It’s Wednesday, November 29th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. ([email protected])

By Jonathan Clark

Ukraine targeting Orthodox Church with raids and arrests

A human rights division of the United Nations is warning about religious freedom violations in Ukraine.

The U.N. has documented 10 cases of violence between different Orthodox communities in the country since last February, noting Ukrainian law enforcement officials have not protected church members.

Ukraine is also considering legislation to dissolve religious organizations with ties to countries like Russia. Leaders of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church accuse Ukraine of trying to annihilate it for its previous connection to Russian church bodies.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Ukraine has targeted the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with hundreds of raids and investigations as well as house arrests.

Russia restricting abortion

Speaking of Russia, the country is moving to restrict abortion in recent months. 

Two Russian regions now have laws against influencing women to have abortions. Authorities are also restricting the sale of abortion drugs. However, abortion is still broadly legal and accessible in the country. 

Calls by the government and the Russian Orthodox Church to curtail abortion come as the country faces demographic decline.

Russia, under the Soviet Union, was the first country in the world to legalize abortion in 1920.

Pope strips conservative cardinal of salary and housing

The Roman Catholic pope continues to crack down on his conservative critics.

Last week, Pope Francis announced he is stripping Cardinal Raymond Burke of his Vatican-subsidized housing and salary. Burke was known for opposing sexually perverted lifestyles and abortion.

He is the second American clergy member to face removal by the pope recently. Earlier this month, Francis removed Bishop Joseph Strickland of Texas. Like Burke, Strickland is considered a conservative critic of the pope.

Biden’s foster care rule targets Christians

Eighteen Republican attorneys general in the U.S. are calling out the Biden administration for a new foster care rule that targets Christians.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has proposed a rule to prohibit families who oppose sexually perverted lifestyles from participating in the foster care system.

The attorneys general sent a letter to the department on Monday. One of them is Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall. He said, “Since the first century, Christians across the globe have answered the call to provide a home and a family to children who had neither. Alabama boasts a particularly strong faith-based foster care and adoption community, and I will fight this Administration for them every step of the way.”

James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

Disney wishes “Wish” wasn’t a flop

Disney films continue to flop at the box office.

The company’s latest offering, Wish, brought in only $31.7 million last week. That’s well below the $45 to $50 million pre-release expectations.

Wish joins other flops this year like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Secret Invasion. Those four releases cost Disney a billion dollars.

The losses also come as Disney waded into the cultural wars in support of sexually perverted lifestyles. 

Amazon’s biggest delivery business

Amazon is now the biggest delivery business in the U.S.

Last year, the company delivered more parcels than UPS. It had already outpaced FedEx in 2020. 

Amazon’s edge is only projected to grow this year as it expects to ship a total of 5.9 billion packages.

The U.S. Postal Service remains the biggest parcel service which handles packages for all three companies. 

Largest iceberg is 1,500 square miles in size

It’s Tuesday, November 28th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com.  I’m Adam McManus. ([email protected])

By Kevin Swanson

Nigerian police now persecuting Christians there

Christians in Nigeria have experienced a great deal of persecution at the hands of Muslim terrorist organizations. And now, the Nigerian police have added to the persecution of Christians.

The International Center for Investigative Reporting finds that religious police, the Hisbah, are now arresting women who profess to be Christian in the Kano State. Apparently, some Muslim women are also subjected to beatings by the police for not playing by certain religious rules.

Also, five Christian girls were recently arrested by police, and prevented from attending church in the repressive state, reports International Christian Concern.

Why the Chinese Christian population is hard to pin down

How many Christians are there in China?  

Official government numbers put it at 28 million.  Another survey put the number at 43 million.

David Curry, President of Global Christian Relief, wrote a column for Fox News Digital in which he pointed out that government numbers may be inaccurate in that they may not count children. Plus, the Chinese may be reticent to respond to government inquiries concerning faith issues.

