Chuck Swindoll, 90, retires from pulpit ministry; Hurricane Helene kills 89 people, causes $15 billion of damage; Faith & Freedom Coalition to raise $62M to mobilize Christian vote

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It’s Monday, September 30th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. ([e-mail])

By Adam McManus

150 Protestants return to Hidalgo State, Mexico after displacement

On April 26^th, Mexican Catholic village leaders in Hidalgo State cut the electricity, vandalized a Protestant church, and blocked access to homes of the Protestant minority, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

As a result, over 150 Protestant Christians, including 70 children and infants, were forcibly displaced.

During their displacement, the group endured poor conditions, living in a municipal building and later a sports complex. They relied on local churches for food and river water for hygiene, leading to widespread illness and infections.

Now, five months later, thanks to an agreement brokered by Hidalgo State Secretary Guillermo Reyna and Director of Religious Affairs Margarita Román, they have returned to their homes in Hidalgo State, Mexico.

In 1 Corinthians 1:10, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”

Pray that the Evangelicals would forgive the Catholics and the Catholics would repent for their abuse of the Evangelicals.

Hurricane Helene kills 89 people, causes $15 billion of damage

On Saturday, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said Hurricane Helene’s “monumental storm surge” caused far greater damage than last year’s Hurricane Idalia, reports The Epoch Times.

DeSANTIS: “We saw really a monumental storm surge. You saw storm surge in excess of 15 feet. So that is much, much more significant than what we’ve seen in recent storms like [Hurricane] Idalia that hit and certainly [Hurricane] Debby.

“So, as you look around here, you see some homes that are now just rubble. There’s a lot of damage. We flew over the entire coast, and I remember doing that after I Dahlia, and I remember seeing damage, and I walked the streets after I Dahlia in some of these areas, but this one, wow, you see some just complete obliteration for homes.”

Damage estimates ranged from $15 billion to more than $100 billion, insurers and forecasters said over the weekend.

Tragically, Reuters reports that 89 people have been killed in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. South Carolina recorded the highest death toll, reporting 25 fatalities, with falling trees contributing to many of them.

South Carolina Republican Governor Henry McMaster spoke to reporters.

McMASTER: “We, of course, have suffered a devastating storm. Tragically, we’ve lost, we believe, 25 people, 25 of our people due to this storm, and we don’t want to lose any more.

“Be careful of the electrical wires running under downed trees and limbs. Don’t go out there if there’s any chance that there’s any sort of wire running under those that debris, because you can get shocked and die. The chainsaws cannot go in until the electricity is turned off by the power company.”

According to a U.S. Energy Department official, roughly 2.7 million customers were without power on Sunday, down 40% from Friday after unprecedented storm surges, ferocious winds and perilous conditions that extended hundreds of miles inland.

Samaritan’s Purse, led by Franklin Graham, is on the ground helping in Jesus’ name. You can sign up to be notified to be a volunteer and you can make a donation to help Americans hit by Hurricane Helene through special links in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com.

Patients and staff of Tennessee hospital evacuated from roof

More than 50 patients and staff were rescued from the roof of a Tennessee hospital after floodwaters inundated the building.

The Tennessee National Guard was part of the rescue effort Friday afternoon at Unicoi County Hospital in eastern Tennessee. The region was submerged in floodwaters from Hurricane Helene.

Emergency crews had attempted to evacuate people by ambulance and boats, but the water began rising too quickly, as video revealed. They had no other choice but to seek shelter on the rooftop.

Clay Ramsey tweeted four devastating pictures showing the flood waters had reached the half-way mark of the ambulances in the hospital parking lot.

Faith & Freedom Coalition to raise $62M to mobilize Christian vote

Faith and Freedom Coalition aims to raise over $60 million to mobilize the Christian vote ahead of the 2024 presidential election, with canvassers already reaching over 3 million potential voters in battleground states, reports The Christian Post.

Founded in 2009 by longtime Christian activist Ralph Reed to be a voice and mobilize the Evangelical vote, their goal is visiting 10 million homes in person by Election Day. The expected 10 million home visits marks a rise from the 8.6 million conducted in 2022 and the nearly 6 million in 2020.

The home visits have the potential to reach 17 to 18 million people, as some households have multiple voters living in them which could put Trump back in the White House.

Faith and Freedom Coalition has hired 5,000 paid staffers and recruited 5,000 volunteers to conduct outreach in the battleground states.

Plus, the group will hand out “30 million pieces of literature across 125,000 churches, including many in the battleground states.”

According to their website, “The key to the 2024 effort is turning out 1 million recently registered Evangelical voters, as well as 7.8 million Evangelicals whom Faith & Freedom Coalition has identified as low-propensity voters.”

90-year-old Chuck Swindoll retires from pulpit ministry

And finally, a milestone for Chuck Swindoll.

He is known worldwide for his Insight for Living radio program heard on 2,100 stations, his leadership at Dallas Theological Seminary where he served as President and Chancellor, and his authorship of 70 books.

After 26 years as Senior Pastor at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, he recently announced his retirement with his characteristic sense of humor.

SWINDOLL: “We celebrate 26 years as a church toward the middle of next month, literally, on the 14th of October, 1998. I mean 26 years, 90 years old. That’s long enough.”

He spoke with grace and humility.

SWINDOLL: “Today, I’m filled with gratitude, joy and a deep sense of peace. These have been 26 of the greatest years of my life. You, as a congregation, have been nothing short of magnificent.”

And Pastor Swindoll pointed out what he looks forward to in his retirement from preaching.

SWINDOLL: “God has made it clear to me that these five Sundays will be my final five Sundays as your pastor, your leader, your pulpit expositor. Cynthia and I will continue to be with you at church. This is our church, and always will be. We live only a few blocks away, and we have no plans to move.

“The difference is, for the first time in over 60 years, she and I’ll get to sit together in a worship service. She won’t be sitting down there, and I’ll be up here.”

Even though Swindoll, age 90, will no longer be in the pulpit regularly, he will continue his ministry at Insight for Living, the headquarters of which is located on the same property.

When he finally sees his Savior face to face, no doubt Chuck Swindoll will hear the words from Matthew 25:23, “Well done, good and faithful servant! … Enter into the joy of your Lord!”

Close

And that’s The Worldview on this Monday, September 30th, in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus ([e-mail]). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

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