It’s Wednesday, May 11th, A.D. 2022. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Iranian Christian gets 10 years in prison for starting church
Last month, a court in Iran sentenced a 60-year-old Christian to 10 years in prison. His crime? He started a house church.
Anooshavan Avedian also faces a fine on charges of teaching “propaganda contrary to and disturbing to the holy religion of Islam.”
The court also punished two Christian converts in Avedian’s house church. Abbas Soori and Maryam Mohammadi face thousands of dollars in fines, a 10-year deprivation of social rights, and a two-year ban on travel abroad.
Over the last decade, Iran has shut down nearly every church that has performed services in the official Persian language, leading to the establishment of many house churches.
Matthew 10:22 says, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
Finland & Sweden, fearful of Russia, want to join NATO
Yesterday, the Defense Committee for Finland’s Parliament said joining NATO would be the best option for the country’s national security.
The move would represent a huge shift in policy for the country that shares an 800-mile border with Russia.
Sweden is also considering joining NATO, and both countries plan to make a decision on joining in the next week.
Finland adopted neutrality since World War 2, and Sweden has not been in a military alliance for over 200 years.
Pro-abortion activists threaten pro-life justice with violence
Abortion activists have resorted to violence, vandalism, and protests in response to the leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito authored the draft opinion and is now in a secure location with his family because of the threats.
On Monday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill to provide security for family members of Supreme Court justices.
Last Friday, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had a message for the radical abortion activists who think they can bully the Supreme Court into revising its draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade: You can’t bully us.
Churches and pro-life centers targeted for violence
In related news, abortion activists expanded their attacks over the weekend to churches and pro-life centers.
Vandals set fire to the office of Wisconsin Family Action and left graffiti on the building that said: “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either.”
Churches faced disruptions after abortion groups like “Ruth Sent Us” called on activists to storm churches on Mother’s Day.
Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson said the pro-abortion push is ultimately a war on God and Christianity.
Listen.
TUCKER: “It’s not really about codifying Roe. Abortion is for people who ‘need them safe, legal and rare.’ It’s about something much bigger than that. It’s about displacing God as the Great Decider. Democrats now reserve the right to rewrite biology, which is to say, dominion over nature. Now they’re in charge.
“So again, this isn’t just about intimidating Supreme Court justices, five of them, into changing their views on Roe v. Wade. It’s about attacking Christianity because Christianity stands in their way.”
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Victory for Texas school board conservatives
Conservative candidates won big in school board elections in Texas this week.
The 1776 Project PAC supported over a dozen candidates opposed to critical race theory, and nearly all of them won outright. In one district in Dallas, the group’s candidates beat opposition by more than 2-1.
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott tweeted, “Parents are more involved and active in school elections and school policies than ever before. . . . The power of parents will continue to expand in Texas.”
Alabama’s law protecting kids from transgender idiocy in effect
Alabama’s law against transgender drugs went into effect on Sunday.
It’s now a felony for doctors to prescribe puberty blockers and hormones for minors. Violations carry a 10-year prison sentence.
The law went into effect after a federal judge did not rule on a request to halt the measure.
100 Florida churches leave leftist United Methodist Church
And finally, the Wesleyan Covenant Association announced last week that over 100 churches in Florida are leaving the leftist United Methodist Church.
In order to “maintain orthodoxy,” the churches plan to join the association which is theologically conservative.
The 107 congregations represented 20% of the UMC churches in Florida.
Jay Therrell, the President of the Florida Wesleyan Covenant Association, said, “After a decades-long rise of theological liberalism, the selective enforcement of our denominational laws, and a strong surge in the promotion of partisan politics, our churches long for the day of being able to unite with like-minded Christians who focus on sharing the Good News of Jesus and help people to be transformed by His salvation.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, May 11th, in the year of our Lord 2022. 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.