It’s Tuesday, December 15th, A.D. 2020. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Kevin Swanson
Andrew Brunson: “Persecution is coming”
Pastor Andrew Brunson appeared on a live national prayer webcast over the weekend called “Global Prayer for U.S. Election Integrity.” Brunson, who spent two years in a Turkish prison for his Christian faith, warned of a rising persecution in the U.S.
BRUNSON: “Whoever ends up prevailing in this election, I believe that persecution is still coming. And it’s coming quickly, and it’s coming soon. So, if President Trump prevails, it will delay persecution at a government level. But this will not keep us from the hostility that’s rising in our society toward followers of Jesus.”
Brunson said that Christian pastors and leaders in America must be more prepared for persecution, so that they will not run when persecution hits, but “stand firm.”
Ephesians 6:13 declares, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”
Court to CA Gov. Newsom: You cannot ban worship services
A superior court in Bakersfield, California became the first to block Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s total ban on indoor worship services, reports The Epoch Times.
Bakersfield Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp found the ban unconstitutional for Catholic parishes in Kern, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Los Angeles counties.
Visa and Mastercard pull payments to Pornhub
The Associated Press reports that Visa and Mastercard have both pulled services from Pornhub, after the New York Times issued an investigation alleging mass exploitation, sexual assault, and sex trafficking funneled through the site.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 69.2 million reports of child exploitation on the internet in 2019. That’s up from 6.5 million in 2015.
Pornography sites, including Pornhub, take their place in the top ten most visited sites on the internet — more popular than Amazon and Netflix. Pornhub has moved into top ten from #33 just four years ago.
First American vaccines for COVID given
The first vaccines for COVID-19 were administered in the U.S. yesterday.
The first 2.9 million vaccines have been shipped to distribution centers throughout the nation, headed towards 145 staging areas.
Australian Catholic Bishops: COVID vaccine used aborted baby
Late last week, three of Australia’s Catholic Archbishops issued a complaint to Prime Minister Scott Morrison — noting that the vaccine slated for Australia made use of “a cell line cultured from an electively aborted human fetus.” That vaccine was developed by scientists at Oxford University.
While there are some vaccines that are problematic, the Catholic Medical Association claims that “there are alternatives that do not violate this basic ethical and moral standard.”
You can research this through a couple of links in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com.
Trump supporters march around Capitol, Supreme Court 7 times
Crowds of Trump supporters marched seven times around the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court buildings over the weekend, blowing shofars and praying for the “walls of corruption and election fraud to fall down.”
Christian talk show host Eric Metaxas, pro-life advocate Abby Johnson, and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn attended the rallies.
Flynn told the crowds, “The courts aren’t going to decide who the next president of the United States is going to be. We the people decide.”
Talk of possible secession?
Listen to what Rush Limbaugh said about possible secession of the red states from the blue states.
LIMBAUGH: “I actually think that we are trending toward secession. I see more and more people asking, ‘What in the world do we have in common with, the people, say, New York? What is there?’”
And Texas G.O.P. chairman Allen West suggested that “law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the Constitution,” later clarifying this does not include secession.
Deaths of Americans up, and not all due to COVID
Americans are dying at increased rates.
Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control, the New York Times estimates that there were an additional 356,000 deaths for 2020 in the U.S. That’s about a 13% uptick from the previous year.
The increase includes 40,000 more diabetes deaths, and significant increases from Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure, pneumonia, and flu incidents. Also contributing are 300,000 deaths due to COVID-19 and associated co-morbidities.
The CDC also forecasts a 6.7% uptick on drug overdose despair deaths for 2020, based on initial numbers — amounting to about 76,000 per year. Over 150,000 deaths per year are attributed to despair deaths including suicide and alcohol abuse.
Two deaths: Country musician Charley Pride vs. Humanist John LeCarre
Country music singer Charley Pride passed away over the weekend, at 86 years of age. He was diagnosed with COVID-19. Although eclectic in his beliefs, Pride won three Grammys in 1972 for the Gospel songs “Let Me Live” and “Did You Think to Pray?”
PRIDE:
“When you’ve met with great temptation
Did you think to pray?
Oh, how praying rests the weary
Prayer will change the night to day
So when life seems dark and dreary
Don’t forget to pray.”
And it was appointed once to die and after that the judgment. . . for spy novelist John Le Carre at 89 years of age. He described himself as a humanist and a pessimist, according to the Associated Press.
He said, “I think the humanity will always be there. I think it will always be defeated.”
Connecticut Worldview family rings Salvation Army bell by Walmart
And finally, in response to my Generations Radio Family Christmas Project challenge on December 8th, I received an email from Amy and Eino Ketola in Northeast Connecticut. They volunteered to ring the bell for the Salvation Army in front of a Walmart for two hours in front of the red kettle, inviting shoppers to make a donation to provide Christ-based help and hope for the needy.
Dressed in the red aprons provided by the Salvation Army, they stood there with their children Jesse, John, Joseph, Tabitha and Jacob, ranging in age from 10 to 4.
Mrs. Ketola explained what happened.
KETOLA: “We stood there ringing the bell and a handful of people said to us that when they saw the children, they had to stop and put money into the kettle to encourage the children that what they were doing was for a worthy cause. They said, ‘You’re doing the right thing by training them to reach out to others.’”
Prior to volunteering to raise money for the Salvation Army, the Ketola Family reviewed the life of William Booth, its founder. They discovered that he was animated by James 2:15-16.
KETOLA: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well, keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?”
Mrs. Ketola explained why this Family Christmas Project was so meaningful.
KETOLA: “I would say in our culture, there’s a danger of materialism. So, this is an actual service. We remember that Jesus was a servant of all and we want to serve others. This is about remembering Christ’s birthday and how he came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Tuesday, December 15th, in the year of our Lord 2020. 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.