It’s Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 23rd, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. ([email protected])

By Jonathan Clark

Indian pastor released from prison

Here’s some news to be thankful for. A pastor in India was released from prison recently after facing false charges of forced conversions.

Last month, officials raided a house church in the Uttar Pradesh State and arrested Pastor Chotelal. He has been ministering in his village for over 30 years under constant pressure from authorities. 

Commenting on his time in prison, the pastor said, “I met eight other Christians who were being held for the same reasons, and it was a great time to extend mutual encouragement and counsel to one another. I was also able to witness to inmates of other faith backgrounds and give them Bibles.”

Please pray for persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ in India, ranked 11th on the Open Doors’ World Watch List of nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian. 

Psalm 146:8 says the Lord "executes justice for the oppressed.  … The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners. The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; the LORD raises those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.”

Anti-Christian hate crimes on rise in Europe

Meanwhile in Europe, anti-Christian hate crimes are on the rise, according to a new report by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe.

Last year, Christians suffered 748 incidents across 30 European countries, up from 519 incidents in 2021.

Arson attacks on church buildings increased in particular last year.

Hate speech laws in various countries have also been leveled against Christians in Europe. The research group’s director, Anja Hoffmann, noted, “In our legal analysis we found that the criminalization of the expression of Christian doctrine on controversial issues was one of the main reasons why Christians were stigmatized and prosecuted.”

Four-day pause in Israel-Hamas War

On Tuesday, Israel and Hamas, the Muslim terrorist group, agreed to a four-day pause in fighting that began on October 7. 

The plan involves Hamas releasing 50 hostages – including women and children -- from Gaza and Israel releasing 150 Palestinians from prison. The deal also allows humanitarian aid and fuel into Gaza.

The pause in fighting comes after weeks of negotiating by the U.S. and Qatar.

Georgia officials apologized for curtailing man’s religious liberty

In the U.S., a city in the state of Georgia has apologized for arresting a man who held a religious sign in public.

Two years ago, the city of Port Wentworth arrested Jeff Gray. He was holding a sign that read “God bless the Homeless Vets” in front of the city hall.

Gray finally reached a settlement of over $5,000 this week. The settlement goes to Gray as well as the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. 

Gray said, “I’m thankful for the outcome here, but I won’t stop speaking out on behalf of myself and my fellow citizens.”

Pro-abortion terrorist pled guilty to firebombing pro-life office

On Monday, an abortion activist plead guilty to firebombing a pro-life group’s office.

Authorities arrested Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury earlier in March after a grand jury indicted him. This comes over a year after he vandalized the Wisconsin Family Action office with words like “If abortions aren’t safe, then you aren’t either.”

Roychowdhury could face up to 20 years in prison. 

The attack was one of hundreds that took place last year against churches and pro-life groups.

8.000 soldiers, whom the Army fired over COVID-shot refusal, might get some justice

As it faces recruitment struggles, the U.S. Army is now trying to bring back soldiers who were discharged for refusing COVID-19 shots.

A recent letter from the Army to former soldiers noted, “former Soldiers who were involuntarily separated for refusal to receive the C