It’s Wednesday, March 22nd, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
European Court affirms religious liberty of Russian pastor
Earlier this month, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Russia for violating the religious liberty of a pastor.
In 2016, Russian officials punished Donald Ossewaarde, an Evangelical pastor, for holding a prayer gathering at his home in Oryol.
Authorities convicted him under a 2016 anti-terrorism law which banned many instances of “missionary work.”
After the recent ruling, the pastor said, “We hope and pray that the international community will pay attention to the erosion of religious freedom in Russia, and that this Court decision will prompt other countries to affirm and robustly protect the religious freedom of their people.”
Christian missionary in Niger, Africa released by Muslim terrorists
Praise God! A Christian U.S. aid worker was finally freed on Monday after years of captivity in West Africa.
In 2016, Islamic militants kidnapped Jeffery Woodke for ransom from his home in Niger. After his release, Jeffery’s wife, Els Woodke, said she “praises God for answering the prayers of Christians everywhere who have prayed for this outcome.”
A French journalist kidnapped in 2021 in neighboring Mali was also released with Jeffery.
The release comes after Antony Blinken became the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Niger last week.
Isaiah 61:1 says, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”
Methodist College fired Christian professor
A Methodist Bible college in the United Kingdom fired a professor last week for criticizing sexually perverted lifestyles.
Back in February, Dr. Aaron Edwards tweeted, “Homosexuality is invading the Church . . . This *is* a ‘Gospel issue,’ by the way. If sin is no longer sin, we no longer need a Saviour.”
In response, Cliff College in Derbyshire dismissed Edwards, and even threatened to report him to the government’s Counter-Terrorism watchdog.
Speaking to CBN News, he warned that Christians are becoming more and more afraid to declare their convictions.
EDWARDS: “It’s because we’ve accepted a worldly ideology. And we haven’t been robust enough, we haven’t been sufficiently robust, in declaring our convictions. We’ve apologized for our convictions before the world. We haven’t declared them because we’ve been told that if you declare your conviction, that homosexuality is sinful, you’re homophobic. Well, that’s not actually true.”
Biden’s first veto
President Joe Biden issued the first veto of his presidency on Monday.
The bill that came to Biden’s desk would have kept retirement fund managers from making environmental, social, or governance considerations, also known as ESG, as part of their investment strategy. Biden vetoed the bill.
ESG investing focuses on a company’s commitment to so-called diversity and environmentalism instead of its economic performance.
In response, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted, “Biden just sided with woke Wall Street over workers … despite a bipartisan vote to block his [environmental, social, and governance] agenda. It’s clear Biden wants Wall Street to use your retirement savings to fund his far-left political causes.”
Utah’s new law will shut down abortion mills
Last Wednesday, Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed an anti-abortion bill into law.
The measure will shut down abortion mills in the state by next year.
The law ends the licensing of abortion locations starting in May of this year. It also bans the operation of abortion mills starting in January of next year. The law also updated Utah’s 18-week abortion ban to not include exceptions in certain cases.
Only 3% of Americans have Biblical worldview
And finally, the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University released their latest study on Biblical worldview in America.
The study identified seven cornerstones of a Biblical worldview. People who hold to all seven beliefs are much more likely to have a Biblical worldview.
Here are the seven cornerstones with the percentage of Americans which hold to each:
- Only 50% of American adults embrace the true nature of God.
- 35% believe Jesus is the only way for salvation.
- 27% recognize humans as sinful.
- 46% accept the Bible as true and reliable.
- A slim 25% believe in absolute truth rooted in the Bible.
- 36% see their purpose as serving God.
- Only 23% define success as obedience to God.
Sadly, only 3% of U.S. adults embrace all seven principles.
Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, March 22nd in the year of our Lord 2023. 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.