It’s Thursday, September 1st, A.D. 2022. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Pakistani Supreme Court grants bail to Christians
Last Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan granted bail to a couple of Christians falsely accused of blaspheming Islam.
Patras Masih and Raja Waris obtained bail after another Christian was released on bail earlier last week.
Twenty-two-year-old Masih had spent four years in jail for his faith.
Azad Marshall with the Church of Pakistan told Morning Star News, “Our people languish in jails for years till the time courts realize the miscarriage of justice and set them free. These inhumane acts must cease now, and the state must act to bring a deterrent against false accusations.”
Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet Union leader, died
Mikhail Gorbachev died on Tuesday at the age of 91 after a long illness.
The communist leader was the last president of the Soviet Union before its collapse in 1991.
In June of 1987, President Ronald Reagan, at the Berlin Wall, issued this challenge to the Soviet leader.
REAGAN: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Just six months later at the White House, the two leaders, President Reagan and President Gorbachev, signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, reports ABC News.
REAGAN: “We have listened to the wisdom of in an old Russian Maxim. Though my pronunciation may give you difficulty, the maxim is ‘доверяй, но проверяй.’ Trust but verify.” (laughter)
GORBACHEV: (gives reply in Russian) Translator says, “You repeat that at every meeting!” (laughter)
Gorbachev pursued policies of what he called free speech and restructuring that were controversial in Russia. He also won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for helping to end the Cold War.
Hebrews 9:27b says, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”
German court greenlights pro-lifers praying in front of abortion mills
Germany’s Mannheim Administrative Court ruled pro-lifers are not prohibited from holding prayer gatherings outside an abortion facility.
Since 2019, the German city of Pforzheim had banned members of the group 40 Days for Life from praying outside the abortion facility, deceptively named Pro Familia.
The legal victory comes at a time when officials across Europe are censoring pro-lifers and prayer vigils especially.
Kentucky photographer not forced to snap shots of homosexual faux weddings
Meanwhile in the U.S., a federal court ruled Tuesday a Christian photographer does not have to work at faux homosexual weddings.
In 2019, Chelsey Nelson sued the city of Louisville, Kentucky over its so-called “Fairness Ordinance.” The ordinance bans discrimination against people living sexually perverted lifestyles and would require her to participate in homosexual ceremonies.
The ruling does not overturn the ordinance, but it does block the city from enforcing it on Nelson.
U.S. voters animated by economy and then abortion
Pew Research released a new report on what issues are very important to voters in the 2022 congressional midterms.
The economy remains the most important issue among voters by over 10 percentage points.
However, the fastest growing issue among voters this year is abortion. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the percentage of voters who say the abortion issue is very important rose from 43% to 56%. Virtually all of that increase comes from Democrat voters.
Isaiah 59:7 says, “Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.”
Florida: The most economically free state
CATO released its Freedom in the States Report, an index of personal and economic freedoms in the U.S.
Once again, Florida ranked first for economic freedom. It ranked second in the overall report.
Based on overall freedom rankings, the top five states in the U.S. are New Hampshire, Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, and South Dakota. The five worst states on the report are Oregon, New Jersey, California, Hawaii, and New York.
U.S. life expectancy slips to 76.1 years
New data from the CDC found U.S. life expectancy at birth decreased by almost a year from 2020 to 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Life expectancy is now at 76.1 years, the lowest since 1996.
Between 2019 and 2020, life expectancy fell 1.8 years. The decline in life expectancy in the last couple years is the largest two-year decline since the 1920s.
However, life expectancy in the U.S. is still significantly up from 47 years in 1900.
Another alternative to United Methodist Church
And finally, another alternative has emerged for churches leaving the United Methodist Church.
A group of former United Methodist large-membership churches will be launching the Foundry Network this month.
Already, churches have been leaving the mainline denomination over the issue of homosexuality and joining the theologically conservative Global Methodist Church.
Pastor Eric Huffman with the new Foundry Network said, “The Foundry Network … seeks to forge a network of like-minded pastors and churches who are aligned theologically and work together to reawaken the movement for Jesus in our communities.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, September 1st, in the year of our Lord 2022. 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.