The WorldView in 5 Minutes The WorldView in 5 Minutes

It’s Tuesday, April 16th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Kevin Swanson
Nigerian Muslim kidnappers are increasingly bold
International Christian Concern reminds us this morning that 91 young women, who were kidnapped exactly ten years ago from their schools in Chibok in northeastern Nigeria, are still held in captivity.  Islamic terrorists kidnapped 276 teenage girls a decade ago, many of whom were forced to marry their abductors.

That wasn’t the end of the persecutions however.
Just last month, Boko Horam terrorists kidnapped another 400 persons from a Borno State refugee camp, and another 287 students and teachers were abducted from a school in Kaduna State, reports Voice of America.
Nigeria, Africa is the sixth most dangerous country worldwide in which to be a Christian.
Knife attacks in Australia

Gun ownership in Australia is severely restricted by government licensing, but that hasn’t stopped knife attacks in that nation.
Six people were killed and 11 wounded by a knife attack in a mall last week. In addition, just yesterday, a pastor and four church members were stabbed during a Bible study at Good Shepherd Church in Sydney. 
Iraq considers death penalty for adultery and perversion
The Iraqi parliament is considering a bill requiring life in prison or the death penalty for certain types of adultery or homosexual activity, reports U.S. News and World Report.
The nations of Israel and Iraq have the loosest laws of all Middle Eastern countries concerning homosexuality.  Israel legalized homosexuality in 1988, and recognizes homosexual faux marriage performed in other countries. At least officially, homosexual activity was legalized in Iraq in 1969.

Homosexuality has been legalized by most Protestant and Catholic nations in Europe, North and South America, and Oceania which includes Australia.
Scripture in 1 Timothy 1:8-10 points out that “the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers.”
Trump in court over hush money payments
Former President and 2024 GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump is back in state court, defending himself from 34 charges of falsifying business records, in relation to alleged hush money payments made before the 2016 election.
The payments allegedly went to a film star who is known for promulgating violations of the seventh commandment.   Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges and denies the accusations concerning the adulterous affair.
Top 10 busiest airports

Airports Council International just released the list of the busiest 10 airports in the world for last year. These are, in order, from 1 to 10.

1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Dubai International Airport
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
London Heathrow
Tokyo Haneda International Airport
Denver International Airport
Istanbul Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Chicago O’Hare International Airport, and
New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. 

Atlanta’s International Airport accommodated almost 105,000,000 passengers last year.
TSA intercepted 1,503 guns since January
The U.S. Transportation and Safety Administration has announced that officers intercepted 1,503 guns at airport security check points  in the first three months of the year — or about 500 per month.
Last year, a record 6,737 guns were intercepted — 93% of which were loaded weapons.
Gold, silver, Bitcoin and NASDAQ all up
Gold hit $2,390 yesterday, and silver scraped $29.00 an ounce.  Over the last six weeks, gold and silver are up about 25%.
Bitcoin has better than doubled in price, and the NASDAQ Composite Index is up about 19

It’s Monday, April 15th, 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
Iran attacked Israel
Early Sunday, Iran attacked Israel from within Iran, and from proxies inside Iraq, Syria, and Southern Lebanon, reports the Associated Press. 
This was in response to a strike on an Iranian consular building in Syria earlier this month which killed two Iranian generals which has been widely blamed on Israel.
On Sunday morning, Israeli Defense Forces Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that 99% of the aerial threats were shot down, which he said was a strategic achievement, reports the Jerusalem Post.
In a separate briefing, Avi Hyman, Israel's National Public Diplomacy Directorate, said this.
HYMAN: “Iran has been pulling the strings since October 7 through Hamas and there are other proxies. Now, they have decided to take off their mask and act directly against us.
“Last night, Iran initiated a severe and unprecedented attack, launching 180 suicide drones, 120 ballistic missiles, 30 cruise missiles. All was sent by the genocidal tyrants of Tehran with the explicit intents of killing Israeli men, women, and children. Thankfully, 99% were intercepted.”
However, a small number of the dozens of ground-to-ground Iranian missiles struck Israel, wounding a girl and causing light damage to a military installation in the south.
President Joe Biden urged Israel to use caution in any response to Iran’s unprecedented attack, reports the Wall Street Journal. He pressed allies Sunday for a united diplomatic front in a bid to stop the hostilities from spiraling into open warfare that could engulf the Middle East and entangle the U.S.
In Genesis 12:3, God explained that He will bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse Israel because “all peoples on Earth will be blessed through [Israel],” a clear reference to Jesus the long-anticipated Messiah.
Biden pressures Guatemala into pulling out of pro-life declaration
Republican senators are urging Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo to stand firm in the face of the Biden administration’s efforts to pressure him to withdraw support from a multinational declaration affirming there is no right to abortion, reports LifeSiteNews.com.
Signed by 36 nations, the Geneva Consensus Declaration states that “every human being has the inherent right to life,” that “in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning,” that “any measures or changes related to abortion within the health system can only be determined at the national or local level according to the national legislative process,” that “the child … needs special safeguards and care … before as well as after birth.”
The signatories affirm that “there is no international right to abortion, nor any obligation on the part of the States to finance or facilitate abortion, consistent with the long-standing international consensus that each nation has the sovereign right to implement programs and activities consistent with their laws and policies.”
Sadly, President Joe Biden withdrew the United States from the declaration within days of taking office as part of its ongoing efforts to promote abortion-on-demand around the world.
Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones is unapologetic Christian
And finally, “Fox & Friends” co-host Lawrence Jones has a deep-rooted Christian faith and a growing media career that has landed him on millions of TV screens each week, reports FaithWire.com.
He explained that he comes from “generations of pastors, … so, the Gospel at large — knowing who Christ is and accepting [Him] into my heart … that’s all I know.”
The 31-year-old TV host said that his “faith became real when life became real” when he left home and moved to Washington, D.C., and, ultimately, New York City.
Jones, who recently released the book, American Man: Speaking the Truth