In addition, 72% of self-identified Christians in the survey are women, according to Pew Research.

Iran close to going nuclear

In the ongoing nuclear arms race, Iran has achieved what America had at Los Alamos, New Mexico in July of 1945.

According to the most recent report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has finally accumulated sufficient uranium to make two nuclear bombs, about the size dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Southeast Asia is a “nuclear tinderbox”

Writing for The Japan Times, Susan Thornton, former U.S. assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, called Southeast Asia a “nuclear tinderbox.” She wrote, “A full-scale arms race is under way. North Korea’s stockpile of nuclear weapons and missiles has grown and Kim [Jong Un] has called for an ‘exponential increase’ in its arsenal.”

The Council on Foreign Relations estimates that North Korea has enough material for more than 100 nuclear weapons. The group said, “It has successfully tested missiles that could strike the United States with a nuclear warhead, and the country touts the world’s fourth-largest military.”

Vatican not open to ordination of women or changes on homosexuality

While mainline Protestant denominations have given way to women and homosexuals in church office, the Vatican is pushing back against the German Catholic Synod seeking liberalization of church regulation.

The Catholic News Agency reports that an October 23rd letter reminds the Catholic bishops of “potential disciplinary consequences for any defying the teaching of the Church” on the ordination of women and changes in the Church’s teaching on homosexuality. And furthermore, these matters are off the table for discussions in the upcoming meetings.

CNN horrified that Speaker Johnson has advocated righteous laws

CNN’s K-file, their investigative team, dutifully studied 100 radio interviews of U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, an evangelical Christian.

They discovered that he suggested “imprisoning doctors who perform abortions after six weeks; the Ten Commandments [should be] prominently displayed in public buildings; an elimination of anti-hate-crime laws; Bible study in public schools; criminalization of homosexuality.”  

The left wing news source was also shocked that Johnson testified that “one of the primary purposes of the law in civil government is to restrain evil.”  He also said, “We have to acknowledge collectively that man is inherently evil and needs to be restrained.”

Romans 13:4 reminds us that “[the ruler] is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for He does not bear the sword in vain. For He is the servant of

It’s Monday, November 27th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. ([email protected])

By Adam McManus

Communist Xi gets royal treatment despite China’s persecution record

China’s President Xi Jinping recently visited the United States to meet with President Joe Biden, the first visit on American soil in six years. Their conversation included topics like the fentanyl crisis, artificial intelligence, and even the return of pandas to the United States.  

Yet one issue was painfully neglected in their conversation – China’s blatant violation of human rights and persecution of religious minorities, reports International Christian Concern.

Since the Chinese Communist Party seized power in the 1940s, religious freedom conditions have deteriorated. China has kept its efforts to silence and, in some cases, eradicate ethnic and religious communities, such as the Uyghurs, Tibetan Buddhists, and Christians. Disappearances, forced organ harvesting, controlled press, and surveillance of its citizens are just the beginning in terms of China’s human rights abuses. And these issues were largely ignored during Jinping’s visit. 

Shortly after the heads of state met, dozens of American CEOs socialized over dinner with Chinese government officials. High-profile CEOs such as Elon Musk of Tesla and X, Stanley Deal of Boeing, Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone, and Marc Benioff of Salesforce were seen in attendance, paying up to $40,000 to dine with Communist dictator Xi Jinping.

Many have criticized this large gathering, including Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, who said, “It is unconscionable that American companies might pay thousands of dollars to join a ‘welcome dinner’ hosted by the very same Chinese Communist Party officials who have facilitated a genocide against millions of innocent men, women, and children in Xinjiang.”

The attendance of Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, should also be of notable concern. Two years ago, Apple removed a Bible app from the Chinese version of the app store at the request of government officials.  

For a country that brought in $74 billion in revenue in 2022 for Apple, it is possible that Tim Cook and many of the CEOs in attendance have traded their “commitments” to universal human rights in exchange for cash, filling their pockets while letting China’s religious minorities continue to suffer. 

