Friday, January 19th, in the year of our Lord 2018
By Jonathan Clark
Chinese Officials Destroy Large Church Building
Last week, Chinese officials used explosives to destroy a $2.6 million building belonging to the Golden Lampstand Church, one of China’s largest evangelical churches, reports China Aid. Authorities said the church was operating illegally.
The congregation of 50,000 has been targeted before by police and thugs. Multiple pastors in the church have been beaten, fined, and imprisoned for up to seven years.
Chinese Christians face new religious regulations going into effect next month.
Despite man’s demolition attempts, Jesus declared in Matthew 16:18, “I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Iranian Refugee in Sweden Has Seen Nearly 1,500 Muslims Come to Christ
A Christian Iranian woman living in Sweden says she has seen nearly 1,500 Muslims come to Christ in the country over the last five years.
Annahita Parsan fled Iran as a Muslim refugee, making her way to Scandinavia where people ministered the Gospel to her.
Parsan converted to Christianity and focuses on evangelizing Muslims now. She told Fox News that her life is “completely different since coming to Jesus.”
British Government Appoints Secretary to Take on the Issue of Loneliness
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May appointed under secretary Tracey Crouch on Wednesday to coordinate a government response to the issue of loneliness in the country, reports the New York Times.
Research last year found nine million people in Britain often or always feel lonely. Government data also showed around 200,000 elderly people have not spoken with a friend or relative for over a month.
UK officials made no mention of the ministry of Jesus Christ in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted . . . to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”
Medical Professionals in the Netherlands Favor Child Euthanasia
In a recent edition of the journal Pediatrics, medical professionals from the US and the Netherlands discussed the legalization of child euthanasia, reports Life News.
A number of the Dutch contributors argued in favor of this form of murder, saying it should be left to the “beneficence of physicians” and that all age restrictions should be lifted. In the Netherlands, it’s already legal to end the life of children between the ages of 12 and 18 with parental consent.
Plus, a study found 431 lives were terminated without request in the country in 2015.
Trump Cabinet Members Share How They’ve Been Blessed by Capitol Ministries Bible Study
Capitol Ministries founded by Ralph Drollinger works to disciple political leaders across 200 nations, including having a Bible study with members of President Trump’s cabinet.
Cabinet member Ben Carson said the ministry’s Gospel proclamation is “more important than ever” as many try to minimize our Christian heritage.
Another cabinet member, former Texas Governor Rick Perry, described his faith as “the core of who I am” in an interview on C-SPAN.
“When I came back home, 27 years old, God kinda dealt with me. I had the realization that all those things I had learned really did have practical application. I re-engaged in my faith journey. And it’s been a very, very important part of who I am, how I’ve tried to reflect my values to the people of the state of Texas and in this case the country.”
Perry also praised Drollinger for the Trump cabinet Bible study.
“Ralph is a brilliant, knowledgeable Bible instructor. . . We have a Bible study, and we delve into, deeply into Scripture. . . And this is the first time I think in almost a hundred years that there’s been a cabinet Bible study.”
David said in 2 Samuel 23:3, “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.”
Trump Administration Creates New HHS Division to Protect Religious Freedom
The Trump administration announced on Thursday the creation of a new religious freedom division of the Department of Health and Human Services to protect health care professionals from being pressured to participate in abortions, sex change operations, or other actions that violate their consciences.
Roger Severino, the director of the HHS civil-rights office stated, “No one should be forced to choose between helping sick people and living by one’s deepest moral or religious convictions, and the new division will help guarantee that victims of unlawful discrimination find justice.”
California Couple Arrested for Malnourishing Their 13 Children
David and Louise Turpin of Perris, California were arrested this week on nine counts of torture and child endangerment after police found their 13 children had been captive and malnourished in their home, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Authorities found out about the situation after a 17-year-old girl in the family escaped the house and called 911 on Sunday.
The Turpins had registered with the state as home-schoolers.
Scott Woodruff, senior counsel for the Home School Legal Defense Association, said the tempting response by California lawmakers of “knee-jerk calls for more red tape burdens” would not be successful. Woodruff said, “When people of goodwill have time to look at the data, they realize the home-school laws are not the problem. We have not seen a clamping down in response to a very vivid case of tragic abuse.”
Unmanned Aircraft Expedites Rescue of Two Boys in Dangerous Australian Waters
And finally, it was a first for an unmanned aircraft on Thursday when a drone helped rescue two teenage boys stuck in dangerous waters off the shore of Australia, reports ABC News.
Lifeguards alerted to the situation launched a drone to deliver an inflatable rescue pod to the boys in just 70 seconds where it would have taken a lifeguard six minutes to normally complete the rescue.
Closing Line
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Friday, January 19th 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.