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

When It Comes to Marriage, Faith Matters – Focus on the Family recently surveyed more than 3,800 Americans on how faith impacts personal decisions about marriage and recorded married respondents’ self-assessments of their unions... convictional Christians— those who actively live out and practice their faith — scored higher on all 32 aspects of marriage that speak to matrimonial health—whether it be taking responsibility for mistakes, having compassion toward each other, trust, or financial management.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/07/07/when-it-comes-to-marriage-faith-matters/

Tech users are falling in love with their chatbot assistants – For some technology users, artificial intelligence has evolved from being a tool to becoming something akin to a "soulmate."
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jul/3/tech-users-falling-love-chatbot-assistants/

Most churches still pass the plate to collect offerings – Digital giving is growing but in-person giving remains dominant
https://www.christianpost.com/news/most-churches-still-pass-the-plate-to-collect-offerings-lifeway.html?clickType=link-most-popular

Moses in the New Testament Gospels – Moses is the most famous, influential, and revered figure in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. While researching this topic, [the author, a Jewish convert] realized how often Moses is mentioned or alluded to in the New Testament. The Moses-Jesus connection is a "one-two" faith punch.
https://townhall.com/columnists/myrakahnadams/2025/07/13/a-quick-bible-study-vol-276-moses-in-the-new-testament-gospels-n2660253

WHO estimates 73 million unborn babies aborted every year— but nobody knows for sure – The World Health Organization and the Guttmacher institute have every reason to exaggerate the number of abortions worldwide each year.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/who-estimates-73-million-unborn-babies-aborted-every-year-but-nobody-knows-for-sure/

100 Years Since The Scopes Trial: Evolution, Religion and America’s Classroom Conflicts – One hundred years ago this month, Americans were transfixed as a Tennessee courtroom hosted a challenge to the state’s new law barring “the teaching of the Evolution Theory” in public schools, including colleges. The prohibition covered “any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.” That’s why the spectacle was called the “Monkey Trial,” as well as the “Trial of the Century” or the “Scopes Trial” after defendant John Scopes, a high school science teacher. The local economy of Dayton boomed briefly and a carnival atmosphere developed. More than 100 newspaper reporters flocked to the city and Chicago’s WGN transmitted the first live radio broadcast of a trial. Talk about odd trials! The judge ruled out all testimony from the defense’s scientific experts. The jurors were excluded from most court sessions. Witnesses never established that Scopes actually taught Darwinism, but he admitted this anyway, making the guilty verdict automatic. Tennessee’s law remained on the books until 1967. In Epperson v. Arkansas from 1968, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court abolished anti-evolution laws as an unconstitutional “establishment of religion” by government.
https://religionunplugged.com/news/100-years-since-the-scopes-trial-evolution-religion-and-americas-classroom-conflicts

They're the size of MOSQUITOES, move at 300mph and are invisible to ALL our defense systems: The terrifying spies invading our skies – A new generation of 'Super Drones' is transforming war and industry, with sizes as small as a mosquito, speeds of up to 300 mph, intelligent 'swarms' working together without pilots, hi-tech 'cloaking' capabilities and single craft able to both fly and swim, experts told the Daily Mail. Cutting-edge science is being poured into these highly advanced robots, used on battlefields in Ukraine and the Middle East, but also over farmers' fields, freeways and electrical grid infrastructure at home.
https://archive.is/640HP

The threat of fungal infections is growing. Why is it so hard to make new drugs? In recent years, the potential danger fungal infections pose to human health has become more and more apparent, as fungi either evolve to evade treatments or spread beyond their typical geographical regions. Doctors around the world are desperate for new medicines to combat the growing threat.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fungal-infections-fda-new-drugs-olorofim-rcna136808