Friday, May 27th, in the year of our Lord, 2016.
By Kevin Swanson
A mob of 300 Muslims burned down seven homes belonging to Christians and beat a 70-year-old Christian woman in Southern Egypt last week. A local Christian cleric told the news that the police did not take measures to protect the Christians in the attack.
In north Central Vietnam, two Christians were killed by a large truck with military plates while they were praying on the roadside in a city. While Pastor Dang Ba Nham and three others were praying, the pickup truck veered across a street and drove directly into the small group, according to Morning Star News. The pastor and a new believer died in the violent attack, and recovery for the other two is uncertain.
“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4).
Pastors in the state of Mississippi are at odds with each other over the Religious Freedom bill. A group of Methodist pastors published a letter decrying the bill that would protect pastors and business that did not want to participate in homosexual weddings. Then another group of Baptist pastors published another letter in local newspapers that expressed support for the religious freedom bill.
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11).
The day has come. A superbug has arrived in the United States. The Center for Disease Control revealed yesterday that a woman in Pennsylvania checked positive for a rare form of E. coli, a bacteria untreatable by human ingenuity. It is entirely resistant to last-resort antibiotics, and survival rates are 50%. CDC Director Tom Frieden said this is the first case, but we should expect many more cases in the near future.
“If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God, then the Lord will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting” (Deuteronomy 28:58-59).
Donald Trump will be the 2016 Republican nominee for President of the United States. He has reached the 1,237 delegates necessary to clinch the nomination. Trump celebrated the achievement at a news conference yesterday, pointing out that Hillary Clinton has yet to “close the deal” on her nomination.
The United Methodists have repealed their official support for a “constitutional” right to abortion by a vote of 445 to 310. The denomination has also severed affiliation with the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, attributes this vote to the largely pro-life contingency of African Methodists.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley signed a pro-life bill last week that would protect children in the last trimester. Pro-lifers hope that this will save 90 babies out of the 6,000 abortions conducted in South Carolina each year. The law will exempt cases where the mother’s life is in jeopardy. Holly Gatling, executive director of Carolina Citizens for Life told The World View that she hopes the Republicans will strengthen their position on the pro-life issue: “One thing that the GOP can stand on is their platform that acknowledges life begins from conception, and the GOP just needs to stay with what they have—a pro-life platform—and be true to that.”
The National Health Survey is out, and to no surprise, obesity rates are still on the rise. About a third of Americans are obese, and that’s up from 19% in 1997. Joyce Woodrow, president of Fit for Life Ministries, told The World View that Americans have an idolatry problem: “I know that our bodies are—we need nourishment to keep them going. The Bible says that we’re not supposed to indulge in a lot, and that we’re just to have enough to continue our energy level. But I know that over-indulgence is a sin, in anything that you do, and I think that when you can continue to look at your body as a temple, and what you’re putting into it, and are you glorifying God through that. I just feel that sometimes we don’t think about that, and that’s what causes us to overeat.”
Here’s the latest donation update. 66 listeners have pledged to keep The World View on the air. But time is short. We still need to find 184 listeners to pledge just $20 per month by Tuesday, May 31st at midnight. While you’re thinking about it, would you take just a moment and go to www.TheWorldView.com, click on “Give” in the top right corner, check the recurring donation box, and pledge that $20 today?
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!