PBI News

Pastoral Bible Institute (PBI) Annual Report for 2021‑2022

We at the Pastoral Bible Institute are pleased to have completed another year of service in the Master’s vineyard (Matthew 20:7). The publication of this journal remains our primary activity. Our efforts to increase circulation through offering a free six-month subscription continues to produce good results, although overall circulation remains stable. The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom is being translated and published in several foreign countries including Croatia, India and Poland.

The first issue of The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom appeared in December 1918. The effort at that time was to publish Gospel Age Harvest Truth for the benefit of the Lord=s consecrated. That purpose continues. As it was at the beginning, it remains edited by a committee of five brethren appointed annually by the directors of the PBI. Our main activity is in the U.S., although, as mentioned previously, we continue to cooperate with brethren worldwide who wish to have the magazine in their language. We also have reciprocal agreements with the Bible Fellowship Union in England and the Berean Bible Institute in Australia. This allows us to offer subscriptions for the magazine in these countries at a more reasonable cost.

We will continue to apply ourselves with energy and enthusiasm to the work the Lord gives us to do. We pray that all of it is done to His honor and glory.
Directors and Editors of the Pastoral Bible

Institute Annual Membership Meeting. The Pastoral Bible Institute=s annual membership meeting will be held on Saturday, July 23, at noon Eastern Daylight Time. This meeting will be held via ZOOM calling. Information for attending the meeting can be found on the Herald website.

PBI Directors. The annual nomination and election of seven directors was held in May. As is the PBI policy, current directors are not identified on the nominee ballot, each director stands for election annually, and written ballots are received and opened by a member who is not standing for election. Directors elected to serve and the editors appointed for the next fiscal year will be announced in the September issue.

Fiscal 2022 Financial Statement of the Pastoral Bible Institute

Income $18,081
Contributions ………………………………….. $12,402
Sale of Material ………………………………. 2,835
Herald Subscriptions ……………………….. 2,804
Other …………………………………………….. 40

Expenses $19,226
Herald Printing U.S. ………………………… 7,633
Herald Printing Foreign …………………… 1,953
Other Printing …………………………………. 1,285
Mailing — U.S. ………………………………. 4,352
Mailing — Foreign ………………………….. 2,133
Other …………………………………………….. 1,870

Net Loss for Fiscal 2021…………………… ($1,145)
Net Worth, April 30, 2021 ………………… $124,990
Net Worth, April 30, 2022 ………………… $123,845

Religious

According to a report published by data publishing company Jihad Analytics, Nigeria is now the country with the highest number of terrorist attacks by the Islamic State (IS). Nigeria has surpassed Iraq, Syria, and other war-torn Middle East countries. “For the first time in the history of the jihadi group, Iraq is no longer the country where IS claims the highest number of operations: the group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is now more active in Nigeria,” the company said in the report. Since it broke out from Boko Haram, ISWAP has been terrorizing northeastern Nigeria, accounting for 75 percent of terrorist attacks in the region. — Persecution.org, 4/22/2022

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, in its annual report, says religious minorities have “faced harassment, detention and even death due to their faith or beliefs” since the Taliban reimposed its harsh interpretation of Sunni Islam on Afghanistan. It also cited attacks on religious minorities by an Islamic State affiliate that is an enemy of the Taliban. The report kept ten countries currently on the State Department list, including China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. — U.S. News and World Report, 4/25/2022

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with Pope Francis at the Vatican as the war in Ukraine and the millions of refugees it has created cast a shadow over two leaders who have long sought closer ties with Russia. Hungary has emerged as a major transit country for the war’s refugees. More than 476,000 people have entered the country’s territory from Ukraine. Pope Francis has long sought to improve relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2016, he became the first pope in a millennium to meet with the church’s leader, Russian Patriarch Kirill. — AP, 4/22/2022

While many evangelical leaders spoke out against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, televangelist Pat Robertson said Putin was “compelled by God” to invade the country in order to precipitate the coming apocalypse. In 2015, Franklin Graham visited Putin and Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, in Moscow and told the Russian press that he held that the importance of protecting Christianity was sufficient “justification” for Putin’s decision to strafe Syrian cities by way of support for Bashar al-Assad’s bloody civil war. — ABC Religion, 4/19/2022

