Iraq’s Christian Population Nearly Non-Existent, LA Governor Signs Heartbeat Bill,Taiwan Hosts Int’l Religious Freedom Forum

Friday, May 31st, in the year of our Lord 2019

By Jonathan Clark

Iraq’s Christian Population Virtually Non-Existent

Bashar Warda, the Iraqi Archbishop of Irbil, is warning that Christianity in Iraq is close to being extinguished, and any Christians left in Iraq may be subjected to martyrdom.  

The World View spoke to Claire Evans, Middle East Manager for International Christian Concern, about why many Christians have left the Nineveh Plain of Iraq.

EVANS: “It is true that most of the Christians have left the country, and this has been ongoing since 2003. Most of them left early on during the early 2000s. In Iraq, the Christian population has dropped well over 80% just in the last two decades. So, in that sense, it is true that the Christian population is decreasing quite significantly at least for those who were Christians before the conflict.”  

Evans said that the Christian population in the Nineveh Plains has been greatly diminished because of ISIS, but it is burgeoning in the southern part of Iraq.

EVANS: “At the same time though, there is a growth of Christianity in Muslim-background believers, and they are growing quite rapidly, usually in response to what ISIS did to Christians, and they couldn’t believe it. So, they became curious about these people that ISIS was persecuting. On the one hand, for those who were traditionally Christians before the rise of ISIS, those people are becoming less and less, but on the other hand there are more and more people becoming Christians in Iraq than ever before.” 

Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.”  

Taiwan Hosts International Religious Freedom Forum

Taiwan is hosting the first Taiwan International Religious Freedom Forum this week, drawing representation from 27 countries.

China Aid, the Heritage Foundation, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, and the Taiwan Association for China Human Rights helped organize the event to create partnerships and collective commitment for religious freedom in the Asia Pacific.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen spoke at the conference contrasting the country’s religious freedoms with nearby China’s radical crackdown on Christianity in recent months. 

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Failed Government Coalition

For the first time, voters in Israel will head back to the polls for a second consecutive vote on September 17 after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government coalition by a Wednesday deadline.

The newly elected Israeli parliament voted on Thursday to dissolve itself.

Coalition building came to an impasse as Netanyahu was unable to unite his main coalition partners, the secular-right wing party, Yisrael Beitenu, and the ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties. 

Liberty Counsel to Christians: Call Senators to Oppose “Equality” Act

Liberty Counsel is organizing a petition against the Equality Act which passed the U.S. House of Representatives this month and would threaten religious freedom and free speech by recognizing sexual perversions with certain protections. 

The Senate version of the bill is now up for consideration. 

Liberty Counsel is urging people to call their senators at 202-224-3121 to oppose the Equality Act. That’s 202-224-3121. You can also email them to oppose Bill S788.

And join over 25,000 people who have signed the petition against the bill, linked in our transcript today at theworldview.com

Democratic Louisiana Governor Signs Heartbeat Bill!

In a rejection of his party’s pro-abortion platform, Louisiana Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards, a devout Catholic, signed the Heartbeat bill yesterday, reports LifeNews.com.

It bans the murder of unborn babies after six weeks with no exceptions in cases of rape or incest.

New Orleans Democratic Senator Karen Carter Peterson, the head of the state’s Democratic party, called the measure “egregious and offensive”.

Democrat Senator John Milkovich, who sponsored the bipartisan bill, said, “As Louisianans, we want to be about God and family first. Louisianans are pro-life. This is a strong pro-life state. We have just received the prayer, support, encouragement of people all over our great state in taking this battle to the abortion cartel and fighting for the lives of the unborn.”  

You can thank Governor Edwards by email through a special link in our transcript at www.TheWorldView.com or call (225)342-7015. That’s (225)342-7015.

Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

Trump Administration Investigates 2 Airports That Banned Chick-fil-A

The Trump administration is investigating two airports for possible religious discrimination against the Christian-owned Chick-fil-A after the fast food chain was denied contracts, reports LifeSiteNews.

The Department of Transportation announced last week that the FAA’s Office of Civil Rights is investigating complaints against San Antonio International Airport and the Buffalo Niagara International Airport over religious discrimination against Chick-fil-A. 

World’s Tiniest Baby, Smaller Than Apple, Now Healthy 5-Month Old

Baby Saybie was born back in December at 23 weeks and three days, weighing only 8.6 ounces. She was smaller than an apple.

Doctors expected her to live for an hour. But, in God’s providence, Saybie went home on Wednesday from a San Diego hospital with her family as a healthy five-month-old. 

Saybie is considered to be the tiniest premature baby ever to survive! 

Psalm 71:6 says, “By You [O Lord] I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You.”

Sign Up for the Generations Father/Son Retreat in Colorado

Join our annual Generations Father/Son Retreat in the Colorado mountains Thursday, August 29th through Sunday, September 1st.

You can register now and save $120 at www.ColoradoFatherSon.com.   

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And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Friday, May 31st 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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