January 15, 2025

15,343 Canadians died in 2023 by euthanasia, Mega Hindu pilgrimage to draw 400 million, YouVersion Bible App experienced 798,000 downloads on one day

5 minutes

It’s Wednesday, January 15th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. ([email protected])

By Jonathan Clark

India releases imprisoned Christian pastor and wife after 20 months

Praise God! The Christian Post reports officials in India released a pastor and his wife from prison at the end of last month.

Pastor Ashok Yadav and his wife, Phoola, spent 20 months in prison under an anti-conversion law in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Authorities have used such anti-conversion laws to detain over 1,000 Christians across India.

Over 400 Christian leaders recently sent a letter, appealing to the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The letter noted, “Rising hate speech, especially from elected officials, has emboldened acts of violence against Christians. Mobs disrupt peaceful Christian gatherings and threaten carol singers with impunity.”

According to Open Doors, India is the 11th most difficult country worldwide in which to be a Christian.

Mega Hindu pilgrimage to draw 400 million

Speaking of India, the country is hosting the largest religious gathering in the world starting this week.

It is known as the Maha Kumbh Mela which means the festival of the sacred pitcher. (P-I-T-C-H-E-R) It is held every 12 years. The Hindu festival is expected to draw 400 million pilgrims to the city of Prayagraj in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

People bathe at the intersection of multiple important rivers, including the Gagnes, which are considered sacred. The Indian Express notes people believe the bathing washes away their sins and gets them spiritual merit.

But 1 Corinthians 6:11 says, “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

15,343 Canadians died in 2023 by euthanasia

Canada released its fifth annual report on medical assistance in dying.

The latest report found 15,343 people died in Canada under the Medical Assistance in Dying program in 2023. This brought the cumulative number of euthanasia deaths to 60,000.

That’s 4.7 percent of all Canadian deaths since the program began in 2016. Since then, the annual growth rate of such killings continues to rise at 15.8 percent.

Trump prepared to cut trillions from federal budget

Donald Trump’s incoming presidential administration aims to cut trillions of dollars from the U.S. federal budget and abolish or consolidate many federal agencies. In light of that, Pew Research released a report on the federal workforce in the United States.

The report noted the number of federal workers has grown over time. But their share of the civilian workforce has remained at about 1.5% of total civilian employment for a decade.

The federal government employs 2.4 million people, not including the Postal Service and active-duty military personnel. That makes the federal government the largest employer in the U.S., outnumbering major companies like Walmart, McDonald’s, and Amazon.

Amazon and Metz ending their “woke” Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion programs

Speaking of Amazon, both it and Meta are among major companies that are ending their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.

Instead of the “woke” diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Meta decided instead to focus on building “the best teams with the most talented people.” Imagine that.

In addition, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the end of their so-called fact-checking program on their platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Inflation up 0.2%

The Labor Department reports that U.S. wholesale inflation rose by 0.2 percent last month compared to November.

This producer price index measures inflation before it reaches consumers. On an annual basis, producer prices rose 3.3% last month.

The wholesale inflation was driven by rising energy prices, especially gasoline prices.

YouVersion Bible App experienced 798,000 downloads on one day

And finally, the YouVersion Bible App reports it had 798,000 downloads on Sunday, January 5. That’s the largest number of installs on a single day for the app.

Bobby Gruenewald, founder of YouVersion, told The Christian Post, “We tend to see a seasonal uptick in Bible engagement at the beginning of the year as people start new habits and are interested in reading the Bible for the first time. What’s interesting to us is that this year’s increase is even higher than this same time last year, and it’s a trend we’re seeing globally.”

The Bible app experienced its largest increases in downloads in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. For example, Bible app activity increased by 297 percent in Northern Africa, and it increased by 166 percent in the Middle East.

In Acts 13:47, the Apostle Paul said, “For so the Lord has commanded us: 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the Earth.’”

And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, January 15th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus ([email protected]). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

...more

View all episodes

By The WorldView in 5 Minutes

4.8

154154 ratings