This daily Christian newscast is brought to you in partnership with SermonAudio.com It's Tuesday, December 15th, A.D. 2020. This is The World View in 5 Minutes, written by Kevin Swanson and heard at theworldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. 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. 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, quote, stand firm, end quote. Ephesians 6 verse 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. 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 Polskamp found the ban unconstitutional for Catholic parishes in Kern, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Los Angeles counties. 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 million reports of child exploitation on the internet in 2019. That's up from six and a half million in 2015. Pornography sites, including Pornhub, take their place in the top 10 most visited sites on the internet, more popular than Amazon and Netflix. Pornhub has moved into the top 10 from number 33 just four years ago. 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. 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, quote, cell line cultured from an electively aborted human fetus, end quote. That vaccine was developed by scientists at Oxford University. While there are some vaccines that are problematic, the Catholic Medical Association claims that, quote, there are alternatives that do not violate this basic ethical and moral standard, end quote. You can research this through a couple of links in our transcript today at theworldview.com. 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, quote, walls of corruption and election fraud to fall down, end quote. 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, quote, the courts are not going to decide who the next president of the United States is going to be. We, the people, decide, end quote. Listen to what Rush Limbaugh said about possible secession of the red states from the blue states. I actually think that we're trending toward secession. I see more and more people asking, what in the world do we have in common with the people who live in, say, New York? What is there? And Texas GOP Chairman Allen West suggested that, quote, law-abiding states should bond together and form a union of states that will abide by the Constitution, end quote. later clarifying this does not include secession. 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 percent 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 comorbidities. 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. Country music singer Charlie Pryde passed away over the weekend at 86 years of age. He was diagnosed with COVID-19. Although eclectic in his beliefs, Pryde won three Grammys in 1972 for the gospel songs Let Me Live and Did You Think to Pray? and rest the weary. Prayer will change the night to day. So when life seems dark and dreary, don't And it was appointed once to die and after that the judgment for spy novelist John LaCarre at 89 years of age. He described himself as a humanist and a pessimist, according to the Associated Press. He said, quote, I think the humanity will always be there. I think it will always be defeated, end quote. And finally, in response to my Generations Radio Family Christmas Project Challenge on December 8th, I received an email from Amy and Eino Katola 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. Katola explained what happened. 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 Catolla family reviewed the life of William Booth, its founder. They discovered that he was animated by James 2, verses 15 and 16. 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. Catolla explained why this family Christmas project was so meaningful. 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. And that's The World View in five minutes, on this Tuesday, December 15th, in the year of our Lord, 2020. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at theworldview.com, or get the Generations app through Google Play or the App Store. I'm Adam McManus. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.