It’s Thursday, August 27th, 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 and Adam McManus
Haitian gang members killed 50 people in church
Gang members attacked a church in Haiti on Sunday, killing nearly 50 people.
Displaced people were sheltering in the building of Church of the Ark of the New Covenant. The evangelical church is located near Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Up to 90 percent of the area is controlled by gangs. The gang members killed 47 people and injured another 22 people.
Please pray for Christians in Haiti who face much of the widespread gang violence in the country.
In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Germany first country to display Muslim prayer times on official signs
Evangelical Focus reports a German town became the first in the country to display Muslim prayer times on its official signs.
The municipality of Penzberg previously listed Sunday service times for the Catholic and Lutheran parishes in town. Signage now includes prayer times for the local mosque established in 1990.
Muslims with a migrant background make up about eight percent of Germany’s population, up from five percent in 2016.
New U.S. economic sanctions against Iran
The Trump administration announced aggressive economic sanctions against Iran on Monday.
Operation Economic Outcast aims to cut Iran’s financial connections with the rest of the world. The sanctions will also affect any country doing business with the regime.
Listen to comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
BESSENT: “We want to make clear here today that no one is above the reach of U.S. sanctions. That if they facilitate transactions and are part of the ecosystem that turns Iranian oil into money, into repression, they will be targeted.”
Facebook/Instagram pay $18 billion over addictive algorithms for kids
Meta Platforms agreed to pay up to $18 billion over the next decade in a settlement announced yesterday.
Nearly every U.S. state accused the social media company of designing its platforms to be addictive to children. The tech giant is being held accountable for the role its platforms played in undermining children’s mental health. These platforms include Facebook and Instagram.
California will get the largest sum of $1.5 billion, but several other states will still collect hundreds of millions of dollars each over the decade. The money will be used to pay for legal fees, mental health care for children, after-school programs, and education about the risks of social media use.
According to the Associated Press, Meta will eliminate push notifications during weekday school hours and bring in “robust” age-assurance measures and “age-appropriate” content controls to prevent bullying and harmful material about eating disorders and self-harm.
The case also argued that Meta violated federal laws by routinely collecting data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent.
As part of the settlement, Meta agreed to limit teenagers’ use of Instagram and Facebook to a couple of hours a day.
1,235 assisted suicide deaths in California last year
The state of California reported 1,235 assisted suicide deaths last year.
The death toll is up nearly 150 percent over the past five years.
The California End of Life Option Act allows adults, expected to live six months or less, to obtain life-ending drugs. The state has authorized the deaths of at least 6,758 people since the law went into effect in 2016.
3 California homeschoolers sue over prohibition from participation
Three homeschool families petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court last week after California excluded them from a state program.
Some of California’s tuition-free charter schools allow homeschool academy programs. However, families cannot use state funds from these charter schools for religious curriculum.
In one case, the state rejected a grammar exercise simply because it used the sentence: “God sends the rain to help plants grow.”
Acts 14:17 says God “did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from Heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
Protestant churches are multigenerational
Most Protestant churches report being multigenerational.
A survey from Lifeway Research found 91 percent of churchgoers agree their church has a good number of active members from all generations. Seventy-eight percent of pastors also agree.
Being multigenerational was more frequently reported by pastors of larger churches, younger pastors, and evangelical pastors.
Dolly Parton, who died at 80, championed a false gospel
And finally,
PARTON:
“Workin’ 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin’
Barely gettin’ by, it’s all takin’ and no givin’”
Dolly Parton, the country singer, actress, and businesswoman, died peacefully at her home in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday. She was 80 years old.
Known as the Queen of Country, the singer-songwriter is among one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She wrote and sang this song in 1974 which Whitney Houston would later famously cover.
PARTON:
“And I will always love you
I will always love you.”
Parton grew up in a Pentecostal church and described herself as a person of faith.
PARTON: “My grandpa was a preacher. So, my grandpa pastored this little church called the House of Prayer. He was a very positive, uplifting person. And I learned to love Jesus, and learned that Jesus loved me when I was a little bitty kid.
“And all those things that Mama used to say, you know, that through God all things are possible. I kept all those things kind of tucked away into my subconscious mind and in my heart. And those are the things that have helped me through the years. I never do anything that I don’t pray about it, and I always ask God to lead me and to show me and direct me into what I’m doing.”
She was married to her husband Carl Thomas Dean for nearly 60 years until his death in 2025.
As a philanthropist, Parton supported children’s literacy and medical research. Sadly, she was also known as an advocate for unbiblical causes like homosexual behavior and faux homosexual marriage.
Appearing with Larry King, she defended homosexuality.
KING: “Didn’t you recently, though, throw support to the [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender] community?”
PARTON: “Oh, I’ve always encouraged, not encouraged. They’ve made me the poster child I think only because I’m so outspoken as far as just being accepting of people in general.
“I do not believe that we should criticize and judge other people. I think we should be accepting and loving. We are all God’s children. We are who we are, and we should allow, be allowed to be who we are.”
Kate Newman, a Christian YouTuber, objected to Parton’s bad theology, referencing John 1:12.
NEWMAN: “We are not all children of God, contrary to popular belief. We receive the Spirit of adoption from God when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and we are led by His Holy Spirit. But until then, we’re actually all children of the devil.”
Larry King asked Dolly Parton this follow-up question.
KING: “Did any of the faith-based communities that deeply believe the other way take umbrage with you?”
PARTON: “Oh, absolutely.
KING: “They did?”
PARTON: “Oh, yes. I get it all the time. I keep saying, ‘Well, if you’re the fine Christian that you think you are, why are you judging people? That’s God’s job. We’re not God. We’re not judges.’ You know, we’re supposed to love one another. We’re supposed to not judge.
“If you’re gay, you’re gay. If you’re straight, you’re straight. And you should be allowed to be, you know, how how you are and who you are.”
In 2024, Ericka Andersen wrote a column for The Federalist entitled “There’s nothing loving about Dolly Parton’s false gospel.” She argued that, “Parton’s version of love, which includes condoning immoral sexual behavior is unaligned with God’s vision for humanity. Like so many secularized spiritual leaders, Parton equates love with agreement, but the two are not reciprocal. Love doesn’t mean we must accept sinfulness as good to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.
“To be sure, the culture is on a constant witch hunt for those who would call homosexuality sinful. I understand wanting to avoid the avalanche of criticism, but calling sin out by name isn’t judgment. It’s adhering to Scripture.
“She’s right that all should be treated with love and kindness, but when we refuse to label sin a sin, we’re doing more harm than good. The gospel of Dolly Parton is popular with the masses, but don’t bank your eternity on it.”
Leviticus 18:22 says, “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview on this Thursday, August 27th, 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.