200 trucks of goods enter Gaza Strip

Two hundred trucks of goods were offloaded by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency reception point in the Gaza Strip on Friday, the biggest humanitarian convoy received since October 7, reports the Jerusalem Post.

This was done within the framework of the truce and the schedule for the release of the hostages that was agreed upon with the US through the mediation of Qatar and Egypt.

The temporary truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect early on Friday, ahead of the exchange of dozens of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, reports Jewish News.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: “This humanitarian pause is critical to end the terrible ordeal of hostages held by Hamas and get life-saving aid into Gaza.”

Instagram has become a “vast pedophile network”

According to recent testimony during a U.S. Senate committee hearing, while social media giant, Meta, which runs Facebook and Instagram, was focused on cracking down on conservative speech in coordination with the Biden administration, pedophiles were not only operating “vast” networks on the company’s platforms, but were often connected with each other via the company’s own algorithms, reports LifeSiteNews.

Listen to this soundbite from the November 7 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “social media and the teen mental health crisis.” Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri asked Arturo Bejar, Facebook’s former Director of Engineering for Protect and Care, a question.

HAWLEY: “This is fro

It’s Thursday, November 24th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. ([email protected])

Christian Ugandans, who called Muhammad false prophet, beaten by angry Muslims

Two Christians in eastern Uganda were hospitalized after hardline Muslims beat them for their Christian evangelism during a Christian-Muslim debate, reports Morning Star News.

Musa Kirongosa, age 32, and Swidiki Buyinza, age 27, from the Kaliro District, were the first to speak at the Christian-Muslim dialogue organized by Muslims on November 13th in the town of Bulumba. Using both the Bible and the Koran, they argued that Muhammad was a false prophet. Musa asserted, “Truth is only found in Christ Jesus as the one and the only Savior for mankind.”

Angry Muslims in attendance grew rowdy before the two Christians had finished, forcing them to flee and go into hiding at the nearby home of a Christian. Some of the Muslims rushed ahead to block the road leading out of the area, and about two hours later, at around 7 p.m. when the area was vacated and quiet, the two Christians thought it was safe to leave.

Swidiki said, “When we left around 7:30pm on our motorcycle, just a few kilometers along the Bulumba road, we were stopped by Buruhan Musobya, a well-known Muslim extremist, and six other Muslims. They began shouting, ‘Allah Akbar [God is Greater], these are the enemies of our prophet, Muhammad, as well as our religion. Kafir [Infidels]! Kafir!”

The assailants broke their motorcycle to pieces and tore up their Bibles and other Christian literature.

Swidiki added, “Thereafter, they started beating us badly with blunt objects that led to the fracturing of Musa’s right leg. Two of the attackers held me tightly and beat me with sticks as four others were beating Musa and stepping on him while he was lying down in the middle of the road.”

Providentially, a taxi driver flashed his headlights, and the attackers fled. The taxi stopped and passengers got out, including a pastor from the town of Kaliro who recognized Kirongosa and took the two Christians to a hospital there.

Swidiki said he was discharged after spending one night in the hospital, but that Musa received treatment there for five days.

Biden’s popularity sinks, Trump’s soars amid Israel's war in Gaza

President Joe Biden has quickly lost popularity amid the Israel-Hamas war, reaching the lowest levels since he took the presidency, according to an NBC News poll, reports the Jerusalem Post.

Biden’s popularity of only 40% now falls behind that of former President Donald Trump’s support. NBC attributes the drop in popularity to Biden’s unpopular decisions on the Israel-Hamas war. 

Most of the disapproval has been sourced to Democratic voters, of whom 70% said that they disagreed with Biden’s handling of the war.

