It’s Friday, September 27th, A.D. 2024. 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 Adam McManus

Small but committed church in Syria

Although the Syrian Civil War has faded from the headlines after 13 years, the conflict continues — and a smaller yet more committed church remains, reports International Christian Concern.

A United Nations commission recently stated that the war is intensifying as war crimes and fears of a larger regional conflict mount. 

Although the Christian population in Syria has dwindled, those who remain are insistent on seeing God’s kingdom advance in their homeland. At the start of the conflict, Syria was solidly 8% Christian. Today, only 2% remain.  

A Christian in Syria recently told a publication called Le Monde, “The older generation has died out, and the younger ones have rebuilt their lives elsewhere. Most of them have sold their homes.” The count of Christians affiliated with established denominations in Syria has dropped from approximately 2.5 million before the civil war to about 500,000 in 2023.

In Matthew 13:31 , Jesus talked about how even the small faith of a few people could be transformed, in God’s economy, into something spectacular. “The kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

Hurricane Helene slams Florida with 140 mph winds

At 11:10 p.m. Eastern last night, the eye of Hurricane Helene made landfall southwest of Perry, Florida along the Gulf Coast, as a dangerous Category 4 storm with 140-mph winds, reports AccuWeather.

The risk to lives and property will remain extreme as Helene plows inland with hurricane-force winds sparking widespread power outages into Georgia that can last for an extended period of time.

Additionally, Helene could cause a flooding disaster as it unloads more than a foot of rain in the mountains of North Carolina, South Carolina, and northern Georgia. AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter warned, “Some communities may be cut off with no way to enter or exit for days if there is damage to infrastructure such as bridges and roadways.”

In partnership with local churches, Samaritan’s Purse will need volunteers to help homeowners in Jesus’ Name. You can sign up to be notified to be a volunteer and you can make a donation to help Floridians hit by Hurricane Helene through special links in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com.

Lila Rose to Trump: “Stand for life”

Leading pro-life activist Lila Rose is not backing down in the face of intense condemnation for criticizing Donald Trump’s retreat from his former pro-life position, reports LifeSiteNews.com.

She reiterated that her purpose is not to depress pro-life voter turnout, but to encourage Trump to change course.

Rose is founder and leader of the pro-life group Live Action which produces original investigations into the abortion industry, educational resources on prenatal development, and daily pro-life news and commentary. Since Trump began opposing further federal action on abortion last year and criticizing state pro-life laws, Rose has been one of his sharpest critics among national pro-life leaders.

In an August 27th podcast, Rose recalled the “electricity” of Trump addressing the 2020 March for Life as president. Here is what inspired her at the time.

TRUMP: “It is my profound honor to be the first president in history to attend the March for Life. (cheers) We're here for a very simple reason, to defend the right of every child, born and unborn, to fulfill their God-given potential. (cheers)

“For 47 years, Americans of all backgrounds have traveled from across the country to stand for life. And today, as President of the United States, I am truly proud to stand with you! (cheers)

“All of us here today understand an eternal truth: Every child is a precious and sacred gift from God. (cheers) Together, we must protect, cherish, and defend the dignity and the sanctity of every human life. (cheers) When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God's creation.”

Lila Rose said President Trump spoke clearly in 2020 about how the preborn “cannot speak for themselves” and even asked Congress to send him a late-term abortion ban to sign.

TRUMP: “To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb.” (cheers)

In her August 27th podcast, she urged him to return to that same conviction.

ROSE: “President Trump, stand for life. President Trump, if you want the pro-life vote, fight for life. The pro-life vote is not owned. The pro-life vote is earned. And you don't earn the pro-life vote by throwing it under the bus, by listening to whatever pollsters are lying to you and throwing the babies under the bus.

“You earn the pro-life vote, and I would say the respect even of the middle moderates, by getting up there and saying, ‘I'm going to fight for what I believe in, for what is good and true. I'm going to fight for the lives of children.

“So, what President Trump should say specifically is what he's said in the past: ‘I will fight for life. I will fight for babies. They have no one to defend themselves. They have no one to speak for them. I will help speak for them.’

“That he will sign any pro-life legislation that crosses his desk as president, including the pro-life legislation that he used to ask Congress for back in the day. And he should say that he will fight against the abortion expansion of the Democrats. He will fight against the abortion industry that is hell bent on killing and taking innocent human life.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams indicted for bribes

And finally, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted for taking bribes — including $123,000 in free