By Jonathan Howe
“On the Horizon” is a quick glance at important news items for your week.
Turkish Detente, not Delight
North Carolina native and pastor, Andrew Brunson, remains in a Turkish prison where he has been for more than 600 days. He’s being held on charges of aiding terror groups and engaging in espionage following the 2016 coup d’état. After an outcry from evangelical leaders in the U.S., President Trump demanded his safe return in a tweet last week.
CAPS LOCK ENGAGED
In another tweet this weekend, President Trump responded to Iran President Rouhani in all caps. The president wrote, in part, “NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE.” Secretary of State Pompeo took a somewhat softer approach.
Gipper Name Drop Leads to Outrage
First Baptist Church Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress took to the television this weekend in his continued defense of President Trump. This time evoking Ronald Reagan. According to Dallas Morning News, Jeffress stated, “The reason we supported President Reagan was not because we supporting womanizing or divorce. We supported his policies.” The Reagan family—among others—did not seem to appreciate the comparison and backlash was swift.
Olympic Heat Wave
More than 40 people have died from the record heat in Japan. This comes as a concern as Toyko will host the 2020 Summer Olympics. Sweltering heat could affect the games and travel in 2020.
What Do Black Millennials Believe?
New research released last week on the religiosity of black millennials shows they are more religious than their non-black peers, but not as religious as older blacks. So the millennial drop is still there, but the difference between non-blacks and blacks is significant.
Be sure to check FactsAndTrends.net throughout the week for continued coverage of these stories and much more.
JONATHAN HOWE (@Jonathan_Howe) is Director of Strategic Initiatives at Lifeway Christian Resources.
