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It’s Thursday, May 23rd, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Eritrea’s religious freedom violations
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released an article last week, highlighting religious freedom violations in Eritrea, Africa.
This month and next month mark 20 years since Eritrean officials arrested and imprisoned three pastors. The prisons remain in atrocious conditions.
As of last year, officials are also holding about 500 Christians as prisoners.
Frederick Davie with the commission said, “Religious freedom conditions in Eritrea remain extremely poor. The Commission was hopeful last year when Eritrean authorities started releasing some of those detained because of their faith or belief. Unfortunately, this effort included only a small number of prisoners.”
Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.”
According to Open Doors, Eritrea, Africa is the fourth most difficult country worldwide in which to be a Christian.
Majority of Scots have no religion
Scotland began releasing its 2022 Census data on Tuesday.
For the first time on record, a majority of Scots said they have no religion.
Fifty-one percent of the Scottish population did not identify with a religion, up from 36.7% in 2011. Also, 20.4% identified with the Church of Scotland in 2022, down from 32.4% in 2011.
Roman Catholic identification at 13.3% and “other Christian” identification at 5.1% has remained somewhat stable over the last decade. Muslim identification is 2.2%, up from 1.5%. 
35% of Americans are not religious
Professor Ryan Burge with Faith Facts released a report this week on religious identification in the U.S.
Based on the Cooperative Election Study, he noted that 21% of Americans identified with no religion in 2008. That percentage grew to 35% in 2019. Since then, the percentage of non-religious Americans has plateaued. Oddly enough, the youngest generation appears to be growing more religious. Forty-two percent of Gen Z was religiously unaffiliated last year, down from 48% in 2022.
Burge noted, “The share of non-religious Americans has stopped rising in any meaningful way.”
CVS fired Christian nurse for refusing to dispense Abortion Kill Pill
First Liberty Institute reached a settlement on behalf of a Christian nurse with CVS Health Corporation this week.
CVS fired Robyn Strader for refusing to dispense abortion drugs. She had been operating under a religious accommodation to not prescribe the drugs for years.
Stephanie Taub, Senior Counsel for First Liberty Institute, said, “We are thrilled that Robyn was able to reach a resolution with CVS. We are hopeful that companies across the country will recognize the religious liberty of their employees and work to protect those rights.”
South Carolina protects kids from transgender drugs and surgeries
On Tuesday, South Carolina’s Republican Governor Henry McMaster announced he signed the Help Not Harm bill into law.
The law protects children from transgender drugs and surgeries and bans public funding of them.
South Carolina is the 25th state to ban such procedures. 
Trump leading Biden in 7 swing states
A new Bloomberg poll found former President Donald Trump is leading President Joe Biden in seven swing states.
The states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Trump led Biden 48% to 44% in a head-to-head matchup. 
Trump also led Biden when the survey added in third-party and independent candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West, and Jill Stein.
Home sales are down
The sale of existing homes unexpectedly fell by 1.9% last month on an annual basis.
Meanwhile, the housing inventory was still tight at the end of April. It was up 16% on an annual basis, but that only amounted to a 3.5-mon

It’s Wednesday, May 22nd, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Russians killed 30 Ukrainian pastors & destroyed 600 churches
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Christians, and especially Evangelicals in Ukraine, have faced persecution from Russian forces.
Time magazine reports persecution incidents where Russians killed over 30 Ukrainian pastors, destroyed 600 Ukrainian church buildings, and over 100 cases of Russians who initiated interrogations, expulsions, or imprisonments. Protestants experienced 34% of the persecution incidents. 
For example, Azat Azatyan, a Baptist children’s pastor, faced torture and over a month in captivity. He said, “[This is] what the Kremlin fears about Protestants: we follow God’s law, not theirs. But they want to have everything under their control.”
In Acts 5:29, the Apostles said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Only 35% of Brits think religion is “good for society”
The Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life released a report on religious attitudes in the United Kingdom.
The report found only 36% of adults believe that religion is good for society. Forty-seven percent believe politicians should not speak about religion. 
However, 62% of respondents did agree that Christian heritage is important to the United Kingdom. And young adults appear to be more religious. Sixty-nine percent of 18- to 24-year-olds believe their faith significantly impacts their lives, compared to 51% of those over 65.
U.K. teachers prohibited from indoctrinating with “gender identity”
The U.K. released new restrictions on school content regarding Relationships, Sex, and Health Education.
The new guidelines ban teachers from covering such content for children under nine. Teachers also cannot introduce young students to the "contested theory of gender identity.” 
This new guidance stated, “In light of the Cass Review, it is important that schools take a cautious approach to teaching about this sensitive topic and do not use any materials that present contested views as fact, including the view that gender is a spectrum.”
The government also said that parents can see what resources schools are using on these subjects.
65% of Americans say inflation made lives worse
In the United States, the Federal Reserve released its Economic Well-Being of US Households report for 2023.
Seventy-two percent of adults said they were doing okay financially, down from 78% in 2021. Sixty-five percent of respondents also said inflation made their financial lives worse, and 19% said inflation made it much worse.
Half of adults said were living paycheck to paycheck, and 17% said they could not pay their monthly bills.
Biden released one million barrels of gas
Speaking of inflation, the Biden administration is trying to tackle gas prices.
The Energy Department announced yesterday the release of one million barrels of gasoline from the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve. In March, Congress passed a spending deal that required the reserve to be sold off and closed.
Biden’s beef with pro-lifers
The Biden administration is also tackling pro-lifers.
Already, the administration has put a dozen pro-life advocates in prison. On Monday, the Justice Department filed suit against seven pro-lifers and two pro-life groups, Citizens for a Pro-Life Society and Red Rose Rescue. The Department accuses them of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.
Monica Miller with Citizens for a Pro-Life Society said, “We have every confidence that through our great attorneys we will prevail over this bogus attempt by the weaponized [DOJ] to drag [pro-life groups] under its persecution of those who seek to defend the unborn from violence.”
Louisiana wants to require schools display the Ten Commandments
Louisiana may become the first state to require all publicly-funded schools, colleges

