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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The 'American Dream' Costs $5.3 Million — And It’s Getting Pricier – The report from Investopedia analyzes eight major milestones — getting married, owning a home, buying new cars, raising two children and sending them to college, retirement, paying for healthcare, owning pets, and taking an annual vacation. The total costs associated with these milestones were $5,320,133 in 2026, a 4.1 percent increase from $5,111,632 in 2025, according to the same report, which reviewed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
https://dailycaller.com/2026/10/08/american-dream-investopedia-report-bls-data-homeownership-rising-costs/

Religion and the Decline in Alcohol Use – As Gallup recently reported, Americans’ use of alcohol is at its lowest point in history. The question that follows, of course, is “Why the change?” There are numerous possible explanations. One of these involves religion.
https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/715613/religion-decline-alcohol.aspx

Number of Teen Girls Identifying as LGBT Plummets Suddenly – The number of teen girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual has plunged rapidly over the last four years. According to new data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a whopping 30 percent of ninth-grade girls identified as lesbian or bisexual in 2021. By 2025, that figure had fallen to 17 percent. Those identifying as bisexual alone fell by half -- from 26 percent to 13 percent. While researchers agree the statistics show a significant downward turn, they emphasize that the exact causes of the decline remain unclear.
https://cbn.com/news/us/number-teen-girls-identifying-lgbt-plummets-suddenly

Sabbath Isn’t [shouldn't be] a "Strategy" – Weariness and burnout are good reasons to come to the Sabbath. But they shouldn’t be the reasons that keep us there.
https://mereorthodoxy.com/sabbath-isnt-a-strategy/

In 1960, scientists predicted the world would end on [Friday] November 13, 2026 – In exactly a month, on November 13, 2026, the world will end. Fittingly, our impending apocalypse falls on Friday the 13th. At least, that was the prediction made by University of Illinois physicist Heinz von Foerster in a highly cited Science paper published in 1960. Though talks of supposed doomsday have renewed in recent months thanks to hyperbolic anxieties over runaway, sentient artificial intelligence, von Foerster had a much different calamity in mind.
https://www.popsci.com/science/world-end-overpopulation-doomsday-november-2026/

American belief Jesus was born of a virgin falls below 50% for first time – Fewer than half of Americans now believe the birth of Jesus was a miracle stemming from the supernatural conception of Mary by the Holy Spirit, according to new research from the American Bible Society. While more than half of Americans, 53%, still believe in the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection, only 49% believe the virgin birth is at least probably true. This is the first time a major national survey has recorded belief in the virgin birth dropping below 50%.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/american-belief-jesus-was-born-of-a-virgin-falls-below-50-study.html

Why People Keep Looking For Noah’s Ark In Turkey – [Where else would it be?] Official statements from researchers involved in this project say that laboratory analysis is still underway. Researchers have nevertheless described some preliminary findings as potentially consistent with a shiplike structure, while claims circulating on social media have been more definitive, saying that scans have confirmed the formation is man-made and “100% not geological.”
https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/10/7/why-people-keep-looking-for-noahs-ark-in-turkey

Thrown in a Late Roman Jail – Although jails of various sorts would have been as normal in the Roman Empire as they are today, archaeologists have discovered fewer than you might expect. A significant reason for this is that most ancient jails, like many ordinary ancient buildings, did not have inscriptions or signs indicating their purpose, leaving their function open to interpretation.
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-rome/thrown-in-a-late-roman-jail/

Iowa city council erupts after starting with satanic prayer – An Iowa city council meeting erupted into an awkward tizzy Tuesday [10/6] when an attendee took the podium to read a satanic prayer — prompting outrage from a watching pastor who demanded the “curse” placed on his city be lifted immediately. “Dear dark father” and “Hail Satan” were the words that kicked off the Ottumwa City Council’s first meeting this month...
https://nypost.com/2026/10/07/us-news/iowa-city-council-erupts-after-starting-with-satanic-prayer/

Dementia cases are set to double by 2050 — as doctor calls it an ‘accelerating epidemic crisis’ – Researchers from UNSW Sydney’s Center for Healthy Brain Aging analyzed data from 22 studies and found that there were 11.4 million new dementia cases in 2023 — a number that’s projected to more than double to 24.7 million by 2050. This means that every year, the equivalent of the population of Australia will develop dementia, according to geriatrician Dr. Liron Sinvani, the director of research and innovation for the Northwell Institute for Healthy Aging. “In terms of the scale, obviously, this number of new dementia cases is staggering,” Sinvani told The Post. “This is not a future problem. It’s an accelerating epidemic crisis that demands immediate attention.”
https://nypost.com/2026/10/12/health/dementia-cases-set-to-double-by-2050-called-an-accelerating-epidemic-crisis/

The Old Bulbs Are Back on the Table – The government pushed incandescent bulbs out. Now the Department of Energy is backing their return. Why? The science around artificial light, blue-light exposure, and what it may mean for our eyes and health is becoming impossible to ignore. 
https://thehighwire.com/editorial/the-old-bulbs-are-back-on-the-table/

The 21-Day Miracle That Produces a Chicken – Think you can count to 21 billion before the end of your workday today? Okay, how about if you have 21 days to count to 21 billion. Maybe if you take no breaks, get no sleep and force yourself to keep counting no matter what happens. If that question seems a little whacko, consider this: When a chicken embryo is fertilized, it starts out as a one-cell entity and 21 days later, a fully developed chick pecks its way out of its shell. In the process, 21 billion cells are created from the one original. [video]
https://www.hillfaith.org/apologetics/glimpses-of-god-episode-3-the-21-day-miracle-that-produces-a-chicken/