PBI News

Pastoral Bible Institute (PBI) Annual Report for year ended April 30, 2025
The Directors of the Pastoral Bible Institute, Inc. (PBI) and the Editors of its publication, The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom, rejoice to have served another year in the work of the vineyard (Matthew 20:7).

This past year saw many changes. Events worldwide have altered the economic, political, and social aspects of our time. The rapid pace of these events has surprised and shocked many. Not only Bible students, but serious people everywhere are searching for meaning amid the chaos.

Many have attempted to link events to Biblical prophecies and predict future occurrences. Although no one can predict with certainty the outcome of any crisis, we strive to follow the Apostle Paul’s advice to respect prophecy, test everything, and hold on to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22). Our goal is to interpret these events in the context of what must happen during the harvest time of the Gospel Age, as preparation for the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth — a message this Institute is dedicated to upholding. Let us rejoice that we can still share this message amidst such uncertainty.

Our activities throughout the year, in addition to publishing The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom for over 680 subscribers, included collaborating with brethren in Poland, India, and Croatia to produce foreign language versions of the magazine; distributing the Revised Version Improved and Corrected Bible; and promoting activities of the PBI at various conferences and conventions.

PBI Directors Elected. The election of the Board of Directors took place in June, with the membership choosing the following brethren (listed alphabetically): Todd Alexander, Jeff Earl, Len Griehs, Ernie Kuenzli, Tom Ruggirello, David Stein, Daniel Wesol to serve as Directors for one year, as announced at the annual meeting on July 12. The Board and Editors especially thank all volunteers who labor on our behalf to produce our publications and ensure that the PBI continues to use its resources and energy to accomplish the tasks Jehovah sets before us.
Directors of the Pastoral Bible Institute, July 2025

Fiscal 2024 Condensed Financial Statement for the Pastoral Bible Institute, Inc.

Income $14,663
Contributions……………………… $9,785
Subscriptions………………………….1,510
Sale of Material / Other Income……………………….$3,368
Expenses $13,722
Herald Printing ………………………………… $5,159
Foreign Herald / Other Printing …………. 2,322
Mailing — Domestic …………………………….2,495
Mailing — Foreign………………………………. 2,620
Insurance ……………………………………………….. 802
Office Expense ………………………………… …….324
Net Gain………………………………………….. ……$941
Net Worth, April 30, 2024 …………………. $124,271
Net Worth, April 30, 2025 …………………. $125,212

Religious

Russia continues to commit “particularly severe” violations of religious liberty against minority groups within its borders and in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, according to a new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The report, covering violations throughout 2024 and early 2025, found ongoing “intense persecution” of Ukrainian Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Christians. Inside Russia, the report also highlights numerous violations against human rights activists, independent media, anti-war protesters, and other minority religious groups. “Russian authorities abuse vague and problematic laws to target religious communities that do not conform to state authority,” USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler told CNA in a statement. About 72% of Russians identify as Orthodox, 7% as Muslim, 5% as atheist, and 13% have no religious affiliation. Around 3% belong to various other religious groups. — Catholic News Agency (CNA), 7/2/2025

The Venetian Resort, found to have violated civil rights law by refusing to accommodate employees’ religious beliefs, will pay $850,000 to the employees involved in the lawsuit. It’s part of a settlement related to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) before the sale of the Venetian in 2022. In a news release, the EEOC said that in some cases, the denial of accommodations led to discipline, denial of promotion opportunities, and terminations. In addition to monetary relief, the settlement requires the Venetian to provide training for all employees managers, and supervisors on employee rights and employers’ obligations regarding religious accommodations. The Venetian must also hire an independent third party to monitor, assist with the review and revision of policies and complaint procedures, and track the resort’s compliance for three years. — Las Vegas News, 7/2/2025

