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

The Holy Scriptures and America’s Presidents – For many today, a Bible in the hands of a president is little more than a prop for a photo-op. But history shows that the Scriptures once propped up a nation’s self-definition and provided inspiration for even presidents of a skeptical bent.
https://www.acton.org/religion-liberty/volume-36-number-1/holy-scriptures-and-americas-presidents

Do you know where your Bible came from? You don’t hear the word used much anymore, but Scripture is referred to by theologians as the “canon,” which means “measuring rod,” “standard,” and “rule”. The Canon doesn’t just represent the collection of books that passed tests of authenticity and authority, it also means that those books are our rule of life, both in this world and the next. If that sounds heavy to you, it should. Betting your life on what a book tells you signifies that you should have a really good understanding of how it came to be and why you should trust it.
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/do-you-know-where-your-bible-came-from.html

Northwestern Saudi Arabia Has a Strong Case for Being Mt Sinai’s Location – Few Americans have ever heard of Jabal al Lawz, one of the highest mountains on the Saudi Arabian Peninsula, but there is a local tradition of long standing that the Prophet Moses once resided on the mountain bearing the name. It is a prominent feature of the area, surrounded as its upper third is by a blackness as if it was once at extremely high temperatures. Could this be the place where God handed Moses the stone tablets containing the 10 Commandments? Sadly, even if Jabal al Lawz is somehow proven to be the Mt. Sinai of the Bible, current Saudi law severely restricts archeological efforts. [video]
https://www.hillfaith.org/biblical-archeology/exodus-explored-northwestern-saudi-arabia-has-a-strong-case-for-being-mt-sinai/

Top European Engineer’s Book Settles the Evolution vs. Intelligent Design Debate – Stuart Burgess of the United Kingdom is one of the finest engineers in the world...He has also held academic positions at the University of Cambridge and the University of Bristol in the U.K., and Liberty University here in the United States. He has been awarded the James Clayton Prize as the United Kingdom’s top engineer. But odds are good that when historians look back on the present century, Burgess will be best known for two words — “Ultimate Engineering,” the title of his just-released book with the subtitle “An Engineer Investigates the Biomechanics of the Human Body.” This book very well may have an equal or greater cultural, scientific, and political impact on Western civilization than did Charles Darwin’s landmark “On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection.”
https://washingtonstand.com/article/top-european-engineers-book-settles-the-evolution-vs-intelligent-design-debate

Gallup Ends Presidential Approval Polling – Gallup said Wednesday [2/11] it will stop tracking and publishing presidential job approval and political figure favorability ratings this year, ending a public opinion yardstick it helped define for nearly nine decades. A Gallup spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that the company will cease publishing individual politicians’ favorability and approval ratings, adding that this decision “reflects an evolution in how Gallup focuses its public research and thought leadership.”
https://www.newsmax.com/us/gallup-presidential-approval-poll-ends/2026/02/11/id/1245739/

EU Parliament backs resolution demanding ‘full recognition of trans women as women’ – The European Parliament has voted in favor of a resolution that calls for the “full recognition of trans women as women.” It was approved by 340 votes in favor, 141 against, and 68 abstentions. The resolution is not legally binding for member states, but will be part of the EU’s official negotiating position as a bloc at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, taking place in New York next month. The document also claims that denying someone an abortion constitutes “gender-based violence.”
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/eu-parliament-backs-resolution-demanding-full-recognition-of-trans-women-as-women/

France Sends Letters to Women to Have More Babies as Fertility Rate Plummets – The French government plans to send all 29-year-old citizens a letter warning them about the challenges of infertility as the country grapples with the question of what to do about ongoing demographic decline. Hundreds of thousands of French 29-year-olds are due to receive the letter containing “targeted, balanced and scientifically based information on sexual and reproductive health”, according to the Ministry of Health.
https://www.lifenews.com/2026/02/13/france-sends-letters-to-women-to-have-more-babies-as-fertility-rate-plummets/

On cannabis, psychosis, and the long tail of the truth – Suddenly warnings about cannabis are everywhere. Last week, researchers reported severe mental illness has spiked in young people in Canada alongside access to high-potency cannabis. The next day came the release of “A Killing In Cannabis,” a book about a 2019 murder in California — and the violence that plagues the marijuana business and that legalization has not resolved. Then, three days ago, the New York Times dropped its support for full cannabis legalization. Writing that the United States has “a Marijuana Problem,” the paper admitted cannabis addiction and psychosis have become a crisis.
https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/on-cannabis-psychosis-and-the-long