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

Erasing Christianity from American History – It is a historical fact that Christianity played a central role in the colonization of the New World and the formation of the United States. A well-known study from 1984 reviewed more than nine hundred public political writings published between 1760 and 1805 in order to determine what sources most influenced the discourse of the day. The Bible was the clear winner— with Deuteronomy being the most cited book — easily beating whole groups of thinkers in the survey. Any basic course in American civics and history, then, should give Christianity its essential place. Yet in the Advanced Placement course in U.S. government and politics, that isn’t the case. The two-hundred-page course guide that lays out skills and content doesn’t mention Christianity or the Bible— not once, even though it professes to cover “the intellectual traditions that animated our founding.”
https://firstthings.com/erasing-christianity-from-american-history/

Wildfire Unveils Lost Biblical Village of Bethsaida – [According to John 1:44, Peter, Andrew, and Philip lived and fished in Bethsaida. Several miracles of Jesus were also witnessed there, like the healing of the blind man in Mark 8 and the feeding of the 5,000 in Luke 9] The village from the time of Jesus was – and remains – buried in the sands of time, and now ash as well. But bared by the conflagration that consumed the Betiha Nature Reserve, small mounds are now exposed, scattered all over the archaeological site of el-Araj, sprawling over hundreds of meters. They're like mini-tells. "Each is an ancient room," predicts Mordechai Aviam, archaeological director of the excavation.
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2025-08-14/ty-article-magazine/wildfire-unveils-lost-biblical-village-of-bethsaida/00000198-a7b5-d539-a5b8-fff56dc90000

13 tests of Christians – Scripture is replete with examples of divine tests — seasons and circumstances God allows His people to pass through to reveal and refine the condition of their hearts. 1. "The test of lack" - Example: The Israelites in the wilderness.
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/13-tests-that-every-christian-must-pass.html

Court Rules on Whether It Can Decide ‘Truth or Falsity’ of Religious Belief – A federal appeals court Tuesday [8/26] threw out a class-action lawsuit against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ruling the suit violated church autonomy. The lawsuit was brought by three former members of the church, who accused it of intentionally misrepresenting its religious history and fraudulently using tithes. However, a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the claims, saying, “We must decline the plaintiffs’ invitation to ‘enter [the] forbidden domain’ of assessing the ‘truth or falsity’ of religious beliefs and doctrine.”
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/08/27/court-rules-whether-it-can-decide-truth-falsity-religious-belief/

[UK] Parents skipping meals to feed their kids – Thousands of parents across the UK are being driven into unmanageable debt as they struggle to cover the basic costs of raising children, according to new research by the charity Christians Against Poverty.The findings highlight the growing strain on low-income families, many of whom face impossible choices between paying bills, buying food, and keeping up with debt repayments.
https://christiantoday.com/news/parents-skipping-meals-to-feed-their-kids-christian-charity-finds

Viral statistic shows abortion has wiped out 28% of Gen Z generation [those born roughly between 1997 and 2012] – Stats not just from the US but around the world indicate that about 3-in-10 babies are killed by abortion.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/viral-statistic-shows-abortion-has-wiped-out-28-of-gen-z-generation/

Adult conversions to Catholicism in US estimated to be at 20-year high – According to Catholic blogger Shane Schaetzel, around 160,000 US adults converted to the Catholic Church this year on Easter Vigil, about the same number as 2002.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/adult-conversions-to-catholicism-in-us-estimated-to-be-at-20-year-high/

The Alarming Rise of "Snitch Networks" – A troubling new piece of legislation continues to make its way through the British parliament. Dubbed the “Banter Bill,” the Employment Rights Bill would criminalize any "speech" that might be considered offensive by any passerby. Unfortunately, this new subjective standard for what types of speech are allowed isn’t restricted to Great Britain. In the United States, more and more states are experimenting with a similar system. The Washington Free Beacon reports that 8 states have set up “bias-response hotlines” which citizens are encouraged to call if they hear a comment — from a neighbor, coworker, or even passersby on the street — that they consider to be offensive.
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-dangerous-rise-of-snitch-networks/

New drug that stimulates natural tooth regrowth is entering human trials – For decades, dentists and scientists have dreamed of helping people regrow lost teeth. Now, thanks to remarkable advances in genetics, molecular biology, and regenerative medicine, that dream is closer than ever.
https://www.thebrighterside.news/post/new-drug-that-stimulates-natural-tooth-regrowth-is-entering-human-trials/