It’s Friday, February 24th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus.
By Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
Iran pardons two imprisoned Christian converts
The Iranian government has pardoned and released two imprisoned Christian converts this past week as a part of the annual tradition of pardoning prisoners during the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
After spending a year in prison, Hadi Rahimi was released on February 20th. And fellow church member Saheb Fadaie was released on February 9th after spending five years in prison.
Both men were imprisoned on charges of “acting against national security by organizing house-churches and promoting ‘Zionist’ Christianity.” And both men had been held in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, where many Christians have been imprisoned over the years.
As converts to Christianity from Islam, they are not recognized as Christians and have no freedom or protection in worship according to their Christian faith. Many of these Christians face charges related to practicing their faith. They are accused of “propaganda against the state through proselytizing Christianity” or “acting against national security by conducting evangelistic activities.”
The new-found freedom of these two Christian prisoners means that our prayers have been answered. Keep praying that other Iranian Christian prisoners will be released as well.
In Isaiah 61:1, the prophet foretold a time when God would “bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.”
New state poll puts DeSantis ahead of Trump
A new poll out of Michigan shows Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis garnering more support over former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup.
Among Republican voters, 47 percent favor the governor and 42 percent chose Trump with 11 percent undecided, according to the Echelon Insights Poll.
When broken down by gender, 43% of Republican women in Michigan support Trump, compared to 40% who favor DeSantis. And 51% of Republican men say they back DeSantis, while 41% say they support Trump.
Trump won Michigan in 2016 against Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, but lost it to President Joe Biden in 2020.
Biden DOJ charges 8 more pro-life activists with violating the FACE Act
The U.S. Department of Justice has announced charges against eight pro-life activists for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, also known as the FACE Act, reports LifeSiteNews.com.
According to a press release issued by the DOJ Wednesday, Calvin Zastrow, Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Caroline Davis, Joel Curry, Justin Phillips, Eva Edl, and Eva Zastrow apparently blocked the entrance of an abortion mill in Sterling Heights, Michigan on August 27, 2020.
The FACE Act, which was signed into law by Democrat President Bill Clinton in 1994, makes it a crime to intimidate or physically prevent the coming and going of persons seeking the services of abortion mills.
The indictment comes just weeks after Mark Houck was found not guilty of violating the Act. Houck, a father of seven, gained nationwide fame after the FBI raided his house with guns drawn while his wife and children were present, all because he defended his son from a vulgar pro-abortion so-called “escort” outside a facility in Philadelphia.
Conservatives denounced the agency’s behavior, which many said reflected a blatant targeting of pro-lifers under the Biden regime.
Pro-life Catholic bishop shot to death
A Catholic bishop was fatally shot in Los Angeles on February 18th, reports KTLA.
Bishop David O’Connell, the 69-year-old auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was found shot to death before 1 p.m. in his Hacienda Heights home.
He was frequently involved in the pro-life movement, repeatedly leading prayers vigils and processions in front of Planned Parenthood abortion mills in California.
On Monday, Carlos Medina, the 65-year-old husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper, was arrested. He claimed Bishop O’Connell owed him money.
“Jesus Revolution” movie portrays revival and Greg Laurie’s love story
And finally, the love story of Pastor Greg Laurie and his wife, Cathe, is depicted in the new film “Jesus Revolution.”
And now, 50 years later, Cathe is reflecting on the long-lasting love that she encountered with both Jesus and her husband back during the spiritual awakening that swept Southern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
HIPPIE: “There is an entire generation searching, just in all the wrong places. And if you want to reach my people, you need to speak to them in a language they understand.
CHUCK SMITH: “If I bring them in, I’ll lose my job.”
HIPPIE: “We can only walk through doors open to us, and your church, that’s a door that’s shut.”
Cathe Laurie sat down for a video interview about the movie Jesus Revolution with The Christian Post.
LAURIE: “I think I represent that generation. We were so young. Most of the people that were packing into Calvary Chapel in those days would be my age 15, 16, 17 years old.
“It shows what God can do when He breaks through to a generation. It was not organized. It was not orchestrated by a particular parachurch group. It was not organized by a particular church. It was a spontaneous intervention, I believe, of the Holy Spirit into a generation that was lost and searching.”
In a candid moment, the wife of Pastor Greg Laurie said the idea of her love story being depicted on the silver screen was scary.
LAURIE: “To have our young lives depicted in a major motion picture like this is really quite surprising for me. I will be totally honest with you. I was a little terrified by the idea of it in the beginning stages.
“When John Erwin was interviewing Greg and myself, he just wanted to know, as people who lived through this revival, what it was like.”
The late Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel, portrayed by Kelsey Grammer of Frasier and Cheers fame, took Mark 16:15 to heart. “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.”
Watch the trailer of Jesus Revolution through a special link in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com. And get tickets through a separate link as it opens nationwide tonight.
Close
And that’s The Worldview on this Friday, February 24th, 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.