Tuesday, January 9th, in the year of our Lord 2018
By Kevin Swanson
Supreme Court Upholds Mississippi Law Protecting Religious Freedom for Those Opposed to Homosexuality
The United States Supreme Court refused to hear the case of homosexuals who protested a Mississippi law that allowed religious liberty for Christian businesses who did not wish to participate in homosexual “faux weddings.”
The law allows for county clerks to exempt themselves from issuing marriage licenses to homosexuals against their consciences. The law protects the consciences of those who hold to three religious beliefs:
1) that marriage is only between a man and a woman,
2) that sexual behavior should only occur within such a marriage
3) and that a person’s gender is determined at birth and cannot be altered.
“And Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?” (Matthew 19:4-5)
Appeals Court Throws Out Baltimore Law Requiring Pregnancy Centers to Promote Abortion
More good news for Christians in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals tossed out a law that would have required pro-life pregnancy centers in the Baltimore area to promote abortion. Later this year, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on a California law requiring the same thing.
Psalm 37:40 says, “The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble. . .He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.”
Judge Dismisses Charges Against Cliven Bundy
A federal judge dismissed charges yesterday against Cliven Bundy, his two sons, and another man related to the battles that have pitted ranchers against the federal government.
The ranchers were accused of conspiracy and using a firearm to commit a crime. The judge accused the federal prosecutors of willfully withholding evidence in the trial that could have been helpful to the defendants. Several weeks ago, President Trump ordered Attorney General Jeff Sessions to halt the prosecution on Cliven Bundy.
Migration from Africa to Europe by Sea Decreases by Half
France 24 reports that African migration into Europe by sea has dropped by half over 2016.
Only 171,000 Africans migrated last year compared to 364,000 the previous year. However, 3,116 deaths were recorded last year on what proves to be an extremely dangerous passage.
Over the weekend another 64 died when their rubber dinghy sank off the coast of Libya. The Italian Coast Guard was able to rescue 86 persons of the 150 on the raft.
Homeschoolers Excluded from Education Savings Accounts in New Tax Plan
The Trump Tax overhaul was no benefit to homeschoolers this time around.
The new tax plan allowed for Education Savings Account for families who could afford private schools. But, homeschoolers were exempted on a procedural vote at the last minute (with every Democratic senator voting against homeschoolers).
According to the Lexology Legal Update, families who can afford private schools will be able to apply “up to $10,000 in tuition per student in connection with enrollment or attendance at a public, private or religious elementary or secondary school.”
Special Report on Legacy of Police Officer Murdered in Colorado After the Newscast
After Deputy Zackari Parrish was killed in an ambush in a Highlands Ranch, Colorado apartment complex late New Year’s Eve, thousands of officers from Colorado and across the country participated in his funeral on Friday at Cherry Creek Community Church.
Parrish’s Christian reputation was well known by those who worked with him. Stay tuned for a World View Special Report about this fallen officer who loved the Lord, loved his family, and loved the country he served.
Chinese Woman Pregnant with Triplets Escapes Forced Abortion
Triplets born to a Chinese couple were saved from forced abortion when mom turned up pregnant shortly after moving to Florida.
Though Mensheng conceived her three boys in communist China, she discovered she was pregnant just after moving to Florida. Landon, Winston and Auden were born on December 22nd, according to a report from Life News.
Approximately 16,000 women conceive triplets every year in China, many of whom will be forced to abort.
British Woman Discovers She Is Pregnant 45 Minutes Before Giving Birth
This may be a record. A British woman gave birth to a child just 45 minutes after learning she was pregnant. The 38-year-old woman was feeling stomach pains one evening. She was whisked off to the hospital where she gave birth to a 7 lb, 7 oz baby boy.
The couple had committed to forgo children, but God had other plans. Now, they have two boys, according to the feature story in the UK Mirror.
Psalm 127:3 says, “Children are a heritage of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward!”
Closing Line
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Tuesday, January 9th in the year of our Lord 2018. 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: Officer Parrish Leaves Legacy of Passionate Service to the Lord and His Community
Time now for a World View Special Report by Emily Swanson. I’m Adam McManus.
New Year’s Eve ended in tragedy in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, located 16 miles south of Denver.
29-year-old Deputy Zackari Parrish and several other officers responded to a second disturbance call from Copper Canyon Apartments. The time was 5:15 am.
Matthew Riehl, a 37-year-old Army veteran and former Wyoming lawyer, was acting bizarrely and appeared to be having a mental breakdown. His roommate, who was not there at the time of the 5:15 am police response, came back to the residence, gave the officers the key and permission to enter before he left again.
Riehl, who served briefly in Iraq, had been hospitalized at a VA psychiatric ward in Wyoming in 2014, and at one point, was placed under a 72-hour mental health hold. In a disjointed YouTube video, he explains that he’s a libertarian candidate for Sheriff of Douglas County.
After officers talked with Riehl for about 30 minutes, he barricaded himself inside his bedroom and at 5:56 am shot 100 rounds of ammunition through the door, injuring five law enforcement officers, and killing Zackari Parrish.
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock explained that “up until the moment [Parrish] died, he was pleading with [Riehl], ‘Let me talk to you, let me help you’ and then the killer killed him.”
Fox News reported that “A SWAT team entered the apartment at about 7:30 a.m. in an exchange of gunfire that left the gunman dead and another officer injured.”