It’s Friday, April 12th, 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
Former Muslim unable to provide for her children
Halima and her three children are part of a group of Somali Christians in Mombasa, Kenya who face persecution, reports International Christian Concern.
After Halima left her Muslim faith to follow Christ in 2012, she kept her faith secret for five years. Following her baptism in 2017, her Muslim husband Osman and other family members discovered that she had left Islam. Osman divorced Halima, forcing her to relocate to another part of Mombasa.
Despite living discreetly, Halima’s Christian activities were uncovered. In May 2023, their home was targeted twice by Muslim assailants, though they were unsuccessful. They accused Halima of leading Muslims astray and labeled her a “Christian crusader.”
The combination of unemployment and ongoing harassment left Halima struggling to provide for her children. Consequently, they were forced to drop out of school earlier this year due to unpaid fees.
When International Christian Concern learned about Halima’s case in October 2023, they provided the funds to send her children back to school.
Halima said, “My children had no hope of continuing with school for this year. I kept trusting God, and He surely came through for me.”
She asks that you pray that more Somali Muslims come to faith in Christ. 
In John 3:3, Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
In addition to praying for their conversion, you can provide funds to help other persecuted Christians like Halima through a special link in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com.
Muslim Americans chant “Death to America” in Dearborn, Michigan
A video of an anti-Israel activist in Dearborn, Michigan prompted Muslims to chant "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" in their Arabic language.
MUSLIM CROWD: “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” (in Arabic)
Last Friday, Tarek Bazzi, who is associated with the Hadi Institute, gave a speech at an International Al-Quds Day rally, an annual pro-Palestinian event held on the last Friday of Ramadan.
BAZZI: “Malcolm X said, and I quote, ‘We live in one of the rottenness countries that has ever existed on this earth.’ It's not Genocide Joe that has to go. It's the entire system that has to go. Any system that would allow such atrocities and such devilry to happen, and would support it, such a system does not deserve to exist on God's Earth.”
As it turns out, Bazzi has a history of espousing violent rhetoric, reports Fox News.
Back in 2021, Bazzi can be heard using violent rhetoric towards Israel and Jewish people while speaking to a group of protesters.
He said, "Understand what these slogans mean. 'From the river to the sea' means the absolute annihilation of the Zionist regime. It is absolute evil. It is a cancer in the Middle East and in the world. There is no way to deal peacefully with such an entity.”
Muslim Congresswoman vs. White House on anti-American chanters
Listen to the encounter that Fox News reporter Hillary Vaughn had with Democratic Muslim Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan when she asked for the Congresswoman’s reaction to the “Death to America” chant in her district.
VAUGHN: “Congresswoman Tlaib?”
TLAIB: “I don’t talk to Fox News. I don’t talk to Fox News”
VAUGHN: “At a rally in your district, people were chanting ‘Death to America.’ Do you condemn …”
TLAIB: “I do not talk to Fox News.”
VAUGHN: “But do you condemn chants of ‘Death to America’?”
TLAIB: “I don't talk to people that use racist tropes.”
VAUGHN: “Why can't you just say whether or not you condemn people chanting death to America? Why are you afraid to talk to Fox?”
TLAIB: “Fox News is not. Listen, using racist tropes towards my community is what

