It’s Wednesday, December 6th, 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
Nigerian Muslims kidnapped 100 people
Muslim gunmen abducted over 100 people from northwest Nigeria over the weekend.
A local church leader said the militants targeted Christians, including 72 members of his church. The gunmen are demanding a ransom worth over $130,000.
Christian rights activists accuse the local government of doing nothing about such attacks.
Please pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ in Nigeria, ranked first on International Christian Concern’s Persecutors of 2023 list of nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
British young people growing hostile to Christianity
Young people in the United Kingdom are growing hostile to the historic Christian faith of their nation.
A poll from Whitestone Insights found 23% of adults aged 18 to 34 agreed with this statement: “Unless the offending parts can be edited out, books containing what some perceive as hate speech should be banned from general sale, including if necessary religious texts such as the Bible.”
The results come as Christians are facing more censorship in the U.K. This includes arrests for street preachers quoting the Bible in public to legal action against pro-lifers for praying outside abortion mills.
Christian school suing Vermont over transgender issue
In the United States, a Christian school is taking the state of Vermont to court for religious discrimination.
The state banned Mid Vermont Christian School from all sports events as well as Vermont’s tuition program for holding Biblical doctrines on sexuality.
The school forfeited a girls basketball game against a team with a biological male pretending to be a girl.
Alliance Defending Freedom is representing the school in its case.
Ryan Tucker with ADF said, “Vermont has repeatedly discriminated against Christian schools and their families for following their religious beliefs. Put simply, Mid Vermont Christian School believes that boys are boys and girls are girls. They have been punished for this belief.”
In Matthew 19:4, Jesus said, “He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female.’”
137 abortion mills shut down in 2022 and 2023
Operation Rescue reports 88 abortion mills shut down last year.
With 49 more closures this year, the total reached 137 closures over the past two years.
Currently, abortions mills are closed or have halted abortions in 14 states.
Adjusting for the opening of new abortion mills, the U.S. saw a net decrease of 13 abortion locations from 683 in 2022 to 670 in 2023.
Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said, “This is a huge 69% decrease since 1991 when 2,176 abortion clinics were operating. … However, our findings reveal an alarming rise in dangerous mail-order abortions. … The prayers and work involved in exposing the evil behind the Abortion Cartel is more important than ever!”
More congregations leaving United Methodist church over homosexuality
More congregations are leaving the United Methodist Church (UMC) over the issue of homosexuality.
Last Thursday, the Michigan Conference of the denomination approved the disaffiliation of 62 churches. On Saturday, the Illinois Great Rivers Conference approved the disaffiliation of 51 churches. Also on Saturday, the Florida Conference approved the disaffiliation of 74 churches.
Nearly 7,500 congregations have now left the United Methodist Church since 2019 as the denomination has failed to enforce its rules against sexually perverted lifestyles.
Gold hit $2,100
Gold prices reached an all-time high of $2,100 per ounce on Sunday.
Gold may stay above $2,000 over the next year.
Prices have risen over the last couple of months because international conflicts have boosted demand.
Plus, on Monday, Bitcoin reached a 20-month high of $42,000. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency continues to rebound despite recent crypto-related scandals and exchange collapses.
Anniversary of St. Nicholas’ death
And finally, this day in history is known as St. Nicholas’ Day in commemoration of his death in A.D. 343.
Nicholas of Myra may be popularly remembered today in the form of Santa Claus. However, the early Christian leader was known for his piety, evangelism, and pastoral care.
Nicholas also stood for Christ in the face of Roman persecution and encroaching doctrinal heresies.
Many legends have been handed down about him, but his care for children and the poor were well known. The compassion and generosity of Nicholas sparked traditions of feasting and gift giving on this day.
The Apostle Paul said in Acts 20:35, “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, December 6th 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.