Current Events & Trends: January/February 2025

Huge uptick in Bible buying-a new "Great Awakening"?

The sale of Bibles in the United States really jumped in 2024. While overall book sales remained about the same as in 2023, the sale of Bibles increased 22 percent as of October!

Some religious leaders are even speaking of a "fourth Great Awakening"-referring to a return to religious faith-as a response to what people have been through over the past several years.

One person explained: "There have been three Great Awakenings in America, and a few smaller ones. I believe we are in the beginning of a fourth Great Awakening and it is a response to inflation (financial panic), pandemics (Covid), wars (global), and the sudden death of stability in America. There is no anchor in life better than the Anchor of Hope, and when the ship of life is tossed to and fro, faith awakens" (quoted in ""Sign of Great Hope': Religious Leaders See a "Fourth Great Awakening' as Americans Flock to Christianity," Daily Caller, Dec. 3, 2024).

There's further mention of a resurgence of Christianity among young people-yet perhaps that's just some young people. A Rasmussen poll in November 2024 found that 69 percent of U.S. adults consider themselves religious-24 percent very religious. These figures are unchanged from 2022. Yet for those under 40, only 48 consider themselves religious-and 17 percent very religious (while two years prior, 20 percent were very religious).

Some argue that we're not seeing a genuine religious revival so much as the rise of a populist Christian nationalist movement resisting the political left. Of course, many political issues are addressed by biblical Christianity. The key is to follow what God has to say, not be swept up in a political movement-or even traditional Christian teachings that are not truly biblical.

People buying more Bibles is a wonderful thing-if they will read and study what's in them. As God says, "My word . . . shall not return to me void" (Isaiah 55:11). It will have an impact. Let it guide you and change your life. To help, request or download our free study guide How to Understand the Bible.

Calls for Asian NATO in the face of China's nuke escalation

In October 2024, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency released a new public intelligence estimate titled "Nuclear Challenges 2024," giving an overview of nuclear-armed powers and rivals of the United States. The greatest attention is given to China, which is pushing a huge and rapid expanse of its nuclear arsenal. As of January 2024, China was estimated to have 500 nuclear warheads, while Russia and the United States are listed at around 4,400 and 3,700 respectively.

But it's estimated that by 2030 China will have "more than 1,000 operational nuclear warheads-most of which will be fielded on systems capable of ranging the continental United States." It also seeks lower-yield nuclear weapons for more proportional response options.

In September 2024, just prior to that report, Japan's Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba contributed an article to the Hudson Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank titled "The Future of Japan's Foreign Policy." In it he stated that "the creation of an Asian version of NATO is essential to deter China by its Western allies." He also wrote that to deter the nuclear threat from China, as well as Russia and North Korea, this proposed body "must also specifically consider America's sharing of nuclear weapons or the introduction of nuclear weapons into the region." And regarding the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, Ishiba said, "It is my mission to raise the Japan-U.S. alliance to the level of the U.S.-U.K alliance."

Japan has not been militarized since it was defeated in World War II, the country's constitution preventing that-although it did commence a major defense build-up with policy changes made in late 2022.

Kim Jong Un of North Korea responded to the proposals in a fiery speech in November, stating: "The United States has already converted its alliance with [South Korea] into a nuclear-based one and created an "Asian NATO' in haste by cementing its military ties with Japan and [South Korea]." He stressed the increasing threat from Washington justified accelerating North Korea's nuclear program and further decried the U.S. and other Western nations "using Ukraine as a shock force in the war against Russia," part of expanding interventionism.

What does the future hold for this volatile region? We discuss what lies ahead for Russia and the nations of East and South Asia in our free study guide Russia and Bible Prophecy.

A daily walk or equivalent could add 11 years to one's life

A new study led by researchers from Griffith University in Australia and various institutions worldwide, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, has found that walking could add 11 years to your life-specifically, walking 160 minutes a day at 3 miles per hour (or the equivalent exercise).

For an average person who's already somewhat active, the increase would be around five years-from about 79 to 84 years. But for those in the lowest 25 percent of activity, the life expectancy would go from about 73 to 84-11 years.

