Wednesday, December 20th, in the year of our Lord 2017
By Adam McManus
Pastor in Indonesia May Be Charged with Blasphemy and Imprisoned
A Protestant pastor in Indonesia may be charged with blasphemy and imprisoned for five years. It would be the first time a Christian pastor has been accused of blasphemy.
The charge came after a taxi driver posted a video of Pastor Abraham Ben Moses witnessing to him on the internet.
The World View spoke to Gina Goh of International Christian Concern who said that Pastor Moses is very bold.
“This pastor has been a little bit controversial, actually. He was a Muslim before, but he converted to Christianity. Ever since he has been very passionate about spreading the gospel, but the methods he used is a bit controversial, because he will hold events that kind of openly challenge Islam, and in the Muslim majority country, it’s seen as quite offensive.”
While he does have a good legal defense team, it’s likely that he’ll be sentenced to a prison term of some length. Pray not only that Pastor Moses’ prison sentence is short, but that he may know God’s power in tribulation.
Matthew 5:10 says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Nabeel Qureshi Leaves over $900,000 Raised for Medical Expenses to His Wife and Daughter
Nabeel Qureshi, the late author of “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity”, established a GoFundMe page in May of this year to help him pay uncovered medical costs related to his terminal cancer.
The caveat with any leftover money in the case of his death was that the funds would support his wife Michelle and pay for his daughter Ayah’s college education.
Michelle, whose husband died on September 16th of this year at the young age of 34, said that she has been humbled by the $958,165 which has been contributed toward the million dollar goal.
Nazareth’s Muslim Mayor Says Christmas Celebrations Will Be Allowed
Ali Salam, the Muslim mayor of the Israeli city of Nazareth, has now said that Christmas celebrations will be permitted following reports that they would be canceled due to President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, reports the Times of Israel.
Nevertheless, Salam called Trump’s move “wretched,” adding that he had “stabbed” Palestinians, who view East Jerusalem as part of their future capital.
Roy Moore Continues to Refuse to Concede Alabama Senate Race
Roy Moore continues to ignore calls to concede the Alabama U.S. Senate race he lost to Democrat Doug Jones on December 12th.
In the days following the election, Moore’s campaign released an almost five-minute video in which Moore thanked his supporters for standing by him and pledged to watch closely as military and provisional ballots continue to be counted.
“In this race, we have not received the final count to include military and provisional ballots. This has been a very close race and we are awaiting certification by the Secretary of State.”
In a letter to supporters last week, he said that his campaign needed to collect $75,000 which would be used to gather instances of “voter fraud and other irregularities at polling locations throughout the state.”
President Trump, who belatedly endorsed Moore, said last Friday that Moore should concede.
$265,000 of Taxpayer Money Spent Settling Sexual Misconduct Claims in Congress
Over the last 10 years, $700,000 of taxpayer money was paid out by the congressional Office of Compliance, $265,000 of which was paid to settle sexual harassment or sex discrimination claims against members of Congress, reports The Washington Times.
Names of the lawmakers involved in the settlements were not released.
5-Year-Old Boy Shot in Texas Church Shooting Moves Out of Intensive Care
5-year-old Ryland Ward, who was shot 5 times in the massacre at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas on November 9th, has just been moved out of intensive care to the seventh floor at University Hospital in San Antonio, reports The Express-News.
His cheerful disposition has been buoyed by a small Christmas tree and Christmas cards sent to him from around the world at the request of his grandmother Sandy. Tragically, his stepmother and two sisters were among the 26 people murdered in America’s largest church shooting.
You can now send your Christmas card directly to Ryland Ward at University Hospital, 4502 Medical Drive, MS 94-1, San Antonio, TX 78229.
Pennsylvania Governor Vetoes Ban on Dismemberment Abortions
Pro-abortion Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, who has close ties to the abortion industry, vetoed a bill Monday that would have protected unborn babies from brutal dismemberment abortions, reports Life News.
This news comes despite the fact that Senate Bill 3 passed the legislature with strong, bipartisan support. It would have prohibited dismemberment abortions that tear nearly fully-formed unborn babies limb from limb while their hearts are beating, and ban abortions after 20 weeks when strong scientific evidence indicates unborn babies can feel pain.
Express your polite outrage with Democrat Governor Tom Wolf for vetoing the ban on dismemberment abortion through a link in our transcript today at www.TheWorldView.com.
Proverbs 24:11 says, “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.”
Chick-Fil-A Serves Sandwiches to Thousands of Travelers Stranded in Airport on Sunday
And finally, Chick-fil-A, the Christian fast food chain of 2,200 restaurants known for closing on Sunday to honor the Lord’s Day, made an exception for Atlanta’s International Airport during a massive power outage last Sunday.