Christian rocker John Cooper condemns wimpy wokeness

John Cooper, the lead singer of the Christian rock band Skillet, targets woke Christianity in his new book. The book is entitled Wimpy, Weak, And Woke: How Truth Can Save America From Utopian Destruction. He warns that secular philosophies are seeping into the church, reports The Christian Post.

Cooper said, "If there's anything that's clear to me, there is a revolution to tear down American society; the entire structures of this system. But it's not really about tearing down America, it's about tearing down the underpinnings of what built America, Christian civilization. There is a revolution to tear down Christianity, the reflection of Christ in any of our cultures, our traditions, our sexual mores, our theology, our culture. Our everything!”

Wimpy, Weak, and Woke details two divergent paths: One is a secular utopian vision of the future. The other divergent side is going to be the principles of the kingdom of God.

He said, "A side message of that is written to the Church because I think that what we're seeing now is a lot of these secular utopian ideas are seeping into the Chr

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

It’s Wednesday, November 22nd, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. ([email protected])

By Jonathan Clark

Nigerian Muslims killed pastor, kidnapped wife

Suspected Muslim militants killed a pastor in Nigeria last Friday and kidnapped his wife.

Joshua Amako Maraya was the pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All in Kaduna State. He leaves behind his wife and seven children. Thankfully, his wife was released this week.

One of his church members told International Christian Concern, “The Fulani militants killed Reverend Amako Maraya. He is my pastor. Last Sunday before he was killed, he preached about forgiveness.”

International Christian Concern ranks Nigeria as the worst country in the world for Christians in the year 2023, according to their recently released persecutors report.

Germans are losing their faith in God

Once the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation, Germany is losing its faith in God.

The Evangelical Church in Germany released its latest survey on the country’s religious views.

Over 70 years ago, about 90% of Germans believed in God. Now, that number is 50%, and only 20% have a Biblical understanding. 

In Revelation 2:4-5, Jesus says, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.”

People leaving United Methodist Church over homosexuality

In the U.S., more churches are leaving the United Methodist Church (UMC). This comes as the denomination has become more accepting of people living sexually perverted lifestyles.

A total of 7,286 churches have now disaffiliated from the UMC since 2019. Over 5,000 of those departures occurred this year alone.

In the latest move, the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church voted to allow 261 congregations to leave the denomination on Saturday.

Georgia high school fired coach over baptisms

Speaking of Georgia, a high school in the state fired their head football coach after he held a baptism for his players.

Coach Isaac Ferrell held the ceremony after practice on October 23rd with a local pastor. Twenty players were baptized.

Listen to this soundbite of two of the baptisms.

FERRELL: “I baptize you now, my brother, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

(sound of water and cheering)

FERRELL: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

(clapping)

Last week, Tattnall County School District announced Ferrell would no longer be head football coach. The decision came after the Freedom from Religion Foundation sent a letter of complaint to the district. However, the district claims they are firing Ferrell for other reasons.

Indiana’s abortions dropped dramatically after new ban

The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute reports abortions in Indiana dropped significantly after the state’s 10-week abortion ban went into effect in August.

The group noted, “Guttmacher’s latest data show that this total ban resulted in an estimated zero abortions provided within the formal health care system in Indiana for the month of August, compared with almost 700 abortions in July.”

States like Kentucky and North Carolina have seen similar abortion declines after passing abortion bans and restrictions in those states.

Colorado failed to keep Trump off presidential ballot

The latest attempt to keep Donald Trump off the 2024 presidential ballot failed in Colorado last week. 

Judges are rejecting attempts to use Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution to keep Trump from running. The section forbids someone “engaged in insurrection” from holding office. The lawsuits accuse Trump of insurrection for his actions on January 6, 2021. Attempts to keep him off the ballot have also failed in Minnesota and Michigan. 

Meanwhile, the former pres

It’s Tuesday, November 21st, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. ([email protected])

By Kevin Swanson

Myanmar’s military junta continues to target Christian leaders

Three church deacons of the Chin tribe, in Myanmar are feared to be dead, after being arrested by the military junta late last summer. 

BarnabasAid.org reports that the pastor of the church, Htang Kay Ong, who was also arrested, tortured, and left for dead in a ditch, actually survived the ordeal.  

Pray for the families of these church leaders, and the church in Myanmar today.

Libertarian pro-lifer Javier Milei wins presidency in Argentinian upset

Well, the “pink tide” of socialism has finally turned in Latin America.  

The Outsider/Libertarian candidate in Argentina’s presidential race, Javier Milei, won the runoff election Sunday in the 56-44% victory, reports The Guardian. A television pundit and free market economist, Milei plans to shut down the central bank and reduce the number of government ministries by 60%, from 18 to 8.

The nation has been facing 150% inflation rates and a sagging economy, with a poor-performing Gross Domestic Product, for at least five years.  

He’s talked of reversing the 3-year-old law that legalized abortion in the country. He calls climate change a “socialist lie,” favors looser gun laws, and refers to Pope Francis, an Argentinian, as an "evil" leftist.  Milei was endorsed by Brazil’s previous, rightist president Jair Bolsonaro. 

Church of England votes to bless homosexual couples

Last week, the Church of England General Synod approved of what they call “blessing services” for same-sex couples, those living in unnatural relations with each other, who wish to be married, reports The Christian Institute.

The Church of England Bishops were the most in favor of the church’s approval of homosexuality, voting 23 to 10 to approve the motion.  And the House of Laity passed the motion by a vote of 104 to 100. 

Bishops of the Anglican Network in Europe, the Anglican Convocation in Europe, and the Anglican Mission in England urged the House of Bishops to repent from laying aside “the clear teaching of Scripture on matters of sexual conduct.”  

The conservative organizations noted that “This action is offensive to the God of love. It replaces His wonderful Gospel of grace with a distorted message, blessing what God calls sin. This is heart-breaking, wicked, and outrageously arrogant.”

Malachi 3:15 says, they “call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.”

Public school students are behaving worse, battling mental issues

The Education Advisory Board survey of school superintendents has discovered a serious downgrade in student behavior in American public school classrooms.  

Eighty-one percent of school superintendents agree that student behavioral concerns are worse now than before the pandemic, with 35 percent saying the situation has gotten “significantly worse.” Ninety-two percent indicated that student mental health crises are worse than they were in 2019, with 57 percent saying the situation has gotten “significantly worse.”

Also, Education Week found something similar—with 70% of educators who say there is more misbehavior in the classroom than what they witnessed in 2019. 

Proverbs 30:11 speaks of “a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.”

U.S. economy headed to short recession

In economic news, the Conference Board's Leading Economic Indicators continued its decline in October, dropping 0.8% month-over-month. That’s a 7.6% drop, year-over-year.

The Conference board has issued a statement stating that they are expecting "elevated inflation, high interest rates, and contracting consumer spending—d

It’s Monday, November 20th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. ([email protected])

By Adam McManus

Israel kills 5 Palestinian terrorists in airstrike

An Israeli Defense Forces airstrike on Saturday killed five Palestinian terrorists, including Mahmoud a-Zoufi, a commander of al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, and wounded two other people in the Fatah headquarters in Balata camp near Nablus, reports the Jerusalem Post.

Among those terrorists killed were Mohammad Zahed, a key commander in Nablus’s terrorist activities.

Zahed took part in various Nablus shooting attacks, but also in an April 2023 shooting in Jerusalem, wounding two Israeli civilians and was reportedly planning additional terror acts.

Bethlehem drops Christmas décor to support Palestinians

Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ and a city located in the West Bank, is set to remove Christmas decorations as a gesture of solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, reports the Jerusalem Post.

Despite Bethlehem's significance to Christians and its status as a destination for Christian tourism during the Advent season, the city has a predominantly Muslim population.

