(orchestral music)

- [George] This week onChristian World News,

Middle East breakthrough,

two Arab nations make peace with Israel.

Are more ready to do the same?

Plus...

- [Wendy] The flickeringflame of religious freedom

in Russia, VladimirPutin, is cracking down

on Protestants and other faiths.

Some say it returned to theSoviet era of repression.

- Is America past the point of no return.

Christians are pleading withGod for space to repent.

Thousands will be gatheringat our nation's Capital.

Hello, everyone, welcometo this week's edition

of Christian WorldNews, I'm George Thomas.

- And I'm Wendy Griffith.

An historic agreement could start

a new wave of peace in the Middle East,

the United Arab Emirates,and Bahrain signed

a groundbreaking treaty with Israel.

- President Donald Trump, brokered

this historic peaceagreement and he predicts

more Arab countries will soonjoin the circle of peace.

CBN White House Correspondent,Ben Kennedy, reports.

- President Trump, calls the accord piece

in the Middle Eastwithout blood on the sand.

This is also a diplomatic wind

for the Commander-in-Chiefahead of the November election.

- We're here this afternoon tochange the course of history.

- [Ben] A Historic peace dealdubbed the Abraham Accord

(applause)

is signed on the South lawn,

establishing full diplomatic ties

between the key allies of the U.S.

- Israel, the United Arab Emirates

and Bahrain will establishembassies, exchange ambassadors.

- It's the beginningof a new era of peace.

for Israel and for the wider Arab world.

And it's very humbling for meto be some small part of it.

- Let me start by conveying

the best regards of the UAE people.

- [Ben] The UAE becamethe first Gulf state

and third Arab nation to agree

to diplomatic ties with Israel.

Bahrain signed on last week.

- This day is a pivot of history.

It heralds a new Dawn of peace.

For thousands of years,

the Jewish people have prayed for peace,

for decades the Jewishstate has prayed for peace.

- We can see

before us a golden opportunityfor peace, security,

and prosperity for our region.

- [Ben] The agreement shouldadd security to the region and

it is seen as a major step towards peace

in the Middle East.

- To be Jewish, to be an evangelical

and to be there watching it unfold,

this is prophetic, it'shistoric, it's exciting

and it's personal for me.

I've had two sons servingthe Israeli military,

and I want them to have peace.

- [Ben] Under the agreement, Israel agrees

to stop annexation plansfor a part of the West bank,

land sought by Palestiniansfor a future state.

(speaks in foreign language)

Israeli military says two peoplewere injured after rockets

were fired from Gaza duringthe peace signing in DC.

The Palestinians condemn the deal

and consider it a stab in the back.

- We want the Palestiniansto the come to the table,

but we can't want peace more than they do.

And so to date, they havereacted badly to our proposal.

They've reacted badlyto our peace agreements

with the United ArabEmirates and with Bahrain,

and it's a huge mistake by the leadership.

- Now President Trump says,there are at least five

other countries in theMiddle East that are tired

of fighting and ready tojoin the circle of peace.

If Saudi Arabia were to follow suit,

this would have major implications

for Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.

Ben Kennedy, CBN News, the White House,

- Julie stall is our CBNMiddle East Correspondent

in Jerusalem, she joins us now for more

on this historic event.

First of all, Julie, Shana Tova,

happy new year to you there in Israel.

- Not so bad, thank you very much.

- Well, as you know, evangelicals

are celebrating this event.

Why is Israel security so important

to Christians, to believers?

- You know, I think

it all, well, it goes to the Bible.

You know, God loves the Jewish people.

He loves the land of Israel.

He brought the Jewishpeople back to this land.

It's his covenant with his people.

And I think, you know,when you love the same God,

you love the God ofAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

you love the God of Israel,then you love his people too.

So it's really importantto care for his people.

God says in his word,I'll bless those who bless

the Jewish people and I'llcurse those who curse them.

And you know, whether you like it or not,

those are God's words.

- They're really clear,

very black and whitewhen it comes to Israel.