Officer Parrish was a strong Christian, a loving father, and an honored police officer. In fact, KDVR reporter Ashley Michaels tweeted, “Zack was always there for his friends, giving scriptural advice to friends in need of advice, or offering up his free time to help his buddies with home projects. Zack was selfless and a true friend to anyone that knew him.”
And, to top it off, Parrish walked away from a successful career in banking to patrol the streets. He’d only been on the job for seven months.
Last Friday, Parrish’s funeral drew over 5,000 people.
The World View spoke to a friend of Parrish who worked closely with him on ride alongs for three years. In light of the ambush-nature of the attack that killed Parrish, this friend fears for his own safety and has chosen to remain anonymous. For the purpose of this story, we’ll call him Glenn.
“He was a kind of a one of a kind of an officer. He was someone that everyone looked up to; he was a go getter. He wanted every shift that he worked. His goal was to take more bad guys off the street. He wasn’t lazy. He wasn’t the one sitting in the car or at the TV just doing paperwork. He would make a ten-hour shift into a ten-hour shift.”
Glenn said that Parrish was unlike many officers in the department.
“Lots of officers go into the PD about 30 minutes to an hour before the end of their shift to do paperwork for whatever reason. And he was one of the officers that worked till the very end of their shift, because he wanted to get bad guys off the street.”
Glenn remarked that Parrish was a true light in the police department.
“He meant a lot to people just because of his attitude. He was always joyful. Every shift he came in, focused on the job, and focused on what he was there to do. He made jokes. He made grumpy people into happy people. And when it was time to do, he had a game face on, and he could get business done if it needed to get done. Lots of people respect him and love him just because he was very passionate about the job and about making the streets safer.”
Glenn shared that there were two main things he took away from Parrish that he wants to implement as a police officer.
“The first is how passionate he was about the job. No matter what was going on in his life — whether it was in his personal life or anything that he saw at work — he didn’t take that out on any co-workers or victims or witnesses or suspects. He was able to control all of his emotions because of how passionate he was about the job.
“Two, he was always empathetic. He saw every situation from the person’s point of view. He put himself in their shoes to see what they were going through, what they were thinking, and what emotions they might be having.”
Glenn said that he discovered Parrish went to a Bible study that one of the other officers did, and he was able to spend time talking to Parrish about his faith on ride alongs.
“I was talking with another officer in the department that had the Bible study for police officers, and I asked him, ‘Who goes there?’ From then on during ride alongs, I started asking him questions about what church he went to and more personal questions. I got to know more on a personal level, and to see what he believed and how he became a Christian, what God has done in his life and his family’s life.”
Glenn said he had the privilege of going on 20 or 30 ride alongs with Parrish.
The World View asked Parrish’s friend how this will impact his family and how to pray for his family.
“It’s kind of similar to the military and it goes with law enforcement, is that, they’re never forgotten. The family’s going to be reminded of last Sunday for the rest of their lives because their dad was a hero, and their dad protected the community. Be in prayer for the two daughters that he left behind; they were young and they probably don’t even understand what happened. Pray that they would be able to go forward in life as they understand what happened, and be able to get through life, and get through the hard times. For his wife, it’s never easy to lose a loved one; I’m sure she’s going to struggle with that.”
Indeed, Grace Parrish, the wife of fallen Deputy Zackari Parrish, read a letter she wrote to her late husband at his funeral last Friday.
Listen to her moving tribute.
“This is a letter that I never thought I’d write. It is one filled with grief and sorrow, pain and heartache. But it is also filled with pride and joy. Joy for the amazing ten years I had with him, and pride for the man he was. It’s a letter that I hope my girls can read one day, and feel every ounce of love I have for their daddy. I want them to know him as the amazing father and husband that he was, but I also want them to know his passion for his career, and desire to serve and protect. He loved his job. As soon as he was sworn in, his blood turned blue. So in turn, mine did too. So to my hero and the love of my life, you are my once-in-a-lifetime! You are my hero and my best friend. You gave me a life of adventure and love. You could make me laugh so hard my cheeks would hurt. I’ll never forget slow dancing with you in the kitchen, or the way you’d hold my hand. You challenged me, encouraged me, held me accountable, and pushed me to be a better human being every day. Watching you hold our newborn baby girls and weep over them will forever be etched in my heart. I never thought I’d feel more pride than when I saw you as a daddy. Babe, you are an amazing father, and loved your girls so well. I promise to raise our girls with the Lord as my focus. I promise to raise them in a home that bleeds blue. I promise to teach them to kick a soccer ball, to have a love for music and the outdoors. I promise to tell them every day that their daddy loved them to the moon. You, my love, are my hero. I am honored that you chose me to be your bride 8 ½ years ago. And knowing what I know now, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. You are my rock, my heart, and my soulmate, and I am so proud of you. I will honor you and celebrate you with every fiber of my being, for the rest of my life. So save a seat in Heaven for me, and meet me at the gates when the Lord calls me home. I can’t wait to be held by you again! All my love, forever and always.”
To support the family financially, you can contribute through their Go Fund Me page which has received over $329,000 toward the $350,000 goal. You can find the link in our transcript at www.TheWorldView.com.
Please pray that they would be comforted by the God of all comfort as his wife mourns the death of her husband and the daughters mourn the loss of their daddy. Pray that they would be comforted by the hope of the resurrection.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
This has been a World View Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.