It’s Tuesday, April 30th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Kevin Swanson
TikTok bans around the globe
TikTok bans are spreading.
India banned the app in 2020. Nepal did so last November as well as Afghanistan and Iran among others.
As of last week, the U.S. government moved to ban TikTok within a year unless the app is sold. America has the most TikTok users of any country in the world — estimated to be between 135 and 170 million users.
Trump beating Biden in polls – especially with third party candidates
CNN is reporting that Donald Trump is well ahead in the 2024 presidential race.
The news agency’s recent poll puts the former president ahead 49%-43%. When third party candidates — like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., People’s Party Cornel West, and Libertarian Dr. Jill Stein — are put into the mix, Trump is ahead 42% to 33%. Kennedy is at 16%, West is at 4%, and Stein is at 3%.
The same CNN poll found that only 39% of voters see the Biden presidency as a success, while 55% consider the previous Trump presidency a success.
American taxpayers send billions to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan
Another $61 billion has been assigned in the recent U.S. spending bill for the Ukrainian war against Russia. Thus far, the U.S. has underwritten $72 billion in Ukrainian aid. In addition, the European Union has spent about $107 billion on the war over the last two years. That accounts for about 30 times Ukraine’s annual military budget.
Israel is also slated to receive $14 billion of the package — a sizable increase from the average of $4 billion per year given to Israel over the last 20 years. Israel’s military budget has averaged around $23 billion per year.
The $95 billion foreign aid package, signed by President Biden last week, represents a sizable increase from the $45 billion of foreign aid handed out in 2020. The package is intended to support American allies of Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel against Russia, China, and Hamas.
Taylor Swift’s new album: explicit, blasphemous, and anti-Christian
In pop culture news, Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poet’s Department album made almost a billion album streams last week, breaking all previous records. That included almost two million vinyl, cassettes, and CD sales.
Adele still holds the top spot for most records sold in one week. However, six out of the top fifteen album sales of all time belong to Taylor Swift.
The Christian Post notes that 11 of the 31 songs contain an “E” under the album’s description listing, which stands for “explicit.”
Shane Pruitt, the Southern Baptist Next Gen director, was upset that Swift mocks God and Christians. He asked, “As Christians, who are filled with the Spirit, should we be entertained by, sing with, and expose our kids to lyrics that aren’t just different than what you believe, but are actually mocking what you believe?”
Southern Baptist pastors more conservative than laity
There is a major disconnect between Southern Baptist pastors and the laity. That’s the conclusion of a Lifeway survey conducted earlier this year.
In fact, 62% of key leaders believe America has become a secular nation, but only 11% of the laity hold that position. In addition, 80% of the leaders surveyed consider themselves conservative, while only 56% of the church attendees would claim the label.
And seven times the percentage of the laity would call themselves liberal, as compared to the Southern Baptist pastors.
Catholic and Mainline Protestant pastors more liberal than laity
By contrast, research has found that Catholics and mainline Protestant denominations show an opposite trend.
For example, 49% of Catholic laity voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 elections, while only 24% of Catholic clergy voted for the Republican candidate.
About the same ratios applied to mainline Protestants.
Plummeting U.S. fertility rate
America’s fertility rate fell once more in 2023.
It’s now well below the replacement rate at 1.62 children per woman in this country, according to the Centers for Disease Control. That’s the lowest level in U.S. history.
Not surprisingly, states with slightly higher birth rates are Republican — North Dakota, Nebraska, Louisiana, Utah, and Texas. Lowest birth rates occur in Democrat-controlled states, reports LifeSiteNews.com.
We are warned in Deuteronomy 28:15, 18-19 — “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all His commandments and His statutes. … Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.”
Guiness World Record-setting pastor for serving 74 years
A pastor who held the Guiness Book of World Records for pastoring in the same church the longest has died at 94 years of age.
Since the year 1950, Pastor D.N. Benford Sr. served almost 74 years at Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church in Texas City, Texas.
Chuck Norris honors his 103-year-old mother
And finally, actor and martial arts expert Chuck Norris shared a tribute to his 103-year-old mother this week on WorldNetDaily.com.
She raised three boys as a single mom, and prayed for Chuck his whole life — especially that he wouldn’t lose his soul to Hollywood.
Wilma Norris Knights’ best advice to her son and the rest of us is: “Don’t be surprised by fiery trials. Don’t worry. Trust God. Live within your means. And seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” That’s Matthew 6:33.
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Tuesday, April 30th 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.