Well, how are the Jewish people?

How are Israelis reactingto this new peace agreement?

- I think most, everybodywas pretty excited.

You know, Israelis reallylike these peace, Israelis,

despite the fact that they have

a really good army, a really good IDF,

they really love peace andthey really wanna have peace

with their neighbors, sothey're very excited about it.

Everybody I've talked to, itwas like, yes, I'm gonna be

on the first flight, I wanna visit.

So they're very excited.

The only catch for them isthis issue of annexation,

which was very

kind of unclear whatBenjamin Netanyahu, had,

the Prime Minister, he had kindof postponed it temporarily,

or if he had agreed to never annex Judea,

and biblical Judea and Samaria.

So that's only the only thingthat's maybe a little bit

of a sticking point for somepeople, not for everyone.

- Yeah, that is controversial.

Well, COVID-19 alsoforcing Israel to shut down

over Rosh Hashanah, overtheir high holidays,

how are Israelis reacting to this?

- Well, you know, you know,

it's rather unpleasant and Israelis

are very, very family oriented.

It's a small country.

People travel to theirrelatives for the holiday

and it's not just theRosh Hashanah holiday,

which starts tonight, it's also the,

you know, for three weeks.

So it's gonna cover Yom Kippur,

it's gonna go over Sukkot

when people build Sukkos or Booths,

you know, the feast of Tabernacles.

So it's really gonna encompassthis whole holiday time,

you know, at Passover,they were also in lockdown.

I personally did a ZoomSeder at Passover, which

it filled in the gap, but it wasn't ideal.

So, you know, I think people,they're going with it.

They're not gonna be rebellious.

I don't think, but you know,it's not very pleasant, but

on the other hand, you know,as far as the leadership

is concerned, they're saying,no, we have to do this,

we have to get the numbers down again.

So I think people--- Yeah.

are willing to try it again.

- Absolutely, well,

please stay safe and again,happy new year to you

and our prayers are with Israel.

God bless you, Julie.

- Thank you, bless you too, Wendy.

Thank you.

- The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain

are Muslim majority countries

where other faiths don't getequal treatment under the law.

The Voice of the Martyrssupports persecuted Christians

around the world on hisGlobal Lane program.

CBNs Gary Lane, spokewith VOMS, Todd Nettleton,

about the treatment ofChristians in those countries.

Take a look.

- Okay, Todd and a historic meeting,

an agreement there, good news for Israel,

but share the news about what's happening

to Christians in the GulfStates first, the UAE,

what's it like to be a Christian there?

- Well, you're correct, this is good news.

And as Christians, you know,

we pray for the peace of Jerusalem

and so we celebrate thisagreement, but as you say,

Christians in the UAE face persecution,

especially those who haveconverted from Islam.

Now, typically in the UAE,it is not the government.

It's not necessarily that

the police come banging on their door.

It's typically members of their own family

who are enforcing the honor of the family.

They're enforcing the factthat, hey, our family is Muslim,

if you're not a Muslim anymore,

you don't belong in our family.

- And what about Bahrain,are they similar?

I know they have a largeShia Muslim population.

- Bahrain is very similar.

It is typically at the family level

where persecution starts.

And again, it's a matter of honor.

If someone in your familybecomes a Christian,

they have dishonored thefamily because the family code

is we are a Muslim family, wedon't have Christians here.

And so it's your dad,it's your big brother,

it's somebody within the family

who is saying you can't do this.

- Are there any encouraging developments

for Christians in eitherof these countries?

- You know, there are someencouraging developments.

And as you say, thegovernment in both countries

kind of turns the other waywhen a family takes care

of what they would call a family problem,

the government doesn't enforce the law,

they don't worry aboutthose kinds of attacks,

but there are someencouraging things happening.

And particularly in Bahrain,

which is available to Saudi citizens

to come across and visit freely.

There's no visa requirement.

It's easy for them to come to Bahrain.

