It’s Thursday, January 8th, 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
Columbian pastor killed on New Year’s Eve
Armed individuals shot a Protestant pastor to death in Colombia on New Year’s Eve.
Pastor José Otoniel Ortega was a leader in the Foursquare Gospel denomination. He was celebrating the start of the New Year with his family at the time of the at...
It’s Thursday, January 8th, 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
Columbian pastor killed on New Year’s Eve
Armed individuals shot a Protestant pastor to death in Colombia on New Year’s Eve.
Pastor José Otoniel Ortega was a leader in the Foursquare Gospel denomination. He was celebrating the start of the New Year with his family at the time of the attack.
The South American nation has faced a long-running internal conflict. Sadly, criminal groups in this conflict often target religious leaders for opposing violence. At least 10 Protestant leaders have died in such killings over the last year in Colombia.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide said Ortega’s denomination described him as “a beloved pastor, a faithful servant, a man who walked with God, who preached the word with love and gave his life to Kingdom service.”
Venezuelan Evangelical groups calling for prayer
Evangelical organizations in Venezuela are calling for prayer and peace as the country faces political upheaval.
A message from the Evangelical Council of Venezuela stated, “We reaffirm our confidence in the sovereignty of God, who reigns over the nations and guides history according to His eternal purpose. … As a church, we remain committed to preaching the Gospel, building up God’s people, and the pursuit of the common good.”
The statement comes after the United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.
Psalm 75:6-7 says, “For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.”
America gets 40 million barrels of Venezuelan oil
Interim authorities in Venezuela will be handing over 30 to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States.
U.S. President Trump announced the news on Tuesday. He wrote on Truth Social, “This oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!”
President Trump and top U.S. oil executives plan to meet Friday. They are planning major investments in Venezuela’s oil sector.
Abortion deaths totaled 73 million worldwide in 2025
Abortion deaths rose to over 73 million last year according to Worldometer’s analysis of data from the World Health Organization.
Worldometer reports 140 million total deaths in 2025. Sixty-seven million of those deaths were attributed to a cause other than abortion.
That means the killing of unborn babies accounted for over 50% of deaths last year. Once again, abortion was the leading cause of death in the world.
Romans 3:15-18 says, “Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Texas and Florida sue FDA over generic abortion kill pill
In the United States, Texas and Florida filed a lawsuit last month against the Food and Drug Administration.
The lawsuit challenges the FDA’s decision to approve a new generic version of the abortion drug mifepristone. The case also challenges rules that allow women to easily obtain such abortion pills through the mail.
It adds, “The United States Food and Drug Administration is responsible ‘for protect[ing] the public health by ensuring that … drugs are safe and effective.’ Yet the FDA’s approval and deregulation of abortion drugs have placed women and girls in harm’s way.”
Trump cuts social service funding to blue states over fraud concern
The Trump administration cut social services funding to Democrat-led states over fraud concerns on Tuesday.
The Department of Health and Human Services froze the $10 billion in funding to New York, Illinois, California, Minnesota, and Colorado.
This follows the department’s decision last Tuesday to freeze $185 million in child care payments to Minnesota. Daycare centers run by Somalis in the state are facing major allegations of fraud.
Christian author Phillip Yancey confessed 8-year affair
Philip Yancey, the bestselling Christian author, has admitted to having an extramarital affair with a married woman for eight years and has stepped away from ministry, reports the Christian Post.
In an emailed statement to Christianity Today, where he was editor-at-large, the 76-year-old Yancey stated that “I confess that for eight years I willfully engaged in a sinful affair with a married woman. My conduct defied everything that I believe about marriage. It was also totally inconsistent with my faith and my writings and caused deep pain for her husband and both of our families.”
Yancey added, “I have confessed my sin before God and my wife, and have committed myself to a professional counseling and accountability program. I have failed morally and spiritually, and I grieve over the devastation I have caused.”
Calling the affair “my great shame,” Yancey added that he was “now focused on rebuilding trust and restoring my marriage of 55 years. Having disqualified myself from Christian ministry, I am therefore retiring from writing, speaking, and social media. Instead, I need to spend my remaining years living up to the words I have already written. I pray for God’s grace and forgiveness — as well as yours — and for healing in the lives of those I’ve wounded.”
Hebrews 13:3 says, “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled; but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
Phillip Yancey was the author of several notable Christian books, including Disappointment with God, Where is God When it Hurts?, The Jesus I Never Knew, What’s So Amazing About Grace?, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? and Where the Light Fell.
U.S. government encouraging more whole foods & protein, less sugar
And finally, the Trump administration released new dietary guidelines for Americans yesterday.
The policy encourages people to eat more whole foods and protein while consuming less processed foods and added sugar.
The guidelines noted, “For decades, federal incentives have promoted low-quality, highly processed foods and pharmaceutical intervention instead of prevention.”
Listen to comments from Brooke Rollins, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
ROLLINS: “The new guidelines are all about putting the well being of Americans first, exactly where it should have been all along. This is the foundation that will make America healthy again, not just for those of us alive today, but for our children and our children’s children and those coming behind.
“God bless American families. God bless the American farmer and rancher and God bless America.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview on this Thursday, January 8th, in the year of our Lord 2026. 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.
The post Christian author Phillip Yancey confessed 8-year affair, Abortion deaths totaled 73 million worldwide in 2025, America gets 40 million barrels of Venezuelan oil appeared first on The World View in 5 Minutes.
