It’s Wednesday, December 3rd, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
Thailand orders Christian back to Vietnam to likely torture
Last Wednesday, a court in Thailand ordered that a Christian activist and asylum seeker must be sent back to Vietnam.
Y Quynh Bdap, the co-founder of Montagnards Stand for Justice, faces a 10-year sentence in Vietnam for alleged anti-Communist activities.
International Christian Concern noted, “If extradited to Vietnam, he will likely face torture, violence, and imprisonment. … This will set a dangerous precedent for the thousands of other Christian refugees in Thailand who could also be extradited to their home country, where they fled persecution.”
According to Open Doors, Vietnam is the 47th most dangerous country worldwide for Christians.
Flooding and landslides in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand
Monsoon rains brought catastrophic flooding and landslides to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand last week.
The death toll has surpassed 1,300, and nearly a thousand people are missing.
The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka is distributing emergency aid to pastors and Christian workers in the country. The group said the flooding has been “displacing families and severely impacting pastors, Christian workers, and churches.”
Trump pauses immigration from Third World countries
In the United States, President Donald Trump announced last Thursday his administration will “permanently pause” migration from Third World countries.
This came a day after an Afghan national shot two National Guard members with a 357 revolver in Washington, D.C. near the White House. U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, aged 20, died the next day. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolf remains in serious condition. However, doctors report that he was able to give a thumbs-up sign when prompted and he wiggled his toes on command as well.
Brigadier General Leland Blanchard spoke at a press conference.
BLANCHARD: “Their families’ lives are all changed forever because one person decided to do this horrific and evil thing.”
Officials charged the 29-year-old Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, with first-degree murder yesterday.
The Afghan man drove cross country, from his home in Washington State, to carry out the targeted attack. He had immigrated to the United States in 2021 under a Biden era program evacuating Afghan refugees during the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces.
Listen to comments from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
LEAVITT: “Sarah and Andrew represent the very best of America, two young patriots who were willing to put on the uniform and risk their lives in defense of their fellow Americans. Both of them truly embody the profound words spoken by Jesus Christ in the Gospel. Greater love has no one than this to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
Mass killings are down this year
Mass killings in the U.S. are down according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today.
There have been 17 shooters who killed four or more people in a 24-hour period not including themselves. That’s the lowest on record since 2006.
Mass killings mostly occur at people’s homes and often involve family members.
California officials dropped $70,000 in COVID fines against church
Officials in California recently dropped nearly $70,000 in fines against a church and Christian school.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health targeted Calvary Chapel San Jose and its affiliated Calvary Christian Academy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joel Oster with Advocates for Faith & Freedom said, “This is a complete victory, not only for Calvary Christian Academy, but for every church and Christian school in California. The State tried to use [the Occupational Safety and Health Administration] as a weapon to intimidate a religious institution. They failed. And they were forced to walk away from their own claims.”
Should pro-life ministry be compelled to reveal names of donors?
The U.S. Supreme Court heard a case yesterday involving a pro-life ministry in New Jersey.
The case began in 2023 when the state targeted First Choice Women’s Resource Centers with a subpoena, demanding the names of its donors.
Reuters reports that the justices appeared favorable to the pro-life ministry.
William Haun with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty said, “The Court should make clear that state bureaucrats cannot exploit their power to intimidate ministries or chill the faith commitments that guide their work.”
Isaiah 10:1-2 says, “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, who write misfortune, which they have prescribed to rob the needy of justice, and to take what is right from the poor of My people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless.”
The “Naughty and Nice List” of U.S. retailers
And finally,
AUDIO: “He’s making a list and checking it twice. He’s going to find out who’s naughty or nice.”
Liberty Counsel released its latest “Naughty and Nice List” last month.
The list catalogs retailers that are censoring Christmas and ones that are publicly celebrating it.
Companies that celebrate Christmas include Costco, Lowe’s, and Walmart. Companies that silence and censor Christmas include TJ Maxx, Barnes & Noble, and CVS Pharmacy.
Mat Staver with Liberty Counsel said, “Christianity remains the largest faith tradition in the United States and is associated with worship, family traditions, nostalgia, and seasonal joy. … We are happy to report that some retailers still recognize that the Christmas season is about the birth of Jesus and is not just a winter holiday.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview on this Wednesday, December 3rd, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.