Friday, May 13th, in the year of our Lord, 2016.
By Emily and Kevin Swanson
No superstition here. God also made Saturday the 14th.
A young Christian Pakistani has a price of $10,000 on his head as he faces charges of blasphemy. The young man is in hiding after his Muslim friends accused him of watching an “anti-Islam” video on his phone. Muslims there have issued an ultimatum to the other Christians in the village: “convert to Islam, leave the village forever, or hand over Imran so he can be burned.”
A Nigerian girl who escaped her Muslim captors was in Washington this week, pleading with Congress that her Chibok schoolmates might not be forgotten. At least 200 of these young girls are still in the hands of Boko Haram, a Muslim terrorist group. The girl, named Sa’a, told the story of her kidnapping. Former U.S. Representative Frank Wolf said that he hopes Sa’a’s story would serve to “light the spark that is needed to elevate this crisis to the place it deserves.”
We pray for the Chibok girls with the Psalmist in Psalm 6:8-10: “Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer. Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.”
The Italian parliament has now legalized homosexual unions despite the opposition of many Catholic groups. Italy was the last large Western country to approve these unions. Now Kenya is reconsidering its position on homosexuality. This particular sin carries a criminal penalty of up to 14 years in prison in that African nation.
God’s law is plain on this sin: “You shall not lie with a man, as with a woman: it is abomination.” That’s Leviticus 18:22.
The State of Mississippi will cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood as of July 1st. Governor Phil Bryant signed the defunding bill on Tuesday. That makes for 26 states that have pushed for defunding so far. Tanya Britton, former director of Pro-Life Mississippi, told The World View that this is an encouraging step in the fight against abortion: “Well, I think in time you can defund Planned Parenthood or point out the many destructive things that they do, and expose the truth about what they say that they’re doing. It’s always a victory for the pro-life movement, and it really encourages us.”
Also in the news, Planned Parenthood has filed two more suits against the states of Ohio and Kansas, attempting to recover government money for its abortion business.
The Knights of Columbus, a pro-life Catholic men’s group, is installing high-tech baby boxes in the state of Indiana for children who have been abandoned by their own parents.
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).
Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan met yesterday, and now they say that they’re committed to working together despite their disagreements.
After using profane language to describe Ted Cruz two weeks ago, former House Speaker John Boehner now says that he “thanks God Ted Cruz did not win.” He is officially backing Trump for the top office.
A federal judge ruled in favor of House Republicans in the Obamacare payments case on Thursday. Judge Rosemary Collyer ruled that the Affordable Care Act does not actually authorize an appropriation for slashing deductibles and providing for co-payments. Without these appropriations, the Affordable Care Act will not provide affordable insurance to many consumers, according to the private insurers.
One California family is fighting hard to keep their boy alive. Israel Stinson, 2 years of age, went into a cardiac arrest after an asthma attack in April. The Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center said that Israel is “brain-dead,” but his parents have filed an appeal to keep him on the ventilator. A Life Legal Defense Association video shows Israel responding to his mother as she tickles him. Israel’s mother has set up a GoFundMe site for Israel, and she explained, “Israel means apple of God’s eye and he truly is a child of God with a lot of fight in him.” While Israel has been in the Pediatric Care Unit, he has been only given dextrose, which his parents have been told is the equivalent of 7-Up. So Israel is essentially starving, and Kaiser refuses to give him the necessary protein, fat, and vitamins intravenously. The parents will use your contribution to fight Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center in Sacramento and to pay for an air medical transfer to another hospital, likely in another state. If you would like to donate, go to https://www.gofundme.com/saveisraelstinson.
A Baptist pastor and his friend interrupted a kidnapping in a remote area of Tennessee yesterday. Police say that Carlie Marie Trent was in imminent harm when Pastor Roger Carpenter came upon the scene and pulled a gun on the kidnapper. Carpenter held the man at gunpoint until law enforcement arrived at the scene.
Trust God and keep your powder dry.
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And that’s the World View in Five Minutes.
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