An electrical fire in a Georgia Power underground facility caused a full blackout for the entire airport which led to the cancellation of over 1,000 flights which stranded thousands at the airport.
Chick-fil-A teamed up with the city to provide the harried travelers with both food and a place to sleep at the Georgia International Convention Center. Dan Cathy, the president, was himself passing out chicken sandwiches.
Matthew 23:11 says, “The greatest among you will be your servant.”
Please Consider Prayerfully Supporting The World View
As you know, The World View and Generations ministries are committed to bringing a Biblical worldview back to the news, to family life, and to the education of our children. We are grateful for your trust in the work we do.
As the Lord has blessed you this year, please consider blessing this ministry with a much-needed, year-end donation right now as we continue to declare Jesus as Lord over all. Go to www.TheWorldView.com/give. That’s www.TheWorldView.com/give.
Closing Line
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, December 20th in the year of our Lord 2017. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldView.com. I’m Adam McManus. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
Print Stories
Christian Convert from Islam in Uganda Attacked and Beaten Unconscious
A former Islamic teacher in eastern Uganda, Africa has been in hiding since he lost his family for putting his faith in Christ two years ago, but last month he was tricked into a life-threatening encounter, reports Morning Star News.
Mulangira Ibrahim, 27, was on his way to his pastor’s house after a church service on Lake Victoria’s Jaguzi Island the evening of November 16 when he received a telephone call from an unknown person saying the pastor wanted to see him back at the church compound. Without a second thought, Ibrahim turned around.
Ibrahim said, “On my way to the church, four people stopped me and then got hold of me and started threatening me that if I do not recant Christianity and return to Islam, then they were going to kill me. I did not answer them, and one began slapping me, while another hit me with a blunt object. As I started screaming for help, I received more blows and from there I lost my consciousness.”
When he came to, he found himself surrounded by police, the pastor and church members, he said. Pastor Charles Musana of the Evangel World Vision Church rushed Ibrahim to a nearby dispensary for medication.
The pastor said, “The attack was so severe that it will take more than a month for Ibrahim to recover from the multiple injuries.”
Since his conversion two years ago, area Muslims took his wife, Nalunkuma Joweria, and their three children ages 8, 6, and 4, from him upon learning that he had left Islam.
Muslim Fulani Herdsmen in Nigeria Murder Christian Man’s Two Grown Sons
Muslim Fulani herdsman killed a Christian’s two adult sons on November 21st near midnight, reports Morning Star News.
Madami Agiya, the 60-year-old father, said “They started shooting, and as we made efforts to run out of the house they shot and killed two of my sons. We pray God will convict our attackers and make them to repent from these evil acts against us. Pray for us, as we have been forced to abandon our homes. We do not know what to do, as security agencies in Kaduna State are unable to stop the attacks on us.”
The armed Muslim Fulanis also kidnapped Agiya’s wife, Martha, 50, and niece, 22-year-old Chili. They released the women on December 3, after the family paid a ransom of $13,770.
Christians make up 51 percent of Nigeria’s population, while Muslims living primarily in the north and middle belt account for 45 percent.
Nigeria ranks 12th on Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution.
About 80,000 Christians Are Still Displaced in Iraq
Although it’s been months since the Islamic State was pushed out of towns in Iraq once populated by Christians, about 80,000 Christians have yet to return home and remain displaced inside of the country as winter has arrived, according to the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, reports The Christian Post.
Taimoorazy added: “While those aren’t official numbers, as there isn’t a way of counting these people with no census system in place, these numbers are provided to Iraqi Christian Relief Council by various aid organizations and officials from Iraq.”
They are now accepting online donations and hope that believers will consider becoming monthly donors. $100 feeds a family of five for a whole month in Iraq.
Sadly, many Christians in the Middle East feel “betrayed by the Church in the West.”
Church of England Appoints Woman as Bishop of London
Sarah Mullally, the first female Church of England Bishop of London, has emphasized the Church of England’s traditional teaching on marriage as being between a man and a woman despite being “supportive of LGBT equality,” reports The Gospel Herald.
Because so many people affirm the biblical restriction of church leadership to men in that diocese, Tony Robinson, bishop of Wakefield, England, warned that Mullally’s appointment would result in “a deeper impairment of communion.”
President Trump Says He Never Considered Rescinding Nomination of Neil Gorsuch
President Donald Trump tweeted yesterday that a recent report claiming he considered “rescinding” his nomination of Neil Gorsuch is “fake news.”