It’s Tuesday, May 21st, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)

By Kevin Swanson
Dept. of Justice targets pro-life protestors
Peaceful civil disobedience in the United States has long been tolerated by the media and government officials -- until now.

Last week, two pro-life activists were sentenced to years in prison, for chaining themselves to furniture inside of the Washington D.C. Surgi-Clinic where abortions are performed. The protest occurred on October 22, 2020.
As The Worldview reported on May 16th, 30-year-old Laruen Handy received a sentence of 4 years and 9 months. And 69-year-old John Hinshaw was sentenced to 1 year and 9 months.
Steve Crampton, the Thomas More Society Senior Counsel who is representing the pro-lifers in this case, talked to Fox News Digital. He said, “This is not the America I know. …The contrast here with the Pro-Palestine folks shutting down the colleges and even preventing graduation ceremonies, and blocking entire highways and interstates, in addition to the ongoing attacks, yet there are virtually no ongoing investigations. I think there's kind of a palpable sense of selective prosecution elements that can't be ignored here.”
The Thomas More Society is appealing the case. 
Amos 3:6 asks, “If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?”
Iranian president killed in helicopter crash
Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister, along with seven other officials, were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
The crash occurred in northwestern Iran near the border of Turkey. Raisi was elected as President in 2021. He represented the more hardline Islamic Clergy Association.
During Raisi’s administration, Iran continued to build its nuclear weapons capacity and support Hamas militants in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The devastated Iranian economy
Iran’s Gross Domestic Product per capita has suffered about the worst drop of any nation in the world — falling from $8,300 to $2,700 between 2012 and 2020.
The country has only recovered slightly since then.
Bidenomics is squeezing Americans 
The assessment is in. Since the 2020 elections, Americans have slipped in their economic position.
The Wall Street Journal reports that household net worth in the U.S. has flatlined since Biden took office.  That means no appreciable increase for the average household.  That compares to a 16% rise in household net worth over the 4-year Trump administration, adjusted for inflation.
U.S. household income dropped by 5%
Also, the U.S. median household income continues to fall from $78,250 back in 2019 to $74,580 today.  
That’s about a 5% cut in pay over five years.
Argentinian president’s great economic strides
Forbes reports that Argentina’s President Javier Milei is making giant strides with his economic policies in his first year in office.  
First quarter 2024 government finances revealed a budget surplus -- the first since 2008.  Remarkably, Milei eliminated 70,000 government jobs in Argentina and suspended new public works contracts. 
Plus, the inflation rate is moving in a good direction — 8.8% last month, down from a whopping 25% in December. 
Where do most sexual perverts live?
An international survey, published by Statistica, finds the highest percentage of people who associate with a sexually perverted lifestyle commonly referred to as LGBTQ are the United States, Israel, the Philippines, Thailand, Canada, Sweden, Brazil, and Australia.
By contrast, South Korea and Romania claim the lowest percentage.
Millennials vs. Baby Boomers on Electric Vehicles
22% of Millennials own an electric or hybrid car compared to only 4% of Baby Boomers, reports ZeroHedge.com.
Electric Vehicle sales only make up a fraction of total car sales -- 1.4 million electric cars compared to roughly 14 million gas-powere

