The WorldView in 5 Minutes The WorldView in 5 Minutes

It’s Friday, May 3rd, 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
Open Doors ministers to Ethiopian woman who lost everything
Desta Alemu knows what it’s like to be hated and cast out for her faith in Jesus. After all, she has the ashes of her burned home and business to prove it. She and her family were caught up in violence in their community in Ethiopia.
She said, “When we left our home, it was very difficult. We couldn’t even find a way to get out; we hid in a neighbor’s house three houses down. I can’t explain the pain and worry I felt in the chaos. Our possessions were destroyed; we lost everything.”
Thankfully, Open Doors was able to help her with both immediate needs—and long-term trauma care.
Desta explained, “Because I came [to the trauma care seminar], countless things have changed in me. I’ve learned about humility, and how Jesus was also persecuted. … Jesus was also hated, and He was also cast out.”
In John 15:18-19, Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
Open Doors lists Ethiopia as the 32nd most dangerous country worldwide in which to be a Christian.
Chinese Bible distributor sentenced to 5 years in prison
In April 2021, Chinese authorities arrested 10 Christians for selling and distributing Bibles in Hohhot, the capital city of Inner Mongolia — an autonomous region in northern China. Just last month, a judge sentenced one of these believers to prison.
On April 15, 2024, Ban Yanhong was sentenced to five years in prison for “illegal business operations.” That’s how the Communist government describes the distribution of Bibles to Christians in Inner Mongolia.
Originally, the 10 Hohhot Christians purchased the Bibles legally from a church in Nanjing associated with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. These churches are the only legal churches in China and are controlled by the Communist government.
In Ban’s case, prosecutors argued that even though the Bibles were initially purchased legally in Nanjing, selling and distributing them in Inner Mongolia by unregistered house church members was illegal.
Supreme Court agrees with Texas’ age requirement for porn
Great news! The United States Supreme Court has rejected a request to block enforcement of a Texas law that requires porn sites to verify the age of its users. This will ensure that far fewer minors will have access to these ungodly images.
In a one-sentence miscellaneous order released Tuesday that included no dissents, the Supreme Court declined to issue a stay in the case of Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton.
This allows a ruling from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that upheld the age verification law to remain in effect.
Last June, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1181, which requires porn sites to verify a user's age. Any company found violating the requirement faces a fine of as much as $10,000 per day.
Additionally, a porn company can be fined $250,000 if a minor sees explicit content because their age was not properly verified.
Second Boeing whistleblower died unexpectedly
A second Boeing whistleblower has died unexpectedly as the company faces scrutiny over safety failures on its passenger jets, reports Fox News.
Joshua Dean, a quality inspector for the Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, died this week after a surprise infection left him in critical condition for days.
The cause was MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant staph infection, according to what his aunt Carol Parsons told the Seattle Times, which first reported the death.
The 44-year-old lost his job in 2023 and filed a retaliation complaint with federal labor officials, alleging that he was o

It’s Thursday, May 2nd, 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
May 2, 2024 is National Day of Prayer
Today is the National Day of Prayer as designated by the U.S. Congress.
Global Christian Relief is calling on Christians to pray for their persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Hundreds of millions of believers still face attacks, arrests, and imprisonment for their faith.
The Christian aid group is hosting a Facebook livestream prayer event today and sharing a free prayer guide. Both are linked in our transcript today at TheWorldview.com. 
Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”
10 million babies killed in United Kingdom
The U.K. Abortion Act went into effect on April 27, 1968.
Since then, over ten million unborn babies have been killed through abortion in England, Scotland, and Wales. 
Abortions have risen in England and Wales, in particular, since the introduction of ‘DIY’ home abortions in 2020.
Pro-life Kansas legislature overrides Democrat Governor’s vetoes
In the United States, Kansas lawmakers overrode Democrat Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of multiple pro-life laws on Monday.
The bills expand tax credits for adoption and pregnancy centers and continue $2 million in funding for pro-life centers. One of the bills makes it a felony to use physical or financial threats to coerce a woman into getting an abortion.
However, state lawmakers failed to override the governor’s veto of a transgender-related bill. The measure would ban mutilating drugs and surgeries for minors.
Marjorie Taylor Greene vs. House Speaker Mike Johnson
U.S. House lawmakers are trying to oust the Speaker of the House again.
Yesterday, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia announced she will force a vote to remove Republican Speaker Mike Johnson next week.
Greene criticized Johnson for supporting Ukraine funding and U.S. surveillance programs. Only one other House Republican supports the ouster. And Democrats said they would not vote Johnson out presently.
Anti-Israel college protests vs. Liberty University’s pursuit of God
Last month, student protests broke out at campuses around the country in support of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war. Authorities have arrested protestors at over 20 colleges. New York police arrested nearly 300 people alone this week, including over 100 at Columbia University.
The academic lawn of the largest Christian university in the U.S. made for a contrasting view last week. Students at Liberty University gathered to worship, sing, and hear the Word of God.
Jonathan Falwell, the university’s chancellor, wrote, “While so many college campuses are erupting in anger, hatred and violence; it is refreshing to see Liberty University students worship King Jesus.”
United Methodist Church affirms sexual perversion
On Tuesday, the United Methodist Church voted in favor of sexually perverted lifestyles. 
The denomination no longer prohibits funding for groups that promote such lifestyles. They will also consider homosexuals for ministry and allow ministers to perform homosexual ceremonies.
The United Methodist Church has faced division over these issues for years. Between 2019 and 2023, over 7,000 congregations left the denomination. Many joined theologically conservative denomination called the Global Methodist Church.
130 tornadoes hit Midwest
Over 130 tornadoes tore across the Midwest last week, killing at least five people.
Nebraska’s National Weather Service in Omaha issued 48 tornado warnings in one day alone. 
One Nebraska man, Nate Hutchison, survived an EF-3 tornado that tore through an industrial building in Lincoln. He told KLKN-TV he prayed to God as he and 70 others hunkered down.
HUTCHISON: “There's nothing I can do right