There is gospel activityin both of these places,

but as we've mentioned,especially for Muslim converts,

there's a price to bepaid for following Christ.

And it's very sensitive work,is it not, also on line there.

- There's a lot on the line.They have to be very careful

about how they go about ministry.

A lot of the ministry that is happening,

or a lot of the sort ofopen Christian activity

is among immigrants.

It's people who are working in the country

from different places around the world

and in the eyes of the authorities,

it's okay for them to be a Christian.

If say you're from the Philippines, okay,

it's okay for you to be a Christian,

but where you start tominister to the local people

and start encouraging Muslimsto hear about Jesus Christ,

there's a lot on the line.

- [George] You can see the Global Lane

on the CBS News channel and CBNnews.com.

- [Wendy] Coming up.

- As Russia cracks downon non-Orthodox faith,

many are asking is the window closing

on religious freedom there?

- These are times of warfare.

You go into the strong towerwhen you're under attack.

- [Narrator] CBNpresents, The Name of God,

the latest teaching by Gordon Robertson.

- God has given you theright to carry his name.

That is life change.

- [Narrator] Discover thepeace, healing, provision

and protection that can befound in the Lord's name.

Plus...

- You're going to see sometremendous, real life stories

of people who have seen firsthand

what trusting in the name of God can do.

- The thought of losing, Noah, was one of

the most terrifying thingsI've ever walked through.

- I can hear my house being shredded

and I heard my wife screaming

over the phone.

- I knew that God didn't lie to me.

I knew that God didn't forget about me.

- This is God's promise,

this is the way, this is the answer.

Go into that strong tower.

- [Narrator] Get your DVDcopy of The Name of God today.

Call now or go to cbn.com.

- [Announcer] Nutrition,exercise, essential oils,

weight loss, and more.

It's Healthy Living with, Lori Johnson.

- Talk about what's in this.

- [Announcer] Join CBN HealthReporter, Lori Johnson,

to get the latest information

from today's top health experts.

- This is fantastic.

- [Announcer] Find outwhat you need to know

to live a healthier life.

Watch Healthy Living,Tuesday night at 9:30.

- [Narrator] As the worldwatches from the outside.

- It's a big diplomatic tug ofwar here in the Middle East.

- [Narrator] Go inside thestory with Jerusalem Dateline.

- Israeli archeologists aretalking about a discovery

that could change the thinkingabout the Temple Mount.

- [Narrator] Join CBNJerusalem Bureau Chief,

Chris Mitchell, and getthe biblical perspective

on the event, Shaping the World.

- It's what starts inIsrael then ends up going

to other places.

- [Narrator] Watch, JerusalemDateline, Friday night

at 9:30 on the CBN News channel.

- And welcome back to the broadcast.

The United States needs to do more

to stop atrocities againstChristians in Northern Nigeria.

That conclusion is fromactivist participating

in an international committee

on Nigeria press conference this week.

NFL star, Ben Watson, was amongthose who were speaking out.

He called on the Trump administration

to appoint a special envoy to Nigeria,

to lead an international response.

- This is one of the thingsthat we should be focused on,

even though we are miredin a presidential election.

And I do call on thepresident to publicly mention

this genocide as he's done in the past.

And I followed that up with actions.

When he mentioned these things,people listen, Hebrews 13:3,

Reminds us to rememberthose that are in prison

and ill treated for the faith

as if we are suffering with them.

- Human rights groups havelabeled the persecution

in Nigeria, a genocide against Christians.

- Hundreds of people have been killed

in Ethiopia by radical Muslims

in coordinated door-to-doorattacks since June,

many of them targetingChristian households.

That's according to a reportfrom the Barnabas fund.

The attacks have come in the Oromia region

of the African nation.

The extremists have been armed with guns,

machetes, swords and Spears.

Stories in Ethiopian media confirm

what Barnabas is reporting.

The violence involves religiousas well as ethnic cleansing.

But the situation is complicated

and appears to also involve politics.

Some of the attackers reportedly got help

from local authorities.

