The WorldView in 5 Minutes The WorldView in 5 Minutes

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

It’s Thursday, April 25th, 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
How Indian Hindus are endangering Christians in Nepal
International Christian Concern reports that Christians are facing more persecution in the Hindu-majority nation of Nepal.
The increased persecution appears to be bleeding over the border from India where Christians face high levels of persecution. 
Hindu nationalists in India are now sending funds into Nepal, leading to more violence against Christians. 
This has only made the work of Christian evangelism more dangerous across the country. 
Argentina celebrates Evangelicals
Last week, Argentina’s Senate approved a law to make October 31 a National Day of Evangelical and Protestant Churches.
The South American country is about 15% Evangelical and has over 25,000 Protestant churches.
Christian Hooft is the President of the Christian Alliance of Evangelical Churches of the Republic of Argentina. He said, “To declare October 31 as the 'National Day of Evangelical and Protestant Churches' is to recognize the importance of this religious tradition in Argentinian history and society.”
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Catholic church in Wittenberg, Germany, objecting to the 95 ways the Catholic church had strayed from Biblical teaching. That was a milestone moment that marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
67% of Christians live in South America, Africa and Asia
The Global Christian Forum held its fourth gathering in Ghana, West Africa last week with hundreds of participants from 60 countries.
The conference noted the geographical shift in the center of Christianity.
In 1900, 82% of Christians lived in the Global North across countries in North America and Europe. Now, 67% of Christians live in the Global South across countries in South America, Africa, and Asia. Plus, 44% of Protestants now hail from Africa.
Psalm 22:27-28 says, “All the ends of the Earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and He rules over the nations.”
Biden signed $95 billion foreign aid bill
In the United States, the Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill yesterday. President Joe Biden signed it within hours of passing.
The package gives $60 billion to Ukraine, $26 billion to Israel, and $8 billion to U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific like Taiwan.
The legislation also moved to ban TikTok, a social media app owned by a Chinese parent company. The United States is giving the company a year to sell the app or it will be banned in America.
Supreme Court hears another abortion case
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in an another abortion case.
The Biden administration is challenging Idaho’s law banning nearly all abortions. The administration is trying to argue that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act allows abortions in medical emergencies.
However, justices appeared skeptical that state abortion bans violate the federal law. A decision is expected in June.
More Americans cannot retire
A new survey from the American Association of Retired Persons found about a quarter of U.S. adults do not think they will be able to retire.
Many older Americans are staying in the work force due to a lack of retirement savings. 
AARP noted, “Everyday expenses continue to be the top barrier to saving more for retirement, and some older Americans say that they never expect to retire.”
Proverbs 23:5 says of toiling for wealth, “When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward Heaven.”
Tennessee Governor bans discriminatory de-banking
Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee signed a bill recently to ban discriminatory de-banking.
The law prohibits major banks and insurance companies from cl

It’s Wednesday, April 24th, 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
Sudanese Muslim militants have damaged 150 churches
Last April, a civil war broke out between factions in Sudan’s military government. 
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reports the conflict has damaged or destroyed over 150 church buildings. Combatants are targeting houses of worship and religious leaders.
Pastors and congregants have faced threats over their faith and even death.
Evangelical Pastor Kowa Shamal noted that both military factions dislike Christians. Combatants threatened the pastor and even killed his nephew. Shamal recounted, “[My nephew] refused to remove the cross he wore around his neck, so the [fighters] killed him.”
Revelation 2:10 says, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested. …  Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
According to Open Doors, Sudan, Africa is the eighth most dangerous country worldwide in which to be a Christian.
Scotland no longer gives puberty blockers to gender-confused kids
Scotland is halting new prescriptions of puberty blockers for children with gender confusion.
The move comes after England’s National Health Service released a report it commissioned on the issue. The report found that medical evidence surrounding so-called transgender treatments for children is “remarkably weak.” 
England already halted new prescriptions of transgender drugs for children last month. Belgium and the Netherlands are also questioning the use of the drugs following England’s report.
Scottish buffer zone around abortion mills
Speaking of Scotland, the country is considering a bill to create buffer zones around abortion mills. Pro-life advocates who try to persuade abortion-minded women not to kill their babies would face hefty fines.
A Scottish Parliament consultation on the issue received nearly 6,000 submissions from the public. Seventy-seven percent of submissions disagreed with the buffer zone, and only 22% agreed.
Catherine Robinson with Right To Life UK warned, “This Committee has totally ignored the overwhelming opposition to this bill and instead is supporting the introduction of the world’s most extreme [abortion clinic] buffer zone law in Scotland.”
California Governor wants to kill more babies
In the U.S., California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is pushing for more abortions.
Arizona’s Supreme Court upheld a near total abortion ban earlier this month. In response, Newsom proposed legislation allowing Arizona abortionists to come into California to kill more unborn babies.
On Monday, a day after Newsom’s proposal, thousands of people joined the fourth annual March for Life California in Sacramento. 
Biden includes sexual preference and gender identity under Title IX
Last Friday, the Biden administration announced changes to Title IX. The 1972 civil rights law protects people from discrimination based on their sex.
The new rule requires schools to protect children from sex discrimination. And it expands the meaning of sex discrimination to include discrimination based on so-called “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.”
The new protection for students living sexually perverted lifestyles goes into effect in August. 
Isaiah 10:1-2 says, “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, who write misfortune, which they have prescribed to rob the needy of justice, and to take what is right from the poor of My people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless.”
Trump stands with House Speaker Johnson
Former President Donald Trump issued support for Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson this week.
This comes after several Republicans in the House called on Johnson to resig

