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

Americans Claiming 'Personal Commitment to Jesus' Nears Record High – As America navigates a rapidly changing spiritual landscape, one truth remains constant: the person of Jesus of Nazareth has an ageless attraction, even for those wary of religion itself.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/personal-committment-to-jesus-soars-among-young-adults-survey.html

8 Days That Changed The World – The last eight days Jesus was on the earth changed the world, unlike any other time in human history.
https://www.realclearreligion.org/articles/2025/04/11/8_days_that_changed_the_world_1103489.html

The Story Behind Handel’s Messiah – The book, Every Valley by author Charles King, details the desperate lives and troubled times that gave birth to Handel’s masterpiece.
https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/literature/the-story-behind-handels-messiah

10 [Ways] Beauty Points Back to God in the Old Testament – The concept of beauty in the Old Testament reflects a holistic view deeply rooted in God’s nature, creation, and redemptive purposes. The term “glory” (from the Hebrew “kabod” and the Greek “doxa”) encapsulates the idea of divine beauty.
https://stream.org/10-reasons-why-beauty-points-back-to-god-in-the-old-testament/

A Passover Question: Where’s Moses? During the Seder, we tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. But the Haggadah, the book that acts as the script for the Seder, only mentions Moses once. Only once? He’s the key human figure in the biblical Exodus story! Much of the Haggadah was put together by rabbis after the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem. It was created so Jews would have a guideline for the Passover Seders and to fulfill the Torah commandment to remember that G-d took our ancestors out of Egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arm. At age 80, when most people are sitting on their front porches yelling at kids to get off their lawn, poor Moses is stuck with newly freed stiff-necked people whining and gets no recognition from the Haggadah builders. Moses gets nothing, but the Jewish people get something. We get meaningful Seders filled with family stories, questions, learning, and, of course, lots of food.
https://lidblog.com/wheres-moses/

Bible Reading Surges Among Surprising Portions of the Population – There’s an increase in Bible use and Scripture engagement among younger Americans and men, according to a new study from the American Bible Society. “Millennials saw a 29% increase in Bible Use from 2024 to 2025 and men saw a 19% increase, closing the long-time gender gap in Bible Use,” a press release reads. “In recent years, Millennials and men were among the least likely to use the Bible.”
https://www.faithwire.com/2025/04/10/bible-reading-surges-among-surprising-portions-of-the-population-study/

"Baptize America" – Following last year’s record-breaking movement, Baptize California is set to return on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025, with the goal of bringing churches together across the state for the largest synchronized baptism event in history. This year, the vision expands beyond California with the launch of Baptize America on Sunday, June 8th, 2025, uniting believers nationwide in a historic outpouring of faith.
https://religionnews.com/2025/04/10/baptize-california-returns-on-may-3rd-followed-by-the-nationwide-movement-baptize-america-on-june-8th/

New Australian Law Makes Certain Prayers ‘Unlawful’ – As Vice President JD Vance warns about the suppression of Christians’ free speech rights, a new law in a Western nation makes “praying with or over a person” in some circumstances “unlawful EVEN IF that person has asked you to pray for them.” Making the wrong kind of intercession for someone in this U.S. ally could land a believer up to five years in prison. The government of the Australian state of New South Wales explains the newly enacted Conversion Practices Ban Act 2024 allows “prayer” or expression of any “religious belief” only if it is not “directed to changing or suppressing an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” The bill— which took effect last Friday, April 4 — bans any speech the government classifies as attempting to change someone’s LGBTQIA2S+ status, with a maximum penalty of “imprisonment for 5 years.”
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/04/12/new-australian-law-makes-certain-prayers-unlawful/

FDA to replace animal testing with AI-based experiments, other methods – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is replacing animal testing with "human-relevant" methods, including artificial intelligence, when developing monoclonal antibody therapies and other drugs. The regulatory change is intended to improve drug safety and accelerate the evaluation processing while reducing animal experimentation, lowering research and development costs and lowering drug prices, the FDA announced Thursday [4/10].
https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2025/04/10/fda-drug-testing-regulations/5121744323315/