Texas mall shooter may have targeted “gun-free” zone; More pastors promoting adoption, but fewer members are adopting; Elisabeth Elliot honored in a Museum of the Bible display

It’s Monday, May 15th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus.  ([email protected]) By Adam McManus Muslims in Congo killed three Last Thursday, the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamic rebel group, ambushed a key crossing point for people and goods in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing three people and...

It’s Monday, May 15th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus.  ([email protected])

By Adam McManus

Muslims in Congo killed three

Last Thursday, the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamic rebel group, ambushed a key crossing point for people and goods in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing three people and burning cars and motorcycles, reports International Christian Concern.

At Kambo, the Semuliki River crossing channel, the Muslim jihadists emerged from the shores and overpowered the security officers guarding the access point as travelers, vehicles, and motorbikes were disembarking the barge. 

Those killed in the terror attack were two sailors manning the barge and a soldier controlling access to the Semuliki River crossing channel, a key crossing point for people and goods between Kasindi and Butembo, in the Eastern region of Congo.

Colossians 3:25 says, “For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.”

The Worldview would add if not in this lifetime, the wicked will be held accountable in eternity.

Texas mall shooter may have targeted “gun-free” zone

Mauricio Garcia, the 33-year-old gunman who killed eight people on May 6th at Allen Premium Outlets mall, may have targeted the suburban Dallas shopping center because it was a gun-free zone according to the published rules of the mall.  

Thankfully, an unnamed police officer who had already responded to an unrelated call, heard the shooting in progress, and shot Garcia dead within four minutes of the beginning of the rampage.  No doubt the body count would have been much higher in light of the fact that the mentally ill man had brought eight guns to the scene, according to The Associated Press. The assailant wore tactical gear and fired an AR-15-style weapon.

According to the Crime Prevention Research Center, 94% of the mass shootings since 1950 have targeted “gun-free” zones.  And, when analyzing the mass shootings since 1998, 84% of them have taken place in “gun-free” zones.

Killers often openly talk about their desire to attack where no one is there with a gun to stop them.

Justin Bourque, who shot to death three people in Canada, ridiculed gun-free zones on his Facebook page.
James Holmes, the Batman movie theater killer in Colorado who killed 12 people and wounded 58 others, revealed in his diary that he targeted the theater because it had posted signs banning permitted concealed handguns.
Payton Gendron, the Buffalo, New York shooter who killed 10 people in a supermarket last December, said, “Attacking in a weapons-restricted area may decrease the chance of civilian backlash. Schools, courts, or areas where Concealed Carry Weapons are outlawed or prohibited may be good areas of attack. Areas with strict gun laws are also great places of attack.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat, introduced the Gun-Free School Zones Act to the U.S. Senate in 1990, and it was signed into law by then-President George H.W. Bush, a Republican. The law was clearly proposed with the intent to prevent mass shootings at schools. But, as the statistics reveal, it did not result in the desired outcome.

Texas mall security guard a hero

Garcia, the Texas gunman on May 6th, researched when the mall was busiest — Saturday afternoons — and posted photos on social media in mid-April of a store near where he ultimately began shooting people. 

Among those killed were two elementary school-age sisters, a couple and their 3-year-old son, and a 20-year-old Allied security guard named Christian LaCour, who evacuated one individual to safety, and was shot while courageously remaining to help others, reports FaithWire.com.

More pastors promoting adoption, but fewer members are adopting

Church leaders are increasingly promoting adoption and foster care for their members even as fewer members are involved in the processes, according to a new LifeWay Research report that surmises the drop may be attributed to the pandemic, reports Christian Headlines.

The poll of churchgoers, released Thursday, found that church leaders are more likely than they were in 2017 to raise funds for and encourage their congregation to adopt.

At the same time, churchgoers are less likely than in 2017 to say they know of a member who has adopted or provided foster care.

The survey found that pastors were more likely in 2022 than they were in 2017 to raise funds for families who are adopting (18 percent in 2022; 8 percent in 2017), encourage families to provide foster care (17 percent to 12 percent), and encourage families to consider adoption (16 percent to 14 percent).

Church members, though, are less likely to adopt than they were in 2017. The poll found that churchgoers say they were less likely in 2022 than in 2017 to say a member of their church provided foster care (25 percent in 2017 to 16 percent in 2022), adopted a new child from the United States (17 percent to 13 percent) and adopted a new child from another country (15 percent to 11 percent).

If the Lord is prompting you to adopt a child or a teen from foster care, contact Lifeline Children’s Services. Call (205) 967-0811. That’s (205) 967-0811.

James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Elisabeth Elliot honored in a Museum of the Bible display

And finally, the story of Elisabeth Elliot, a Christian missionary who devoted two years of her life to ministering to a tribe in Ecuador that killed her husband, is featured in a new exhibit at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., reports The Christian Post.

While traveling through the Ecuadorian jungle to connect with the people of the Auca/Waodani tribe, Elliot’s husband, Jim, and four other missionaries were speared to death on January 8, 1956. 

Elizabeth Elliot returned to the Ecuadorian rainforest two years after her husband’s death to live with the very tribe that had killed her husband. Her decision to forgive them helped the tribe begin a new path.

In Matthew 5:43-45, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in Heaven.”

The tribesmen had been afraid and uncertain about the group of outsiders, but later came to feel remorse for their actions. The tribesmen embraced Christianity quickly once it was explained to them.

The exhibit, which explores the Christian missionary’s life and career spanning six decades before her death in 2015, is located on the Impact of the Bible floor in an area designated as “Personal Stories.” This section of the Museum of the Bible highlights individuals who have used God’s Word to impact their communities and the broader world.

The Museum of the Bible exhibit about Elliot’s work opened on March 30, and it will run through Jan. 28, 2024.  

Watch the movie End of the Spear.

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And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Monday, May 15th in the year of our Lord 2023. 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 ([email protected]). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.