It’s Wednesday, November 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

Chinese Communists arrested and detained three Christians

Communist authorities in central China arrested and detained three Christians from a house church this month.

Two of the Christians are pastors. They are facing trumped up charges of “fraud” and had previously spent over two years in custody. Officials often use such charges against house church leaders for simply receiving tithes and offerings.

ChinaAid noted, “In recent years, the charge of ‘fraud’ has increasingly been used by local governments across China as a common tactic to suppress pastors of house churches systematically.”

Psalm 14:1, 4 says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good. … Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up My people as they eat bread, and do not call on the LORD?”

Japanese soldiers address attacks by bears

Japan deployed troops to the northern part of the island country last week to deal with a string of deadly attacks—from bears.

Since April of this year, bears have killed at least 13 people in Japan and injured over 100 more. That’s the most fatalities on record.

Experts are blaming the attacks on a poor acorn harvest this year. Bears are now leaving their natural habitats and wandering into urban areas to find food. In one incident last month, a bear attacked shoppers at a supermarket 80 miles north of Tokyo.  

Supreme Court affirms Trump’s call for biologically accurate passports

In the United States, the U.S. Supreme ruled in favor of the Trump administration in a case involving so-called gender identity. 

The ruling allows the State Department to require passports to list the holder’s biological sex at birth. The court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines. 

The ruling stated, “Displaying passport holders' sex at birth no more offends equal protection principles than displaying their country of birth—in both cases, the government is merely attesting to an historical fact without subjecting anyone to differential treatment.”

Nebraska defunded Planned Parenthood

Nebraska became the latest state to defund abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. 

The state’s Republican Governor Jim Pillen  signed an executive order last Thursday to end Medicaid funding to abortion providers.

Nebraska made the move after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed South Carolina to defund Planned Parenthood.  

Listen to comments from Nebraska State Attorney General Mike Hilgers.

HILGERS: “Today is a culmination of years of work to ensure that Nebraska taxpayers no longer have their tax dollars going to fund abortions in the state of Nebraska. It's a fight that has gone on even from my time in the legislature. 

“When we first got Title X funds, we stopped Title X from going to abortion providers, and now, thanks to [Nebraska] Governor Pillen’s leadership, we have finally gotten to a place where taxpayer funds will no longer support abortions.”

Age of first-time home buyer has increased to record high of 40

The National Association of Realtors released their 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.

The share of homes being bought by first-time buyers dropped to a record low of 21% over the last year. Meanwhile, the typical age of a first-time buyer climbed to an all-time high of 40.

Jessica Lautz, Deputy Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors, said, “The historically low share of first-time buyers underscores the real-world consequences of a housing market starved for affordable inventory.”

Regular Bible readers are more generous

The American Bible Society released a new chapter from its State of the Bible USA 2025 report.

The research found people who read the Bible regularly are more likely to be generous. Among Christian denominations, Evangelical Protestants have the highest percentage of givers and the highest median amount given.

John Plake with the American Bible Society said, “The correlation between Scripture engagement and loving behavior and generosity is undeniable. The more people engage with Scripture, the more likely they are to give of their time, talents, and treasures and to act lovingly toward their neighbors.”

In 1 Corinthians 9:7, the Apostle Paul wrote, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Florida’s first search-and-rescue otter

And finally, officials in Florida are deploying their first ever search-and-rescue otter.

Splash, the two-year-old otter, is now helping the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in search and rescue missions. Splash uses a unique bubble technique to detect scents underwater. This allows him to find missing bodies more effectively than dive teams can. 

Listen to comments from Sheriff John Budensiek to CBS12 News.

BUDENSIEK: “We see a lot of innovative things with technology [Artificial Intelligence], but we're going back to the basics of using an animal to do what they do best, and that's to go in their own environment and detect things that don't belong there.”

A rescue otter.  What a brilliant way to employ one of God’s creatures to rescue those made in God’s image!

Close

And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, November 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.