It’s Thursday, April 11th, 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
Ukrainian Christians are being tortured & murdered for their faith
Religious freedom advocates sent a letter to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson about the plight of Christians in Ukraine.
Russia invaded the country in 2022. According to the letter, Christians in Ukraine have faced torture and the destruction of their church buildings at the hands of Russian soldiers.
Steven Moore with the Ukraine Freedom Project shared more details with the Christian Post. His group helps provide aid to people in Ukraine and is sharing the stories of persecuted Christians there. 
Moore said, “Republicans should know this. Evangelical Republicans should know this. People who worship God the way that they do are being tortured and murdered for their faith.”
Matthew 5:10 says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”
European Parliament changes for migrants
The European Parliament voted in favor of sweeping reforms to the European Union’s migration rules yesterday.
The new rules would allow frontline countries to build border centers for holding asylum seekers. It also gives the countries the ability to speed up deportations. 
European Union member states that are not on the border would have to take in asylum seekers from frontline states or give resources to those states. 
Study: Most kids grow out of “gender confusion”
A new study from the Netherlands found most children with gender confusion grow out of it.
The study evaluated nearly 3,000 children for 15 years. During their teen years, 11 percent of the participants reported being discontent with their gender. By the age of 26, only four percent reported the same thing. 
Meanwhile, the U.K.’s National Health Service released an independent review it commissioned about transgender treatments. 
Alliance Defending Freedom summarized the review, writing, “The independent Cass report surveys numerous studies across many countries and many years and rightly concludes that this field is marked by ‘remarkably weak evidence’ where practitioners have ‘abandoned normal clinical approaches’ harming children. Dr. Cass said it well. These children ‘deserve very much better.’”
Trump pledges not to sign national ban on abortion
As The Worldview reported on Wednesday, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions can go back into effect. 
In response, former President Donald Trump opposed the decision yesterday, saying it went too far.
If he is elected president again, Trump also said he would not sign a national abortion ban if Congress passed one, reports USA Today. He emphasized the issue belonged to the states.
America’s inflation rate rose another 3.5%
U.S. inflation remained high last month.
The consumer price index rose 3.5% in March compared to a year ago. Housing and energy prices drove much of the increase.
The inflation numbers make it less likely for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in the near future. 
Young women leaving the church
The Survey Center of American Life released data on how young women are leaving the church in unprecedented numbers.
Religious disaffiliation has been on the rise over the past 20 years. And men were leading the move away from organized religion until now.
For example, 57% of Baby Boomers who disaffiliated from religion were men and 43% were women. Now, 54% of Generation Z that disaffiliated are women and 46% are men.
The Survey Center of American Life noted, “There is a cultural misalignment between more traditional churches and places of worship and young women who have grown increasingly liberal. Since 2015, the number of young women who identify as liberal has rapidly increased.”
George Müller’s first orphanage anniversa

