Wednesday, March 30th, in the year of our Lord, 2016.
By Mark Robinette
It took 33 years, but a Malaysian court has finally granted permission for Roneey Anak Rebit to convert from Islam to Christianity. Roneey, now 43, came to Christ and was baptized when he was 10 years old, but the local Islamic mosque, where his parents were members, contested the conversion and refused to offer him a letter of release.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order Monday banning state employees from using taxpayer funds to travel to North Carolina. Governor Cuomo joined with two prominent mayors doing the same with public employees—Seattle’s Ed Murray and San Francisco’s Ed Lee. All three are showing their opposition to a new law in North Carolina that would protect people from having to share public restrooms with those of the opposite sex.
The prophets of old warned, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil . . . Like the fire destroys the dry grass . . . God’s anger is kindled against you . . .” (Isaiah 5:20-25).
A bill similar to the new law in North Carolina just passed in Georgia. Republican Governor Nathan Deal was expected to sign it, but instead he announced yesterday that he is set to veto it. Government insider Paul Abbott told The World View that lawmakers are already working to get a two-thirds majority vote to overrule the veto: “The plan looking forward is to call a special session this spring or summer for the purpose of overriding the veto now while it’s still on everyone’s mind, and not wait 8 or 9 months until next year.”
Love is in the air. An Egyptian man, whom authorities are calling a “love-struck idiot” rather than a terrorist, hijacked an EgyptAir passenger jet Tuesday morning and forced it to land in Cyprus. After several terrifying hours for passengers and crew, complete with what appeared to be an explosive suicide belt and the slow releasing of hostages, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades surmised, “[The man] seems [to be] in love.” One of the clues of his less-than-terrifying intentions—the man took selfies with some of his hostages before asking for a love letter to be given to his ex-wife.
With the help of a third party, the FBI was able to break into the iPhone used by Syed Farook, the San Bernardino jihadist. He and his wife reportedly used the phone to record the December 15th massacre. Government officials had gotten a court order to force Apple to help access the phone’s data. Apple refused, citing the privacy of its other customers.
Famed actress Patty Duke died yesterday at the age of 69. She was most well known for her Academy Award-winning portrayal of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker.
66-year-old African American pastor Larry Dawson of Nashville was shot and critically wounded by police at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C. after allegedly pulling a gun at a security checkpoint. Dawson had been banned from the building late last year.
In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul said that the warfare we are engaged in is not with people, but evil spirits: “The Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” and prayer, are our weapons of choice, he said.
Felix Ngole, a Christian post-graduate student in The United Kingdom, was expelled from Sheffield University for voicing opposition to homosexual marriage in a Facebook discussion with a friend. The World View spoke to Ngole about his situation: “My view is that marriage marks the union between a man and a woman, because that is the way God made you to be.”
On the presidential campaign trail, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker endorsed Senator Ted Cruz in anticipation of the next big contest in the Walker’s home state. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who has lost 6 out the past 7 contests to Bernie Sanders, said that she would never nominate a U.S. Supreme Court Justice who was not pro-abortion.
“Sing unto God, sing praises to His name: extol Him that rides upon the heavens by His name Jehovah, and rejoice before Him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in His holy habitation” (Psalm 68:4-5).
And that’s the World View in Five Minutes.