The Washington Post reported Monday that “earlier this year, Trump talked about rescinding Gorsuch’s nomination” to the Supreme Court after Gorsuch criticized “the president’s escalating attacks on the federal judiciary in private meetings with legislators,” according to an unnamed source.
This person also said that Trump told aides he was concerned that Gorsuch wouldn’t be “loyal,” and that he was thinking of cutting the judge loose.
Trump tweeted, “I never even wavered and am very proud of him and the job he is doing as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The unnamed sources don’t exist!”
Ohio Legislature Passes Bill to Ban Abortions of Babies with Down Syndrome
Pro-life advocates are applauding the Ohio legislature’s passage of a bill to ban abortions of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome. They expect a signature from Governor John Kasich imminently, reports World Magazine.
Ingrid Duran of The National Right to Life Committee said, “People with Down syndrome, or any other genetic anomaly, should never be discriminated against. These babies always deserve protection, and families deserve a better option than abortion.”
Two other states have passed Down syndrome abortion bans with mixed results: North Dakota’s 2013 law still stands, while a federal judge blocked Indiana’s 2016 ban in September.
Pastor in Ohio Arrested and Charged for Sex Trafficking
Pastor Kenneth Butler, 37, of Kingdom Encounter Family Worship Center in Toledo, Ohio, was arrested last month and hit with federal sex trafficking charges, joining two other pastors who were arrested earlier this year, reports The Gospel Herald.
Butler caused a juvenile girl to engage in prostitution from 2015 through 2017.
Each of the men could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
Thousands of Pro-Life Advocates Expected at 2018 March for Life in Chicago
The 2018 March for Life Chicago is expected to draw 6,000 pro-life advocates from across Illinois and the Midwest on Chicago’s Federal Plaza to proclaim the sanctity of human life and call for an end to abortion, reports Christian Headlines.
Indiana High School Removes Banner Advertising a Church from Their Stadium
An Indiana public school district has removed a banner advertising Realife Church from New Palestine High School football stadium after The Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a complaint, reports The Christian Post.
The banner in question featured the team’s logo and stated in big lettering at the top, “I can do all things…” — an abbreviated version of Philippians 4:13.
The atheist attorney, Ryan Jayne, wrote in the letter. “Palestine High School may not decorate its stadium with religious displays or church advertisements. … Given the banner size, prominent location, and inclusion of the school logo and name of the school’s football team, the banner is plainly attributable to the school and must not include religious messages or promote places of worship.”
U.S. Fertility Rate Down to 1.84
America’s fertility rate may be hitting a historic low, reports Life News.
The latest official estimate—taken from two-year-old data—puts the U.S. fertility rate at 1.84. In other words, the average American woman will have just under two children in her lifetime. This is well below the replacement rate, or the average number of children necessary to keep a country’s population from declining.
Millennials—who right now are in their prime childbearing years—are the ones mainly driving this downhill trend.
Not only are they getting married at lower rates than their parents did, but they’re having fewer children total. Many struggle to find stable work, are too focused on their careers, and find themselves saddled with college debt. Others just don’t like kids, or vastly overestimate the cost of raising them, or just think the world is overpopulated—a myth now thoroughly debunked.
Harry Connick Jr. Wants to Feature Everyday People on His Show
Harry Connick Jr. has enjoyed success both as an actor and as a jazz singer/musician with 20 albums to his credit. Now, as he enters the second season of his Daytime Emmy-nominated talk show “Harry”, he’s more dedicated than ever to producing an uplifting show.
Featuring comedic segments, audience participation, celebrity interviews and musical performances led by Connick, he plans to start featuring “everyday people.”
Connick told the Gospel Herald, “I like talking to everyday people, regular folks who get up and go to work or whatever. I just like people and I like talking to them and celebrating them.”
While Connick’s mother died when he was 13, his 91-year-old father is a big hero of his.
Ozzy Osbourne and His Son Jack Visit the Ark Encounter
English rock legend Ozzy Osbourne and his son, Jack, paid a surprise visit to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky as part of their A&E show, “Ozzy and Jack’s World Detour”, reports Christian Today.
After visiting Stonehenge in England, the Alamo in Texas, and Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota, the Osbournes were floored when they saw the life-sized replica of Noah’s Ark, saying “that is insanely big.”
While Mark Looy appreciated their polite reception, he did warn Answers In Genesis supporters about the family’s propensity to use profanity as they watched the A&E episode which aired on November 29th.
One AiG supporter wrote, “Thank you for sharing the gospel with them. Many would have turned them away based solely on their reputation instead of their need for a Savior.”