It’s Thursday, December 21st, 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
English court upheld censorship zone at abortion mill
A high court in England upheld a town’s censorship zone around an abortion mill last week. The buffer zone bans activities like prayer and Bible reading.
Livia Tossici-Bolt with 40 Days for Life Bournemouth, located 94 miles southwest of London, was challenging the buffer zone with the help of the Christian Legal Centre. They plan on appealing the decision.
After the ruling, she said, “Everyone must have the freedom to pray quietly in a public place. … We are very disappointed by the judge’s ruling and will continue to support women in crisis pregnancies and will continue to fight for justice.”
Isaiah 10:1 says, “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees.”
Spanish Evangelicals growing in number
In Spain, evangelicalism continues to grow, according to Evangelism in Depth.
The historically Catholic country has reached 1,000 municipalities with an Evangelical church. Since 2011, the number of Evangelical places of worship in Spain has grown from about 3,000 to nearly 4,500.
Máximo Álvarez with Evangelism in Depth explained the rapid growth. He said, “For many decades there have been churches and ministries with this vision of planting churches where there is still no Evangelical place of worship.”
Fewer younger voters support Biden
In the United States, young voters are dropping support for President Joe Biden.
A New York Times/Siena College poll found 49% of voters aged 18 to 29 support former president Donald Trump, while only 43% support Biden.
It’s the first time Trump has led Biden among young voters since Biden took office. A poll from NBC News last month found similar results.
Overall, Biden’s approval rating stands at 37%. For young voters, it’s even worse. Only 26% of them approve of Biden.
IRS offering $1 billion in penalty relief
The Internal Revenue Service announced Tuesday it is providing about $1 billion in penalty relief.
The relief will affect 4.7 million individuals, businesses, and tax-exempt groups for returns filed in 2020 and 2021.
The IRS plans to resume collection notices next year after a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic.
America’s population grew primarily from migrants
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau found America’s population grew by 1.6 million this year. Most of the growth came from migration. It’s the second year in a row that immigration fueled population growth.
There were also about 300,000 fewer deaths this year compared with last year.
The vast majority of this year’s growth was in the South. Florida and South Carolina led in terms of growth rates while New York had the biggest rate of population decline.
United Methodist Church ripped asunder over homosexuality
The United Methodist Church (UMC) has lost a quarter of its 30,000 congregations since 2019. Over 5,000 of the departures occurred this year alone. A deadline for disaffiliation is set for the end of the year.
The final departures represent decades of debates in the denomination. Christianity Today dubbed it the “largest denominational divide in the United States since the Civil War.”
Churches are leaving over the UMC’s drift towards supporting sexually perverted lifestyles. Many are joining the Global Methodist Church which defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
103-year-old World War II veteran’s advice: “Pray every night!”
And finally, a California World War II veteran shared his story with Fox News recently after turning 103 last month.
Sam Avolicino was born in southern Italy in 1920. His family emigrated to the U.S. when he was just three months old. He grew up in the Bay Area and has lived there for over 100 years.
During World War II, Avolicino volunteered in the Army Air Force. After the war, he married his wife Agnes. They’ve been happily together for nearly 72 years. They have four children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Avolicino gave some particular advice for young people these days. He said, “I recommend all children pick up on God, start to believe in the hereafter, and go to church. Pray every night. God’s been the most important person in my life. Respect your parents and listen to your parents. Don’t let outside influences get to you, which is very difficult today.”
Ephesians 6:1-3 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’”
At 103 years of age, Sam Avolicino, who prioritized honoring his mother and father, has been blessed by a long life indeed.
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, December 21st 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.