It’s Thursday, January 16th, A.D. 2020. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Top 11 worst countries for persecution of Christians
Open Doors released their 2020 World Watch List of nations where Christians experience the most persecution. The top 11 countries where there is extreme persecution remain the same as last year: North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen, Iran, India, and Syria.
The report shows some 260 million Christians around the world face high levels of persecution across 73 countries over the last year. An average of eight Christians were killed for their faith per day, an average of 182 church buildings were attacked per week, and an average of 309 Christians were imprisoned per month.
Communist China, with the largest population of Christians, rose in persecution levels from number 27 last year to 23 this year. Another huge population of Christians, in India, continue to face hundreds of violent attacks from Hindu extremists. The driver of Christian persecution in most of the other nations was Islamic oppression.
Psalm 54 declares, “Hear my prayer, O God . . . oppressors have sought after my life; they have not set God before them. . . . Behold God is my helper . . . He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth.”
U.S.-China trade deal moves forward despite religious freedom abuses
Despite such religious freedom abuses, the U.S. is moving forward with a phase 1 trade deal with China.
President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He met at the White House on Wednesday to sign the deal.
The deal signals a de-escalation in the trade war between the two countries, with China pledging to spend about $200 billion on additional U.S. goods.
Federal court vs. Trump’s Dept of Justice on conscience protections
The U.S. Department of Justice is appealing a federal court decision that struck down a Trump administration conscience rule that protected healthcare workers from performing operations that violate their religious beliefs.
Dr. Regina Frost, a Christian OB-GYN, is also fighting the court decision. Frost wrote in an op-ed for The Federalist on Monday that the ruling threatens the freedom of Christians like herself to practice medicine without being forced to participate in things like abortion. She said, “My faith is at the heart of who I am. . . I cannot take the life of a child in one room and guide another child into this world in the next.”
Chicago March for life attracts 9,000 pro-lifers
About 9,000 pro-lifers turned out for Chicago’s March for Life last Saturday, a prelude for the National March for Life in Washington, D.C. next week.
Rev. Matthew Harrison, head of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, addressed the Chicago march, saying, “If we’re doing pre-natal surgery on one child in one operating theater and dismembering one in the other to throw away, this does not make sense, does it? 61 million is enough, don’t you think?”
Protestant pastors: We cannot speed up Christ’s return
Lifeway Research asked U.S. Protestant pastors if Christians can “speed up the return of Christ.” Most disagreed.
Eighty percent of the pastors surveyed disagreed with the statement “Christians can speed up the return of Christ by supporting geopolitical changes mentioned in the Bible.” However, 12 percent agreed.
Also, 54 percent of the pastors disagreed with the statement “Christians can speed up the return of Christ by helping to share the Gospel with all people groups.” However, 41 percent agreed.
1 Corinthians 15:25 says of Christ, “For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.”
House voted to send articles of impeachment to Senate
Yesterday, the Democratic House of Representatives finally voted to send two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate.
The Republican-controlled Senate will take up the trial next week.
Tesla is most valuable American car company
Founded in 2003, Elon Musk’s Tesla company is now the most valuable car company in America and in American history.
The $86.5 billion company now outpaces both GM, valued at $50.7 billion, and Ford, worth $36.9 billion.
Tesla sold 367,500 cars worldwide last year, a 50 percent increase in sales.
McManus interview today: Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth on personal revival
Since Kevin Swanson took a team of 12 volunteers to re-build a church in the Bahamas that was devastated by Hurricane Dorian, I’m guest hosting Generations Radio today. You can hear it at www.Generations.org/radio. That’s www.Generations.org/radio.
Check out my interview with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, the founder of Revive Our Hearts ministry, who has written 24 books including “Lies Young Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free” as well as “True Woman 101: Divine Design: An Eight-Week Study on Biblical Womanhood.”
She’ll talk about the 3 keys to personal revival: Meditate on God’s Word, read Christian biographies, and practice forgiveness and gratitude.
Three R-rated movies dominate Oscar nominations
And finally,
(audio of Oscar introductions)
Netflix has dominated the Academy Awards this year, taking 24 Oscar nominations.
The company’s R-rated film “The Irishman,” the story of mob hitman Frank Sheeran, took 10 nominations, and the Netflix R-rated film “Marriage Story,” a story of divorce, took six nominations.
However, the most lauded movie of the year was another R-rated film, “Joker,” with 11 nominations starring Joaquin Phoenix.
John 5:44 says, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, January 16th 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.