It’s Monday, May 20th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Adam McManus
Where is Chinese Christian blogger Zhang Zhan?
Zhang Zhan, a 40-year-old Chinese Christian blogger, journalist, activist, and former human rights lawyer, was scheduled to be released on May 13 after four years in Shanghai’s Women Prison, reports The Associated Press.
She was imprisoned in May 2020 after getting convicted of reporting on the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. The Free Zhang Zhan campaign issued a press release on May 13 stating that there was no confirmation of her release from prison. Plus, Zhang’s family had been under immense pressure from Chinese officials not to give any media interviews about her case.
The press release added, “We are left wondering where she is, how she is doing physically and mentally, what’s happened to her family, and what the future holds for her. … It is totally unacceptable that the Chinese government subject many human rights defenders and their families to this kind of cruelty. Even after their release from prison, they are still deprived of their basic rights.”
Zhang’s case highlights the Chinese government’s arbitrary arrests of Christians, journalists, and human rights lawyers who challenge the Communist government’s control and policies.
By contrast, Psalm 82:3 describes the Biblical obligation of the civil magistrates. “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.”
Please write a polite email or letter to Xie Feng, the Chinese ambassador to America, asking for information on Zhang Zhan’s whereabouts. Send it to 3505 International Place, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008.
Trump demands drug test of Biden before debate
Appearing at the Minnesota Republican Party’s Lincoln Reagan Dinner last Friday, former President Donald Trump said he wants President Joe Biden to be drug-tested before their first debate on Thursday, June 27th, reports The Hill.com.
TRUMP: “I’m gonna demand a drug test too, by the way. (cheers) I don’t want him coming in like the State of the Union. He was high as a kite. (laughter) I said, ‘Is that Joe up there?’ (laughter)  And by the end of the evening, he was exhausted, right? No, we’re going to demand a drug test.”
Giuliani served legal notice of Arizona indictment at 80th birthday
Former New York City mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani got more than cake and presents for his 80th birthday bash in Palm Beach, Florida. He was also served a legal notice of his Arizona indictment for allegedly being involved in a plot to overturn the 2020 election in favor of ex-President Donald Trump, reports the New York Post.
Around 11:00pm, after most of the 200 birthday guests -- including Trump advisors Roger Stone and Steve Bannon -- were gone, two officials from Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office delivered the papers.
Some of the party stragglers began screaming – including one woman who cried as Giuliani was handed the papers.
Giuliani was the last of the 18 pro-Trump defendants to be served in the indictment returned by a grand jury last month. They’re accused of partaking in a failed bid to award Arizona’s 11 presidential electoral votes to Trump.
Woman prayed while dangling from bridge in semi truck
And finally, newly released dashcam footage of an accident that left a massive semitruck dangling from a bridge earlier this year is going viral.
The shocking footage of the Kentucky four-vehicle crash, which unfolded Friday, March 1 on the Clark Memorial Bridge in Louisville, Kentucky, is absolutely terrifying, reports FaithWire.com.
Trevor Branham, age 33, lost control of his vehicle, crossed into the wrong lanes, hit another car, then struck the semitruck in question.
Sydney Thomas, age 26, was driving that semitruck, which was sent off the bridge and dangling 100 feet above the Ohio River.