On April 10, a Hindu festival turned violent in Madhya Pradesh state’s Khargone city after Hindu mobs brandishing swords and sticks marched past Muslim neighborhoods and mosques. Hardline Hindu nationalists have long espoused a rigid stance and preached violence against non-Hindus. Much of the violence is directed toward those who do not endorse “Hindutva,” a Hindu nationalist movement that seeks to turn officially secular India into an avowedly Hindu nation. — AP, 4/22/2022

Social

According to Gallup, by many measures, Americans are feeling frustrated with their government, their economy and their fellow citizens. Nearly 80 percent are dissatisfied with the country’s direction, according to Gallup. People spend hours screaming at one another on social media. Many Americans consider people with opposing political ideas to be so wrong that they don’t deserve the right to express their views. A wide range of behavior has deteriorated. Alcohol abuse and drug overdoses have increased. Vehicle crashes have surged. The trends began or accelerated in the Spring of 2020. Gallup found that although it coincided with the pandemic, it appears to be a dark new form of American exceptionalism. — New York Times, 3/23/2022

Data from the 2019 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the 2020 Household Pulse Survey (HPS) contained the same mental health screening questions for depression and anxiety and showed that both conditions had increased significantly in 2020, especially among young and low-income Americans. However, the findings showed no such changes when analyzing alternative depression questions that were asked in a consistent manner in the 2019-2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the 2019-2020 NHIS. Findings raise questions about the conclusions of studies claiming unprecedented increases in depression and anxiety among the young compared to older cohorts following the isolation during COVID-19. — Brookings Institute, 4/8/2022

A teacher in Louisville, Kentucky is teaching students the importance of kindness — and providing creative outlets for them to practice it daily. Stefany Bibb, a teacher at John F. Kennedy Montessori Elementary School, leads the school’s “Kindness Crew”. Students in the Kindness Crew often hold door for others, greet students and teachers each morning with posters that have positive messages, focus on being helpful and respectful, and help others to remember to be kind. “I just gave them the outlet to do what they naturally do” she says. — SunnySkyz, 4/22/2022

Plant proteins continue to gain momentum. Whether driven by health, the environment, animal welfare, or a combination of concerns, many consumers want to embrace plant-based protein in its many shapes and sizes. In the US alone, plant protein products are expected to reach almost $18 billion by 2028, with an annual growth rate of almost 7%. Globally, the number looks huge, with some projecting it to reach north of $160 billion within ten years. — Food Navigator, 3/7/2022

Political

Taliban rulers in Afghanistan decided against opening schools to girls above the sixth grade, reneging on a previous promise and opting to appease their hardline base at the expense of further alienating the international community. It is bound to disrupt Taliban efforts to win recognition from potential international donors, at a time when the country is mired in a worsening humanitarian crisis. — AP, 3/23/2022

A new law in Russia was rubber-stamped by the parliament, criminalizing content that deviates from the official line as “fake news” or which discredits the Russian military and its actions in Ukraine. Media outlets have faced pressure over calling the action a “war” or an “invasion,” rather than using the government’s description of it as a “special military operation.” The first criminal cases under the new law appeared shortly after it was adopted and, among others, implicated two prominent public figures who had condemned the offensive on social media. — AP, 3/23/2022

French President Emmanuel Macron comfortably won a second term, triggering relief among allies that the nuclear-armed power won’t abruptly shift course in the midst of the war in Ukraine from European Union and NATO efforts to punish and contain Russia’s military expansionism. Macron pledged to reunite the country that is “filled with so many doubts, so many divisions” and work to assuage the anger of many French voters. — AP, 4/25/2022

Financial

Job-switchers are often reaping double-digit pay increases, a new survey shows, a phenomenon that is demonstrating bargaining power for workers. About 64% of job-switchers said their current job provides more pay than their previous job. Among these workers, nearly half received a raise of 11% or more, according to a ZipRecruiter survey. Nearly 9% are now making at least 50% more. Historically, the average job lasts four years, said Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter. — Wall Street Journal, 4/25/2022

