God still love her? How could she forgive those who had so horribly mistreated her?
Kamala Harris calls for Twitter to censor President Trump
In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris said a week ago Monday that President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, with 65.3 million followers, should be suspended following his tweets about the whistleblower whose complaint is at the center of the Ukraine scandal, reports CNN.
Trump had rebuked the anonymous whistleblower in a series of tweets, repeatedly calling the whistleblower’s complaint “fake.” The President said he deserved to meet his “accuser.”
HARRIS: “The leaders of the United States Congress will do everything that is necessary to support and protect the whistleblower. The President’s tweets are just further evidence of the fact that he uses his power in a way that is designed to beat people down instead of lift people up.
“His Twitter account should be suspended. He is irresponsible with his words in a way that could result in harm to other people. And so the privilege of using those words in that way should probably be taken from him. What we see continuously is Donald Trump using his words in a way that can subject someone to harm.”
Franklin Graham calls impeachment inquiry “dirty politics”
Rev. Franklin Graham spoke to 13,800 Christians in Greenville, North Carolina last week, the latest stop on a long-running “Decision America” tour, reports the Associated Press.
He presented the Gospel of Christ clearly.
GRAHAM: “You sent Your Son from heaven to this earth to save us from our sins.”
Even when he talked to reporters, Graham re-affirmed the key to America’s future was found in Christ, reports WITN.
GRAHAM: “I want the people of North Carolina to know how they get a relationship with God. And that’s through faith in His son Jesus Christ.”
When he opened with prayer, Franklin Graham invited North Carolinians to pray for President Trump, who is the focal point of an official impeachment inquiry led by Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats.
GRAHAM: “And let’s pray for our country. Let’s pray for the president. Let’s pray for our elected leaders in Washington.”
When WITN-TV reporter Grace Holland asked Rev. Graham pointedly about the impeachment inquiry, the evangelist said this.
GRAHAM: “This is dirty politics and it’s hurting our country. We’ve got a lot of other issues we need to be focused on besides this.”
Before Graham took the stage, Christina Jones, age 44, said, “I do feel like we are, as Christians, the first line of defense for the president,” saying Trump is “supporting our Christian principles and trying to do his best.”
Pope opens debate for celibacy requirement for Catholic priests
Pope Francis formally opened a meeting of bishops that will debate whether the Catholic Church should loosen its 1,000-year-old requirement of celibacy for priests, reports the Wall Street Journal.
God declares in Titus 1:6 that a properly qualified church elder should be “the husband of one wife.”
Hundreds of British transgender youth want to de-transition
Hundreds of young British transgenders are seeking help to return to their original sex, reports Sky News.
Charlie Evans, 28, was born female but identified as male for nearly 10 years before de-transitioning.
After she de-transitioned, she was stunned by the number of people she discovered in a similar position.
(She said, “I’m in communication with 19 and 20-year-olds who have had full gender reassignment surgery who wish they hadn’t, and their dysphoria hasn’t been relieved. They don’t feel better for it. They don’t know what their options are now.”)
Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Court affirms right of Christian shelter to prohibit transgenders
In related news, a double victory for the Hope Center, an Alaskan Christian homeless shelter.
First, the city of Anchorage, Alaska has ended its legal action against the shelter which forbids males — pretending to be females — from entering spaces reserved for biological women who are victims of domestic violence, reports the Christian Post. While homeless men and woman can access the center during the day, only biological females can spend the nights since all residents stay in a single big open room.
Second, the city of Anchorage, Alaska was ordered to pay $100,000 to the shelter for its legal fees.
In-N-Out Burger billionaire turns to Christ after tragedy
And finally, Lynsi Snyder, the 36-year-old owner of In-N-Out Burger founded by her grandparents, Harry and Esther Snyder in 1948, has a staggering net worth of $3 billion.
After the untimely death of her father when she was a teenager, Snyder turned to drugs and alcohol to fill the void followed by three dysfunctional and abusive marriages, all of which ended in divorce, reports the Christian Post.
She said, “I finally found that the deep need in my heart can only be filled by Jesus and my identity in Him.”
Now, her servant leadership makes her the fourth-highest-rated CEO of 2018 on Glassdoor with a 99% approval rating.
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And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Monday, October 7th in the year of our Lord 2019. 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.
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Pakistani Christian gardener tortured by police
International Christian Concern has documented four cases of police torture, harassment, and discrimination against Pakistani Christians over just two weeks in late August and early September.
In the most disturbing case, on August 28th, police arrested Amir Masih, a 28-year-old Christian gardener and father of two children, and falsely accused him of stealing money from a Muslim resident. According to Amir’s family, the police then tortured Amir for the next four days, seeking to extract a false confession.
On September 2, police contacted Amir’s family and told them that Amir was not well. The police then instructed the family to take Amir to the hospital. Covered in the marks of extreme torture, including bruises and burns from electric shocks, Amir died at the hospital only a few hours later.