It’s Monday, April 20th, A.D. 2020. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus.
By Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
China demands church promote Communism over God
Apostle’s Church, situated in China’s coastal city of Suzhou, recently appointed Rev. Rui Tingting as associate senior pastor. She accepted the appointment, meaning she would be the successor to the oldest church in the Jiangsu province, the very first Protestant church from 1879 by missionaries, reports International Christian Concern.
According to China Christian Daily, the two Chinese national flags on the podium displayed before Rev. Rui, showed her responsibility to society and allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party over God. With her hand on the Bible, she promised she would follow the Chinese Communist Party’s core socialist values, comply with the three-self principles, and fulfill her pastoral responsibilities to the Apostles Church.
Many Chinese churches have been asked to display Communist flags, slogans, or even portraits of Chinese president Xi Jinping inside their buildings to show their allegiance.
But Exodus 20:3-6 says, “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in Heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
Why men are likely to die from COVID-19
In New York City, 68% of deaths attributed to COVID-19 have been in men, and 32% in women. The same has been true in China, South Korea, and Italy.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the coronavirus is known to bind to ACE2 receptors, which are plentiful in just a handful of tissues, including those of the testicles.
A pilot study that tracked the clearance of the virus from patients in Mumbai, India, offered further evidence that men are indeed harder hit by the pathogen.
Dr. Oz to Hannity: It’s time to re-open schools
Appearing on Sean Hannity’s Fox News Channel program, Dr. Mehmet Oz sparked outrage last week when he advocated for reopening schools amid the coronavirus pandemic, reports the New York Post.
Listen.
OZ: “First, we need our mojo back. Let’s start with things that are really critical to the nation where we think we can re-open without getting into a lot of trouble. I tell you, schools are a very appetizing opportunity.
“I just saw a nice piece in The Lancet arguing the opening of schools may only cost us 2 to 3 percent, in terms of total mortality. Any life is a life lost, but to get every child back into school where they are safely being educated, being fed, and making the most out of their lives with a theoretical risk on the backside — might be a trade-off some folks would consider. We need to get industry back, supply lines, things we can do without putting our nation at risk.”
Oz was referencing an article that appeared in The Lancet journal of Child & Adolescent Health last week, which cites a study that found school closures in the UK “will reduce COVID-19 deaths by only 2 to 4 percent.”
Will Biden pick Michelle Obama for VP?
What the Democrats need in order to be sure of beating Trump is the perfect vice presidential candidate, one who will not only balance the ticket, push liberal causes, and check all the social-justice boxes but who will turn out the African-American vote in droves without Biden’s having to say a word or lift a finger.
Biden’s already on record as saying he’ll choose a woman. But none of the defeated female candidates for the nomination, including Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, excited much interest from the Democratic base during the primaries. Even the failed candidate for Georgia governor, a black woman named Stacey Abrams, doesn’t inspire much confidence.
That’s why all bets are on Michelle Obama, reports the New York Post.
Google censors pastor’s sermons over COVID-19 comments
On April 10th, Google suspended a mobile app “ChristKirk” launched by Christ Church of Moscow, Idaho, claiming that the app violates the tech giant’s “sensitive events” policy related to the COVID-19 pandemic, reports the Christian Post.
The church vented in a Facebook post, alerting its followers to the censorship by Google Play.
In its defense, Google said, “We don’t allow apps that lack reasonable sensitivity towards or capitalize on a natural disaster, atrocity, conflict, death, or other tragic event.”
Listen to this 37-second sound bite from Pastor Toby Sumpter which no doubt angered the Google God-haters.
SUMPTER: “The book of Joel though is a prophecy about coming disaster on Israel. It’s also about the hope of repentance and reformation, but also the promise of international justice.
“We don’t know the full nature of the hardship we are currently facing. But we do know that it is from the Lord. And so, if it’s from the Lord, it’s for our good and it’s for His glory. And therefore, if it’s from the Lord and it’s for our good and for His glory, we know it’s also part of His plan to fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the seas.”
