Tuesday, November 7th, in the year of our Lord 2017
By Kevin Swanson
Texas Church Shooter Was Former Bible Study Leader
It was the deadliest church shooting in American history.
The 27 fatalities in the Texas church massacre Sunday included one unborn child and three generations of church members, from 18 months old to 77 years old. About half of the victims were children.
And now, details concerning the mass murderer at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas are surfacing. Devin Kelley was once involved with the Vacation Bible School at the church, and led Bible studies. But subsequently he became an avowed atheist.
2 Peter 2:20-21 says, “For if after they had escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Shares His Reaction to the Shooting
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton shared his first reaction to the Texas church shooting with The World View.
“I was stunned. You don’t expect that anywhere in Texas, let alone in a church. Despite the fact that we’ve seen it in Las Vegas, Florida and New York, you don’t think of it happening in your own backyard.”
Paxton addressed the assertion that mental illness was a factor in the mind of Devin Patrick Kelley.
“You always think somebody like this is crazy, right? But he also went in there with a very methodical plan which he was very methodical about making sure he shot as many people as possible. Had those other two guys not stepped in, it’s likely everybody in that church would have been dead. I don’t know if it’s mental illness or he’s just a really evil person.”
Stay tuned for my World View Special Report containing additional thoughts from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, including his counsel to liberals, to churches, and to believers. It’s all on tap immediately following today’s newscast.
Violent Deaths in Churches Number 574 Since 1999
According to Faith Based Security Research, there have been 574 violent deaths in churches and ministries since 1999 — averaging 70 deaths per year since 2013. In the early 2000s, total deaths averaged 10 per year. Only 27% occur within the church building.
Galatians 5:19 and 22 says, “The works of the flesh are manifest. . .which are these. . . wrath, strife, seditions. . .envyings, murders. . .But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.”
Parents Request Euthanasia for Handicapped Children
Parents are asking doctors to euthanize their handicapped children, according to a report from the Canadian Pediatric Society.
A full 118 doctors say they have had these conversations with parents of handicapped or seriously ill children. The Netherlands and Belgium are the only two nations that allow assisted suicide for children.
China Deports South Korean Pastors Who Support North Korean Refugees
China has taken major steps to oppose Christian work with North Koreans. The Chinese government has deported hundreds of South Korean pastors who have supported North Korean refugees who have escaped their country into China, according to the UK Express.
Every South Korean church in the city of Changchun has been closed just over the last few weeks. Pray that the Sovereign God over all the powers of the earth would intervene for these Christian churches and that the gates of hell would not prevail.
Over Half of Millennials Say They Would Rather Live in a Communist Country
58% of millennials would prefer to live in a communist, socialist, or fascist nation than to live in a capitalist nation, according to a new survey from Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
59% of the rest of Americans would prefer a capitalist nation. Although the survey found that 71% of millennials had no idea how to define communism.
Australians Vote in Favor of Homosexual Marriage
The polls have finally closed for the Australian postal vote on marriage for those who live in unnatural desires, males for males, and females for females. Over 12 million Australians have cast ballots, making up over 78% of eligible voters.
The Essential Poll organization says that 64% of Australians voted yes to the abominable practice, as it is described in Scripture.
Australia is one of the last of the western countries to move in this direction.
Megachurch Pastor Perry Noble Gets a Divorce
The founding pastor of the largest mega church in South Carolina is getting a divorce.
Perry Noble confessed to an alcohol problem last year, and he told The Christian Post last week about the divorce with his wife of 17 years.
Special Report on Texas Church Shooting After the Newscast
Stay tuned for more reaction to the Texas church shooting from the Lone Star state’s attorney general immediately following the newscast.
Hillsong Pastor Carl Lentz Answers Vaguely About Abortion on The View
And finally, Carl Lentz, the Hillsong mega church pastor in New York, was interviewed on ABC’s national talk program, The View.
Joy Behar asked him about the murder of unborn babies.
Joy Behar: “So, it’s not a sin in your church to have an abortion?”
Carl Lentz: “Um. That’s the kind of conversation we would have, finding out your story, where you’re from, what you believe.”
Another ABC co-host: “Or through it.”
Carl Lentz: “Yeah. I mean God’s the judge. People have to live to their own convictions. I mean if I have to tell you … (applause) Um. That’s such a broad question to me.”
Proverbs 25:26 reminds us that “A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.”
Closing Line
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Tuesday, November 7th 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.
Special Report: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Speaks on Church Shooting
Time now for my World View Special Report.
By Adam McManus
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was grateful that two Good Samaritans took a stand against 26-year-old Devin Kelley who had just killed 27 people, and injured another 20 during the Sunday morning service at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Stephen Willeford was the sharp-shooting plumber who managed to shoot Kelly, prompting him to flee the scene, and Johnny Langendorff pursued Kelley by car in a chase that topped 95 miles per hour.
“Those two guys that came on the scene likely saved the lives of the rest of the people in that church who were injured and the ones who had not been shot. I’m grateful that they stepped in because it took First Responders longer to get there. It’s always good when you have somebody willing to take that risk and step up and save lives.”
Paxton offered this advice to Christians.
“I think churches need to have policies and at least go through the thought process of how they’re going to deal with this if this happened in their church and to be prepared. Either have paid security/law enforcement or they need to figure out a way to get some of their congregation involved in case something like this happens at their church.”
Texas Attorney General Paxton does not believe that more gun control laws will be the answer.
“I don’t think that a guy like this would have read a sign that said, ‘No guns in churches’ and throw his gun down. I think that is very unlikely and kind of a naïve approach. Given that this guy was willing to ignore laws that say you can’t murder someone, that he very likely is not going to follow a sign ordinance or a gun ordinance that says he can’t have a gun. So, I think the more realistic, less naïve approach is to allow law-abiding citizens to be prepared to defend themselves when someone like that walks into their church and starts shooting.”
In light of his Christian faith, Paxton offered this thought.
“Obviously, this is a horrible tragedy. It’s hard to see any kind of good in this. But as people of faith, we know that God works for good to those who love Him. As difficult as this is, as senseless as it appears, in the end, ultimately our trust is in God. Even though we can’t understand why this would be allowed to happen, we know that God has a plan and we have to trust Him.”
The comments of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton remind me of the well-known verse from Proverbs 3:5. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
When hideous events occur like the one on Sunday morning during the sacred time of worship just 39.2 miles from my front door, all we can do is trust in the Lord. Maybe it’s time we pulled that verse off the dusty shelf and examined it closely in light of what appears to be our new normal as Americans.
This has been a World View Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.