It’s Wednesday, April 12th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)

By Jonathan Clark

Malaysia state bans Muslims from attending Christian events

Malaysia’s state of Selangor issued an anti-Christian ruling last month. It bans Muslims from visiting non-Muslim places of worship, including churches.

Selangor is the most populous state in the Southeast Asian country which has a Muslim majority. 

The ban comes after Malaysia’s Sports Minister announced an event for people to learn about Christianity. 

An Open Doors spokesman said, “It is alarming to see the rise in incidents like this, giving more and more control to the Islamic authority and restricting the rights of the minorities.”

Malaysia is ranked 43rd on the Open Doors’ World Watch List of nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian. 

Iran and Saudi Arabia restore diplomatic ties with one another

Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic ties last Thursday with one another. The two countries have long been rivals, and for seven years they have not had diplomatic ties.

The Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers came to the agreement, brokered by China, during a meeting in Beijing.

This represents China’s increased influence among Gulf Arab states as the U.S. presence in the region diminishes.

Int’l Monetary Fund expects global economy to grow by 3%

On Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund said it expects the global economy to grow around 3% annually over the next five years.

It’s the weakest growth forecast since 1990.

The IMF’s latest report predicts 90% of advanced economies will stop expanding this year. This comes as countries in North America and Europe raise interest rates to combat inflation.

Meanwhile, about half of global growth is expected to come from economies in Asia like China and India.

Idaho and Indiana crack down on kids’ gender confusion

More U.S. states are cracking down on gender confusion.

Last week, Idaho and Indiana enacted laws to protect children from puberty blockers and so-called “sex-change” surgeries. Ten other states have passed similar legislation. Even more states have banned males, pretending to be females, from competing in female sports.

In response, the Biden administration is trying to protect gender confusion. Last week, the U.S. Department of Education proposed expanding Title IX protections to include “gender identity.” This would effectively keep publicly-funded schools from banning transgender athletes.  

Romans 1:28 says, “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.”

2 pro-abort vandals charged in Florida

At the end of last month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a federal grand jury charged two more people for attacking pro-life pregnancy centers in Florida.

A total of four people have now been indicted for pro-abortion vandalism in the state.

If convicted, they could face years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

However, the four indictments are small in comparison with the dozens of pro-abortion attacks carried out on pregnancy centers over the last year.

150 Catholic priests in Baltimore abused 600 kids

Last Wednesday, Maryland’s Attorney General Anthony Brown released a 463-page report on child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

The Archdiocese is the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the U.S.

The report accuses 150 Catholic priests and other individuals from the Archdiocese of abusing over 600 children during the span of 80 years.

More workers taking parental leave

The Wall Street Journal reports the number of workers taking parental leave is up 13.5% from 2021.

Nearly 500,000 working parents took leave in January, the most since 1994.

One driving factor is an increase in the number of births in the past two years.

Another factor is an increase in the availability of paid parental leave. Last March, 25% of workers had access to parental leave, up from 19% in 2019. Seven states now require employers to offer paid leave, up from four in 2018.

66% of Americans believe Jesus rose from dead

And finally, Lifeway Research released a study last Wednesday ahead of Resurrection Sunday. 

The survey found 66% of U.S. adults believe the Biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate. Twenty-three percent disagree, and 11% aren’t sure.

However, Lifeway reports many Americans have conflicting views on the Bible and see little connection between the resurrection of Christ and their daily lives.

The Apostle John wrote in Revelation 1:4-6, “Grace to you… from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings on earth . . . who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father.”

Close

And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, April 12th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe 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 (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.