It’s Tuesday, April 23rd, 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
Hinduism threatens Christians in Nepal
Hindu nationalism is spreading into Nepal, threatening Christians in that country.  
International Christian Concern reports that protesters demanding a Hindu state, marched on the parliament building in Kathmandu last week. The protest turned violent after participants clashed with police.
Ethiopia bans imported non-electric vehicles

Ethiopia has become the first nation in the world to ban the import of non-electric vehicles.
However, most Ethiopians cannot afford the $25,000 price tag for a Chinese-manufactured electric vehicle.
Kenya reduced accessibility to fuel, electricity, and fertilizer
Kenyan President William Ruto has also recently reduced accessibility of fertilizer, fuel, and electricity in his country in an attempt to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, reports The Epoch Times.
Christian economists, like Calvin Beisner of the Cornwall Alliance, are concerned that reducing access to fossil fuels and fertilizer will seriously hamstring Africa’s economic progress in the future.
Beisner considers “the most harmful policy” is that the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the U.S. Agency for International Development are “refus[ing] to do loans or other funding for coal, natural gas, or oil-based electric generating stations in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia and Latin America.”
Capitol Bible Reading Marathon begins
The Washington D.C. Capitol Bible Reading program kicks off this week.
The 5-day marathon takes place in seven other state capitols around the nation. According to the program’s website, the stated goal of the ministry is to “exhort our nation to return to God's precepts. It is our desire to publicly read God’s Holy Word on the steps of the national and state Capitols, every year, for ninety consecutive hours.”

Deuteronomy 17:18-20 requires that each king ruling Israel would “write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites.  And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes.”
Japan, Singapore and America guilty of growing debt the most

The nations with the largest increases in government debt as a percentage of the economy since 2010 are Japan, Singapore, and the United States, in that order.
Singapore’s debt-to-Gross Domestic Product doubled.  Japan’s debt-to-GDP increased by 185%. And the United States’ debt-to-GDP grew by a whopping 226%.

Commercial real estate foreclosures up
Commercial real estate foreclosures are approaching a 10-year high this spring.
California, New York, Florida, Texas, and New Jersey, in particular, are facing accelerating rates in foreclosures.
More young women working outside the home

A record percentage of young women 25-54 years old, are working outside of the home, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2023, that percentage swelled to a high of 77.8% compared to 89.1% for men. In 1950, the ratio was 34% to 91%.
The Christian Science Monitor reports that the main driver of women entering the work force is college-aged women with young children. The ratio of female to male graduate college students has reached 1.5. That’s up from 0.45 in 1970.
Anti-Israel protests at top colleges
Anti-Israel protests are swarming over America’s elite colleges.
Fox News reported student protests on the campuses of Columbia, Yale, NYU, MIT, and Emerson College. In some cases, police had made arrests.
Pastor to Tucker Carlson: We need to repent of our sin
Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson invited Pastor Douglas Wilson from Moscow, Idaho on to his online platform for an hour-long conversation last week to discuss the subject of Christian Natio

