Wednesday, April 13th, in the year of our Lord, 2016.
By Mark Robinette
Lieutenant Commander Edward Lin, a high-level U.S. Navy officer, was charged with espionage after being arrested as he boarded a flight to mainland China, CNN reported. Born in Taiwan but now an American citizen, he at one point worked in Washington. Few details were available about the extent of the information that may have been compromised.
The Republic of Abkhazia, located on the eastern Black Sea next to Georgia, has outlawed abortion, saying that the baby and the mother have “the equal right to life.” The parliament of this small country that broke away from Georgia signed the new law earlier this year, banning the killing of the unborn all the way back to the moment of conception. Some say that they did this for religious reasons, and others say that the small country made the move to boost its population, which is currently just under 250,000. Nearby Poland, which is 92% Catholic, passed a total ban on abortion late last year, and the leaders of the Ukraine have also considered following suit. Medical missionary Miriam Wheeler told The World View that she is working in the Ukraine to stop abortion there as well as to help those who have already been deeply scarred by it: “In Odessa, we have started the ministry of Choose Life, an organization to promote life. We have a women’s center, which is a pregnancy care center that’s been open for 2 years, and we’ve had a lot of interest stimulated in other cities in Ukraine to follow that model.”
Merely going to North Carolina has evidently become politically incorrect. Another American superstar, Jimmy Buffett, confronted by the fact that his next two concerts are scheduled in Raleigh and Greensboro, took a different approach than Bruce Springsteen did last week. Instead of standing up 15,000 fans like the Boss did, he said that the shows must go on. Buffett, most famous for such lyrical genius as “I stepped on a pop top, blew out my flip flop, cut my heel had to cruise on back home,” called the new law, which protects North Carolinians from having to share public restrooms with those of the opposite sex, “just another stupid law” that he was not going to let his fans down for. Soon, Buffett will shake the North Carolina dust off his feet and go back to “Wasting Away in Margaritaville.”
The most purchased book in the world, the Bible, has made its way to the top of another list. This time it’s on the “Top 10 Most Objected To” list at public schools and libraries. Detractors say that the reason is for its content of sex and violence. James LaRue, director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom for the American Library Association, says that many have been fooled into thinking that it’s a violation of the separation of church and state if a school buys a copy of the Bible. It has merely been targeted by anti-faith groups who hope that local Christians will be too afraid to object. Sadly, their gamble has paid off. The World View spoke to pastor and author Brian Cosby, who said that this should be no surprise because the Bible should be objectionable to those oppose to the Gospel: “The best way that I have found in talking with skeptics and those that have any objection to the Bible is to look at the world around them, the reality, and to show how Scripture gives answers for that. The Bible gives a coherent perspective, a worldview of all of those things, something that other worldviews cannot give answer to in a coherent way.”
The heart of little Toxey Ahrabli of Arkansas nearly broke when none of his classmates showed up for his 10th birthday party. Two days later, he was crying for joy. To the family’s surprise, a local group of Arkansas State Troopers, including a K-9, who heard the sad news on Facebook, showed up and threw him a party he’ll never forget. Complete with cake, cool gifts, and a few lights and sirens, the event delighted and surprised Toxey. We wonder what Toxey will want to be when he grows up? Jesus said that taking time with children is a worthy cause (Luke 18:16), and bringing someone joy is like giving them medicine (Proverbs 17:22).
And that’s the World View in Five Minutes.