News and Prophecy Staff

Animosity and persecution against Christians are rising again around the globe. “A persecution watchdog group is warning believers that statistics suggest a Christian is martyred for their faith every five minutes somewhere around the world” (Christian Post, September 16, 2015). Religious attacks are increasing in non-Christian nations.

As the political landscape of Europe changes, “The euro’s founding father has warned that Europe’s latest plan for an EMU-wide finance ministry is a dangerous attempt to smuggle through political union, and breaches the basic tenets of modern democracy. Professor Otmar Issing… said it would be ‘dangerous’ to transfer control over tax and spending to the EU federal level before full political union has been established first on democratic foundations.

A sobering headline from a recent news article read “Extreme Weather Watch: August 2015—The Western US Burns Up” (San Diego Free Press, September 8, 2015). This year, over eight million acres have burned, primarily in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and California (National Interagency Fire Center, September 6, 2015). Firefighters have come from around the globe, and the U.S.

“In a letter released on Tuesday, the pontiff requested that women who have abortions—and the doctors who perform them—can be pardoned, during the church’s self-declared ‘Jubilee Year,’ which runs for most of next year. According to Catholic doctrine, abortion is such a grave sin that those who procure or perform it are automatically excommunicated… ‘I have decided...

“Almost half of British girls have required help with their mental health, according to a new survey. The Girlguiding UK research into the pressures facing girls today found self-harming was one of the biggest health concerns for girls aged 11-21, followed by mental illness, cyber-bullying and depression” (The Telegraph, August 24, 2015).