It’s Wednesday, September 27th, 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

United Kingdom police drop charges against pro-lifer

Last week, Alliance Defending Freedom reported that United Kingdom police finally confirmed they will not bring charges against a pro-life advocate.

West Midlands Police arrested Isabel Vaughan-Spruce back in March for praying silently in a censorship zone around an abortion mill. Police issued an apology for taking over six months to close the case.

Spruce said, “Now that authorities have twice settled on the conclusion that silent prayer is not a crime–a conclusion also reached by the Home Secretary last week–I am thankful to resume my practice of praying silently for women in crisis pregnancies.”

However, other Christians in the U.K. are still facing legal action for praying silently outside abortion mills. And the government is considering legislation to make censorship zones around all abortion mills in the country.

America resettled 9,538 Christian refugees last year

Open Doors released a report last week on Christian asylum seekers in the United States.

The religious freedom watchdog keeps track of the top 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. 

Last year, the U.S. resettled 9,538 Christian refugees from those 50 countries. That is up slightly from the 5,390 Christians resettled in 2020. However, it is significantly down from the 32,248 Christians resettled in 2016.

The report noted, “Recent shifts in U.S. policy reveal that America is no longer the safe haven for displaced persons that it once was.”

CA Gov. surprisingly vetoes liberal transgender/parental custody bill

Last Friday, California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the highly controversial bill known as Assembly Bill 957. It came as a surprise to most.

The bill would have required judges in custody cases to consider whether or not a parent affirms a child’s so-called gender identity. Critics of the bill warned that California could use it to take children from parents who do not support transgenderism.

Newsom said he still supported Californians pretending to be the opposite sex. But he urged caution, noting that such a bill could set a precedent that others could use to “diminish the civil rights of vulnerable communities.”

Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will.”

Americans view healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and retail with greatest suspicion

Gallup released its annual assessment of U.S. business and industry sectors.

Overall, Americans view the restaurant industry, farming and agriculture, and the computer industry the most positively. Respondents viewed the oil and gas industry, the federal government, and the pharmaceutical industry the least positively. 

Since last year, the industries of healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and retail saw their positivity ratings decrease the most.

Retailers like Target took a big hit after lining their stores with products that celebrated sexually perverted lifestyles. Meanwhile, negativity toward pharma is only increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Feds paused their interest rate hikes

Last week, the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at a range of 5.25% to 5.5%. This represents a pause in the Federal Reserve’s rate hike campaign over the last 18 months to slow inflation. The Fed hopes to raise the rates only slightly more before holding them for most of next year.

One of the consequences of the rate hikes has been higher mortgage rates.

Earlier this year, the National Association of Realtors reported that the U.S. housing affordability index was 87.8. That’s the lowest level since 1989.

The average family now spends a record 28.5% of their income on a monthly mortgage payment.

In 1900, 50% of world unevangelized. Today, 28% remains unevangelized

And finally, Lifeway Research released a summary of Gordon Conwell’s 2023 Status of Global Christianity Report.

The report found Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with an estimated 2.6 billion adherents globally and a growth rate of 1.18%. That’s well over the growth rate of agnostics, atheists, and those who are religiously unaffiliated.

Evangelicals are among the fastest growing segments of Christianity, with a growth rate of 1.79%. The fastest growth of Christianity is occurring in Africa and Asia.

However, the worldwide ratio of Christians has flatlined since 2000 at 32.37% in 2023 vs. 32.34% in 2000.  Also, important to note, Islam has increased its ratio from 21.2% in 2000 to 24.9% in 2023. 

In 1900, over 50% of the world was unevangelized. That number has fallen to 28%. Also, an estimated 95 million copies of the Bible will be printed this year, up from 5 million in 1900.

Speaking of Christ, Isaiah 9:7 says, “Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.”

Close

And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, September 27th 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.