It’s Monday, April 22nd, 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
Bible-tweet case to be heard at Finnish Supreme Court
Päivi Räsänen, Finland’s former Minister of Interior and a sitting Finnish parliamentarian, will stand trial for a third time for her Bible-verse tweet, as confirmed by the Supreme Court of Finland, reports Alliance Defending Freedom.  
Despite the Christian grandmother of 11 being acquitted unanimously of “hate speech” charges before both the Helsinki District Court, and the Court of Appeal, the State prosecutor appealed the case. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear that appeal on a date to be set in the future.
Räsänen stands criminally charged for sharing her Biblically-based views on marriage and sexual ethics, in a 2019 tweet, and in a 2004 pamphlet which she wrote for her church, cantered on Genesis 1:27 which explains that God created men and women. 
Commenting on the Supreme Court’s decision, Räsänen said, “This was not just about my opinions, but about everyone’s freedom of expression.”
Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International, is supporting Räsänen’s legal defense.
He said, “This is a watershed case in the story of Europe’s creeping censorship. In a democratic Western nation in 2024, nobody should be on trial for their faith – yet throughout the prosecution of Päivi Räsänen and Bishop [Juhana] Pohjola, we have seen something akin to a ‘heresy’ trial, where Christians are dragged through court for holding beliefs that differ from the approved orthodoxy of the day. 
“The state’s insistence on continuing this prosecution after almost five long years, despite such clear and unanimous rulings from the lower courts, is alarming. The process is the punishment in such instances, resulting in a chill on free speech for all citizens observing.” 
House Passes $95 Billion Foreign Aid Package
On Saturday, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would give financial assistance to American partners in the Indo-Pacific, Ukraine, and Israel, reports The Epoch Times.
This comes as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) faces growing discontent among conservatives, particularly over the billions in funding for Ukraine and its lack of border security measures.
The House passed the $61 billion aid package for Ukraine in a 311–112 vote. The $8 billion measure providing for Indo-Pacific and Taiwanese security passed in a 385–34 vote. Another bill funding $26 billion for Israel passed 366–58.
JOHNSON: “The world is destabilized and it's a tinderbox. It's a dangerous time. Three of our primary adversaries -- Russia and Iran and China -- are working together and they're being aggressors around the globe. They're a global threat to our prosperity and our security. Their advance threatens the free world and it demands American leadership. If we turn our backs right now, the consequences could be devastating.”
Now that it’s been passed by the House, the legislation will go to the Senate as a single package, where it’s expected to easily pass.
Former Congresswoman: American Democrats have joined Team Hamas & Iran
In an interview on “Understanding the Times with Jan Markell,” former Republican Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann bemoaned the fact that President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and others in American political leadership, have seemingly abandoned Team Israel and joined Team Hamas.
BACHMANN: “Now, we're seeing a shift with the White House, with the President and the Vice President, with the leading Jew in the United States, which would be Chuck Schumer, the head of the United States Senate, with our Secretary of State Antony Blinken, with Nancy Pelosi, who is essentially the head of the House of Representatives, as far as the Democrats are concerned.
“They all came out one after another, just in t

It’s Friday, April 19th, 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 
North Korea’s hatred of Christians
North Korea’s hatred of Christianity has condemned hundreds of thousands of Christians to death and left remaining believers fearful and hiding in the shadows, reports International Christian Concern.
As the world’s worst police state, North Korea crushes dissent and free expression. The majority of Christians are probably killed outright when captured, with the percentage possibly as high as 70%. Those not killed outright are thrown into the gulag, also known as the fiery furnace, never to return.
Torture and starvation define the North Korean gulags. Located in remote mountains with extremely tight security, escape is almost impossible. Prisoners live on the edge of starvation, yet the system demands that prisoners farm, manufacture, raise animals, and do heavy mining and lumber harvesting.
Romans 14:12 reminds us of the long-term view. Each of us, including these North Korean militants, “will give an account of himself to God.”
Learn more about one defector named Shin Dong-hyuk, in an article at Reason.com, based on the book Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West.
Not surprisingly, Open Doors lists North Korea as the #1 most dangerous country worldwide in which to be a Christian.
Israel retaliates against Iran
Early Friday morning local time, Israel launched missiles in a retaliatory strike against Iran, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
The Iranian Mehr News Agency reported that flights to Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz had been suspended as of Friday morning, reports The Jerusalem Post.
The missile launches follow Iran's attack last Saturday, where the country sent a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country. All but a few were intercepted.
Google fires 28 workers for protesting $1.2 billion Israel contract
Google has fired more than two dozen employees for protesting its $1.2 billion contract to provide the Israeli government and military with cloud and artificial intelligence services, reports NBC News.
Twenty-eight people were fired after nine employees were arrested Tuesday night following a sit-in at the company’s offices in Seattle, New York and Sunnyvale, California — including one nine-hour sit-in at Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s office, according to the group that organized the demonstration called No Tech for Apartheid.
High school student suspended for “illegal alien” phrase
Using the term "illegal alien" is reportedly an infraction worthy of suspension in a North Carolina high school.
Appearing on The Pete Kaliner radio Show in Charlotte, Leah McGhee described an incident in Central Davidson High School in Lexington where her 16-year-old son, Christian, was suspended for three days last week over that term, reports Fox News.
LEAH: “The teacher was passing out the vocabulary words. One of the words was ‘alien’ to which Christian raised his hand and was called on by the teacher.  Christian said, ‘Like space or illegal aliens who need green cards?’ As soon as Christian said that one of the students in the class took offense and responded by saying that he was going to beat Christian up.
“The teacher called administration because there was a disturbance in class. Administration came down, spoke with those boys in the hallway. Christian said. ‘I did not mean this in an offensive way’ and the other student said he was just joking when he says that he was going to beat Christian up. It was resolved in the hallway.”
Nonetheless, the principal insisted that the phrase “illegal alien” was racist.
LEAH: “He was very taken aback why it was deemed racist. ‘Illegal alien’ is a term that Christian can look up on the dictionary. It is a term used in our federal co