It’s Wednesday, March 1st, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Muslim Ugandans severely beat Christian pastor
Morning Star News reports a pastor in Uganda suffered severe injuries after being attacked earlier this month.
Muslim leaders in the country had invited Pastor Arthur Asadi Babi to participate in a religious debate. His arguments led several dozen Muslims to accept Christ. The attack followed immediately afterward.
A church member was able to rescue Babi. He received treatment at a local medical center. The pastor is himself a convert from Islam and has a wife and six children.
Matthew 5:10 says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Dept. of Energy: COVID caused by lab leak
The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that the U.S. Department of Energy has concluded the COVID-19 pandemic was likely caused by a lab leak.
The department made the conclusion with “low confidence.” The FBI had previously concluded with “moderate confidence” that the pandemic was the result of a lab leak from Wuhan, China.
Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida tweeted, “The Left spent the past 2 years trying to censor the truth & cover up for Communist China, but the facts are undeniable. . . . It’s time to hold this evil regime accountable.”
Florida Catholic bookstore’s objection to non-biological pronouns
Last Wednesday, a Catholic bookstore in Florida filed a lawsuit against the city of Jacksonville over its anti-discrimination law.
In 2017, the Jacksonville city council added so-called sexual orientation and gender identity to its human rights ordinance.
Queen of Angels Catholic Bookstore accuses city officials of passing the ordinance to “require businesses to address customers using their preferred pronouns and titles regardless of a customer’s biological sex.”
New York pregnancy centers won’t be forced to hire pro-aborts
On Monday, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that New York pregnancy centers do not have to hire pro-abortion employees.
In 2019, the state passed a ridiculous law to protect pro-abortion individuals from so-called “discrimination” when seeking jobs.
The pro-life Evergreen Association runs pregnancy centers in New York and took issue with the law.
Attorney Matthew Belz with the Thomas More Society represents the group. He said, “We are pleased that the panel recognized the need to protect mission-oriented organizations from intrusions by the state, and we look forward to cementing this victory at the district court level.”
Arkansas and Tennessee crack down on drag shows
Several states are cracking down on sexually-perverted drag shows.
Last Friday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Republican governor of Arkansas, signed a bill to prohibit children from attending drag shows. The bill also bans drag shows on public property.
On Monday, Bill Lee, the Republican governor of Tennessee, said he would sign a similar bill. The state’s legislature passed the bill along with another measure which bans transgender body mutilation of children.
Gov. DeSantis now controls Disney district
On Monday, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that gives the state control over Walt Disney World’s special governing district, reports Axios.
First, the district, which had been overseen by the Disney corporation for 50 years, is $700,000 in debt.
But the move comes after Disney has promoted sexually perverted lifestyles in education and entertainment.
Now, DeSantis can appoint a five-member board of supervisors to direct the district.
Before signing the bill, DeSantis said Disney was promoting values that were at odds with parents in Florida.
DESANTIS: “We had a little bit of a tussle last year over school legislation. Disney came out against something that was really just about protecting young kids and making sure that students are able to go to school learning to read, write, add, subtract, and not having a teacher tell them that they can change their gender. Most parents agree with that. But you know, that was only a mild annoyance.
“I think that what we came to realize after that dust settled was you clearly had a movement within the corporation itself, of course, Burbank, California-based elements of it that said, it’s their goal to inject a lot of this sexuality into the programming for young kids. I’m a dad — six, four and two — and my wife and I, and I know parents throughout Florida, we want our kids to be kids. We want them to be able to enjoy entertainment [and] school without having an agenda imposed upon them. If you’re going that way as a corporation, those are not the values that we want to promote in the state of Florida.”
The sterling reputation of Christian film director Jon Erwin
And finally, Jon Erwin, a Christian film director, has become the first in his industry to receive four A+ CinemaScore ratings.
For decades, CinemaScore has been measuring movie appeal by surveying audiences at opening night.
Erwin’s latest perfect score comes after the release of Jesus Revolution. It achieved No. 3 at the box office over the weekend. The film tells the story of how Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa reached southern California hippies with the Gospel in the 1970s.
(Watch the trailer for Jesus Revolution in the theaters now. Get tickets here.)
Erwin also achieved A+ ratings for Woodlawn (2015), I Can Only Imagine (2018), and American Underdog (2021).
Harold Mintz, president of CinemaScore, said, “Jon Erwin has now achieved four A+ CinemaScores, more than any other filmmaker since we have been compiling data. For a director to achieve that accomplishment once is a rarity. But to hit that mark four times is not only an incredible distinction – it’s unprecedented.”
Proverbs 22:29 says, “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, March 1st in the year of our Lord 2023. 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.