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.

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Christians Representing 70 Nations in Jerusalem for Biblical Feast of Tabernacles – After nearly three years of war, both airlines and tourists are returning to Israel. In this holiday season of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, Christians are returning to celebrate.
https://cbn.com/news/israel/lord-roars-zion-christians-representing-70-nations-jerusalem-biblical-feast-tabernacles

The Peculiar Shelter of the [FoT] Sukkah – The sukkah is a fragile, incomplete structure. It’s meant to be that way.
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/belief/articles/sukkah-peculiar-shelter

Churches Not Exempt from California LGBT Hate Speech Law – California employers will be required to incorporate “anti-hate speech” instruction into workplace harassment training under a new law drawing praise from LGBT activists and warnings from Christian groups. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1803 on Sept. 27. Beginning Jan. 1, 2028, employers with five or more employees covered by California’s existing harassment-training requirements must include guidance on recognizing, reporting and confronting workplace speech that “vilifies, humiliates, or incites hatred” based on protected characteristics. It turns out that Democrats refused to exempt churches from the law.
https://www.toddstarnes.com/uncategorized/churches-not-exempt-from-california-lgbt-hate-speech-law/

Socialism's Positive Rating Tops 40% for First Time – Forty-three percent of Americans now have a positive view of socialism, marking the first time this figure has exceeded 39% in Gallup’s trend since 2010. Socialism still trails capitalism and free enterprise in public favorability but now ranks ahead of big business.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/714653/socialism-positive-rating-tops-first-time.aspx

Report: Over 500 million Christians face Bible access restrictions worldwide – New data reveals that more than 500 million Christians worldwide face Bible access restrictions, as laws imposed by governments hostile to Christianity and socioeconomic barriers prevent many who would like a Bible from having one. The Bible Access Initiative released its 2026 Bible Access List Thursday, offering an updated look at Bible access around the world. The report examines 106 countries, identifying both places where Bible access is explicitly restricted and countries where people face socioeconomic barriers that prevent them from obtaining Scripture.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/bible-access-is-restricted-for-over-500m-christians-report.html

Half of younger churchgoers say culture change makes some biblical truths 'obsolete' – Protestant churchgoers in the United States appear increasingly willing to reject some biblical truths, with young adult attendees under 30 most likely to say some of those truths are becoming "obsolete," according to a recent survey from Lifeway Research.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/churchgoers-increasingly-rejecting-some-truths-of-bible.html

Marriage Nihilism – It is often said of postmodern “marriage” that it does not affect the marriages of heterosexual couples. As The Boston Globe asked in an oft-cited editorial defending same-sex marriage, “How would gay civil marriage affect your lives, liberties, or opportunities, or your own marriages?” This is the million-dollar question that has left conservatives and Christians stammering for an answer. This simple and seemingly commonsense question is no doubt important, but it is also a disingenuous and trivial evasion of the nature and point of marriage.
https://www.theredneckintellectual.com/p/marriage-nihilism

Newsom Signs Law Prioritizing Muslim State Holidays – California is now officially recognizing two Islamic holidays after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation making Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha official state holidays. The law gives Muslim state workers the right to take those days off, and public schools may choose to close in observance of the holidays. Commentators like [Rabbi Michael] Barclay argue that recognizing these Muslim holidays puts Islamic traditions on a special tier above Christian and Jewish holidays. The push to elevate Islam appears to result from a growing alliance between Muslim advocacy groups and political progressives.
https://cbn.com/news/us/effectively-sharia-law-newsom-signs-law-prioritizing-muslim-state-holidays

The Curious Case of America’s Most Atheist State – Pew Research Center's latest Landscape Study places New Hampshire’s atheist population at 11%, the highest concentration in the country. When the 8% who identify as agnostic and the 29% who claim “nothing in particular” are included, nearly half the state sits squarely outside organized religion. In less than 20 years, Christian affiliation has declined by almost 15%. The question, though, is why.
https://religionunplugged.com/news/new-hampshire-the-curious-case-of-americas-most-atheist-state

GLIMPSES OF GOD: Your Fingerprint Points to the Creator of Everything – As Paul puts it in Romans 1:20, every aspect of the creation demonstrates the glorious creative power of God: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” [video]
https://www.hillfaith.org/agnosticism/glimpses-of-godepisode-1-your-fingerprint-points-to-the-creator-of-everything/

Darwin or Christ: Choose Carefully – The three figures who made the modern world of the mind, I think it’s safe to argue, were Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud. It might surprise you, but the first figure I mentioned, Charles Darwin, has had a similar and arguably more toxic effect on Christian thinkers, pastors, and ordinary believers. In fact, Darwin’s theory can be seen as the point where Western thought diverged decisively from its biblical roots and became prone to mechanistic, reductionist theorists like Marx [and] Freud...
https://chroniclesmagazine.org/society-culture/darwin-or-christ-choose-carefully/

President John Quincy Adams knew one book people needed to read to become good citizens – John Quincy Adams wrote letters urging his son to read the Bible daily, believing Scripture was essential to raising citizens worthy of the Constitution.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/president-john-quincy-adams-knew-one-book-people-needed-read-become-good-citizens

Who Are the Nephilim? The mysterious beings of Genesis 6
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/hebrew-bible/who-are-the-nephilim/

Where was the Garden of Eden? The garden of Eden is one of the best-known places in the Bible, yet its location remains a mystery. It is introduced in Genesis 2:8 as “a garden in Eden.” This phrase may suggest that the garden is a specific part of a larger region called “Eden” and that the two are not identical or equal in size. Genesis 2:8 also states that Eden is “in the east.” However, the Hebrew term translated “in the east” could alternatively mean “eastward” — that is, facing east. This would align with Genesis 3:24, which places the entrance to the garden on its eastern side. While the geographical details in Genesis 2 suggest that the garden of Eden was a real place in the Middle East, the account provides insufficient information to pinpoint its exact location. Importantly, it is unlikely that the garden continued to exist long after Adam and Eve’s expulsion.
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/where-was-the-garden-of-eden.html

New Research Points To Key Driver Of Biological Aging – Scientists are calling it ‘ferro-aging,’ and it’s all about how iron slowly builds up in your organs over time... a gradual process that quietly affects your lungs, liver, heart, and brain as the years go by.”
https://health.yahoo.com/wellness/healthy-aging/longevity/articles/research-points-key-driver-biological-100600438.html