It’s Thursday, October 1st, A.D. 2026. 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
4,216 Nigerian Christians killed since January 1st
Equipping the Persecuted released a report this month, documenting the ongoing slaughter of Christians in Nigeria, Africa.
Over 4,216 Christians were killed in the West African nation between January 1 and September 8 of this year. Most of the violence against Christian farming communities appears to be religiously motivated. It’s largely carried out through Islamic militant networks.
Violence has also displaced over five million Christians and destroyed over 600 Christian communities. Please pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ in Nigeria.
1 Corinthians 12:26 says, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”
Euthanasia deaths surging in Victoria, Australia
Euthanasia deaths are surging in the Australian state of Victoria.
A government report found there were 512 deaths by euthanasia and assisted suicide over the last year. That’s up from 389 deaths the previous year.
A total of 2,188 people have died this way since the state of Victoria started allowing it in 2019.
United States completed withdrawal from Iraq
The United States completed its military withdrawal from Iraq yesterday.
Listen to the previous related comments from President Donald Trump on July 14th at the White House.
TRUMP: “Well, we don’t think we need the military there anymore. It’s a very big operations. What we do have is the oil companies are all going in now, and they’re doing partnerships with Iraq, and they’re getting along very well. The relationship is a whole big relationship where we don’t need the military there. We’re there to help them. We’re there to protect them, if need be.”
The U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, deposed Saddam Hussein, and occupied the country until 2011. American forces returned in 2014 to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. The U.S. military, along with Iraqi forces, defeated ISIS in 2017.
Over 4,400 Americans died in Iraq since 2003. And an estimated 200,000 Iraqi civilians were killed during the same period.
U.S. economy did better than expected
The U.S. economy grew better than expected during the second quarter of this year.
The Gross Domestic Product increased at an annual rate of 2.2 percent from April to June, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Economists had only expected 1.5 percent growth in the GDP.
Judge allows cross to remain in Los Angeles
A federal appeals court recently protected religious symbols in Los Angeles from being removed.
Since 1929, a 10-foot-tall wooden cross has stood in the historic heart of Los Angeles. A local resident sued to remove the cross and keep the city from putting up a nativity each year.
The Ninth Circuit court of Appeals rejected this effort on Monday.
High school students less likely to be perverted
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released their Youth Risk Survey.
The study found students from 9th to 12th grade are less likely to identify as homosexual or bisexual than they were two years ago.
Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University, said, “That really does look like a free fall. The decline appears to be driven almost entirely by girls.”
Young men most likely to attend church more
A new survey from Barna Research found that one in three young adults say they’re attending church more often than a year ago.
Young men are among the most likely to say their attendance has increased.
Prayer is the top reason young people give for attending church followed by worshipping Jesus with other people, experiencing joy in Jesus, and understanding what the Bible has to say.
Psalm 122:1 says, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD.’”
George Whitefield preached 18,000 times to 10 million people in person
And finally, this week is the anniversary of the death of George Whitefield.
The English preacher was born in 1714 in Gloucester. After attending college at Oxford, he would become an itinerate preacher across Britain and the American colonies. His preaching was an important part of the religious revival known as the First Great Awakening.
He often preached outside to thousands, reaching many who never attended church. It’s believed he preached at least 18,000 times and reached about ten million listeners.
By the age of 55, he continued to preach despite poor health. He gave his last sermon in a field in Exeter, New Hampshire. He died the next day on September 30, 1770.
In Acts 20:24, the Apostle Paul said, “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview on this Thursday, October 1st, in the year of our Lord 2026. 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.