A new Pew Research Center report shows that fewer Christians keep their faith compared to Muslims and Hindus. Christianity remains the largest religion in the world, but it is losing members faster than most other major religions. The trend of religious “switching”—where adults change their religious identity from the one they were raised with — is most common in wealthy, developed countries. According to the analysis, based on surveys from 117 countries and territories representing 92 percent of the global population in 2010, 83 percent of adults raised as Christians still identify as Christians. This is lower than the retention rates for Muslims and Hindus, who each retain 99 percent of their childhood followers. Only Buddhists have a lower retention rate than Christians, at 78 percent worldwide. Overall, the analysis finds that about 10 percent of adults under 55 have switched from their childhood religion, often becoming unaffiliated with any faith. — Pew Research, 6/18/2025

Social

According to a recent study from the University of Missouri, hope is a powerful emotional force that may be even more vital to our well-being than happiness or gratitude. A team of researchers from the university’s Department of Psychological Sciences aimed to demonstrate that hope is a meaningful emotion. The research, recently published in the American Psychological Association’s “Emotion,” involved six separate studies with over 2,300 participants from various backgrounds. These studies examined a range of emotions, including amusement, contentment, excitement, and happiness. Consistently, the findings showed that only hope was a reliable predictor of a stronger sense of purpose in life. — 1440 Daily Digest, 6/25/2025

Honey is a natural sweetener, and bacteria love to feast on sugar. But honey is surprisingly resistant to spoilage. What makes it capable of resisting bacteria? It is made by honeybees from flower nectar, starting as a warm, watery, sugary liquid. On the way to the hive, bees concentrate the nectar by removing some water, using enzymes to raise the acid level to prevent microbial growth, and breaking down the sugars into simpler forms before placing it in honeycomb chambers. Then, they do something remarkable: they fan the honey with their wings. This fanning slowly evaporates the remaining water, similar to how an oscillating fan helps evaporate sweat from your skin, reducing water content from about 70-80% to usually between 15-18%. The high sugar level and low water content make it physically impossible for bacteria to survive — microorganisms just can’t thrive in such conditions. — BBC, 7/1/2025

Due to AI (Artificial Intelligence), the traditional hiring process has become overwhelmed with automated noise. It’s the resume equivalent of AI slop—call it “hiring slop,” perhaps — that currently floods social media and the web with sensational pictures and misleading information. The surge of Chat-GPT-crafted resumes and bot-submitted applications has sparked an arms race between job seekers and employers, with both sides using increasingly advanced AI tools in a bot-versus-bot standoff that is quickly spiraling out of control. — ARS Technica, 6/24/2025

Over the past few years, pet influencers have emerged as a significant online presence. Sometimes, the animals wear quirky costumes, find themselves in amusing situations, or look adorable. Whatever the gimmick, if pet owners discover the right one, they can reap the rewards, earning money from social media platforms based on views and securing deals with consumer brands to promote their products and services. The most popular pet influencers have millions of followers. According to a recent study, there could be a causal link between cuteness and credibility—so people may trust pet influencers more because they are cuter than their human counterparts. — Wall Street Journal, 7/2/2025

Political

Russia’s economy is “on the brink of entering a recession,” the country’s economy minister said. Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov made this warning at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an annual event in Russia’s second largest city aimed at showcasing the country’s economic strength and attracting foreign investors. The economy, hit with a series of sanctions after the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, has so far outperformed predictions. High defense spending has driven growth and kept unemployment low, despite fueling inflation. Meanwhile, wages have increased to keep up with inflation, leaving many workers better off. — AP News, 6/19/2025

Financial

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) spent $16.1 billion to collect $4.7 trillion in taxes in 2023. In other words, it cost the agency 34 cents to collect every $100. Collecting trillions of dollars from a population of 336 million people and around 35 million businesses is a huge task. The IRS’s staff of 82,990 employees handles tasks like processing returns, issuing refunds, providing taxpayer help, overseeing tax-exempt organizations, and enforcing tax laws. In fiscal year 2023, the agency collected nearly $4.7 trillion, which is a 26% increase over the last decade. This total included: $4.1 trillion from individual income taxes and other personal payroll contributions; $457 billion from corporate income taxes; $74 billion from excise taxes; and $35 billion from estate and gift taxes. — USA Facts, 6/13/2025

Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is a movement of people committed to a plan of extreme savings and investing with the goal of retiring much earlier than traditional budgets and retirement plans typically allow. The 1992 bestselling book Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez popularized many of the concepts used by individuals in this movement. The origins of the term and acronym FIRE are unknown, but the term came to represent a core idea of the book: people should evaluate every expense based on the number of working hours it takes to pay for it. Supporters of this extreme savings lifestyle often remain in the workforce for several years, saving up to 75% of their annual income. The movement gained momentum during the pandemic, when some people were inspired to improve their financial lives and start planning ahead amid an environment of global economic uncertainty. — Investopedia, 10/25/2024

Israel and the Middle East

The Dead Sea Scrolls may be even older than scientists previously thought, according to a new study led by an artificial intelligence (AI) model. A group of researchers from the Netherlands, Italy, and Denmark recently published their findings in the journal PLOS One. An AI-based date-prediction tool named Enoch, referencing the biblical patriarch, was used. Enoch “was trained as a machine learning- based date-prediction model applying Bayesian ridge regression on established handwriting-style descriptions tors,” according to the study. To estimate the dates, the model analyzed the handwriting style of each scroll. Researchers also combined radiocarbon dating techniques and found that most of the scrolls are at least a generation older than previously estimated. — Fox News, 6/14/2025

Biblical scholars and archaeologists have long studied how ancient people created such vibrant garments and textiles, as well as the significance of color — especially purple, a rare pigment associated with royalty — in ancient society. Now, a study published in the journal PLOS One reveals how one site in modern-day Israel functioned as an industrial-scale purple dye factory — the only known facility of its kind. Researchers discovered the dye factory at Tel Shiqmona, an archaeological mound on Israel’s northern coast near Haifa. As the authors mention in the study, they found an “unparalleled” variety of artifacts related to dyeing, including more than 135 purple-stained objects. Tel Shiqmona is the only known site in the Mediterranean where dye production was not just a small craft but a true business operation. “In the past, the assumption was that the first large-scale purple dye production facilities only appeared in Roman times, around the first century C.E.,” co-author Ayelet Gilboa, an archaeologist at the University of Haifa, tells the Times of Israel. “Tel Shiqmona shows that already in the ninth century B.C.E., purple dye was produced on an industrial scale,” she adds. “It wasn’t just one person dyeing a garment for a king.” — Smithsonian magazine, 4/22/2025

Egypt unveiled three new tombs of prominent statesmen in the Dra Abu al-Naga necropolis in Luxor, officials said Monday. Egyptian archaeologists have discovered tombs dating back to the New Kingdom period and identified the names and titles of their owners through inscriptions found inside, according to a statement from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated in the announcement that further study of other tomb inscriptions is necessary to better understand the owners. The ministry released pictures of objects found in the tombs, including artifacts and statues. The discovery comes ahead of the highly anticipated full opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is expected this summer, though an official date has not yet been confirmed. The museum will display more than 100,000 artifacts from Egypt’s rich ancient heritage. — AP News, 5/26/2025

Pus, strep throat, and even tuberculosis — most infectious diseases are characterized by a cluster of pathogenic bacteria that can be stubborn and resistant to antibiotics. Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have found another method to combat these bacteria using naturally sourced molecules found in corals. The research findings were published in the journal BMC Biology last month. The central innovation of the study is the development of a novel treatment strategy for pathogenic bacteria that enables the modification of the bacteria’s virulent properties without killing them. The research results present an innovative approach that combines natural substances to disrupt bacterial chemical communication, potentially helping to tackle antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The research advances us one step further towards the development of new and effective drugs that can act without harming essential bacteria. — Good News from Israel, 6/25/2025

A Kurdish militant group has officially agreed to disband and halt a 40-year insurgency. Called the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or the PKK, the decision came in early May following the organization’s 12th Party Congress, in which it was determined that the quest for Kurdish sovereignty could be accomplished politically, and that armed struggle was no longer necessary. The conflict between the PKK and Turkey has been one of the world’s longest-running insurgencies, and has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties. It began as an attempt to create a nation for the stateless Kurdish people who currently make up around 20% of the Turkish population. In February of this year, the imprisoned founder of the group, Abdullah Öcalan, released a statement from prison calling on the group to convene a conference and dissolve. — GoodNewsNetwork, 5/25/2025