It’s Wednesday, March 19th, 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 Jonathan Clark
Pakistan court annulled forced marriage of Christian girl to Muslim man
A court in Pakistan issued an historic ruling in favor of a Christian woman last month.
Shahida Bibi was 11 years old when her mother eloped with a Muslim man who then “gave” Bibi to his brother. She faced years of abuse and coercion and gave birth to two children. She was also forced into an Islamic marriage once she turned 18.
Thankfully, a court annulled the forced marriage.
Alliance Defending Freedom commented, “While these forced conversions and marriage abuses happen across the globe, they are especially prevalent in Pakistan. In coordination with our allied lawyers in the country, we are taking every step possible to prevent these situations from occurring.”
Pakistan is ranked eighth on the Open Doors’ World Watch List of nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
Bible sales nearly double United Kingdom
Bible sales have nearly doubled in the United Kingdom, reports The Times.
Between 2019 and 2024, the sale of Bibles increased 87% from 2.69 million British pounds to 5.02 million pounds.
Publishers credit this increased demand to the spiritual interest of young people.
Sam Richardson, with The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, said, “Atheism, once considered by modern society to be the view of most rational adults, no longer seems to carry the same weight or appeal. Young people — Gen Z in particular — are statistically far less likely to identify as atheists than their parents.”
Psalm 119:9 asks, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.”
Putin agreed to limited ceasefire
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a limited ceasefire in Ukraine during a call with U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday.
For 30 days, Russia said it would halt strikes on energy and infrastructure targets in Ukraine. This falls short of a complete 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine has agreed to.
Trump wrote on Truth Social, “My phone conversation today with President Putin of Russia was a very good and productive one. … We will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible War between Russia and Ukraine.”
Appearing on the Real Clear Politics Radio Show, reporter Phil Wegman, offered a fascinating boxing analogy.
Listen.
WEGMAN: “What is absent from this readout between Trump and Putin is any type of fireworks. Both Trump and Putin, they know each other. They’re known entities, and while Trump isn’t as aggressive in his description of the Russian dictator, he doesn’t trust the guy. That much is clear from his moves on arming the Ukrainians during his first term, from his moves on Nord Stream. (Look at the map here)
“I think this is just two folks who know each other pretty well, who are circling one another before they get into the ring and actually begin trading diplomatic blows to get this thing to an end.”
By the way, Nord Stream is a network of offshore natural gas pipelines which run under the Baltic Sea, from Russia all the way to Germany (759 miles), to provide Western Europe with natural gas.
Trump sides with church in zoning case
The Trump administration is backing a church in a case over religious discrimination with a California city.
The city of Santa Ana denied a request by Anchor Stone Christian Church to operate in the city’s professional district. The city’s zoning laws make it difficult for churches, but not other groups like museums or art galleries, to operate in the district.
The U.S. Department of Justice supports the church, accusing the city leaders of Santa Ana of violating the federal law by giving less favorable treatment to religious assemblies.
Environmental Protection Agency rolls out biggest deregulation ever
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history last week.
The agency announced 31 actions aimed at unleashing American energy, lowering the cost of living for American families, and giving power back to states to make their own decisions.
The agency’s administrator, Lee Zeldin, said, “Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen. We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S., and more.”
Missouri AG to Planned Parenthood: No more Abortion Kill Pills
Missouri is cracking down on chemical abortions in the state.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey issued a cease-and-desist order to Planned Parenthood last week.
Bailey noted, “This order is a necessary enforcement mechanism to prevent Planned Parenthood from continuing to disregard Missouri law and to protect the health and safety of Missouri women. Planned Parenthood has a documented history of subverting state law, including failure to file complication reports.”
Two astronauts returned after 9 months stranded in space
And finally …
SPACEX ANNOUNCER: “And splashdown. Crew Nine, back on Earth. (applause and cheers) Butch, Suni, on behalf of SpaceX, welcome home!”
two NASA astronauts headed back to Earth yesterday after spending an unexpected nine months aboard the International Space Station. Last June, they anticipated only an 8-day stay. They languished in space for 286 days – 35 times longer than the initially scheduled mission.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams had planned on a short mission last spring. However, the Boeing Starliner crew capsule that took them to space encountered technical issues, stranding them on the space station.
The astronauts returned thanks to a SpaceX Freedom capsule.
The capsule entered our atmosphere at 17,500 miles per hour. The heat shield brought the speed down to 350 miles per hour. And then the four parachutes, which opened at 6,500 feet above Earth, lowered the speed to 119 miles per hour, enabling the capsule to land gently at 15 miles per hour in the Gulf of America off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida.
During an interview on board the space station, Wilmore shared his Christian faith.
WILMORE: “My feeling on all of this goes back to my faith. It’s bound in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is working out His plan and His purposes for His glory throughout all of humanity. And how that plays into our lives is significant and important, and however that plays out, I am content because I understand that. I understand that He’s at work in all things.”
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview on this Wednesday, March 19th, 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.