It’s Wednesday, May 1st, 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
Swiss abandon Christ
The population of Switzerland is moving away from Christianity, despite the country once being at the center of the Protestant Reformation, led by Ulrich Zwingli.
Three quarters of the Swiss live in cities. Of those, nearly one in three say they do not belong to any religion.
The mainline Protestant church makes up only 19% of the city population, down from 49% in 1970. Roman Catholicism makes up 31%, down from 45%. And Islam has remained stable at 6%.
Texas teacher ordered not to pray
International Christian Concern warns that persecution is cropping up in America and the West, not just in other parts of the world.
Just one example is the case of Staci Barber. She is a Texas school teacher who has been silenced for her faith after praying with other teachers at a school flagpole. She has been ordered not to pray. 
Jeff King, President of International Christian Concern, told The Christian Post, “Basically, we are frogs in the kettle, and the bubbles keep coming up under us. ... People learn that you do not stick your head up, and you start being quiet because ‘the process’ is the punishment. ... We desperately need revival, and that all starts with us personally looking to the Lord.”
Zechariah 1:3 says, “Return to Me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you.”
5 GOP states won’t comply with Biden’s transgender executive order
Five Republican states are suing the Biden administration in a transgender case. The administration is trying to expand a federal civil rights law to include protection for students living sexually perverted lifestyles in public schools.
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott told the Texas Education Agency to ignore the new federal rule. He wrote to President Joe Biden, “This ham-handed effort to impose a leftist belief onto Title IX exceeds your authority as president.”
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis also pushed back, saying, “Florida rejects Joe Biden’s attempt to rewrite Title IX. We will not comply, and we will fight back.”
Florida’s Heartbeat Law protects unborn babies at 6 weeks
Meanwhile, a new Heartbeat Law goes into effect in the Sunshine State today.
The law bans the killing of unborn babies with detectable heartbeats but with some exceptions. The law goes into effect after the Florida Supreme Court upheld it last month. The court also upheld a 15-week abortion ban.
Once a destination in the southeast for abortion, Florida may see thousands of fewer abortions due to the Heartbeat Law.
FCC fines AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon for privacy breach
The Federal Communications Commission is fining big wireless companies for sharing customer data without consent.
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon face nearly $200 million in fines.
Jessica Rosenworcel with the FCC said, “These carriers failed to protect the information entrusted to them. Here, we are talking about some of the most sensitive data in their possession: customers’ real-time location information, revealing where they go and who they are.”
People concerned with crime despite drop in crime
U.S. adults are becoming more concerned about crime. However, Pew Research reports crime rates are falling.
Based on data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, violent crime fell 46% between 1993 and 2022. Property crime fell by 59%. 
The Bureau of Justice Statistics records even steeper declines with violent and property crime falling 71% over the same period.
Meanwhile, 77% of Americans think crime is up nationally compared to 47% in 2000. And 55% think crime is up in their area compared to 34% in 2000.
10 perspectives that conflict with Biblical worldview
Dr. George Barna released another survey on worldview in America.
He identified 10 of the most common perspectives widely embraced