- You know, in the last few years,

Russia has prosecuted scoresof people for practicing

their faith under aso-called Anti-Missionary Law

that was passed in 2015.

Well, that has promptedhuman rights watch us just

on the alarm on Russia

and other former Soviet-bloc countries.

Recently, I spoke with a member

of the U.S. Commission onInternational Religious Freedom

about this troubling trend.

Nury Turkel, thank you somuch for coming on the show.

From January, 2019, throughthe first six months

of this year, Russiaprosecuted 17 organizations

and 125 individuals

under its controversialAnti-Missionary Law,

who are the Russians going after?

- The Russian government hasbeen historically through

the Soviet era andpost-Soviet era, being going

after any governmentsanctioned religious practices,

except for OrthodoxChristianity and the...

Sufi Islam.

The Russian government,

like the other authoritarianregime, believes

or perceives organizedreligion or spiritual life

as a threat to the regimespolitical survival, if you will.

They monitor the places of worship

through human intelligence andalso they have very capable

of using technology much likeCommunist China and others.

So they monitor who's goneto what religious activities,

participating what religious activities,

who is associating what and whatnot.

So they follow theindividual social connection

and the worship observance

of religious tradition and holidays.

So they have a various base

of monitoring religiousactivities of those

that the government objects.

- What role is the RussianOrthodox Church playing

in suppressing religious freedom today?

- They are much like theother oppressive societies.

The government favorite religious group,

often time plays into thegovernment's official narrative

or collaborates withgovernment official narrative

for its own survival.

I think it's a mistake.

The Russian Orthodox ChristianCommunity should work with

the fair-minded Russian officials,

advocating religious freedombecause religious freedom

actually provides stabilityto the government,

not the religious persecution.

When the governments respectindividual religious freedom,

individuals freedom to worship,

practice any type ofreligion that they wish

or not to practice any typeof religion actually helps

to create a stable, adiverse, respectful society.

- We are seeing the state ofreligious freedom deteriorate

in some of the countriesof the former Soviet union,

like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,

and Tajikistan, right?

- The Russian

and the Central Asian were for me,

Soviet republics policies with respect

to religious freedom have been symbiotic.

So they are following,this is just a new norm

of old Soviet style ofreligious persecution.

Even though some religious practices

are not officially sanctionedbecause of their tradition,

because of the historic background,

because of them kind of creating

this new alliance, tackling...

Societal threats, they find an excuse,

a cheap excuse in religious practices.

So the Russian formerSoviet republics follow

the Russian policy initiatives,

sometime just copy and pasteand sometime just adopt

some of the policies beingimplemented in by Kremlin.

- Okay, terrific.

Nori, thank you so muchfor coming on the show.

I appreciate your insights.

- Thank you very much for having me on.

- [Wendy] Up next, The Return.

Thousands of Christians willgather at the National Mall

this week, calling fornation-wide repentance.

- [Narrator] From WashingtonDC, uncompromising stories,

interviews and analysis

from veteran journalists, David Brody.

- That could be the next stepin this escalating fight.

- [Narrator] Jenna Browder.

- Robert Mueller, chosehis words carefully.

- [Narrator] Ben Kennedy.

- He's asking Christiansto get the word out.

- [Narrator] Bringing you thepolitical news that matters.

- Get out and tell thestory of the progress

that we're making in this country.

- [Narrator] Watch, Faith Nation,

weeknights at six, onthe CBN News channel.

- Orphans Promise's committedto loving and serving

at risk children, to helpingkeep families together

and to creating opportunities for strong

and sustainable communitiesaround the world.

We're working in over 60countries around the world

and with your help, we can do even more.

There's an old-Africanproverb I love that says,

"If you wanna run fast, run alone,

"but if you wanna run far run together."

At orphans promise, we want to run far

so we can touch thelives of as many orphaned

and vulnerable children as possible,

but we don't wanna go alone.

We're out to change the world, one child,

one family, one community at a time.

