It’s Monday, March 27th, in the year of our Lord 2017.
By Jonathan Clark
Is Christianity Finished In Iraq?
The Vicar of Baghdad said, “Christianity is finished in Iraq.” However, The World View spoke to Emily Fuentes of Open Doors, a Christian persecution watchdog group, for their take.
“It is not completely dead in that there is still a remnant; still those who have chosen and are able to stay, who are determined to be the light of Christ in this nation, even though it is so difficult; even though many of them have lost homes, family members, don’t have resources such as food and water on a daily basis, have lived as refugees for countless years, and so these people are choosing to stay.”
Fuentes shared a miraculous story of how God is using the Christian remnant in Iraq.
“So these four churches have been distributing food and clothing on a weekly basis and would have lunch together and then offer a sermon. They were doing this one week and they noticed an extremist came up. You could tell by the way this man looked; the extremists often have the beard and no mustache (in this part of the world). He was also saying some fanatical statements. The pastors gathered together, and said, ‘What should we do?’ They really felt God telling them to bring this man in. And so they did. They gave him lunch, and he heard the sermon, and he was the first one to get up and give his life to Christ after hearing the sermon.”
Our God says, “‘I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.” (Romans 11:4-5)
A Spiritual Hunger is Growing In Europe
There is something of a renewed interest in Christianity among European nations, but it’s not by Europeans.
Matthew Kaemingk, a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, told Fox News that European churches have found an open door for the Gospel among Muslim immigrants, many of whom come from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Pray that these churches would make many disciples of Jesus Christ from these converts.
Heavy Flooding In Peru Kills 78 People
Heavy rains in Peru have caused disastrous flooding in the past couple of weeks, the worst of two decades. Seventy-eight people have died and over 100,000 are now homeless. A ministry there supported by Christian Aid Mission has stepped in to meet needs and share the Gospel with these suffering people.
Over 300 Million Babies Aborted in 40+ Years in China
The Chinese Health Ministry reported that 336 million unborn babies have been murdered in the country throughout their one-child policy between 1971 and January of 2016, when they loosened the law to allow two children per family. That’s roughly equal to the population of America and Australia combined, outnumbering some of the deadliest wars in history.
“He who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.” (Psalm 9:12)
World Vision Acquitted of Accusations of Funneling Money To Terrorists
Accusations surfaced last year against Mohammad El Halabi, a World Vision Gaza employee, of funneling millions of dollars of donations from Christians to the Muslim group Hamas. Last week, ABC News reported the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade conducted an internal review of World Vision and found no evidence for the charge.
Wyoming Supreme Court Judge Persecuted For Her Views on Biblical Marriage
Earlier this month, the Wyoming Supreme Court censured state judge Ruth Neely because she stated her religious conviction of not performing faux homosexual marriages. Neely wrote, “Homosexuality is a named sin in the Bible, as are drunkenness, thievery, lying, and the like. I can no more officiate at a same-sex wedding than I can buy beer for the alcoholic.”
Donald Trump Pulls Plug On the Obama Care Replacement
President Donald Trump pulled the plug on the American Health Care Act last Friday, expecting insufficient support for the Obamacare replacement. Trump expressed his regrets to four people close to him about supporting House Speaker Paul Ryan’s healthcare reform plan instead of making a tax cut proposal, according to the New York Times.
Ohio Pastors Report Blessings After Opposing Transgender Bathroom Policy
Last year, a group of Ohio pastors called on state officials to oppose President Obama’s transgender bathroom policy.
Shortly afterward, these pastors reported that their community received many blessings: no reported child mortalities or motorist fatalities, and a big rain brought an end to their drought, according to The Christian Post.
Pastor Eric Byrom commented, “Deuteronomy 28 articulates various blessings that will happen when God’s laws are obeyed and respected.”
25-Year-Old Tourist Miraculously Fed By Monkeys
After refusing to participate in a ceremony thanking Mother Earth, a 25-year-old Chilean tourist went missing from his Max Adventures tour group in the Amazon rainforest, reported Fox News. He was found nine days later, weak but alive. The young man reported he survived because a kindly troop of monkeys “dropped him fruit and led him to shelter and water” each day!
I’m reminded of the historical account of Prophet Elijah, on the run from King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. 1 Kings 17:6 says, “The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.”
T-Mobile Attacks Freedom to Pray (Special Report/Interview)
And finally, the right to pray for free is under attack by T-Mobile.
Despite its aggressive advertising campaign – including Super Bowl spots – positioning the company as the #Uncarrier for offering the “first unlimited subscription” void of surcharges, bogus fees and assorted taxes, the mobile conglomerate is waging a war on prayer.
The World View spoke with David Erickson, the CEO of FreeConferenceCall.com.
“So what’s happening is T-Mobile is charging the normal subscription fee for an unlimited long-distance plan, but considers these prayer line numbers outside of the plan and then puts an additional one cent per minute when you call that prayer line number.”
When Erickson contacted T-Mobile, he didn’t get very far, leading to understandable frustration.
“I don’t think that they can find out a whole lot from T-Mobile. I don’t know anybody who has that has tried.”
The question is simple. Why would T-Mobile charge an additional one cent per minute for users of prayer conference lines? Erickson believes that the company made this decision for one or possibly two reasons.
“Is it there to make money from charging the additional one cent? Or is it there to deter the behavior? What I can say is that it has reduced the prayer that we saw on our network. On the prayer lines that we can identify, we’ve seen dramatic reductions — over 20%. Some have completely stopped having the prayer line.”
Many T-Mobile customers call into prayer lines multiple times a week to pray with others for long periods of time, resulting in hundreds of dollars a year added to their service plan costs. By forcing them to pay additional fees for these prayer calls, T-Mobile is effectively cutting off a spiritual lifeline for its loyal customers who cannot afford these charges.
One prayer line organizer wrote, “With T-Mobile now charging one cent per minute for calling conference call numbers, they almost ruined my prayer ministry.”
Erickson explained that the Chairman of the National Day of Prayer came up with a good idea.
“When David Butts of Harvest Prayer Ministries found out about the one cent charges, he created www.FreedomToPray.org which is an organization that’s put together to raise awareness. You can go to www.FreedomToPray.org. There’s a petition you can sign to show your support and stand up and be counted.”
Clearly, T-Mobile is discriminating against Christians by charging them extra money for accessing a free prayer line. Take a stand today for religious liberty by voicing your opposition to T-Mobile’s unfair and punitive practice.
Add your voice to the 1,309 people who have already signed the new petition at www.FreedomToPray.org.
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes.