It’s Wednesday, January 10th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)

By Jonathan Clark

Biden failed to include India and Nigeria on naughty list

The U.S. State Department released its annual report on religious freedom violators last Thursday. 

The report listed Countries of Particular Concern which included Myanmar, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. 

However, religious freedom groups are criticizing the Biden administration for not including India and Nigeria on the list.

McKenna Wendt with International Christian Concern said, “During the Christmas season, hundreds of Christians were slaughtered in Nigeria. And in India, anti-conversion laws, mob violence, and extremist ideology continues to suppress the Christian community. ICC stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Nigeria and India, and we call on the U.S. State Department to hold these governments accountable.”

Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”

World economy slowing again

The World Bank announced it expects global economic growth to slow in 2024 for a third year in a row.

The institution projects the economy worldwide will grow by 2.4 percent this year. That’s down from 2.6 percent last year, 3 percent in 2022, and 6.2 percent in 2021.

The economic stagnation will hit developing countries the hardest in the wake of the pandemic era. 

The World Bank also projected slower economic growth for the United States at 1.6 percent this year, down from 2.5 percent last year.

America’s $34 trillion of debt

Speaking of the U.S. economy, the federal government’s total debt crossed $34 trillion for the first time at the end of 2023.

The new record comes just three months after the government crossed the $33 trillion threshold.

Federal deficit spending has surged under recent administrations, both Democrat and Republican.

Over the last year, credit rating agencies have downgraded their outlook on the government’s credit standing.

Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.”

Apple vs. the Bible

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ruled that Apple Inc. cannot exclude a free speech resolution from its 2024 annual meeting.

The American Family Association put forward the resolution over concerns that the tech company is “limiting content access within its online services based on viewpoint and that it does so based on vague and subjective terms of use.” Apple has used its vague guidelines to ban content that promotes Biblical views on marriage and sexuality. 

Jeremy Tedesco with Alliance Defending Freedom said, “Major corporations like Apple shouldn’t be hiding from shareholders who are concerned about the company’s impact on free speech.”

U.S. Supreme Court hears Trump Colorado ballot case

Last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case over Colorado’s removal of Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot.

Last month, Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled that the former president was disqualified from the office based on the insurrection clause in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment in Section 3.

Trump appealed the decision. The U.S. Supreme Court said it would fast-track the case with oral arguments scheduled for February 8th. Trump is also appealing a similar decision in Maine to keep him off the ballot there.

Will Missouri remove Biden from ballot?

Meanwhile, in Missouri, a state official has indicated he may try to remove President Joe Biden from the ballot.

Last Friday, Missouri’s Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft  spoke out on X.  He tweeted, “What has happened in Colorado & Maine is disgraceful & undermines our republic. While I expect the Supreme Court to overturn this, if not, Secretaries of State will step in & ensure the new legal standard for @realDonaldTrump applies equally to @JoeBiden!”

Ashcroft also told NBC News, “If Democrat states are saying we’re not going to let these Republicans run, you bet you’re going to see the same thing happening from Republican states.”

Pro-abortion Arkansas constitutional amendment doesn’t make cut

And finally, a pro-abortion constitutional amendment has failed again to make it onto the ballot in Arkansas. 

The state’s Republican Attorney General Tim Griffin already rejected another version of the amendment last year.

The measure would have allowed the killing of unborn babies in certain cases. Griffin wrote that the amendment included language that was unclear and could mislead voters.

Arkansas currently bans abortion in almost all cases. 

Close

And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, January 10th in the year of our Lord 2024. 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.