It’s Tuesday, April 30th, 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
TikTok bans around the globe

TikTok bans are spreading.
India banned the app in 2020. Nepal did so last November as well as Afghanistan and Iran among others.
As of last week, the U.S. government moved to ban TikTok within a year unless the app is sold. America has the most TikTok users of any country in the world — estimated to be between 135 and 170 million users. 
Trump beating Biden in polls – especially with third party candidates
CNN is reporting that Donald Trump is well ahead in the 2024 presidential race.
The news agency’s recent poll puts the former president ahead 49%-43%.  When third party candidates -- like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., People’s Party Cornel West, and Libertarian Dr. Jill Stein -- are put into the mix, Trump is ahead 42% to 33%.  Kennedy is at 16%, West is at 4%, and Stein is at 3%.

The same CNN poll found that only 39% of voters see the Biden presidency as a success, while 55% consider the previous Trump presidency a success.
American taxpayers send billions to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan
Another $61 billion has been assigned in the recent U.S. spending bill for the Ukrainian war against Russia. Thus far, the U.S. has underwritten $72 billion in Ukrainian aid. In addition, the European Union has spent about $107 billion on the war over the last two years. That accounts for about 30 times Ukraine’s annual military budget.
Israel is also slated to receive $14 billion of the package — a sizable increase from the average of $4 billion per year given to Israel over the last 20 years. Israel’s military budget has averaged around $23 billion per year.  
The $95 billion foreign aid package, signed by President Biden last week, represents a sizable increase from the $45 billion of foreign aid handed out in 2020. The package is intended to support American allies of Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel against Russia, China, and Hamas.
Taylor Swift’s new album: explicit, blasphemous, and anti-Christian
In pop culture news, Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poet’s Department album made almost a billion album streams last week, breaking all previous records. That included almost two million vinyl, cassettes, and CD sales.
Adele still holds the top spot for most records sold in one week. However, six out of the top fifteen album sales of all time belong to Taylor Swift.
The Christian Post notes that 11 of the 31 songs contain an "E" under the album's description listing, which stands for "explicit."
Shane Pruitt, the Southern Baptist Next Gen director, was upset that Swift mocks God and Christians. He asked, "As Christians, who are filled with the Spirit, should we be entertained by, sing with, and expose our kids to lyrics that aren't just different than what you believe, but are actually mocking what you believe?"
Southern Baptist pastors more conservative than laity
There is a major disconnect between Southern Baptist pastors and the laity. That’s the conclusion of a Lifeway survey conducted earlier this year.  
In fact, 62% of key leaders believe America has become a secular nation, but only 11% of the laity hold that position. In addition, 80% of the leaders surveyed consider themselves conservative, while only 56% of the church attendees would claim the label.
And seven times the percentage of the laity would call themselves liberal, as compared to the Southern Baptist pastors. 
Catholic and Mainline Protestant pastors more liberal than laity
By contrast, research has found that Catholics and mainline Protestant denominations show an opposite trend.
For example, 49% of Catholic laity voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 elections, while only 24% of Catholic clergy voted for the Republican candidate.
About the same ratios applied to mainline Protestants.

