Adoption Made More Difficult

New rules on international adoption mean that more children are languishing in orphanages. “The inter-country adoption rate in the United States already has fallen by nearly 80 percent; down from a peak of nearly 23,000 foreign adoptions in 2004, to around 5,000 in fiscal year 2017.” 

Can this be acceptable to the Christian community in view of the following biblical admonition? “This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress…” (James 1:27). 

Source: World Magazine, April 28, 2018; Vol. 33, No. 8; “Regulatory Orphans,” Jamie Dean, pp. 38-43

Persecuted Christians in Rwanda

The government of Rwanda has closed 6,315 churches and mosques from February through April, 2018. They have mostly targeted Christian congregations, justifying it as building code violations and noise pollution. How difficult it must be for the Christians there to apply Jesus’ teaching to “love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44)! Pray for these brothers and sisters.

Source: World Magazine, April 28, 2018; Vol. 33, No. 8; p. 7

King Hezekiah is one of the most important kings in the history of Israel. He was crowned king of Judah in 727 BC. His reign witnessed the defining event that engendered the tradition of Jerusalem as the hallowed city of God: the inability of the Assyrian Sennacherib to destroy Jerusalem. This confirmed both Hezekiah and Jerusalem as God’s chosen. [Read more…]