It’s Tuesday, January 23rd, 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
Chinese Communists sentence pastor to 14 years in prison
A Chinese pastor with a large online presence has received a sentence of 14 years in prison.
Kan Xiaoyong, his wife Wang, and four other church members all received prison sentences at the hands of the despotic communist government, reports Bitter Winter Magazine.
Pastor Kan has supported the House Church movement with what he called the Home Discipleship Network for the last four years. Both the pastor and his wife were tortured for two to three hours by Chinese authorities, reports Radio Free Asia.
Indian prime minister doubles down on Hinduism
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is moving more nationalist and more committed to a Hindu state. That will mean more persecution for Christians and those of other minority religions.
His enthusiastic support for the false god “Lord Ram” and a new Hindu temple in northern India’s Ayodhya is an attempt to create what Modi has called “The New India.”
Hindus for Human Rights is protesting, calling this an attempt to “weaponize Hinduism in the name of the BJP’s repressive nationalist ideology, ahead of national elections in May.”
Brazil floods kill 32
Torrential rains in Brazil led to severe flooding last week, resulting in the deaths of at least 32 persons and the displacement of 5,000 others, according to The Brazilian Report.
And The Christian Daily reports that the Rio de Janeiro flood left 12 dead.
The Brazilian Evangelical Alliance is calling for prayers and volunteers to help with the clean up efforts for church communities affected by the flooding — reported to be the worst in 90 years.
Brazil critical of Israel
Also, in relation to the Israeli-Hamas War, Brazil has joined South Africa and other Arab nations to bring charges of genocide against Israel in the International Court of Justice for Israel’s defending itself after being attacked by the Muslim terrorist group on October 7th.
The United States, Canada, and Germany have criticized the motion.
Ron DeSantis withdraws from presidential race
Ahead of today’s first-in-the nation primary in New Hampshire, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has pulled out of the presidential race, and he’s putting his support behind former president Donald Trump.
Listen.
DeSANTIS: “I can’t ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.
“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance. They watch his presidency gets stymied by relentless resistance, and they see Democrats using lawfair to this day to attack him. While I’ve had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden.
“He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican Guard of yesteryear.”
Trump leads Haley, 50-39%, in New Hampshire
A CNN poll finds that Trump’s lead over second place Republican candidate Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina Governor, is now 50-39% in the New Hampshire primary today, where Haley has her best shot.
Real estate market hitting recession
The real estate market has hit recession levels. Existing-home sales waned by 1 % in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.78 million, reports the National Association of Realtors.
That’s the lowest level since the 2010 recession.
Court: 18 to 20-year-olds can carry guns
The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the rights of 18 to 20-year-olds to carry arms.
The court ruled that a Pennsylvania law, which prohibits the right of these young adults from carrying firearms in public during a state of emergency, was unconstitutional.
U.S. Circuit Judge Kent Jordan wrote, “It is undisputed that 18 to 20-year-olds are among ‘the people’ for other constitutional rights such as the right to vote, freedom of speech, peaceable assembly, government petitions, and the right against unreasonable government searches and seizures.”
March for Life in D.C. and across America
Pro-lifers held their March for Life events around the country over the weekend, connected to the January 22, 1973 date of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision which effectively legalized abortion.
As The Worldview reported yesterday, thousands braved snowy weather in Washington DC, to march and attend a rally with speakers including NFL player Benjamin Watson and House Speaker Mike Johnson – both of whom we quoted.
Other speakers included Republican Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, Focus on the Family President Jim Daly, and Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship.
Abortion rate up despite overturn of Roe
Despite the reversal of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, the number of abortions appears to still be on the increase in America.
The Guttmacher Institute reports that in the first 10 months of 2023 there were an estimated 878,000 abortions in the formal US health care system. That’s a rate 12% higher than 2020’s numbers. And that doesn’t include the number of abortions produced by the Day After Pill, the IUD, and the unrecorded Abortion Kill Pill by Mail program.
Hear the Word of the Lord, for America, from Isaiah 1:15-17.
God said, “When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.”
Wrestler Hulk Hogan rescues teen after witnessing car accident
And finally, famed wrestler Hulk Hogan has recently been in the headlines for getting baptized and speaking about his newfound Christian faith, reports FaithWire.com.
But the former World Wrestling Entertainment star is now making headlines for “playing real-life superheroes” alongside one of his friends. A week ago Sunday night, Hogan was in Tampa, Florida when he witnessed a horrific crash and jumped into action.
The accident reportedly involved a 17-year-old girl, whom Hogan rescued.
After news of the incident broke, the wrestling icon’s wife, Sky Daily Hogan, shared details of the event on her Facebook page.
She said, “Last night, after we left dinner in Tampa, we saw a car flip in front of us! I truly admire my husband, @hulkhogan, and our good buddy, @jakerask, for springing into action, puncturing the girl’s airbag, and getting her quickly out of the car.”
According to Hogan, the victim was “unscathed,” though rattled. In the end, she called the entire ordeal “an absolute miracle.”
The wrestler also confirmed the story on his Twitter feed, explaining how he was able to pop the airbag without a knife.
He wrote, “The crazy part about the teenager that flipped her car was that, without a knife to puncture the airbags to get her out, an Indian Rocks Christian ballpoint pen came in really handy. Thank you, God, all is well.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Tuesday, January 23rd 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.