Will you join us?

(laughing)

- [Announcer] The Nameof God, a new teaching

from Gordon Robertson.

- The name of the Lord is a strong tower.

- [Announcer] Gain important insights

into the protection availableto you in the name of God.

Discover how God is ourhealer, our provider,

and the one who gives us peace.

Plus, see exciting, truestories of God's Providence

in the lives of real people.

- You get the answer to everything

and that answer will never leave you.

- [Announcer] The Nameof God, available now.

- Well, since America'spresidential election back in 2016,

one group has heldprayer gatherings online

and in-person around the country.

Now the group, the 24/7National Strategic Prayer Call

is set up in front of the WhiteHouse for the next 50 days,

leading up to the 2020 election.

They're calling it, 50 Days of Blessing.

♪ Jesus, Messiah ♪

♪ Lord of Lords ♪

- Organizers say the purposeis to pray for the safety

and security of ourpresident, and the nation,

and for the good news of the gospel

to go out across America.

- Race riots, the COVIDpandemic, a collapsing economy.

These are just some of

the severe issues crippling America today.

- That's why Christianswill soon be gathering

in Washington D.C. fortwo huge prayer events,

asking God to give our country more time,

more time to repent and to return.

Paul strand, has details.

- Evangelists, Franklin Graham,

and prophetic writer, Jonathan Cahn,

both say, God led them separately

to call for huge gatherings

here on the National Mall,Saturday, September 26th.

Cahn, doesn't thinkit's just a coincidence.

- God is converging everything,

that's how important this day is.

- [Paul] In a promotionalvideo for the event

he's involved with, TheReturn, Cahn, pointed out

the significance of this time.

- This will take place not only 40 days

before the presidential election,

but also on the 400thanniversary of the sailing

of the Mayflower, in thedays of America's founding

and dedication to God.

- [Paul] He insists thecountry has to repent

and get back to that dedication or else.

- I believe that Americais heading to calamity

if it continues on its force and I believe

we have the warning signs all around us.

We can have total economic losses.

We're already seeing the beginning of it.

We can have the dividing of America,

the breakdown, disintegration of America.

It would also mean persecutionfor the people of God.

It also mean, it could meanthe end of religious freedom.

- We're coming to pray

and I'm just asking people to join me.

- Franklin Graham says, The Return

and his Noontime Prayer Marchthe same day are a good start

to get America out oftrouble and back to God.

- And let's fill this citywith people who are willing

to pray for this country,to pray for the president

to pray for all of our leaders,

our Democrats and Republican.

- The Return will go from9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.,

a couple of blocks that way

towards the U.S. Capital building

and then at noon, Graham'sPrayer March, will start

at the Lincoln Memorial andmove with targeted focus prayer

to the world war II monument,

then up here to theWashington monument area,

and then over to the national museum

of African-American history and culture,

and finally over to theU.S. Capital building.

Here's Graham's invitationfor September 26th.

- As I stand in our nation's capital

this country's in trouble.

The only hope for America is God.

Prayer is our most important weapon.

It allows us to go directlyto the King of Kings,

directly to stand in frontof the throne of grace

and make our petitionsknown directly to God.

- There's something very big

and spiritual focused on that day

and that's, you know, and that place.

In fact though, Cahn says,God told him months ago

to have this sacredassembly called, The Return,

September 26th, he just foundout that's the Sabbath day

on the sacred HebrewCalendar called Shuvah.

- Shuvah in Hebrew means the return.

And it's a day set in theBible's calendar for returning,

specifically for the return

of a nation back to God for repentance.

- He also didn't know till recently that

the preset scripture forsynagogues nationwide

to read that day arespecial words in Joel:2.

- Well, it says "Then consecrate a fast

"and consecrate a solemn assembly

"to repent before the Lord."

We had no idea.

So this is clearly, youknow, this is not our thing,

this is God's thing.

- [Paul] Repent and return,but Graham also says, be bold.

- Let's not try to be politically correct.

