It’s Thursday, July 13th, 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
Protestant challenges in Catholic Italy
The Protestant church has been growing for years now in Catholic-majority Italy.
However, Evangelicals in the western country still face bureaucratic harassment for operating outside the de facto Catholic structure.
Italy’s constitution promises religious freedom, but ambiguity on what that means has led to discrimination against religious minorities.
Evangelical Focus reports, “Regulations and resulting bureaucratic harassment have led to dozens of churches closing nationwide.”
Rapid rise of Portuguese Protestants
Meanwhile, the Evangelical church is also growing in Catholic-majority Portugal.
The Portuguese Evangelical Alliance surveyed 350 Protestant pastors in the country. Eighty-percent of them reported their churches are growing. And 62% said they are working to plant new churches in the next five years.
Much of the growth is recent. Over 40% of Portugal’s Evangelical churches started since 2000.
Isaiah 9:7 says of Christ, “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.”
Iowa’s Heartbeat Bill
In the U.S., Iowa’s Senate and House voted in favor of the Heartbeat Bill on Tuesday night.
The bill prohibits the killing of unborn babies after six weeks of pregnancy with some exceptions.
The legislation passed overwhelmingly after Republican Governor Kim Reynolds called for a special session. She plans to sign the bill into law on Friday.
Inflation dropped to 3%
U.S. annual inflation fell to 3% last month, the lowest in two years. The figure has been falling for 12 consecutive months since inflation hit 9% last year.
Inflation is still above the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%. The Fed has raised interest rates by five percentage points since March last year in an attempt to combat inflation.
The financial sector expects the Fed to raise rates again later this month.
Archeologist: I found Sodom
A Christian archeologist reports finding what he believes to be the Biblical city of Sodom.
Dr.Steven Collins is the Dean of the College of Archaeology at Trinity Southwest University. He shared his findings with “The Rosenberg Report” recently.
Unlike previous research on the subject, Collins started with the Bible’s geographic account of Sodom and Gomorrah’s location.
COLLINS: “When you do the science of Sodom, you go to the text first. Why? Because the Bible is the only place, the only ancient text, that has survived with the name Sodom in it. The detailed geography about it and the other cities of the plain. That has to be dealt with as a primary text.”
This led Collins to the Tall el-Hammam archeological site in the Jordan River Valley. There Collins’ team uncovered a series of large and wealthy ancient cities. Pottery from the dig appeared to have been melted, in keeping with the Bible’s account of Sodom’s destruction by fire.
In a peer-reviewed paper, Collins previously argued that the site was destroyed by a meteoritic airburst.
Genesis 19:24-25 says, “Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”
Worldview listeners weigh in from Florida and South Carolina
Worldview listeners continue to email me about why they like the newscast at Adam@TheWorldview.com. When you write, let us know if there was a specific story that you appreciated. And don’t forget to include your whole name, city and state, and your country if outside America.
Terry Britain in Cocoa, Florida wrote, “Adam, thank you so much for all the time you dedicate to bring your listeners unadulterated news from a conservative, Christian perspective. Even secondary, once reliable sources, tend to have biases that sometimes are misleading. Praying your guidelines will continue to be God’s holy, infallible Word.”
And Krishonda Torres in Camden, South Carolina wrote, “Our family has used The Worldview, and financially supported it, since we first discovered the newscast in the spring of 2021. It has become an invaluable part of our daily homeschool routine. We listen because it gives the news from a Christian worldview with book, chapter, and verse where needed. As an intercessor myself, I intercede not only for the persecuted Christians around the world, but our nation as well. We share this invaluable resource with every Christian family we encounter. Keep up the great work.”
12 Worldview listeners gave $2,125
Praise God! Yesterday, twice the number of listeners made a donation compared to Tuesday. Twelve people invested their resources toward our $80,000 goal by Monday, July 31st to keep this unique Christian newscast on the air.
We thank God for Julie in Victoria, Texas, Janet in Canton, Illinois, Bob in Cosmopolis, Washington, Tamra in Greenwood , New York, Andrew in Tiverton, Rhode Island, and Rosemarie in Carthage, North Carolina – each of whom gave $50.
We appreciate the kindness of Royal in Topeka, Kansas who gave $100, Emily in Estancia, New Mexico who gave $125, and Dawn in Carthage, North Carolina who gave $200.
And we’re grateful for the generosity of Amy in Seminole, Texas who gave $300, Tim in Huffman, Texas who gave $500, and Debbie in Valley Center, Kansas who pledged $50/month for 12 months for a total gift of $600.
Those 12 donations add up to $2,125. Ready for our new grand total? Drum roll please. (Drum roll sound effect) $14,903.88. (Crowd cheering sound effect)
In order to hit our $40,000 immediate goal by this Friday, July 14, that’s tomorrow, we still need to raise $25,096.12.
Let’s keep the momentum going. Out of the thousands of people who subscribe and stream this newscast, I would love to see at least another 10 people step up to the plate today with a donation.
I’m looking for 5 Worldview listeners to pledge $100/month for 12 months. Then, we would need 16 to pledge $50/month for 12 months. And another 32 listeners to pledge $25/month for 12 months.
If you feel the Lord tugging at your heart, make a donation before you move on with your day. We need your help to pay the bills to do the research, the writing, the editing, and the distribution.
Just go to TheWorldview.com and click on “Give” at the top right to give what the Lord is prompting you to donate to keep this weekday newscast on the air. Make sure to select the “Recurring” tab if that’s your wish.
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, July 13th 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.