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Christ Church Executive Pastor Ben Zornes said, “We believe this is censorship and wrong-headed.”
Greg Laurie: 235% more millennials are watching church on-line
And finally, Greg Laurie, the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship — whose Palm Sunday service was watched online by President Trump — says that amid the COVID-19 pandemic an increasing number of young people are starting to embrace the Gospel, reports the Christian Post.
Ever since the shutdown began, viewership among millennials of his church services on-line has increased 235%.
In an op-ed published in Newsweek last Tuesday, he asked, “Could it be that simply by responding as best and as quickly as we could to something no one saw coming, we’ve unwittingly stumbled into part of God’s answer to a generational riddle?”
Churches have been attempting to reach younger generations with the Gospel for decades, seemingly in vain. In the last four weeks, 31,000 people have indicated they got saved through Laurie’s altar calls.
Are we witnessing the next Great Awakening as Americans are confined to their homes?
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Monday, April 20th in the year of our Lord 2020. 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.
Print stories
Trump might not hold another campaign rally before election
President Trump might never hold another re-election rally in person, at least if his campaign follows the warnings of health experts who say large gatherings of people might not be safe until “the later part of 2021”, reports The Week.
Trump, aware of the importance of rallies to his re-election campaign, has floated the possibility of holding events “where you’ll have seats where every three or four seats you have empty, you’ll have some fill in, and then ultimately we’ll have it fill in as the virus is gone,” according to audio obtained by ABC News. Other campaign strategists are looking increasingly into how Trump might be able to have gatherings in “low risk” states.
Trump vs. Democratic governors over COVID-19
On Friday, President Donald Trump lashed out at four Democratic governors over their handling of the pandemic after having conceded that states bear ultimate control of restrictions to contain the outbreak, reports Reuters.
The Republican president targeted three swing states critical to his re-election bid – Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia – where his conservative loyalists have mounted pressure campaigns challenging those governors’ stay-at-home orders.
Amplifying a theme that his supporters have trumpeted this week in street protests at the state capitals of Lansing, St. Paul, and Richmond, Trump issued a series of matching Twitter posts touting the slogans: “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” and “LIBERATE VIRGINIA!”
Amid coronavirus pandemic, anti-anxiety medication jumped 34%
The coronavirus is taking a toll on mental health.
The number of prescriptions for antidepressant, anti-anxiety and anti-insomnia medications filled per week increased 21% between Feb. 16 and March 15, 2020, according to a new report by Express Scripts, a Cigna-owned pharmacy benefit manager, reports Market Watch.
Anti-anxiety drugs saw the biggest spike, jumping 34.1%, which was more than double the number of insomnia aids (14.8%), and almost twice as high as antidepressants (18.6%).
Mark Cuban: NBA should play in empty stadiums to give hope
Mark Cuban, investor, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and co-host of ABC’s Shark Tank, thinks the NBA should play games in empty stadiums, saying, “I think we need sports. The first league that comes on television and starts broadcasting games is going to get a windfall.” reports Breitbart.
He said, “We need something to cheer for. We need something to get excited about.”
Frozen pizza is new hot commodity
First, stores struggled to keep toilet paper, paper towels, eggs and sanitizing wipes in stock.
The newest hard-to-find item is frozen pizza, reports PopCulture.com. Stores across the states are finding it hard to keep the easy-to-cook product in stock.
Dave Best, Newman’s Own President, told Ad Week that his company’s sales are 190 percent since the start of the pandemic.
Florida beaches flooded with thousands once greenlighted
Beaches in Jacksonville, Florida opened to the public at 5pm on Friday to socially distanced activities such as walking and biking. Within 26 minutes of the beach opening, thousands of people were seen on the beach, reports the Daily Mail. Sunbathing has been banned
Republican Mayor Lenny Curry said: “This can be the beginning of the pathway back to normal life.”
While many slammed the decision with coronavirus cases still rising in the state, others welcomed the move.