While our spiritual life is most important, the apostle Paul did say there is a measure of profit in bodily exercise (1 Timothy 4:8). And he and others of his time did a lot of walking. Of course, none of us knows our time on earth, but we can make it a better experience-fitness giving increased energy for spiritual pursuits as well.

Syria: from Assad's fall to regional power struggles

The world was taken by surprise with the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria at the hands of insurgents in early December 2024, a monumental turning point in a nearly 14-year civil war, leaving many questions about what the fallout will be.

One expert on the region, author Simon Montefiore, offers some assessment in The Free Press ("After Assad," Dec. 10, 2024). As he presents it, the end of Bashar al-Assad's brutal reign, which followed his father's, has unleashed a complex power vacuum. It had survived largely through external support from Russia and Iran. Yet the sudden collapse brings an uncertain future.

One of the new leading figures in Syria is Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, a former al-Qaeda affiliate and leader of the local Islamist faction HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham). It assumed control over much of Syria, including Damascus. While al-Jolani has recently softened his rhetoric in expressing respect for both Muslims and Christians, that could be a tactical move. His militant history leads some to fear a turn in Syria toward an Islamist state.

Russia, a key supporter of Assad, also finds itself a major political loser in the power shift. The collapse of the Assad regime represents a blow to Russia's regional ambitions. Meanwhile, it's noted that the United States' role in the region is marked by the fallout of former U.S. President Barack Obama's failure to act on the "red line" with Assad's use of chemical weapons, as well as President Donald Trump's reluctance to engage further in Syria, U.S. influence being necessary to broker any lasting peace.

More locally, much depends on the positions of Turkey and Israel. Turkey, under President Erdogan, sees an opportunity to extend its influence over former territories of the Turks' old Ottoman Empire, including northern Syria-where he has been bombing Kurdish civilians, inviting Syria's new leaders to join him. Israel is of course concerned about the rise in Syria of an Islamist regime.

Some have argued this as the beginnings of a ripple effect like the wake of the Berlin Wall coming down, with Iran's ability to prop up the enemies of Israel and the West having been weakened through Israel's past year of fighting (along with Russia being weakened through the Ukraine war).

While declaring some feelings of joy over the fall of the brutality of the House of Assad, Montefiore warns: "But this is the Middle East. Anyone who remembers the Arab Spring knows that things can always get worse. And anyone who studies history knows that predictions are for fools."

Syria's future may involve further fragmentation into autonomous regions, each controlled by outside powers like Turkey, Israel and potentially the United States The possibility of ongoing conflict remains high, as both local and international players jockey for influence.

For a better understanding of the background history of the region and where events here are ultimately headed, there is a reliable source to turn to-the Word of God in Holy Scripture. For much needed perspective, request or download our free study guide The Middle East in Bible Prophecy.

"Gender-affirming care" for minors before the Supreme Court

On December 4, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments regarding Tennessee Senate Bill 1

(SB1), which bans puberty-blocking medication, hormone therapy, and surgeries for minors. Signed into law by Governor Bill Lee in March 2023, SB1 is part of a broader trend of over 20 states restricting transgender procedures for minors.

In April 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups filed a lawsuit against the bill, claiming it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, leading to the current case. Of course it does no such thing, that amendment concerning racial discrimination, transgender procedures being inconceivable until recently.

The Tennessee law cites health risks, including sterility and psychological harm, and notes that many procedures are experimental with unknown long-term effects. When the attorney for Tennessee pointed out these terrible risks, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor shockingly replied, "I'm sorry counselor, every medical treatment has a risk. Even taking aspirin." This is outrageous-to equate the risk of stunting growth or cutting out body parts to taking aspirin!

How can a civilized society even imagine doing this to children? It is hoped that the justices, particularly the conservative majority, will stand on the side of right in this matter and uphold the ban. The ruling may wait until the summer, when decisions are often issued.

It's noteworthy that Britain, which is a more liberal society than America in many respects, has banned puberty blockers in emergency legislation its High Court has ruled is lawful.

Transgender confusion strikes at the heart of God's creation of mankind as male and female and His purposes in that. To learn more, download or request our free study guide Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension.

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