June 15, 2019: Nigerian Christian genocide, China frees pastor's wife, Kmart bans Christian words

Daily Radio Script - Saturday, June 15, 2019

Here are the latest headlines, brought to you by The Christian Post.

— Nigerian Christians recount heartbreaking stories of genocide

Nigerians from predominantly Christian tribes were in Washington, D.C., this week to share their firsthand accounts of recent attacks committed by Fulani extremists.

Two members from the Adara community, a majority Christian ethnic group in Southern Kaduna state, described the suffering their community has faced since Muslim extremists murdered 400 people and displaced thousands of others.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, hosted the event where persecuted Nigerians described horrifying accounts of babies being slaughtered and Christians tribal elders being falsely imprisoned.

Christians from the Adara community have lost their homes and their land to extremists, and said they were in the U.S. to try and get their land back and hold the Nigerian government accountable.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/nigerian-genocide-unborn-babies-slaughtered-like-chickens-entire-tribes-left-homeless.html

— China frees pastor’s wife 6 months after her arrest

Chinese authorities have released the wife of a pastor six months after she, her husband, and 160 members of their congregation were arrested by communist authorities.

The Facebook page for the Early Rain Covenant Church, a 5,000-member megachurch that was shut down by communist authorities in December, announced the release of Jiang Rong, the wife of church pastor Wang Yi, this week.

Jiang and Wang were charged with "inciting subversion of state power,” a charge that can result in up to 10 years’ in prison.

Jiang has been released on bail and reunited with her 11-year-old son. Wang, who’s been described as one of China’s most prominent pastors, remains in “secret detention” along with several other church members who have not yet been released.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/china-frees-wife-of-early-rain-covenant-church-pastor-6-months-after-arrest.html

— Maine becomes the 8th state to legalize physician assisted suicide

Maine is the 8th state in the nation to legalize assisted suicide.

The law, which will go onto effect in September, allows doctors to prescribe a fatal dose of medication to terminally ill patients.

Forging a request for assisted suicide or coercing someone into requesting life-ending drugs would be criminal offenses.

After signing the bill into law, Democrat Governor Janet Mills, said: "It is my hope that this law, while respecting the right to personal liberty, will be used sparingly.”

Matt Valliere, executive director of Patients Rights Action Fund, described assisted suicide as: “a dangerous public policy that puts the most vulnerable people in society at risk for abuse and coercion [and] provides profit-driven insurance companies perverse incentives to offer a quick death, rather than continuing quality care.”

Maine now joins Oregon, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Vermont, Washington state, and New Jersey which all have assisted-suicide laws.

10 other states are considering similar laws, including: New York, Arizona, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Iowa, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Utah.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/maine-8th-state-legalize-physician-assisted-suicide.html

— President Trump announces second chance programs for former inmates

President Trump announced new plans the administration is undertaking to help former prisoners become gainfully employed.

During an event at the White House Thursday afternoon, the president said his administration is taking steps to encourage businesses to hire former inmates.

Trump described his administration’s goals as “ambitious,” and said he wants to cut the unemployment rate for these individuals to single digits within five years.

The president said: “Second chance hiring is about safer communities, a stronger workforce, and a thriving economy. We believe in the dignity of work and the pride of a paycheck.”

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West was also at the event where she announced the creation of a rideshare partnership with Lyft to give gift cards to inmates to pay for transportation to and from job interviews and work.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/trump-kim-kardashian-west-announce-second-chance-hiring-rideshare-programs-for-ex-prisoners.html

— Kmart responds to backlash over Kodak kiosk banning Christian words

Kmart came under fire after customers complained that a Kodak photo kiosk at one of its retail stores in Australia was banning Christian words, such as “Jesus,” “church,” and “Bible.”

While Christian-related words were banned, words pertaining to Islam, such as “mosque” and “Koran” were not.

A Christian couple attempting to print photographs for a church group said certain Christian words were deemed to be profanity and replaced by asterisks.

Amid the backlash, Kmart issued a statement saying that a software error at the Kodak kiosks led to the Christian words being replaced by asterisks.

A spokesman for Kmart told The Daily Telegraph: “This is a system error and it will be updated overnight. It in no way reflects our views as a business.”

https://www.christianpost.com/world/kmart-ban-jesus-church-kodak-photo-kiosk-allow-islam-mosque.html

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