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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Experts talk "Quitters Day," why Americans give up on New Year's resolutions – At the start of the year, millions of Americans tell themselves what positive habits they’re going to take on after New Year's Day. They might start off by making changes to their lifestyle like budgeting, working out, and eating healthier foods — but many of them give up on their New Year’s resolutions by the second week of January, a study concluded. As a result, the second Friday of January became known as Quitters Day across the country in acknowledgement of those so-called "quitters."
https://www.toledoblade.com/local/city/2025/01/10/local-experts-talk-quitters-day-new-years-resolutions-why-americans-give-up-ohio/stories/20250110110

What's Driving the Rise in Non-Denominational Christianity? In more recent years, the “mainline” denominations, so called because they were the churches along the main roads in towns, have opted for theological and political liberalism (and downright heresy) and have seen a resulting decline. Denominations still loom large on the landscape of American Christianity, but their influence is on the downslope, according to some new research.
https://pjmedia.com/chris-queen/2025/01/10/whats-driving-the-rise-in-non-denominational-christianity-you-might-be-surprised-n4935860

Holy imagination: Churches seek to reverse decline – Southern California seminars tackle ‘The Challenge of the Empty Church.’
https://christianchronicle.org/holy-imagination-churches-seek-to-reverse-decline/

Vatican approves document allowing gay men to become priests in Italy – A new document by the Italian bishops’ conference states that being openly gay no longer bars candidates from "discerning the priesthood."
https://religionnews.com/2025/01/10/vatican-approves-document-allowing-gay-men-to-become-priests-in-italy/

What Did People Eat and Drink in Roman Palestine? In a land "flowing with milk and honey," what did people eat and drink in Roman Palestine? What kinds of food made up the ancient Jewish diet?
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/what-did-people-eat-and-drink-in-roman-palestine/

Aren’t All World Religions The Same? If you have been breathing on this earth for more than about 30 seconds, you have heard the maxim captured in the headline above. Christianity is fundamentally different from all the rest of the major religions (and the minor ones as well!): John 3:16-17 tells us that: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” The Apostle Paul puts it this way [Ephesians 2:8-10]: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” The world’s religions tell us to “do this, do that, this way” and we will earn salvation. Christianity is the exact opposite – salvation comes through God’s grace, not our works, and that grace is given to us through a daily relationship with the risen Jesus.
https://www.hillfaith.org/myth-busters/myth-busters-arent-all-world-religions-the-same/

One of the world’s greatest religious spectacles is underway and the numbers are staggering – Over the next six weeks, 400 million people are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher, on the riverbanks in the city of Prayagraj.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/12/travel/india-maha-kumbh-mela-2025-intl-hnk/index.html

ChatGPT Admits “Abortion Involves the Termination of a Living” Human Being [organism] – [The author's] curiosity led him to interview ChatGPT [a tool that lets users enter prompts to receive humanlike images, text or videos that are created by AI], treating it as both a subject of study and a conversational partner. The goal was to explore its thought process across 25 topics ranging from politics to philosophy and social issues. While many discussions were insightful, the AI responses about abortion were especially thought-provoking. To my surprise, ChatGPT admitted that abortion is the termination of a living human organism— a significant acknowledgment. It warrants closer examination.
https://www.lifenews.com/2025/01/14/chatgpt-admits-abortion-involves-the-termination-of-a-living-human-being/

AI Researchers Admit They Were Trying to Build ‘Gods’, Have They Summoned Something Worse – Artificial intelligence systems are training themselves to do all sorts of things that they were never intended to do. They are literally teaching themselves new languages, they are training themselves to become “proficient in research-grade chemistry without ever being taught it” and they have learned to “lie and manipulate humans for their own advantage.” So what happens when these super-intelligent entities become powerful enough to start exerting control over the world around them?
https://charismanews.com/news/ai-researchers-admit-they-were-trying-to-build-gods-did-they-summoned-something-worse/