It’s Friday, September 12th, 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 and Adam McManus
Chinese pastor dies after years of persecution
After enduring years of persecution, Pastor Zhao Huaiguo, founder of Bethel Church in Hunan, China, has died, leaving behind a legacy of faith and resilience, reports International Christian Concern.
In 2007, Pastor Zhao relocated to Hunan to establish Bethel Church, with a focus on serving elderly Christians and those who had previously avoided the Communist Party-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement churches.
Since Bethel Church’s founding, Pastor Zhao and his wife have faced relentless attacks. In 2019, authorities raided Bethel Church, confiscated Bibles, destroyed property, and pressured members to join the Three-Self movement. Then, in November 2024, Zhao and his wife were detained for 10 days for delivering unsanctioned online training. Pastor Zhao died in his early 50s.
Revelation 2:10b says, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”
Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years in prison
On September 11th, a panel of the Brazilian Supreme Court sentenced former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison after convicting him of attempting to overthrow the government following his loss in the country’s 2022 election, reports The Epoch Times.
Prosecutors charged Bolsonaro with five counts, including an attempted coup, being part of an armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of democratic rule of law, damage characterized by violence, and a serious threat against the state’s assets and deterioration of listed heritage.
Bolsonaro has denied any involvement and said that he is the target of political persecution under the administration of his former competitor, Brazilian President Luiz Lula.
Trump honors the power of prayer
In the United States, President Donald Trump announced the “America Prays” initiative in preparation for the country’s 250th birthday next year.
The White House is asking if one million Americans can dedicate one hour a week to praying for the U.S.
Listen to comments that President Trump gave this week at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.
TRUMP: “So, America has always been a nation that believes in the power of prayer. And we will never apologize for our faith, ever, ever, never, never. We will never surrender our God-given rights. We will defend our liberties, our values, our sovereignty, and we will defend our freedom.”
DHS to offer $110 million of security to Christian groups
The Department of Homeland Security awarded $110 million in security grants to faith-based organizations last month.
The move came just a week before the deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A Senior Department of Homeland Security official said, “DHS is laser-focused on ensuring the safety of the American people. Instead of using grant money to fund climate change initiatives and political pet projects, we are using this money to protect American communities—especially places where people gather in prayer.”
Charlie Kirk’s assassin’s cartridges contained ‘transgender” ideology
Law enforcement have found a rifle near the Utah Valley University campus where conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on September 10th. The cartridges were all “engraved” with expressions of “transgender and anti-fascist ideology,” reports LifeSiteNews.com.
On Thursday morning, Steven Crowder posted to X an exclusively obtained email from the American Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) which shared internal findings about the weapon used by Kirk’s yet-unidentified assassin.
The ATF message said, “The suspect fired one shot from an elevated position on a rooftop in an adjacent building on the campus and surveillance video shows the suspect jumping off and fleeing the area on foot.”
Law enforcement, including ATF, “located an older model imported Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt action rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the campus,” in a location that “appears to match the suspect’s route of travel. The spent cartridge was still chambered in addition to three unspent rounds at the top-fed magazine. All cartridges have engraved wording on them, expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology.”
One person at the scene reported that when he was shot, Kirk had been speaking about “how many trans mass shooters there have been.”
Appearing on Fox News, former FBI Agent Stuart Kaplan provided his analysis.
KAPLAN: “This assassination was a very well planned, very well-orchestrated plot that was put in motion days before. This individual had a plan of escape, to elude detection of being out up on a rooftop, and also being able to evade and elude law enforcement after that shot was taken. This assassination of Charlie Kirk, to me, is indicative of a professional hit.”
Charlie Kirk wanted to be remembered for his courage and faith
On the Hive of Secrets podcast, Charlie Kirk was once asked a provocative question.
HOST: “How do you want to be remembered?”
KIRK: “If I die?”
HOST: “Everything just goes away. How would you, if you could be associated with one thing, how would you want to be remembered?”
KIRK: “I want to be remembered for, for courage for my faith. That would be the most important thing. Most important thing is my faith in my life.”
How Charlie Kirk shared Christ with an atheist student
Charlie Kirk, an evangelical Christian, spent most of his time on college campuses having dialogue with students with whom he disagreed. As you can hear from this exchange, recorded some time ago, he did not hesitate to share Christ.
STUDENT: “Are you a Christian by any chance?”
KIRK: “Very, very much.”
STUDENT: So, like, why is that exactly?”
KIRK: “Oh, Jesus saved my life. I’m a sinner, gave my life to Christ, most important decision I ever made.”
STUDENT: “So, you believe the Bible is real?”
KIRK” “Yes, I believe the Bible is true and real.”
STUDENT: “Why is that?”
KIRK: “Well, I could give you the technical answer. There’s never been an archeological discovery that has contradicted the truth of the Bible. And then, of course, the wisdom. There is not a truth of the Bible, that if you apply to your life, your life does not improve it dramatically.
“And then finally, we have the most accurate and transparent, historically robust account that one can have, of the most important figure ever to live in the history of the world: Jesus of Nazareth. And the resurrection is the pinpoint of my belief that Jesus did rise from the grave so that we may live.”
STUDENT: “What makes Christian mythology real?”
KIRK: “So, that’s not mythology, but that is theology. If Genesis 1:1 and the resurrection is true, anything in the Bible is possible. You’re looking at the greatest miracle. The greatest miracle is creation, and then the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. And I say, ‘How do you know that Jesus rose from the dead?’
“Well, show me another historical piece of a story where so many people willingly died a brutal death for a lie. Every single person around Him had everything to lose, and yet they went to the absolute death, from Paul to Peter to James, saying that, ‘Jesus is Lord. Jesus rose from the dead.’
“Not to mention, if you were gonna fake a story, you would not use female witnesses in the ancient world. In the Scriptures, it said that the women were the first ones to see Jesus Christ. If you’re trying to fake a story, you would never do that.”
2 Thessalonians 3:1 was no doubt on the heart of Charlie Kirk as he shared his faith so publicly and so boldly. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored.”
Charlie Kirk urged young people to come to Christ
In one of Charlie Kirk’s final X posts this past Saturday, he wrote, “Jesus defeated death so you can live,” reports Fox News.
Kirk was a significant figure who inspired millions of high school and college students not only to become engaged politically, but to consider the claims of Jesus Christ and live lives guided by faith.
Turning Point has a branch focused purely on faith, called Turning Point Faith, “dedicated to empowering Christians to put their faith into action.”
Pastor Rob McCoy, who is founder of Godspeak Calvary Chapel and the co-chair of Turning Point Faith, said Charlie Kirk called him his pastor but that he prefers to be known as his “friend and greatest fan.”
Pastor McCoy said, “Charlie never used violence but was threatened every day with violence by those who couldn’t contend with logic and truth — and now they have done to my friend what evil always does. It takes away life.”
McCoy said, “Charlie did not die. Instead, he has begun to truly live. His life was secured eternally by his Savior, Jesus Christ. This truth allowed Charlie to face every threat with courage because he didn’t fear death.”
Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
McCoy added, “All evil knows is death, and they derive power from death. Charlie lived for life and will be remembered for this. My heart is broken for his family — his wife Erika and his two precious children. Evil has not prevailed, and it will not win.”
American conservative social media activist Robby Starbuck said “Charlie’s greatest achievement is talking about God to young people during a time when too many were afraid to do that. The result has been a revival on college campuses all over the nation. It’s our responsibility to carry on [Charlie’s] work now.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview on this Friday, September 12th, 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. I’m Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.