In 1950, the Christians constituted over 80% of the local population of Bethlehem, However, today, Christians only comprise 10% of the Bethlehem population in this now Muslim-dominated town.

Micah, the Old Testament prophet, predicted Bethlehem as the birthplace for the Messiah. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2)

Arizona street preacher shot in head

Like something out of Nigeria, Africa, a beloved Christian leader was shot in the head Wednesday night while preaching the gospel in Glendale, Arizona.

Hans Schmidt, a young father and the outreach director for the nondenominational Victory Chapel First Phoenix, was standing at the northwest corner of 51st and Peoria Avenues with his megaphone, quoting scripture and preaching to passersby ahead of an evening service. Around 6:00 p.m., someone evidently pulled a gun on him, reported Arizona Family.

After he was rushed to the emergency room, Victory Chapel revealed that Schmidt “began seizing and was intubated.  There has been some movement. However, physicians are uncertain how much is voluntary and began draining fluid from his brain.”

Brad Curell, a family friend, reported “the bullet traveled through his brain and is still inside on the right side of his head. … So far, [the doctors] are saying it’s inoperable.”

Officer Gina Winn of the Glendale Police Department held a press conference.

WINN: “We have a 26-year-old who was a military medic. He is recently married. He has two small children and he's currently in a critical state. We know for a fact that there were people within the area. There were vehicles driving within the area. So, we believe there is somebody within the Valley that does know something about what happened. So, we are asking that you contact the Glendale Police Department. Our detectives are reviewing a huge amount of surveillance footage. So, that's part of the investigation and part of the leads that we're following up on.”

Robert Waldrep, a local Christian, stopped by Victory Chapel to pray for Hans Schmidt’s full recovery and for God’s comfort for the injured pastor’s family.

WALDREP: “What really got me is that this young man is my son's age. To have somebody out there in the community who’s just trying to share the Gospel of love and share Christ with those who need Him. I just pray for his complete healing and blessing over his wife and children and all those who love him.”

And Jesse James, the owner of a nearby comics store, talked with KNXV-TV.

JAMES: “Who knows why someone would take it out on a preacher like that, you know, because he's speaking the Gos

It’s Friday, November 17th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. ([email protected])

By Adam McManus

Evangelizing pastor in Nepal fears conviction sets ominous precedent

As he awaits prison after a wrongful conviction for evangelizing in Nepal, Pastor Keshab Raj Acharya fears his case will set a precedent for authorities to incarcerate other Christians, reports Morning Star News.

The 35-year-old pastor said he fears that the police and the judiciary will cite his case as an example to send Christians to prison for either evangelizing or being guilty of so-called “forcible conversion” even without evidence.

Pastor Acharya said, “In case someone willfully converts to Christ, the police and the court will convict the person through whom this believer has heard the message of Christ and His salvation. Where does the police/judiciary draw the line between ‘forced conversion’ and ‘voluntary conversion’?”

After Nepal’s High Court reduced his sentence on July 13th from two years in prison to one year, the Supreme Court refused to consider Pastor Acharya’s appeal on October 6th.

In Matthew 5:11-12, Jesus said, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Speaker Mike Johnson unapologetically defends our Christian heritage

Here in America, the Left believes the world is coming to an end because Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, a self-professed evangelical Christian, was elected House Speaker, reports WorldNetDaily.com.

Listen to what this former Alliance Defending Freedom attorney had to say from the floor of the House six months ago during Faith Month as he explained what President Thomas Jefferson meant in his 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists about a wall of separation between church and state.

JOHNSON: “Jefferson clearly did not mean that metaphorical wall was to keep religion from influencing issues of civil government. To the contrary, it was meant to keep the federal government from impeding the religious practice of citizens.”

House Speaker Johnson explained the mindset of America’s founding fathers.

JOHNSON: “The founders wanted to protect the church from an encroaching state, not the other way around. The majority of the founders, having personally witnessed the abuses of the Church of England, were determined to prevent the official establishment of any single national denomination or religion. Of course. We know that.

