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

Bill Gates: Within 10 years... humans won't be needed ‘for most things' – That's what the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist told comedian Jimmy Fallon during an interview on NBC's "The Tonight Show" in February. At the moment, expertise remains "rare," Gates explained, pointing to human specialists we still rely on in many fields, including "a great doctor" or "a great teacher." But "with AI, over the next decade, that will become free, commonplace — great medical advice, great tutoring," Gates said.
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/business/money-report/bill-gates-within-10-years-ai-will-replace-many-doctors-and-teachers-humans-wont-be-needed-for-most-things/3828282/

Germany turns against America – Friedrich Merz, Germany’s future chancellor, embodies the old West Germany. He is a Catholic, a lawyer, devoid of charisma and passion – and has been a loyal friend of the United States of America- until now.
https://asiatimes.com/2025/03/germany-turns-against-america/#

Men Surpass Women In US Church Attendance? Men have outpaced women in church attendance the past three years, reversing a longstanding trend of more women in the pews that narrowed in 2016, Barna said in its 2025 State of the Church release.
https://religionunplugged.com/news/2025/3/26/state-of-the-us-church-more-men-attending-than-women-while-volunteering-rebounds

Disney shareholders widely reject anti-DEI proposal – Disney has long been a participant in the corporate equality index that the HRC describes as a "national benchmarking tool on corporate polices, practices, and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees," most recently earning a top rating of 100 for this year’s index. Only 1% of shareholders voted to support the proposal for Disney to stop taking part in the HRC’s corporate equality index, according to a preliminary tally announced Thursday [3/20].
https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/disney-shareholders-widely-reject-anti-dei-proposal

Where Jesus Was Crucified: The Archeological Evidence – Christians who lived in Jerusalem after his death knew exactly where that place was. But today, can we know with certainty the spot where Jesus was crucified? [video]
https://stream.org/where-jesus-was-crucified-the-archeological-evidence/

What Ancient Jews Believed About the Afterlife – As the centuries progressed, the afterlife came into clearer focus, manifesting in a belief in bodily resurrection on "the last day."
https://www.ncregister.com/blog/what-ancient-jews-really-believed-about-the-afterlife

How Hebrew Almost Became America's Official Language – [headline is somewhat deceiving] In 1791, the Marquis de Chastellux, an enigmatic Frenchman who served as a general in the American Revolution, published an astonishing claim in his travelogue memoir. Chastellux reported that “some persons were desirous, for the convenience of the public, that the Hebrew should substituted for the English … that it should be taught in the schools, and made use of in all public acts.” While obviously farcical and far-fetched, the myth of a proposed Judeo-American founding language reveals political tensions of national identity in the nascent United States. Chastellux’s travelogue offers a helpful window into this historical moment. As he noted, the “national pride” of revolutionary-era Americans “suffered not a little from the reflection … of the language of the country being that of their oppressors.” Nevertheless, [a] British reviewer alluded to a kernel of truth that may have sparked Chastellux’s imagination: some Revolutionary Americans did view themselves as God’s chosen nation akin to ancient Israel.
https://www.realclearhistory.com/articles/2025/03/19/how_hebrew_almost_became_americas_official_language_1098308.html

Resolution Opposing “Gay Marriage” Fails in North Dakota After Senators Receive Death Threats – On March 13, the North Dakota State Senate took up the MassResistance resolution urging the US Supreme Court to overturn its infamous 2015 ruling imposing “gay marriage” on all 50 states... a move by the activist justices at the U.S. Supreme Court at the time to take away states’ rights on this contentious issue and simply impose false marriage on the entire nation. On February 24, the resolution passed the North Dakota House of Representatives. That angered the LGBT movement immensely.
https://stream.org/resolution-opposing-gay-marriage-fails-in-north-dakota-after-senators-receive-death-threats/

California Democrats Offer Prayer to a Strange New 'god' to Open Assembly Session – California Democrats opened an assembly meeting by reciting a "prayer" to [singer/actress] Beyonce using Beyonce’s lyrics and asking her for strength.
https://www.frontpagemag.com/california-dems-offer-prayer-to-a-strange-new-god-to-open-assembly-session/

A new volcanic vent has opened up in Yellowstone – While the expansive volcano shows no hints of an eruption, magma brews beneath the surface, fueling hundreds of geysers and other heated phenomena. In a new blog on its website, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory reports a new steaming feature in the national park, illustrative of this dynamic world's constantly evolving, and thrilling, landscape. Yellowstone's last volcanic eruption happened some 70,000 years ago, and the events weren't giant eruptions on the scale that would deposit ash over a huge swath of the U.S.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/a-brand-new-volcanic-vent-opened-up-in-yellowstone/ar-AA1B8Rbw