It’s Friday, May 17th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Adam McManus
Muslims kill 11 Christians in Congo, Africa
At about 8 p.m. on Monday, May 13, members of the Allied Democratic Forces carried out a brutal attack in the Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Islamic extremist group killed 11 Christians, kidnapped several others, and set houses on fire, reports International Christian Concern.
A survivor said, “This horrific attack has left a trail of devastation and despair, with the loss of life and destruction of property reaching catastrophic proportions.”
German church holds blasphemous Taylor Swift-themed service
An historic German church in Heidelberg held a blasphemous Taylor Swift-themed worship service on Sunday, reports Christian Headlines.
According to the news website Deutsche Welle, The Church of the Holy Spirit, a well-known church in Heidelberg that meets in a 600-year-old building, put on a service titled "Anti-Hero — Taylor Swift Church Service" in an effort to draw young people into the church. More than 1,200 were in attendance, most of them young women, for the service.
Pastor Christof Ellsiepen said, "The Church of the Holy Spirit has always been a place of encounter and exchange. That's why a pop-music religious service fits so perfectly. With it, we are giving space to the questions and issues that occupy the younger generation."
The Christian Post reports that the pastor also said that the service focused on the seemingly Christian themes in Swift’s music to address contested topics including women's rights, racism, and gender equality.
However, Evangelical leaders have rightly expressed profound concern about Swift’s latest album, entitled The Tortured Poets Department, that mocks God and Christians alike.
Sadly, Pastor Vincenzo Petracca was tone deaf, claiming "Theologically speaking, [Taylor Swift] points to the justness of God.”
A pro-homosexual rainbow banner behind the church’s musicians stated that the church welcomes "all sizes, all [colors], all cultures, all sexes, all beliefs, all religions, all ages, all types, all people."
Last time I checked, there were only two sexes. Indeed, in Mark 10:6, Jesus said, "From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female."
Title IX rules threaten women’s safety and fairness
The Biden administration would have Americans believe that feelings trump biological reality by prioritizing someone’s self-ascribed “gender identity” over their sex, explains Alliance Defending Freedom.
But denying the truth that God made us male and female—different, yet equal—has harmful consequences.
Adaleia is a 15-year-old athlete from West Virginia, and she knows this all too well.
Because she was forced to compete against a male student who identifies as a female, she lost her spot to compete in a conference championship meet, reports Fox News.
But that’s not all. She had to change in the girls’ locker room in the presence of the male athlete while she endured the vulgar, sexual harassment that the student directed toward her.
Adaleia was made to suffer humiliation and indignity that no one should have to endure.
But, according to the Biden administration’s recent attempt to rewrite Title IX, women and girls must surrender their rights to safety, privacy, and fairness in places of education. And faculty and students must embrace lies by treating children as the opposite sex—boys as girls, and girls as boys.
Anti-Israel Duke protestors walk out of Seinfeld’s graduation speech
Dozens of students walked out of Duke University’s commencement ceremony this past Sunday because of their objection to the guest speaker, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, a Jew who has been supportive of Israel, reports The Guardian.
Figures in robes and caps, some waving Palestinian flags, filed out of crowds of graduates assembled on the grass in

It’s Thursday, May 16th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Rising persecution of Latin America Christians
International Christian Concern reports that churches in Latin America are facing increasing levels of persecution. 
Thousands of Christians face attacks for their faith in countries like Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, and Nicaragua. These attacks often come from communist regimes, drug cartels, and violent gangs.
For example, Cuba passed a law last year, putting restrictions on religious expression that criticizes the government. Pastors who speak out for religious freedom in Nicaragua face arrest. And Christians in Mexico and Haiti are facing more oppression with the rise of the drug cartels as well as gang violence.
British pro-lifers march against birthday abortions
Yesterday, hundreds of pro-lifers rallied outside Parliament in London.
Lawmakers are considering two pro-life amendments as well as two pro-abortion amendments. The latter two would allow abortion up to birth.
Lynda Rose, head of Voice for Justice UK, said, “A nation that indiscriminately and without cause seeks to kill its unborn up to birth is destroying itself. … With our callous disregard of the right to life, the United Kingdom is rapidly becoming a kingdom of death. For the future wellbeing of all, these evil amendments must be defeated.”
Pro-life protestors are imprisoned
In the United States, judges are handing out prison sentences for pro-lifers targeted by the Biden administration. 
On Tuesday, a federal judge sentenced Lauren Handy to nearly five years in prison for peacefully blocking access to an abortion mill. Yesterday, the judge sentenced Jonathan Darnel to nearly three years in prison for his participation.
A total of five activists have faced trial for the 2020 blockade in Washington, D.C.
The pro-lifers’ defendants are fighting back. Steve Crampton with the Thomas More Society said, “We eagerly look forward to appealing for [their] freedom, so that the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act can never again be weaponized by the Department of Justice against its ideological opponents.”
Proverbs 17:15 says, “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.”
George teachers banned students from sharing Bible verses
Public school teachers in Georgia banned students from sharing Bible verses. Two nine-year-old students were planning on sharing Easter eggs that contained the verses earlier this year.
In response to the ban, the American Center for Law and Justice stepped in to defend the students. The Christian legal group reports they have now achieved victory for the students. They said, “The school has agreed to recognize our clients’ constitutional rights to distribute religious materials, such as Easter eggs, candy canes, and anything else – even Bible verses.”
Trump and Biden to debate on Thursday, June 27th
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are set to debate each other ahead of the presidential election this year.
Both agreed to a debate invitation from CNN for Thursday, June 27. They also agreed to an invitation from ABC for September 10th.
If Biden and Trump follow through on this debate in June, it will be the earliest debate between general election candidates on record.
Inflation down slightly
Inflation cooled down slightly last month.
Consumer prices rose 0.3% percent from March to April, down from 0.4% the previous month. Year-over-year, inflation fell from 3.5% to 3.4% last month, the first decline this year.
Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com, said, “The fight against inflation is not yet over, but the worsening trend observed in the first quarter of 2024 may have ended.”
Drug overdose deaths dropped 3%
Preliminary data suggests that drug overdose deaths in the U.S. fell for the first ti