Plummeting U.S. fertility rate

America’s fertility rate fell once more

It’s Monday, April 29th, 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
Nigerian Muslims kill 3 Christians in Benue State
Fulani Muslim herdsmen killed three Christians last week in Benue State, Nigeria, reports Morning Star News.
Alfred Omakwu, a local city councilman, said the herdsmen killed one Christian on April 20th in Otukpo County, after killing two other believers on April 18th in the Entepka District.
Andrew Mamedu, country director of Action Aid, an international humanitarian organization, said that the incessant attacks on Christians in Benue State, Nigeria have displaced 1.4 million people.
He said, “With what is happening in Benue state, people may not have villages to retire to when they grow old. If we fail to act now, I am afraid that by 2030 we would have lost a generation, and it may take 50 years to recover from it.”
According to Open Doors, Nigeria is the sixth most dangerous country worldwide in which to be a Christian.
Stabbed Orthodox bishop denounces Australian censorship
Assyrian Orthodox Bishop Mar Emmanuel,  who was stabbed whle preaching on April 15th in Sydney Australia by a 15-year-old Muslim young man who yelled “Allah Akbar,” has joined his voice with Elon Musk in demanding that the video of the attack be kept online, reports LifeSiteNews.com.
On April 22, an Australian federal court ordered X, formerly Twitter, to remove all posts that contained the viral video of the Islamic attack on the Orthodox bishop, granting the request of Australia eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who had demanded that the video be taken down worldwide. On Wednesday, the injunction against showing the video was extended by Justice Geoffrey Kennett until May 10 when a final hearing will be held to determine whether the content can be prohibited permanently worldwide.
Musk has taken issue with the injunction, although following it temporarily.
According to the tech giant, the Australian regulator had demanded that X “globally withhold these posts or face a daily fine of $785,000.”
On Tuesday, Musk addressed the overreach of the Australian government and claims that the video was somehow “misinformation.”  
He said, “The Australian people want the truth.  X is the only one standing up for their rights. Our concern is that if ANY country is allowed to censor content for ALL countries, which is what the Australian ‘eSafety Commissar’ is demanding, then what is to stop any country from controlling the entire internet? We have already censored the content in question for Australia, pending legal appeal, and it is stored only on servers in the USA.”
Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski said he “stands united” with Musk and X in the fight against the Australian censorship of the video.
Biden poked fun at Trump
Appearing at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, President Joe Biden addressed his age and made Donald Trump, his Republican presidential opponent, the target of a number of his jokes, reports CNN.
BIDEN: “The 2024 election is in full swing. And yes, age is an issue. I'm a grown man running against the six-year-old.
“I really feel great. I'm campaigning all over the country, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina. I've always done well in the original 13 colonies.
“Age is the only thing we have in common. My Vice President actually endorses me.” (cheers)
Saturday Night Live comedian roasted Biden and media
Colin Jost, the co-host of “Weekend Update” on NBC’s Saturday Night Live and the headliner for the event, took aim at President Biden in a couple of his jokes.
JOST:  “I was excited to be up here on stage with President Biden tonight, mostly to see if I could figure out where Obama was pulling the strings from.  (laughter)
“I have to admit it's not easy following President Biden. I mean, it's not always easy following what he's

It’s Friday, April 26th, 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 set fire to Christians’ homes in Egypt
On Tuesday, April 23rd at 11:00 p.m., Islamic extremists set fire to several homes and shops owned by Coptic Orthodox Christians in Egypt’s Minya Governorate, reports International Christian Concern.
Shockingly, as the flames grew, the Muslims attempted to prevent the Christians from leaving their burning homes.  Extremists later shared a video on social media showing Coptic homes on fire as a song, praising the attack, played in the background.
The attack occurred after word spread that residents of the village, which is home to 3,000 Christian families, had obtained a permit to construct a church building. Some associated with the church received threats after the building permit was issued.
Despite promises of safety from security forces, the cries of help from the archbishop and the local Coptic community went unanswered as the attack unfolded. Security forces arrived only after the attack, leaving a yet unknown number of Christians to perish in their burning homes. 
According to Open Doors, Egypt is the 38th most dangerous country worldwide in which to be a Christian.
America to militarily withdraw from Niger, Africa
Niger, Africa has demanded that the United States militarily withdraw from the country, reports CNN.
In response, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell met with Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine on Friday to put those plans in motion.
The major drawdown will significantly impact the U.S. troop presence on the continent of Africa. The move comes amid serious U.S. concerns about the country’s deepening relationships with Russia and Iran.
Haitian Prime Minister resigns
Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned on Thursday as a new council was sworn in to lead the country gripped by deadly gang violence, reports the BBC.
He agreed to step down last month after armed groups blocked his return to Haiti.
Gangs now control most of Port-au-Prince, the capital.
Teen suspended for “Only Two Genders” t-shirt
A Catholic teenager has been suspended from his Ontario public high school for wearing a sweatshirt that said, “There are only two genders,” reports LifeSiteNews.com.
Malachy O’Kane, age 16, was suspended on April 18, the second day he decided to wear his gender critical shirt to the Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake, a village near Kingston, Ontario. He was excluded from school for six days, beginning Friday, April 19.
O’Kane was first told to remove his shirt by the school’s vice-principal, Wojtek Czermak, after the teenager was called out of his classroom about 30 minutes after the school day began.
When the student asked what the problem was, a school counselor said, “It’s considered hate speech.”
In Genesis 1:27, the Bible says, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction is overturned
Yesterday, New York’s highest court threw out Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction because the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against Weinstein based on allegations that were not part of the case, reports The Associated Press.
The ruling shocked and disappointed women who celebrated historic gains during the #MeToo era and left those who testified in the case bracing for a retrial against the ex-movie mogul.
Weinstein, age 72, will remain in prison because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape. But the New York ruling reopens a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures — an era that began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein.
Youth need (1) the truth and (2) connection to intergenerational relationships
John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center for Ch