It’s Thursday, July 29th, 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
North Korea’s atrocities
A report by the U.K.’s All-Party Parliamentary Group found North Korea is responsible for egregious humans rights violations in recent years.
The report documented the North Korean government’s involvement in murder, torture, sex trafficking, forced abortion, modern-day slavery, and religious persecution. The atrocities amount to crimes against humanity and even genocide in the case of Christians.
If the government discovers someone is a Christian, officials will force them into a prison labor camp or arbitrarily execute them.
Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in North Korea, ranked as the worst nation for Christian persecution.
British court overturns evangelist’s fine for praying publicly
The London Magistrates Court threw out a case against a British pastor this month. Metropolitan police fined and prosecuted Pastor Joshua Sutcliffe last year for evangelizing outdoors.
Police told Sutcliffe his actions violated COVID-19 restrictions of all things.
Andrea Williams with the Christian Legal Centre said, “Christians have been easy targets for police during the pandemic while other groups gathering in significant numbers have been favored by the police.”
Listen to Sutcliffe praying for people’s salvation last year in the streets of London.
SUTCLIFFE: “I pray that many of you will turn from your lives and give your life to God and take up your cross and follow Him. It’s not by the prophet Muhammad. It’s not by Confucius. It’s not by keeping the law. It’s by the blood of Jesus.”
Jesus said in Matthew 10:32, “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in Heaven.”
Biden set to withdraw 2,500 troops from Iraq
On Monday, President Joe Biden announced the U.S. combat mission in Iraq will conclude by the end of the year. After this year, American troops will only provide advice and training to Iraqi forces.
There are still 2,500 U.S. soldiers in Iraq which requested the troops in 2014 to fight against the Islamic State.
Meanwhile, U.S. troops in Afghanistan are scheduled to withdraw by the end of August.
U.S. Supreme Court to hear Mississippi abortion ban case
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear Mississippi’s appeal over its 15-week abortion ban, reports World Magazine.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch filed the state’s brief in support of the pro-life law last week.
Mississippi is one of a few states that has only one abortion mill still open.
A recent study by the Charlotte Lozier Institute found Mississippi’s abortion law is actually mainstream compared with Europe. Thirty-nine out of 50 European countries limit abortion to 15 weeks of pregnancy.
U.S. swimmer wins sixth career Olympic gold
(audio of Olympics theme song)
American swimmer Katie Ledecky won her sixth career gold medal yesterday at the Tokyo Olympics in the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle race. It’s the first time the Olympics hosted the 1,500-meter race.
Athletes must swim the length of the 50-meter pool 30 times to cover nearly a mile. Ledecky swam it in 15 minutes 37 seconds. When I swim a mile in my gym in San Antonio, it takes me over an hour.
As of yesterday, the U.S. still held the most medals overall while Japan held the most gold medals.
Americans are less charitable today
A study from Indiana University found less than half of Americans gave toward charity in 2018, down from 66% in 2000.
The average amount that an America household gave toward charity fell from $1,790 in 2000 to $1,280 in 2018.
The study also found the amount that people gave toward religious organizations has fallen faster than the amount they gave toward other organizations. In 2000, 46.5% of households gave an average $1,107 to religious charities. In 2018, 29% of households gave an average of $771.
Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”
U.S. economy on path to recovery
And finally, the Federal Reserve said yesterday the U.S. economy is on the path toward recovery since the disruptions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the Federal Reserve injects monetary support into the economy, prices have been surging in recent months. But the Fed said the inflation would be temporary.
Meanwhile, the World Economic Outlook Update for July projected the global economy to grow 6% this year and 4.9% next year. Advanced economies are expected to make a better comeback from the pandemic than developing economies.
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, July 29th, 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.