It’s Wednesday, April 10th, 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
Violence against Christians up 45% in India
The Evangelical Fellowship of India released a report on the persecution of Christians in the country.
Last year, Christians faced over 600 incidents of violence in India. That’s up 45% from 2022.
Incredibly, nearly half of the incidents – 275 to be precise -- occurred in India’s state of Uttar Pradesh. The report noted, “The state also leads in arrests of pastors and believers, often on allegations of forced conversions, despite lacking substantial evidence.”
Please pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in India, the 11th most dangerous country worldwide in which to be a Christian.
Scotland’s proposed conversion therapy ban
The Christian Institute is poised to challenge Scotland’s proposed conversion therapy ban if it violates religious freedom.
The proposal would crack down on attempts to change someone’s so-called sexual orientation or gender identity. 
The Christian Institute warns the proposal is vague and could be used against pastors and parents. 
The organization’s public affairs officer, Joanna Cook, warned, “Those campaigning for a conversion practices law … want a new speech crime, a thought crime. And, I'm afraid, the Scottish government's proposals give them that.”
Church of England invests $10 million in youth outreach
The Church of England announced last month that it is investing 8.5 million pounds in youth programs. That’s over $10 million U.S. dollars.
This comes as the Church of England is losing congregants, especially among children. Adult attendance was down 23% in 2022 compared with 2019. The number of children attending was down 28% over the same period. 
The decline comes as many in the Church of England are supporting sexually perverted lifestyles. 
Jonathan Pryke, senior minister at Jesmond Parish Church, told Evangelical Focus, “In general, where churches are growing, they have a robust view of Biblical authority and teach accordingly, with a sense of urgency about the Gospel message.” 
2 Timothy 4:2-3 says, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but, having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.”
Declining Southern Baptist membership
In the United States, the Southern Baptist Convention reports declining membership. 
Lifeway Research released analysis on the denomination last week. Lifeway noted, “Among the 50,423 active congregations in the Southern Baptist Convention in 2021, 2% disbanded or closed and 0.5% left or were disaffiliated from the Convention by the time the 2022 data was compiled.”
The Southern Baptist Convention lost over 1,200 congregations in 2022. It lost over 1,000 congregations in 2021 and 2020 as well. In most cases, the churches were disbanded or closed. 
Arizona Supreme Court upholds 1864 abortion ban
Yesterday, Arizona’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state’s 1864 ban on abortion.
The law prohibits nearly all abortions. The U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 had blocked the law. The more recent Dobbs ruling overturned Roe, making way for Arizona’s abortion ban to go back into effect. However, Planned Parenthood continued to challenge the law. 
After yesterday’s ruling, the ban on abortion is back in force. 
Jake Warner with Alliance Defending Freedom said, “We celebrate the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision that allows the state’s pro-life law to again protect the lives of countless, innocent unborn children.”
Chick-fil-A made $20 billion in 2023
Nation’s Restaurant News reports Chick-fil-A made over $20 billion in sales last year, up 14% from 2022.
Since 201

It’s Tuesday, April 9th, 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
Somalian Muslims killed 6 Christian Kenyans
Al-Shabab Islamic extremists are suspects in the killing of six Christian men in Somalia on Good Friday, March 29, reports International Christian Concern.
Originating from Kenya, the six men were selling plastic goods and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Muslims in the Islamic town of Dhobley. 
Please, pray for their families as they mourn the loss today.
According to the Open Doors World Watch List, Somalia, Africa is the second most dangerous country worldwide in which to be a Christian.
11 Chinese hospitals suspended birthing operations
The South China Morning Post reports that 11 major national hospitals have suspended birthing operations since last June — due to China’s ongoing birth dearth. Total number of births across the country dropped to 9 million last year — get this — down from 18 million in 2016!  
That’s the lowest birth rate since accurate records were made available in the 1940s. China suffered a population loss of a half million people last year. At this rate, demographers estimate China will lose about 700,000,000 people or half their population over the next 80 years.
Military buildup in Japan, China, and India
Eastern nations are building up their respective military complexes.
Japan’s defense budget is expanding — a 16.5% budget increase over the last year.  Japan is inching towards a 2% GDP military expenditure, up from 0.9%  in the 1990s and early 2000s.

China has also announced a 7.2% increase on its military expenditures for 2024. That’s an officially released number of $236 billion — about double what it was in 2013. Even more significant, India’s military spending has increased from $14 billion to $77 billion since 2000.
Meantime, U.S. military spending has dropped from 7% of the GDP to about 3.5% of the Gross Domestic Product since 1980.
28-year-old depressed Dutch woman getting euthanized
The Free Press reports on a 28-year-old Dutch woman who is “tired of living” and “depressed,” and will be euthanized by doctor’s assistance.
Zoraya ter Beek says she is “a little afraid of dying, because it’s the ultimate unknown. We don’t really know what’s next—or is there nothing? That’s the scary part.”
Tragically, 138 Dutch people were killed or “euthanized” by a doctor who were committed on psychiatric grounds in the Netherlands last year, reports Dutch News.  Disturbingly, 5.4% of Dutch deaths are doctor-assisted suicides. 
Trump on abortion: Leave it to the states
Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate for the U.S. presidency, announced Monday that he would rather leave abortion legislation up to the states, instead of seeking a federal law protecting the lives of the unborn.
Trump announced his position on Truth Social.
Listen.
TRUMP: “Many people have asked me what my position is on abortion and abortion rights, especially since I was proudly the person responsible for the ending of something that all legal scholars -- both sides -- wanted and, in fact, demanded be ended: Roe v. Wade. They wanted it ended.
“It must be remembered that the Democrats are the radical ones on this position because they support abortion up to and even beyond the ninth month. The concept of having an abortion in the later months and even execution after birth, and that's exactly what it is. The baby is born, the baby is executed after birth is unacceptable.
“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it, from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land, in this case, the law of the state.”
Trump also emphasized his allowance for killing the child in the cases of rape and incest. He places the priority on “the salvation of