Let's just take a stand

for what we believe God wants us to do.

And let's not be afraid.

And we need to speak out in this country,

- [Paul] Cahn says, thosegathering will be practicing

all the safety protocols tokeep the coronavirus at Bay.

But if worries about that,

or other reasons keep you from D.C.,

Cahn says, you can still participate,

- We're appalling, everybodywho can come, come,

but we're also gonna bestreaming it all over.

So no matter where you are,

if you can't come, in yourhomes, with your families,

in your churches, youcan have your own event,

it doesn't matter, September,a national day of prayer

and repentance beforethe Lord for our own sins

and then to intercede for America,

and God will hear our prayer.

- Graham, points out 100 years ago,

pastors and their churcheswere political leaders

in their communities in America.

He says it's time forGod's people to return

to such a position of crucialinfluence in the land.

Paul strand, CBN News reportingfrom the National Mall.

- Thank you, Paul.

And you can watch TheReturn live on CBN News,

tune in Friday, September25th, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM

and Saturday, September 26,from 8:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m.,

all on the CBN news channel,

CBSnews.com and all ofour digital platforms.

- [Narrator] It's about the competition.

- I kind of put that pressure on myself

and I think people had expectations.

- [Narrator] It's about overcoming.

- We use this phrase all the time,

keep chopping, keep practicing hard.

- [Narrator] It's aboutgoing the distance.

- You know, I think asa father, it's my job,

you know, to lead, justbe the best husband

and father I can be.

- [Narrator] Watch, Going the Distance

with Shawn Brown, Saturday night at 7:30

on the CBN News channel.

- [Graham] I'm Efrem Graham,and this is Studio 5.

Cruise with me as I discoveredthe good things happening

in the world of music,sports, television and movies.

- In fact, Ryan Coogler, isgonna be directing the film.

I knew that somethingspecial was gonna happen.

- [Graham] We'll chat withartists at the forefront

of entertainment andexplore the connection

between popular culture and Faith.

- I asked my pastor, I said, well,

does that mean I'msupposed to be a priest?

He says, no, you already have a pulpit.

- [Graham] Watch Studio 5,Wednesday night at 9:30.

- [Narrator] Some trust inchariots, some trust in horses

but we will trust in thename of the Lord our God.

CBN presents,

The Name of God.

Jehovah Shalom.

- [Announcer] The Lord is our peace.

- [Narrator] Jehovah-jireh.

- [Announcer] The Lord will provide.

- [Narrator] Jehovah-shammah.

- [Announcer] The Lord is there.

- [Narrator] Jehovah-Rapha.

- [Announcer] The Lord who heals.

- [Narrator] Jehovah Tsidkenu.

- [Announcer] The Lord, our righteousness.

- [Narrator] You'll be encouraged

by Gordon Robertson'steaching of the name of God.

- God has given you theright to carry his name.

- [Narrator] Plus, you'llsee exciting, true stories

of God's Providence inthe lives of real people.

- And I can hear my house being shredded

when I heard my wife screaming.

- I knew something wasseriously wrong with him,

and it was worse than we had thought.

- [Narrator] Become a CBN partner

and get your copy of The Name of God.

Call 1-800-700-7000

or go to cbn.com.

- Finally this week

a California church baptizednearly 1000 people recently.

Calvary Chapel Church in ChinoHills held an outdoor service

at Corona Del Mar State Beachin Newport Beach, California.

The church director said thetypical number of baptisms

is just 300, but more than threetimes that showed up noting

other evangelical eventsthroughout the state this summer,

Gina Gleason said, Californiamay be experiencing

a spiritual revival.

1000 baptisms George,--- That's pretty cool.

- That is amazing.- Absolutely, happening

all around the country in the middle

of all these protestszones, these hot zones,

the Lord is moving in powerful ways.

- Praise God.- That awesome.

Well, folks, that's itfor this week's edition

of Christian World News.

- Until next week, fromall of us here, goodbye

and as always, God bless you.

(soft music)