Friday, June 1st, in the year of our Lord 2018
By Jonathan Clark
Unique Window into North Korean Persecution
Only four percent of North Korean defectors have seen a Bible in the country, according to a recent U.S. State Department report.
Defectors reported that praying, singing hymns, and reading the Bible could lead to severe punishments. Numerous reports found that underground church members were arrested, beaten, tortured, and killed for their religious beliefs.
An estimated 400,000 Christians live in North Korea, and up to 120,000 citizens are imprisoned in labor camps, many for religious reasons.
Few European Christians Attend Church
A new Pew Research survey found 64 percent of adults across 15 European countries still identify as Christians, but only 18 percent attend church regularly. The religiously unaffiliated came in at 24 percent.
The majority of the “non-practicing Christians” in Europe support abortion and faux homosexual marriage.
Hebrews 3:12-13 says, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
Speak Out Against Oppressive Norwegian Child Protective Services
CitizenGo recently organized a petition drive to free Tyler Jakobsen from Norway’s Child Protection Services.
Back in 2013, Norwegian officials took 19-month-old Tyler from his mother Amy who is an American citizen. Amy was accused of still nursing Tyler even though his weight was normal for his age.
After her case was rejected by the Norwegian Supreme Court, Amy was able to file with the European Court of Human Rights after getting in touch with a Christian initiative in Vienna, Austria.
The Heartfelt, Pro-Life Guts of South Carolina Governor
On Tuesday, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said he would be willing to reject $34 million in federal funding to prevent money from going to Planned Parenthood.
During a press conference in Columbia, South Carolina, McMaster said, “There are young, unborn children being killed right as we’re standing here right now up the hill at Planned Parenthood. . . I’m going to do all I can do to see they get no taxpayer money.”
Dr. Matthew Clark, Executive Director of Personhood South Carolina, told The World View that such killings were a call for the church to cry out for God’s mercy.
“We’re going to be praying to the Lord to have mercy on our state, to drive back the forces of demonic deception that are entrenched in Columbia and throughout much of our state, and cause the people of God to rise up in unity and to do His will and to insist that the killing end now.”
Proverbs 31:8 says, “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die.”
Dinesh D’Souza Gets Presidential Pardon
On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that he would pardon conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, who pled guilty to making illegal campaign contributions in 2014.
Trump said the government was unfair in its treatment of D’Souza, who produced films criticizing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Trump Fulfills Another Campaign Promise
Yesterday, the U.S. declared import tariffs effective at midnight on certain nations in Europe and North America.
The tariff applies a 25% tax on steel and a 10% tax on aluminum from the European Union, Mexico, and Canada.
School Shootings Up; Parental Interest in Home Schooling Up
After deadly school shootings in Parkland, Florida and Santa Fe, Texas, homeschool organizations are saying there is an increased interest in homeschooling among parents who are losing faith in the public school system, reports the Washington Times.
Tim Lambert with the Texas Home School Coalition said the number of calls and emails they receive has doubled in the last couple of months.
Sneak Peek: Christian Students Learning to Defend Unborn Babies
If you’re a high school student or college student, don’t waste your summer lounging around by the pool or playing video games or watching movies. Consider participating in a week-long Justice Ride where you’ll learn how to defend the unborn babies and take a stand for Biblical values. Stay tuned for my World View Special Report immediately following today’s newscast.
English Kids Learn About Bible & Jesus Through Play Center
And finally, over 2,000 parents and children are flocking to England’s first “Bible-based play centre,” in Manchester called the Hidden Treasure Discovery Centre.
Founder Ruth Lancey told Christian Today she and her husband sold everything to start the ministry, providing opportunities for children to play and learn about the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus.
Ruth said, “We won’t shy away from talking about Jesus, and we won’t take any funding that stops us from sharing Jesus.”
Jesus said in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
Closing Line
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Friday, June 1st in the year of our Lord 2018. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldView.com. I’m Adam McManus. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
Special Report: College Students Defend Babies in Justice Ride
Time now for another World View Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.
By Adam McManus (adam@TheWorldView.com)
If you’re a high school or college student, I’ve got a special challenge for you. Don’t waste your summer. Invest a week of your time and join a pro-life group called Created Equal for a life-changing Justice Ride.
I spoke with Seth Drayer, Director of Training, about their clear vision.
“The students will be on the streets creating public dialogue about abortion to change minds, awaken hearts in order to save babies’ lives.”
Drayer explained how a young person is trained to defend the unborn babies.
“The very first night is their classroom training where they learn how to make a case against abortion, how to defend the humanity scientifically, and also philosophically the personhood of pre-born fetuses and embryos. They get that classroom training. But then they truly learn on the job, when they’re on the street, shoulder to shoulder with someone who’s a veteran who has done this for a long time, listening to how a conversation works, how you can actually use apologetics in real dialogue that people will no longer support abortion.”
During the spring months, the Justice Ride focuses on college campuses. But in the summer months, the Justice Ride spends time in downtown squares. This summer, the Justice Ride will be headed to Columbus Ohio where they will set up their pro-life display near the state house. And in Detroit, Michigan, they’ll be advocating for the sanctity of life in a large park.
Drayer explained their eye-catching pro-life displays which prompt immediate dialogue. As they’ve discovered, many of the passersby, had not yet taken a position on abortion. Those are the people that the Justice Ride is trying to reach with the truth about the preciousness of the baby in the womb.
