It’s Monday, March 17th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Adam McManus
Texas university lecturer on video harassing evangelist put on leave
A University of Texas at Arlington philosophy lecturer who was seen in a viral video harassing a Christian evangelist says he’s been placed on administrative leave, reports The Christian Post.
In a video shared on March 9th, Charles Hermes, an undergraduate advisor and senior lecturer of Philosophy, is seen shouting “No justice!” at a pro-life street preacher during a pro-abortion rally in Fort Worth. The evangelist is heard asking, “Do you believe in Jesus?” to several bystanders in the video.
A campus reporter enters the frame and asks the preacher, “Why are you here?” The preacher replies, “I am here because I was brought here. I am here because all the children that are dying.”
Proverbs 24:11 says, “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.”
Senate passes funding bill to avert government shutdown
Last Friday, the U.S. Senate approved a House-passed bill to extend government funding by six months, hours before a shutdown deadline, reports The Epoch Times.
In an initial procedural vote, 11 Senate Democrats joined Republicans to advance the measure. Afterwards, the Senate passed the bill in a 54–46 vote.
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Independent Senator Angus King of Vermont supported final passage. Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to oppose the package, because there were not deeper cuts in spending.
PAUL: “President Trump has pledged to balance the budget. I want to help him with this task, but to balance the budget requires much less spending than this current bill entails.
“Our national debt now exceeds $36 trillion. That’s 124% of the size of our economy. That should not be a surprise. We’re adding $2 trillion every year to the debt, this year included.
“Critics of excessive federal spending have rightly argued that we should return spending to pre-pandemic levels. This is something I could support. The spending bill before us, though, spends $400 billion more than we were spending before the pandemic. Spending went through the roof during the pandemic, and it never came back down. And the deficits are out of control.
“In order for this bill to get back to pre-pandemic levels, it would have to be $400 billion less. That’s something I could support.”
The legislation, which extends government funding through September 30, now heads to the desk of President Donald Trump, who’s expected to sign it.
Homeland Security revokes student visa of terrorist sympathizer
Last Friday, the Department of Homeland Security announced it revoked the visa of one Columbia University student escalating its crackdown on those engaged in pro-Hamas demonstrations over the conflict in Gaza, reports The Hill.
The stripping of the visa comes just days after the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a former grad student at the university, by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Khalil has a green card.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained the Trump administration’s actions.
RUBIO: “When you come to the United States as a visitor, which is what a visa is, we can deny you that visa. We can deny you that if you tell us, when you apply, ‘Hi, I’m trying to get into the United States on a student visa. I am a big supporter of Hamas, a murderous, barbaric group that kidnaps children, that rapes teenage girls, that takes hostages, that allows them to die in captivity, that returns more bodies than live hostages.’ If you tell us, … ‘I intend to come to your country as a student, and rile up all kinds of anti-Jewish student, antisemitic activities.’ …
“This is not about free speech. This is about people that don’t have a right to be in the United States to begin with. No one has a right to a student visa. No one has a right to a green card.”
Bill allows interrogation of homeschool parents
Illinois homeschool advocates and supporters of private education are warning about a bill in the Illinois House that could involve the invasion of personal privacy and lead to government intrusion into the rights of parents to educate their children, reports LifeSiteNews.com.
It’s based on model legislation supported by a Massachusetts-based group that also warns about “parental rights extremism” and “Christian fundamentalists.”
Illinois House Bill 2827 “would create new requirements for homeschooling families to report their educational activities to authorities,” according to the Home School Legal Defense Association.
Deuteronomy 6:7 says, “You shall teach [the Commands of God] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
The group, along with Illinois Christian Home Educators, recently had more than 2,000 people come out to the state capitol to rally in support of educational freedom. More than 20,000 people have also filled out witness slips against the pending bill and only 500 have voiced support.
The legislation was introduced by Illinois Democratic Rep. Terra Costa-Howard and co-sponsored by another 15 State Reps. under the guise of protecting kids in homeschool from abuse and ensuring they’re aware of opportunities for medical care and activities through their local school district.
You can send an email with your objection through a special HSLDA Action link in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com.
Country band censored by TV station over patriotic song
And finally, the Dugger Band, a patriotic country music group, was censored by television station WSMV in Nashville, Tennessee, reports Christian talk radio host Todd Starnes.
The brothers — Jordan and Seth Dugger — had written a song called “True Colors.” They had been invited to perform on the station’s “Today in Nashville” program.
But when station management read the lyrics – they told the boys from the mountains of East Tennessee that it was politically biased – because it promoted America.
The Dugger brothers said, “We wrote this song because we’re proud to be Americans and we’re tired of people putting the USA down.”
Listen to some of the lyrics that offended the management at WSMV TV.
“You’re just sitting there sipping on that Starbucks cup
Hating on everything, not doing anything
I crank up some Toby Keith
Climb back in my truck
[Pre-Chorus]
“And it don’t matter where the chips may fall
That Statue of Liberty will be standing tall
The best part about the land of the free
Is if you don’t like it, you’re free to leave
[Chorus]
“But I ain’t leaving here
I’m an eighth generation
God-fearing blue collar with the flag waving
And I don’t wait for the Fourth of July
It′s year round, life-long American pride
“And right here, right now, I’m drawing the line
If this country ain’t something you can stand bеhind
Then that’s the differеnce ‘tween me and you
‘Cause my true colors are red, white and blue”
If you object to WSMV-TV’s decision to prohibit The Dugger Band from performing their patriotic song “True Colors,” send a polite email to comments@wsmv.com. You can call (615) 353-4444 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Or send a 2-sentence letter to Jasmine Hardin, General Manager, WSMV-TV, 5700 Knob Road, Nashville, TN 37209.
Close
And that’s The Worldview on this Friday, March 17th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe by Amazon Music or 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.