October 16, 2024

Supreme Court rejected a religious liberty/COVID case, Religiously unaffiliated Americans on the rise, 69% of adults have little trust in mass media

6 minutes

It’s Wednesday, October 16th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. ([email protected])

By Jonathan Clark

Britain burdens parents with tax on private school tuition

The U.K. Labor government will require private schools to charge a value-added tax on school fees starting next year.

Christian schools are challenging the measure with the help of the Christian Legal Centre. The group warned “the policy will force Christian schools to close and deny Christian parents the right to give their children a Christian rather than a secular education.”

Nearly 400,000 students attend independent faith schools in England, most of which are Christian. Andrea Williams with the Christian Legal Centre said, “It is unfair, and we argue, it is a breach of their human right to impose a value-added tax on such schools. [The] Labour [Party] must row back on this policy urgently. If they don’t, we will have no choice but to pursue every legal avenue in the pursuit of justice and protection of independent Christian schools in this country.”

United Kingdom getting its first Chick-fil-A

Speaking of the United Kingdom, the nation will be getting its first Chick-fil-A locations according to an announcement from the restaurant last month.

Known for its chicken sandwiches, Chick-fil-A is the third-largest fast-food restaurant chain in the U.S. It has over 3,000 locations across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada. The U.K. locations will be the first outside North America.

Chick-fil-A plans on investing $100 million in the U.K. over the next 10 years, continuing its model of locally-owned and operated restaurants.

Supreme Court rejected a religious liberty/COVID case

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a religious liberty case brought by a church.

Grace Bible Fellowship had successfully challenged Colorado’s COVID-19 restrictions on churches in 2020. The church continued its case though, saying that state health laws could be used against churches in the future.

Despite the case coming to an end, a U.S. District judge noted, “That these statutes have been used in the recent past to adopt public-health orders that likely discriminated against religious activity is troubling.”

Poll says Trump has lead over Harris in battleground states

A new Harvard Center for American Political Studies/Harris poll found former President Donald Trump has a slight lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in battleground states.

Trump leads Harris 48% to 46% overall in swing states. Trump also leads among early voters in those states. However, Kamala holds a slight lead nationally.

Both candidates are focusing on the swing states ahead of the presidential election next month.

69% of adults have little trust in mass media

Gallup released a survey on how much Americans trust political and civic institutions.

Sixty-nine percent of U.S. adults have little to no confidence in the mass media, up from 49% in 2000. That makes it the least trusted institution.

The second least trusted institution is the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. However, Americans were much more likely to have confidence in local and state leaders.

Psalm 146:3, 5, says, “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. … Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.”

Religiously unaffiliated Americans on the rise

The American Bible Society released the latest chapter of the State of the Bible USA 2024 report, entitled “Nones – N-O-N-E-S -- and Nominals”.

The study found 26% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated -- up from 22% in 2020.

The irreligious scored lower on the Human Flourishing Index than the average American, especially in the Meaning and Purpose category. Not surprisingly, practicing Christians scored higher than any other group on the Human Flourishing Index.

Anniversary of martyrdoms of two English reformers

And finally, today is the anniversary of the martyrdom of two English Reformers.

Their names were Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. Both were bishops in the Church of England. Ridley was born in 1502, becoming a great scholar and renouncing Roman Catholic doctrine. Latimer was born earlier in 1485. He became a great Reformation preacher, also rejecting Catholic traditions. His preaching brought Protestant teachings effectively to the middle and lower classes.

However, a Catholic queen came to power in England in 1553. She was known as “Bloody Mary” for her deadly persecution of Protestants. After her ascension to power, Latimer and Ridley were tried for their beliefs and burned at the stake on October 16, 1555.

As they faced death together, Latimer told his friend, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”

In Romans 8:36-37, the Apostle Paul wrote, “As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, October 16th, in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by Amazon Music or 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 ([email protected]). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

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