It’s Friday, December 2nd, 2016
By Kevin Swanson
Satellite Photos Reveal Atrocities of North Korean Prison Camp
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea has obtained satellite photos of the Infamous Camp 25, which it says has been expanded to take in 5,000 prisoners. Their report mentions “unspeakable atrocities” committed against the political prisoners to include rape, murder, torture, and forced abortion.
Congress Continues Investigation into Planned Parenthood’s Selling of Baby Parts
So far, the House Select Panel on Infant Lives has identified at least nine criminal and regulatory charges against abortion providers and/or fetal tissue procurement companies in the trafficking of baby body parts. The organs are harvested from babies who have been killed in their mothers’ wombs.
The House voted to provide additional funding of $800,000 for the ongoing investigation yesterday, to Planned Parenthood’s chagrin.
Romans 3:15-18 says, “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Trump Chooses General James Mattis for Secretary of Defense
President-elect Donald Trump told an audience in Cincinnati he has selected General James Mattis for the position of Secretary of Defense.
“We are going to appoint ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as our Secretary of Defense.”
Last year, General Mattis criticized President Obama’s policies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on his pulling troops out of Afghanistan and putting women in combat.
UK Prime Minister Says Christians Should Be Free To Share Their Faith
UK Prime Minister Theresa May told the parliament this week that Christians should have the freedom to share their faith in the workplace, and “to speak quite freely about Christmas.” May also said that Brits should be proud of their “Christian heritage.”
Texas Elector Resigns Rather than Vote For Trump
A Texas Elector made news as he resigned his position, instead of casting a vote for Donald Trump in the electoral college. Art Cisneros says Trump is not biblically qualified for the position. He defended his position on his blog, referencing biblical passages including 2 Samuel 23:3 and Exodus 18:21, as well as quoting from Pastor Phillip Kayser’s work from Dominion Covenant Church in Omaha, Nebraska.
“The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” (2 Samuel 23:3)
Bank Robber Takes Eleven Hostages Before Finally Surrendering
A bank robber in Jacksonville, Florida, took 11 hostages and held up the bank for several hours yesterday before he finally surrendered. The suspect, Nicholas Daquan Humphrey, is in police custody.
Ten People Dead in Tennessee Wildfire
In God’s sovereign providence, that wildfire in Tennessee has now claimed 10 lives, the most for a single fire in 13 years. The fire near Gatlinburg has also consumed 700 structures so far.
Abnormally Freezing Weather Coming to Western States
A killer freeze is descending on the country in December. Dr. Roger Pielke Sr. from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center says he cannot remember the last time a cold anomaly like this hit almost the whole country. Alaska and the Western half of the States will be hit especially hard next week, according to current forecasts.
Neighbor Raises Funds to Help Elderly Widower
Eighty-year-old Kenneth Smith in Gulfport, Mississippi was having a hard time paying his wife’s medical bills, selling kindling for five bucks a bag. After his wife lost her battle with cancer and he had spent their life’s savings on the bills, a neighbor, Jessica Pittman, started up a GoFundMe.com page, and raised $105,000 in just nine days.
Galatians 6:10 says, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
Christian Audio Adventure Wins Voice Arts Awards
A star-filled Christian audio adventure that is putting God back into history beat both National Public Radio and Garrison Keillor at the recent 2016 Voice Arts Awards, which are the audio industry’s equivalent to the Academy Awards.
Heirloom Audio Productions’ The Dragon and the Raven won three Voice Arts Awards on November 13th including Outstanding Production, Audio Engineering, and Outstanding Spoken Word and Storytelling. Remarkably, in the storytelling category, Heirloom edged out NPR’s Kitchen Moments and The Road Home voiced by Garrison Keillor.
The Dragon and the Raven (http://store.generations.org/products/the-dragon-and-the-raven-1?variant=30887180739) chronicles the story of how King Alfred the Great (849-899) led an army that beat the barbaric Vikings, saved the English lands and brought the country back to God. It stars Helen George from Call The Midwife, John Rhys-Davies known for his roles in The Lord Of The Rings and Indiana Jones, Sylvester McCoy from Doctor Who and The Hobbit, John Bell from The Hobbit as well, and Brian Blessed known for his roles in Star Wars, Tarzan, and King Lear.
Heirloom Audio – which has released a total of seven dramas — was founded by Bill Heid with the goal of giving children wholesome, Christ-centered entertainment that not only engages the mind, but also educates and inspires. The company’s CDs are based on G.A. Henty’s historical novels and feature top actors and actresses, along with original musical scores and sound effects, detailing the stories of Christian heroes from history. (http://store.generations.org/products/in-freedoms-cause?variant=23522644995)
The World View talked with Bill Heid about how dramatically sound design has changed since the infant days of The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet.
“Sound design technology has changed considerably over the years. With Lee in Virginia (http://store.generations.org/collections/young-adults/products/with-lee-in-virginia?variant=23522680067), for example, in the middle of a battlefield, you’re going to know what it’s like to have a cannonball go whizzing by your head, you’re going to know what it’s like to be involved in the middle of hand-to-hand combat where swords are clashing against each other and your friends are calling for help and so forth. You’re going to feel like you’re right in the middle of that because of new sound design technology.”
But beyond that, Heid addressed the importance of raising the bar of excellence without compromising the message of Christ.
“Participants in the Voice Arts Awards are people like Disney and Pixar. This is not like the Dove Awards where everyone is in a Christian ghetto and we’re worried about anything that we lather with ‘Jesus butter’ will win some sort of participation award. We’re competing against real players in the real world. I started this company in my garage. To be able to go backstage and talk to the judges who have listened to our stories and awarded us prizes, judges who are not Christians, judges who are liberal, judges who may be atheists, but shake my hand and say, ‘That was a great story.’ That’s a thrill for me because it’s my aim to get Christian material out of the Christian ghetto and compete.”
Heid shared with The World View a direct message for homeschool parents.
“If you are a homeschool parent, I think that the stories that we tell – these audio adventures that we produce – are a perfect complement to what you’re doing at least as far as worldview issues are concerned. And I think you’re going to love the stories. I think you’ll love the production values.”
Each drama features two CDs and spans more than two hours. Free study guides and discussion starters for parents also are included for each adventure. These award-winning historical narratives, like Beric the Briton (http://store.generations.org/products/beric-the-briton-1?variant=30887855747), may be ordered at Generations.org. That’s Generations.org.
And that’s the World View in Five Minutes.