January 09, 2025

Anniversary of Jim Elliot’s murder, 4,000 people have asked Trump to free imprisoned pro-lifers, 70,000 Californians evacuate as 20,000 acres burn

6 minutes

It’s Thursday, January 9th, 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 and Adam McManus

300 million Christians worldwide face imprisonment, torture, and murder

International Christian Concern released its 2025 Global Persecution Index, highlighting 20 countries where Christians face extreme persecution.

Among those countries are Nigeria, Iran, India, China, and North Korea.

Over the last year, persecution has worsened dramatically in Nicaragua, India, and Nigeria. Christians face everything from government hostility and Hindu nationalism to brutal violence and technological surveillance.

Jeff King with International Christian Concern said, “Approximately 300 million Christians worldwide face persecution of all types, including imprisonment, torture, and assassination.”

Despite persecution, Christianity is showing resilience and even growing in countries like Iran and Indonesia.

Indonesia joins Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa group

Speaking of Indonesia, the Southeast Asian country, which is also the fourth most populous country in the world, joined the BRICS organization on Monday.

The intergovernmental organization began with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – thus the acronym B-R-I-C-S. It has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

The BRICS group is seen as a counterbalance to western powers in the G7 which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

70,000 Californians evacuate as 20,000 acres burn

In the U.S., three major wildfires brought destruction to the Los Angeles area of California yesterday.

The fires have burned over 20,000 acres, destroying over 1,000 buildings and killing at least two people. 70,000 people are under evacuation orders.

Stoked by high winds, the Palisades Fire is the most destructive fire on record in Los Angeles County. As of yesterday, the fires were 0% contained.

James Nelligan, a resident of Los Angeles County, texted, “It’s super smoky; ash is raining down.”

87% of Congress are self-identified Christians

Pew Research released their latest Faith on the Hill report, covering the religious composition of the 119th U.S. Congress.

Self-identified Christians now make up 87% of voting members in the Senate and House of Representatives combined. That’s down just a smidge from 88% in the last session and 92% a decade ago.

It’s still much higher than the Christian makeup of the general U.S. adult population at 62%. Also only 1% of Congress is religiously unaffiliated compared to 28% of the general public.

Protestants continue to be the largest group in Congress at 55% followed by Catholics at 28%. However, the share of Protestants is down from nearly 75% in the 1960s.

In 2 Samuel 23:3, King David said, “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.”

4,000 people have asked Trump to free imprisoned pro-lifers

Over 4,000 people now have signed a petition through change.org for President-elect Donald Trump to free imprisoned pro-lifers.

The petition includes the names of many pro-lifers who are facing prison, house arrest, charges, or sentencing for peacefully protesting at abortion mills.

The petition to Trump says, “We ask you to reverse the weaponization of the Department of Justice and pardon these individuals, whose only crime was peacefully pleading for the lives of babies about to die. More than this, we beg you to consider the case for the preborn who have been sentenced to death with no trial. They are unseen and unheard, totally dependent on others, and completely vulnerable.”

You can sign the petition through a special link in our transcript today at TheWorldview.com.

Anniversary of Jim Elliot’s murder

And finally, this week in history marks when five Christian missionaries — named Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, and Pete Fleming — were speared to death by Ecuadorean Indians they sought to evangelize. They died on January 8, 1956.

Jim Elliot had famously said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Remarkably, after their murders, Jim’s wife, Elisabeth Elliot, and Nate’s sister, Rachel Saint, continued the evangelistic outreach to the very people who had killed their relatives.

In October 1958, Mrs. Elliot, and her three-year-old daughter Valerie, went to live with the Indian tribe along with Rachel Saint.

Elisabeth Elliot later published two books featuring the story of the missionaries and how God used them. They were entitled Through Gates of Splendor and Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot.

You and your family can also watch a 34-minute animated Torchlighters video entitled “The Jim Elliot Story”. It’s free and available for everybody.

In Matthew 16:25, Jesus said, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, January 9th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.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

155155 ratings