It’s Thursday, June 15th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
European Christian faces prison for embracing heterosexuality
Last Friday, a Christian went on trial in the Mediterranean island country of Malta.
Matthew Grech faces fines and prison time under charges of discussing and advertising “conversion practices.” Back in 2022, he had simply spoken to a media outlet about his conversion to Christianity and leaving a homosexual lifestyle. Malta became the first country in Europe to criminalize so-called “conversion therapy” in 2016.
Ahead of the trial, Grech said, “My Christian journey of transformation, from being a practicing homosexual interested in the occult . . . to becoming a committed Evangelical Christian, is one that should be told without fear of being criminalized.”
Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
Contracting European economies
The Eurozone is a currency union of 20 member states of the European Union. Based on the latest data from the European Union’s statistical agency, there has been a slide into recession during the first quarter of this year.
The 20-nation bloc has experienced a decline in its Gross Domestic Product for two consecutive quarters now. Ireland led the first quarter drop in GDP. Other contracting economies included the Netherlands, Malta, Germany, and Greece.
Economists expect further economic decline in the Eurozone over the rest of the year.
Alabama, Texas, Indiana, & Mississippi friendliest to religious liberty
The Napa Legal Institute released its first annual “Faith and Freedom Index” yesterday.
The report ranks U.S. states based on their friendliness to religious freedom and regulatory freedom for nonprofits.
Overall, Alabama, Texas, Indiana, and Mississippi scored the highest while Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin scored the lowest.
Mary Margaret Beecher, Executive Director of Napa Legal, said, “Faith-based nonprofits face threats to their religious freedom and the often-crushing weight of regulatory burdens. If we value faith-based organizations . . . our state laws should encourage, not hinder, these organizations.”
JPMorgan Chase punished for enabling Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking
JPMorgan Chase agreed to a $290 million settlement on Monday with victims of Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawsuit accuses the banking giant of knowingly facilitating Epstein’s sex trafficking operations through financial means for decades.
Last month, Deutsch Bank agreed to a $75 million settlement in a similar case.
Catholic health network performed transgender surgeries & abortions
A new report from the Lepanto Institute exposes the largest Catholic healthcare network in the U.S. for performing so-called sex-change surgeries.
The report accuses facilities with CommonSpirit Health of performing transgender-related services, abortions, and sterilizations.
The Lepanto Institute stated, “Given everything contained in this report, it is clear that CommonSpirit Health is NOT a Catholic institution and must be immediately stripped of its Catholic identity.”
Disturbing church attendance trends post-COVID
Dr. George Barna released another report on Tuesday about the reshaping of Christian beliefs and behaviors since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study noted three trends. First, the proportion of U.S. adults who attend church services weekly is 33% this year, down from 39% at the start of the pandemic. Plus, the proportion of Americans who attend church infrequently or never attend, jumped from 41% to 56% since the pandemic.
Second, Christian affiliation in the U.S. is now 68%, down from 72% in 2020. Both Protestants and Catholics experienced declines in affiliation. Among Protestants, mainline denominations saw the largest increases in affiliation since the pandemic.
And third, the incidence of adults possessing a Biblical worldview declined over the course of the pandemic from 6% to 4%. Biblical worldview incidence among evangelicals decreased from 21% to 14%; among mainline denominations it decreased from 8% to 6%. It held at 1% among Catholics.
Christian jockey thanks Jesus Christ, credits horse, for Belmont win
And finally, the thoroughbred colt Arcangelo won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.
The victory makes Jena Antonucci the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race. Her victory comes on the 50th anniversary of the historic Belmont win by racehorse Secretariat, owned by Penny Chenery.
Jockey Javier Castellano guided Arcangelo through the one-and-a-half-mile race in just over two minutes and 29 seconds. Castellano already won this year’s Kentucky Derby, riding another racehorse named Mage.
The jockey credited the amazing horse in Saturday’s race, but first he gave thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ for giving him the opportunity to win.
CASTELLANO: “First of all, I always say, thank the Lord Jesus Christ for giving me the opportunity to win a second Triple Crown, the third Triple Crown this year, second Triple Crown for myself. I give all the credit to the horse.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, June 15th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.