McDonald’s announced that it would temporarily close 850 restaurants in Russia. The Company has had a presence there for 32 years. McDonald’s also announced that it will continue to pay all employees impacted by the store closures. — AP, 2/10/2022

Tech bosses face criminal prosecution if they fail to comply with British rules aimed at ensuring people are safe online, the U.K. government said. The ambitious but controversial online safety bill would give regulators wide-ranging powers to crack down on digital and social media companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. Authorities in the United Kingdom are part of a global movement which includes the European Union and the United States to diminish the power of tech platforms and make them more responsible for harmful material published on their platforms. — AP, 3/18/2022

Cryptocurrency hacks are getting bigger. In late April, a hacker exploited a new algorithmic stable-coin project called Beanstalk and drained it of $182 million worth of digital assets. The Beanstalk hack was the fifth-largest crypto theft on record, according to Rekt.news, which tracks crypto hacks. That follows a $540 million theft in March from the online game Axie Infinity. Since August 2021, there have been 37 hacks that have drained about $2.9 billion worth of cryptocurrencies. It is unclear if any of the funds can be recovered. — Wall Street Journal, 4/22/202

In March consumer prices were 8.5% higher than a year earlier, the fastest annual rise since 1981. In Washington inflation-watching is usually the preserve of wonks in shabby offices. Now nearly a fifth of Americans say inflation is the country’s most important problem. — The Economist, 4/23/2022

Israel

Israel’s Ministry of Defense and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced the completion of a groundbreaking series of tests using a high-powered, ground-based laser to intercept threats in the air. Rafael is the main developer in cooperation with Elbit Systems. “(This) marks the first time that a high-power, Israeli-made laser system successfully intercepted various targets, constituting a breakthrough on a global scale,” said Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz. “Israel is one of the first countries in the world to successfully develop high-power laser technology at an operational standard,” stated the Defense Ministry, adding that it will complement the Iron Dome and integrate into Israel’s multitiered air defense array. — Jewish News Syndicate, 4/15/2022

Wrangling between countries indicates the deep divisions over the Ukraine war in the Middle East, where Moscow has embedded itself as a key player in recent years, making powerful friends among state and non-state actors while America’s influence waned. Political elites closely allied with the West are wary of alienating Russia or the U.S. and Europe. But other forces — from Shiite militia factions in Iraq, to Lebanon’s Hezbollah group an Houthi rebels in Yemen — vocally support Russia against Ukraine. — AP, 3/8/2022

Thanks to the Abraham Accords, Israel has reached a deal for a bilateral free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The move will reduce customs on “almost all industrial goods” and ultimately result in mutual benefits for over 95% of the goods traded between the two nations. After trade between Israel and the UAE reached almost [US] $900 million in 2021, this deal sets them up for even more. The UAE has the “second largest economy in the Arab world after Saudi Arabia and an import market worth hundreds of billions of dollars,” according to the Economy and Industry press release. — Bridges for Peace, 4/3/2022

Iran is gradually assembling the building blocks necessary to construct ballistic missiles with very long ranges, an Israeli missile and space expert has said, adding that the Islamic Republic’s elite military Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “can reach space.” Tal Inbar, a leading Israeli missile and space expert, said “when one examines what the IRGC is doing, it is possible to see the various technologies being developed for long-range missiles, such as solid propellant. They have the building blocks to build an intercontinental ballistic missile.” — Jewish News Syndicate, 4/19/2022

Russian military officer Oleg Zhuravlev, the deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, had revealed that two Israeli F-16 fighter jets fired two guided missiles from the Golan Heights at targets in the Damascus area. According to the Russian claims, one of the missiles was destroyed by a Russian-made Buk M2E air defense system in the possession of [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s] regime forces, while the other caused material damage. Earlier, Russia condemned Israel over what it described as “anti-Russian” rhetoric from Lapid. — Jewish News Syndicate, 4/17/2022

Heightening water scarcity and the appearance of sinkholes in the area close to the Dead Sea have increased each year. As the population grows with the constant flow of refugees from neighboring countries, so too does the demand for water and agricultural production. The Dead Sea drops about one meter (three feet) each year, causing major problems for the agricultural sector in Jordan. According to figures from the United Nations, Jordan is the second most water-scarce country in the world. — AlJazeera, 4/21/2022