“But here's the point. They very deliberately listed religious liberty, the free exercise of religion, as the first freedom protected in the Bill of Rights because they wanted, here's the key, they wanted everyone to freely live out their faith as that would ensure a robust presence of moral virtue in the public square and the free marketplace of ideas.”

Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes.”

Pro-life rescuer found guilty of defending pre-born babies

Pro-life hero Paulette Harlow, age 75, was found guilty yesterday on charges of violating  the misguided Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act for her involvement in a traditional pro-life rescue conducted at the infamous late-term abortion mill in Washington, D.C., the Washington Surgi-Clinic, in October 2020, reports LifeSiteNews.com.

In a pro-life rescue, the pro-life activist participates in civil disobedience by peacefully blocking the doors of the abortion mill, recognizing that she might be the last hope to spare the baby in the womb from certain execution.

Harlow’s case was a bench trial, without a jury. The verdict was handed down by the pro-abortion Judge Colleen Collar-Kotelly, who has argued that the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery after the Civil War, may include a “right” to

It’s Thursday, November 16th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. ([email protected])

By Jonathan Clark

Chinese gov’t takes over charities

The Chinese Communist Party continues to crack down on anything related to religion.

The government is now considering legislation to put charities under its control. Charities have faced regulation since 2016, but have enjoyed some level of freedom from the government. Under the new law though, police and security officials will have direct control over them.

Bitter Winter Magazine notes, “It is clear that the Chinese Communist Party is concerned by these Chinese charities that serve as a conduit for exchanges with the charitable arms of religious organizations abroad.” 

China ranks 16th on the Open Doors’ World Watch List of nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

Psalm 14:4 asks, “Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call on the LORD?”

California Governor cleans San Fran streets for Commie dictator

Speaking of China, the country’s president, Xi Jinping, met with U.S. President Joe Biden yesterday for trade talks in northern California. 

The two leaders haven’t spoke for a year as tensions between the U.S. and China continue to rise. 

The meeting occurs on the sidelines of the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum being held in San Francisco. The 21-member forum includes the economies of the U.S., China, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Australia. 

California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom faces criticism for just now cleaning up the streets of San Francisco, known for widespread homeless encampments and drug users. Apparently, a visiting communist dictator does the trick.

House funds part of the government

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to temporarily fund parts of the government into the new year. This breaks with the past practice of passing an omnibus spending bill to entirely fund the government.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters: “As long as I've been in Congress, we have governed by omnibus bills right before Christmas. It is a terrible way to run a railroad. And the reason that we're in such trouble with our federal debt is because Congress is addicted, obsessed with this deficit spending.”

The short-term spending bill is expected to pass in the U.S. Senate as well.

27 GOP Senators to Pentagon: No more tax-funded abortion travel

Republicans in the U.S. Senate are calling out the Defense Department for its pro-abortion policy.

Twenty-seven GOP senators sent a letter on Monday to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, Austin created a travel fund to help military members get abortions.

The letter stated, “You have broken your promise to the American people not to politicize the military. … Now taxpayers–many of whom have deeply-held religious and moral objections to abortions–are on the hook to facilitate the very abortions they fundamentally oppose. … Do the right thing. Rescind the Policy now.”

Proverbs 24:11 says, “Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.”

To write a stern, 2-4 sentence letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III, asking him to stop funding abortion travel for servicemembers and their dependents, send it to 1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1000.

Church attendance still down 10% from COVID shutdowns

Lifeway Research reports that churches have returned to in-person services, but not all churchgoers have.

Lifeway found that 100% of U.S. Protestant pastors say their church met in person in August. That number is slightly up from August 2021 (89%) and significantly up since September 2020 (87%).

However, only 9 in 10 churchgoers have returned since the pandemic. Pastors report attendance is 89% of what it was in early 2020.

Prominent athei