It’s Thursday, September 16th, A.D. 2021. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Afghan Christians in hiding
U.S. ministries now report they have lost contact with Christians in Afghanistan as the crisis there enters a new phase under the Taliban.
William Stark with International Christian Concern told the Christian Post, “Christians are now in hiding because of active threats against their community.”
Dave Eubank, the founder of Free Burma Rangers, is on the ground helping people in Afghanistan. He asked for prayer for their ministry and told CBN News the Taliban is hunting down anyone it perceives as a threat.
EUBANK: “Unless you’re in the Taliban, you’re in deathly fear of the Taliban. They’re hunting down people right now trying to get all the names of anyone they perceive as an enemy. Please pray that us, the Freedom Rangers, and many other groups like us are on the ground, that we can have access to help people.”
The Afghanistan humanitarian crisis
Meanwhile, the people of Afghanistan are facing a humanitarian crisis.
Member states of the United Nations have already pledged over $1 billion in assistance to Afghanistan. People face food shortages, a collapsing economy, and skyrocketing prices.
The Taliban is enacting a brutal crackdown on human rights activists, journalists, and protesters who oppose the new regime.
Naval Academy fired coach over refusal to get COVID shot
The U.S. Naval Academy fired an assistant coach recently for refusing to get a COVID shot on religious grounds.
Coach Billy Ray Stutzmann tweeted on Monday, “Based on my religious convictions, and after much thought and prayer, I am unable to follow the requirements of the Naval Academy’s COVID-19 policy.”
Stutzmann cited Mark 11:25 in his tweet, ”And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you for your offenses.”
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Texas abortion chain cut 9 of 17 abortionists
After the Texas Heartbeat Law went into effect this month, nine abortionists are no longer killing babies in the state.
An abortion chain in Texas went from 17 abortionists to 8 abortionists on day one of the law coming into effect.
Most of the abortionists came from out of state and won’t come back for fear of being sued.
U.S. poverty rate up
The U.S. Census Bureau reports the poverty rate in the U.S. increased 1 percentage point last year to 11.4%.
And the median household income decreased nearly 3% last year.
It’s the first time the poverty rated increased after five consecutive annual declines. However, taking government stimulus programs into account, the poverty rate fell last year to 9.1%.
25 of 52 counties supported CA Gov. recall: But Gavin still won
California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom defeated an attempt to recall him on Tuesday.
Over 60% of voters opposed recalling Newsome, while just over 30% supported the recall.
However, with results still coming in, the results at the county-level were more evenly divided. So far, 25 counties supported the recall, while 27 counties opposed it.
Facebook’s 3 flaws
A new investigative series by the Wall Street Journal accuses Facebook of knowing “in acute detail, that its platforms are riddled with flaws that cause harm, often in ways only the company fully understands.”
The Wall Street Journal identified three areas of concern.
First, Facebook shields millions of high profile accounts from its normal rules of behavior even though CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims all users are on equal footing.
Second, Facebook knows its photo-sharing app Instagram poses a mental health problem to a sizable minority of its users, mostly teenage girls.
And third, a 2018 algorithm update, intended to better connect users, actually facilitated people becoming angrier at each other on the platform.
The Wall Street Journal warns that Facebook’s researchers have known about these problems, but the company has not fixed them.
Barna: Most Americans find purpose in their work
And finally, a report by Barna says most Americans find purpose and meaning in their work despite the workplace challenges of the last year.
Over 50% of U.S. adults said they would be interested in churches offering guidance for their vocational wellbeing.
Among Millennials and Gen Zers, that number rose to nearly 70%.
Eighty-five percent of churchgoers agreed their church does a good job of encouraging them to live out their faith in the workplace, slightly down from 89% in 2018.
Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, September 16th, in the year of our Lord 2021. 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.