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

[President's Day] When George Washington Quoted Micah 6:8 – In the summer of 1783 there was much confusion and fear about the future of the country. The war of independence had been won, but the states were still scrambling to decipher how they would interact with each other and with Congress. Before George Washington resigned from his post as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, he wrote a letter to all the governors (it was intended for the entire American community as well).
https://www.ncregister.com/blog/george-washington-micah-presidents-day

Shift in Marital Trends Is Reflected in Valentine’s Day Celebrations – Fewer Americans planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day in 2024 than in years past— here's how the shift in marital trends is reflected in Valentine’s Day celebrations
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/02/13/why-fewer-americans-celebrating-valentines-day

Study: Young adult 'sexlessness' skyrocketed in the last decade while male virginity doubled – The share of young adults who say they have not had sex in the last year has skyrocketed in the past decade, while the virginity rate for young adult males has more than doubled, according to a recent data analysis. Examining findings from the National Survey of Family Growth, Institute for Family Studies Senior Fellow Lyman Stone observes that "all measures of sexlessness rose for both young adult males and females" between an initial survey wave conducted in 2013-2015 and the most recent wave conducted between 2022-2023. "Parenthood is viewed with much greater apprehension among young people than it once was," Daniel A. Cox, a senior fellow in polling and public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote in a 2023 IFS report. "Young women express growing reservations about starting families, and many believe marriage benefits them less than it does men."
https://www.christianpost.com/news/young-adult-sexlessness-skyrocketed-in-the-last-decade-study.html

America’s 1950s Religious Boom: What Happened? – Surveys during this period showed “belief in God” to be nearly universal, but [writer Will] Herberg asked, just what did this “belief” really mean? Half of those surveyed could not name even one of the four Gospels. He then added a penetrating observation about American faith in the 1950s: “It is thus frequently a religiousness without serious commitment, without real inner conviction, without genuine existential decision. What should reach down to the core of existence, shattering and renewing, merely skims the surface of life, and yet succeeds in generating the sincere feeling of being religious.” Those are rather haunting words.
https://juicyecumenism.com/2025/02/10/americas-1950s-religious-boom/

Canadian Minister Calls for Removal of ‘Savior’ from Core Christian Beliefs – The Rev. Brent Hawkes, a gay rights activist and Canadian clergyman at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) of Toronto, has argued for the removal of the word “Savior” to describe Jesus Christ because the word is a “stumbling block” for many. In place of the word “Savior,” Rev. Hawkes proposes using the word “guide,” because he believes it is less offensive to non-believers.
https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2025/02/10/canadian-minister-calls-for-removal-savior-core-christian-beliefs/

Michael Medved Film Explores the Hand of God in US History – [video] Michael Medved is an author, political commentator, film critic, and talk show host whose career successes came early and often. He authored his first best-selling book at age 26. That book gave birth to a television series. Now, his newest project turns his latest book, The American Miracle, into a docudrama. The movie explores moments of crisis in our nation's history that were interrupted by the hand of Providence, or as President George Washington described it, "the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men." "The history of the American Experiment is a fabric woven of countless instances of improbable, unimaginable success. Whether it is the supernatural protection that surrounded George Washington – the Father of our Country – throughout his life, the mysterious weather conditions that favored the movements of the Continental Army at critical battlefield junctures, or, the unique, longstanding success of a revolution unlike any other in recorded world history; it is difficult, nearly impossible to explain the outcome of any of these, and so many more events like them, without allowing for divine intervention," the website for the movie explains.
https://cbn.com/news/entertainment/american-miracle-michael-medved-film-explores-hand-god-us-history

[Biblical] Inerrancy: What It Is and Why It Matters – What if you can’t trust the Bible? What if the biblical authors got it wrong? They’re only human, after all, and people make mistakes. What if the Bible has errors? The answer to these questions about the Bible’s reliability is at the heart of the Christian’s confidence in God’s Word.
https://www.str.org/w/inerrancy-what-it-is-and-why-it-matters

Over 65 Million Babies Have Been Killed in Abortions Since Roe v. Wade in 1973 – Roe cost this country tens of millions of innocent lives, leaving a painful legacy that will never fully heal. Even so, it would have been far worse if not for the efforts of pro-life Americans who offered practical alternatives and put up legislative barriers that eventually resulted in Roe’s overturn. The abortion industry did not disappear with Dobbs. They prepared for this day, turning their clinic staff into travel agents, paying women to travel to neighboring states for abortions, often covered by private abortion funds.
https://www.lifenews.com/2025/02/13/over-65-million-babies-have-been-killed-in-abortions-since-roe-v-wade-in-1973/

Some birth control pills, devices linked to greater heart risks – The most common formulation of birth control pills has been linked to a DOUBLING of relative risk of heart attack and stroke, a new study finds. Contraceptive vaginal rings and skin patches formulated in the same way also were linked to higher heart risks.
https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2025/02/13/denmark-brith-control-heart-attack-stroke-study/7951739455908/