“The images that we use for the Justice Ride include babies growing in the womb as well as babies who have been aborted. These pictures are placed on large signs that are placed back to back, like sandwich boards, and the students who have been trained stand next to them. So, if someone walks by and sees a picture of a dead baby, the student asks them ‘What do you think of that?’ And that’s where the conversation begins.
“The reactions we’ve gotten are quite varied. A lot of people who say, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen this before. I had no idea. That is terrible.’ There are others, who because of their strong support for abortion, when they see abortion, see the reality of what they support, that can bring very frustrated reactions. However, I will say that our target audience are those on the fence, those who are not committed to being pro or anti-abortion, those who are still making up their minds. And those people, I find, are very open-minded when they see the truth.
“When people see photos of abortion, they are very surprised by how barbaric it truly is. Many of us are familiar with pictures from biology classes, seeing fetuses growing in the womb. But far fewer have actually seen what an abortion truly looks like. They hear it’s a medical, legal procedure and assume it must be okay. When they see dismembered pieces of dead babies, mangled fingers and toes and faces, that shocks them because abortion is truly shocking!”
Drayer explained that the real learning experience for the high school and college students is when they shadow a more seasoned volunteer or start dialoguing with a curious passerby themselves.
“Every day after outreach in a downtown square we come together to debrief. We ask, ‘What did you share today? What was surprising? What new objection did you hear?’ As a group, we work together on how to better respond to that. All through the week, we are together, sharpening each other to be better apologists, better defenders. So, by the end of the week, when we send them home, they truly are ready to be leaders in their hometown, boldly showing what abortion is with photos, and also graciously making a case with good arguments.”
Communicating the truth about abortion with graciousness is the key ingredient in the Justice Ride.
“Our society has done a very good job of presenting a stereotype of those who oppose abortion as ‘mean, hateful’ people. Mark Harrington, our founder, has reminded us that people who encounter us on the streets, on the Justice Ride ,will remember two things: the pictures of abortion and how we treat them.”
“So we are very careful, very intentional to communicate this terrible, ugly truth with love. We do not shout. We are not mean. We don’t hide the reality of what abortion is. We also don’t add offense by our nature. We are kind; we are gracious. We also present the full truth. This is important because people should understand that our case for human equality means everyone has dignity — fetuses and those who are born. We treat even those who are hard, strong abortion supporters, we treat even them with love.”
However, Seth Drayer explained that no matter how gracious the high school and college students are during their conversations with the curious and the hostile, there has been a growing attempt to censor their pro-life voices and those of others whose foundation is Biblical.
“There is no question that freedom of speech is under assault today in America. We have many people who see us on the public ground and say, ‘You have no right to be here.’ Now, legally speaking they are wrong. We do have the right to be on public space. But there is an effort to drive out and censor those who would show or talk about abortion as it truly is. And that is a very dangerous phenomenon.
“Now even if we have legal freedom of speech, many individuals take into their own hands to try to censor us by knocking over a sign or we’ve even have colleagues who have had their signs spray painted. What this reveals is when those who support abortion radically must take efforts to hide it. They know what we know – that when people see photos showing what abortion is, their support for abortion plummets. So they will hide what we are doing.
“However, we will not be silenced. We will defend ourselves and our right to freedom of speech. And we will stay on the public sidewalks until the day when enough people have understood how terrible abortion is and we have a consensus to turn against it.”
As one example of the impact the Justice Ride is having, Drayer cited the dramatic story of Amad.
“I met a young man named Amad a couple of years ago when I was at Columbus State Community College. He saw our signs showing the pictures of the babies who were killed by abortion. He talked to our team members and left that day. He did not tell us how he had been changed, but didn’t reveal to us his change until weeks later we saw him again downtown at Columbus. He said that day he found out that his girlfriend was pregnant. After seeing the pictures, he went home and said, ‘No way are we going to have an abortion. We are not going to kill this baby.’ That’s merely one example of how when people see it, they truly understand, their hearts our changed against abortion and towards defending babies.”
Beyond having an impact on the passersby who see the images of pre-born and aborted babies, the Justice Ride dramatically impacts the high school and college students who invest a week of their time to sharpen their scientific, philosophical and Biblical defense of the lives of unborn babies.
“Students who join the Justice Ride are already opposed to abortion, they’re already pro-life. But when they take an active stand, it awakens them. Many students have said that this makes their convictions against abortion come alive, to mean more them, to become a core value, something they’re willing to fight for. Other students say this awakens and strengthens their faith because they’re not only defending babies, they’re also talking about their faith in God on the streets.
“Many other students say that just being in a community of 50 or so students who all share these core values, that changes them because they know they have support. They’re not lone soldiers anymore. These students go home renewed and strengthened in their faith and in their convictions, willing to take more sacrificial stands for truth.”
Beth, a first-time Justice Rider, said, “With the training provided and the practical skills I will learn, I hope to better convince women, men, teenagers, and all people that abortion is murder and thus prevent lives from being snuffed out.”
To get a better feel for the Justice Ride, watch this 3-minute-long video and visit their website: www.JusticeRide.org.
Proverbs 24:11 urges us to “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.”
And 1 Peter 3:15 emphasizes the importance of defending our faith in Christ. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
If you feel that God is prompting you to join an upcoming Justice Ride, and you decide to reach out to them, please take a moment and share that good news with me: adam@TheWorldView.com.
And if you’re a parent or grandparent of a high school or college student, please share this newscast with them, urging them to prayerfully consider joining an upcoming Justice Ride this summer or fall.
This has been a World View Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.