Below are this week's Articles of Interest as compiled by Mr. Van Baker. This collection of articles is cultivated by Mr. Baker with the goal of highlighting some of the trends, upheavals, and things to watch for in our society. These articles are not necessarily the express views of the United Church of God, Mr. Baker, or me as the pastor, but they are informative of what is occurring in our nation and culture. In accordance with Christ's warning to correctly discern the times (Matthew 16:1-4), it is wise to be aware of what is going on around us. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘God gap’ among GOP, Democrats increases in 119th Congress – A "God gap" exists among members of the incoming 119th Congress, despite Protestants and Catholics dominating the religious affiliation of both parties, according to a recent report. CQ Roll Call published an analysis on Monday []12/30] of the religious affiliation of the 119th Congress, which was elected last November and begins its sessions on Friday. Roll Call found that while 98% of Republican members identified as Christian, only 75% of Democrats or members who caucus with Democrats identified as Christian.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/god-gap-among-gop-democrats-increases-in-119th-congress.html

Christians increasingly persecuted worldwide as ‘modern and historical factors converge’ – Reports for years have indicated that religious intolerance is on the rise around the globe in the face of increasing authoritarian rule and the continued spread of Islamic extremism, but a report released Thursday [1/2] indicates that Christianity, above all others, is taking the biggest hit.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/christians-increasingly-persecuted-worldwide-modern-historical-factors-converge

Disturbing Changes in Evangelical Giving Could Harm Churches, Ministries – “When we find people who are truly spiritually engaged — they read their Bible, they’re in a home group or a study group, they go to church regularly, they regularly pray — [for] those folks the giving has stayed much closer to the norm,” [researcher Mark Dreistadt] said. “So, I do think that there’s a deeper spiritual problem driving some of this as well.” Interestingly, the American Bible Society recently came to similar conclusions, explaining that practicing believers give more to churches and charities alike. “People who consistently read the Bible and live by its teachings are more likely to give to charity,” Dr. John Farquhar Plake, chief innovation officer and editor-in-chief of the American Bible Society’s “State of the Bible” series said in a statement. “Our data shows that they also give far more — not only to their churches, but also to religious and non-religious charities. At a national level, we could say that Scripture-engaged people form a massive engine of generosity and philanthropy.”
https://www.faithwire.com/2024/12/20/a-crisis-disturbing-changes-in-evangelical-giving-could-harm-churches-ministries/

The Looming Danger of Population Collapse Is Real – Empty playgrounds. Schools without enough students to stay open. Small towns, deserted and abandoned. This is not some dystopian vision of the future. Demographers say this is our future. Global population growth is leveling off, and as early as the second half of this century could begin to shrink for the first time since the Black Death struck the world almost 700 years ago. "Everything that we understand that functions in our societies today, that depends on people, which is almost everything, is going to change," says Stephen J. Shaw, a data scientist, demographer.
https://cbn.com/news/world/empty-planet-looming-danger-population-collapse-real

The Benefits Of Wild Free Play: Why Kids Need To Take More Risks – [shared by Dan Apartian] There is a growing body of research showing that free and “risky” play is essential to the development of emotional, physical, and social health of kids. In the age of surveillance capitalism and just generational fears of parenting allowing kids to find opportunities for risky play can be difficult. This complex relationship among the many goals parents have for their children is also highlighted in an article in Nature (the Nature article is partially pay-walled but readers can get a summary of the work)
https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/outdoor-risky-play

[Biblical Archaeology Review] Bible History Daily’s 2024 Year-in-Review – From carrying out scifi-esque excavations of Jerusalem to unlocking an ancient library destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius, this year provided some incredible archaeology news.
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/bible-history-daily-2024-year-in-review/

Antiochus Epiphanes — The Bible’s Most Notoriously Forgotten Villain – Today Antiochus isn’t a household name for two main reasons. First, the biblical books that mention him by name (1 and 2 Maccabees) are no longer present within the canons of the Jewish and Protestant Bibles. And second, in the canonical book where he is mentioned, the Book of Daniel, it is not by name. His infamous legacy is present, however, within the yearly celebration of Hanukkah and within the archaeological record.
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/antiochus-epiphanes-the-bibles-most-notoriously-forgotten-villain/

Artifacts from Hezekiah’s Rebellion Against Assyria Uncovered – Archaeologists have uncovered new evidence of the Assyrian military campaign against the Kingdom of Judah, revealing the destruction of a key administrative building in Jerusalem dating back to the 8th century BC. This discovery offers a deeper understanding of the events surrounding the siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC, a well-documented occurrence in Assyrian, Biblical and other ancient historical records.
https://www.patternsofevidence.com/2025/01/03/artifacts-from-hezekiahs-rebellion-against-assyria-uncovered/

A soccer-loving nun from Brazil tops list of world’s oldest living persons at nearly 117 – LongeviQuest, an organization that tracks supercentenarians around the globe, released a statement on Saturday declaring the wheelchair-bound nun [Sister Inah Canabarro] the world’s oldest person validated by early life records.
https://apnews.com/article/brazil-nun-oldest-person-world-9428ea98d6d2acb0e234a4390404990b

Covidiocy and Cancer – One of the worst aspects of the covid fiasco of 2020 was the shutting down of ‘nonessential’ or ‘elective’ medical care. Worldwide, many thousands of checkups, routine procedures and so on were foregone, with consequences that will unfold over the coming decades. A million cases of cancer that were not diagnosed in timely fashion, and in many cases remain undiagnosed today.
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/01/covidiocy-and-cancer.php

AI will replace human teachers in new Arizona charter school – Unbound Academic Institute has received the OK to open a Tucson charter school without human teachers: AI will provide two hours of day of interactive, individualized lessons in literature, math and science to fourth- to eighth-graders, reports Radhika Rajkumar on ZDNet. Human “guides” will provide emotional support and, presumably, keep students from goofing off.
https://www.joannejacobs.com/post/ai-will-replace-human-teachers-in-new-arizona-charter-school