Article for Monday June 29th, 2020




The year 2020 has been relatively eventful so far. Here are some events not related to a certain virus, peaceful protests or destructive riots:

·         Jan 2: The US assassinated Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani.[1]
·         Jan 5: Turkey announced the deployment of troops to Libya to support the Tripoli Government of National Accord.[2]
·         Jan 29: President Trump signed a new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada to update NAFTA.[3]
·         Feb 29: The US signed an agreement with the Afghan Taliban in Doha.[4]
·         Jun 4: The UN-recognized GNA announced it “regained control of Tripoli,” though the Libyan National Army under Khalifa Haftar is still supported by Egypt, UAE and Russia.[5]
·         Jun 15: In a clash between Chinese and Indian troops in the Galwan Valley on the 15th of June, 20 Indian troops were killed.[6]

Deaths I would like to note so far in 2020
Journalist Jim Lehrer, Christopher Tolkien, athlete Kobe Bryant, actor Sam Lloyd (known for portraying “Ted Buckland” on Scrubs), actor Jerry Stiller, apologist Ravi Zacharias, singer Vera Lynn and actor Ian Holm and George Floyd, a Minneapolis resident killed unjustly in police custody.

The 2020 Presidential Election
            Former Vice President Joe Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee for POTUS.[7] Mr. Biden is leading in recent polls ahead of the November 3rd election.[8] A lot could change between today, June 27th and then. There are 129 days of this campaign season left. Biden seems to have a “bunker strategy” due to the coronavirus pandemic, his proclivity to gaffe, or both.[9] We are living in a society with a 24/7 news cycle on Twitter, Facebook, news websites and cable news channels. Therefore, many influential events are possible in the interval of over 185,000 minutes before election day.

Also important is the race for the US Senate. Republicans are defending 23 seats while Democrats are defending only 12.[10] According to the Cook Political Report, all but four of the Democrat senate seats are in solid Democrat areas. On the Republican side there are five toss-ups, four races that lean Republican and four that are likely Republican. Republicans have a very hard fight to maintain their 53 Senate seats[11] and it seems to me that the best-case scenario for Republicans is to come out with 54 Senate seats if they sweep all but the most solidly Democratic races. I hope that McConnell retires from Majority Leader so that a younger and more charismatic Republican can take his place. McConnell will be 84 during the 2026 Senate election in Kentucky, which means he is unlikely to have another term after the 2021-2027 term.

In relation to the event of the 15th of June, China has recruited from a controversial MMA group[12] for border clashes with India in Kashmir[13] because of a 1996 agreement that prohibits carrying firearms in the area.

The Mission of a Christian
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” Matthew 28:19-20.
Who: Any and all true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ
What: Go, Disciple, Baptize and Teach.
When: Until the “end of the age” (the eon between ascension and second coming)
Where: All people groups (the Greek word translated nations is ethnos!)
Why: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” John 14:15. The love that we feel for Jesus moves us to obedience to His commission (see Acts 5:29, 1 Peter 1:14, 1 John 3:24 and 5:3, Luke 6:46 and 8:51, James 1:22 to name a few).




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