Thursday, April 19th, in the year of our Lord 2018
By Jonathan Clark
Gutsy Chinese Church Says No to Surveillance Cameras
Chinese officials cut off water and threatened to cut off electricity to the largest house church in Beijing, Xi’an (Zion) Church, this month after the church refused to have surveillance cameras installed in the building they rent.
The World View spoke to Gina Goh of International Christian Concern about how this new form of persecution may affect other house churches.
“This event in itself is very alarming because Xi’an Church is the biggest house church in Beijing right now. And so I think a lot of people are watching how they will react to it. And also their response to the government order. It’s going to be a model, or it’s just being closely watched by other house churches because if this has become a new normal then this means that all other house churches in Beijing, sooner or later, they are going to face similar situations as well.”
The church’s pastor, Guo Xijun, asked for prayer in this trial, saying they did not fear man despite the government’s threats.
2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Exploding Growth of the Church in Africa, Asia, Latin America
While churches in the West are declining, churches in the Developing World are growing rapidly.
Australian pastor and professor Graham Hill recently reported though Eternity News that Christianity in Africa, Asia, and Latin America has grown from about 94 million people in 1900 to over 1.3 billion in 2010.
Hill said one of the characteristics of these growing Christian communities is their “whole-of-life faith and mission” to “call people to love and repentance in all areas of life.”
Most Refugees in Netherlands, Austria, Germany on Welfare
Nearly 90 percent of refugees in the Netherlands are not working since low-skill jobs pay approximately the same as government welfare, according the Dutch statistics office.
Similar numbers of asylum seekers are on welfare in Austria, and about four in five migrants in Germany are unemployed.
Hope in Midst of Low British Marriage Rate
Marriage rates are at their lowest in the UK since 1862, according to the Office for National Statistics.
However, a study by the Church of England’s Life Events found 72 percent of 18 to 35-year-olds still intend to get married with a majority of millennials wanting to get married in a church instead of a registry office.
CIA Director Unwavering for Christ, Heterosexual Marriage
A senate committee began confirmation hearings last week for CIA Director Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump’s pick to replace Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State.
Pompeo is taking fire from Democrats after standing by his position that marriage is between one man and one woman when asked if homosexuality was a perversion in the hearing.
Pompeo has also spoken out against radical Islam and supported his faith, saying, “Jesus Christ, our Savior, is truly our only solution for our world.”
Matthew 10:32-33 says, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”
George W. Bush’s Fond Recollection About His Late Mother
Barbara Bush, wife of America’s 41st president George H. W. Bush, died Tuesday at her home in Houston at the age of 92.
President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura appeared on Fox Business to talk about their recent visit with Mrs. Bush, highlighting her mischievous sense of humor and her assurance of heaven.
President George W. Bush: “Laura and I went over to see her a week ago Saturday. We had a wonderful visit. She was strong, lucid…”
Laura Bush: “Funny, still.”
President Bush: “Funny. She and I were needling each other. The doctor came in and she turned to the doctor and said, ‘You wanna know why George W. is the way he is?’ The doctor looked somewhat surprised. And she said, ‘Because I drank and smoked while I was pregnant with him.’ She’s funny. I had a beautiful visit with her.
“She truly believes that there is an afterlife and that she’ll be wonderfully received in the arms of a loving God, and therefore did not fear death.”
The matriarch of the Bush family political dynasty, Barbara Bush, is survived by her husband, five children, 17 grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.
Monday, April 23rd Is the Sex Ed Sit-Out
Parents across the country are planning on pulling their children out of public schools next week in protest of “graphic, gender-bending sex education” from groups like Planned Parenthood in the schools.
The Sex Ed Sit-Out is scheduled for Monday, April 23 across 12 cities, including some in Canada and Australia.
You can learn more through a link in our transcript today at www.TheWorldView.com.
Mark 9:42 says, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.”
The Southwest Hero in a Cowboy Hat
Heroes have emerged from the tragic Southwest flight from New York to Dallas on Tuesday when an engine blew shortly into the flight, shattering a window, and killing a passenger.
When a woman was being sucked out of the plane, Tim McGinty, along with another man, helped pull her back to safety.
McGinty’s wife said, “My husband loves God and believes our purpose here is to love fiercely and to serve others. Some heroes wear capes, but mine wears a cowboy hat.”
Closing Line
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, April 19th in the year of our Lord 2018. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldView.com. I’m Adam McManus. (adam@TheWorldView.com) Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
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Trump Stands Up for Imprisoned American Pastor
President Donald Trump spoke out for American pastor Andrew Brunson on trial this week in Turkey for his faith on false charges of terrorism.
Trump tweeted on Tuesday that Brunson is “being persecuted in Turkey for no reason. They call him a spy, but I am more a spy than he is.”