It’s Friday, January 3rd, A.D. 2020. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus.
By Jonathan Clark
Secretary of State Pompeo to China: Release Pastor Wang Yi now
Chinese authorities sentenced Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church to nine years in prison last month on false charges of “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal trade.”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took to Twitter on Tuesday to call on China to release Pastor Yi, saying, “Beijing must release him and end its intensifying repression of Christians and members of all other religious groups.”
China’s state-run media, Xinhua, reported this week that the government will be applying new measures in February to completely relegate religious groups.
Revelation 2:10 says, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation . . . Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Sudanese Christians celebrate Christmas publicly first time in 10 years
(audio of church bells ringing)
Church bells rang in Sudan’s capital of Khartoum last week as Christians celebrated Christmas as a publicly recognized holiday for the first time in 10 years.
Thousands of Christians celebrated in the streets of the capital, reports Middle East Eye.
Despite the fact that the country has been dominated by a Muslim regime for decades, religious liberty seems to be increasing since the overthrow of dictator Omar al-Bashir last year.
Trump sends 750 soldiers to Kuwait
About 750 U.S. soldiers will be deployed to Kuwait in response to 6,000 pro-Iran militia fighters storming the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday.
An additional 4,000 troops are set to be deployed to the Middle East. This adds to the current 14,000 troops who have been deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations in the past six months.
20 million U.S. black babies have died by abortion since 1973
Since the advent of Roe V. Wade in 1973, an estimated 20 million black babies have been killed before birth, a tragic part of African-American history. According to Abort73.com, African-American women are 3.5 times more likely to have an abortion.
The Worldview spoke to Reverend Bill Owens, president of the Coalition for African-American Pastors, who talked about the sadness of abortion “decimating our community.”
OWENS: “It has damaged our community terribly, and when we look at the history of it, it was really to wipe out black people. Sanger did that because she didn’t feel that, I guess, we were worthy of living, that we carried some kind of baggage for the country, but we have been great producers in this country. It is still affecting the black community. They target the black community, and we’ve seen our leaders go along with it.”
Owens is the author of a book called, “A Dream Derailed: How the Left Hijacked Civil Rights to Create a Permanent Underclass,” that goes into more of the history behind this tragedy.
Pray that American hearts would be turned to see every life as valuable and precious in God’s eyes.
Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.”
Sanders raised $34 million, Buttigieg raised $25 million, Biden $23 million
The U.S. 2020 presidential primaries and caucuses are just weeks away now.
Sen. Bernie Sanders leads Democratic candidates in fundraising, taking in over $34.5 million in the last quarter of 2019.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg raised $25 million. Former Vice President Joe Biden raised $22.7 million, but remains the Democratic Party’s front-runner.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s campaign has raised $46 million in the last quarter of 2019, more than any other candidate.
First man to obtain “non-binary” gender designation turns to God
And finally, James Shupe, a man who used to identify as a female and the first person to obtain legal “non-binary” gender designation on U.S. ID cards and documents, has repented and turned to God.
Shupe tweeted, “For the first time in my life, I admitted during my walk this morning that I am a child of God. On my path forward, I am going to embrace faith to sustain me. Psychiatry hasn’t cured me. Transgenderism hasn’t helped me. It’s now time to give God and my newly-found faith a chance.”
James petitioned the same court where he received his “non-binary” ID in order to have it restored to his actual sex.
Shupe told PJ Media, “The legal record has now been corrected and LGBT advocates are no longer able to use my historic non-binary court order to advance their toxic agenda. I am and have always been male. That is my biological truth.”
And, in a lengthy Daily Signal column, he documented that the whole transgender movement is a sham.
Luke 15:7 says, “I say to you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Friday, January 3rd in the year of our Lord 2020. 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.