The World and Everything in It: December 18, 2023

PREROLL: The World and Everything in It is made possible by listeners like you, and for that I’m so grateful. This is WORLD Radio Executive Producer Paul Butler. Our December Giving Drive continues, and if this daily program is helpful to you, I hope you’ll make a gift of support to help ensure that it continues. wng.org/donate.

I hope you enjoy today’s program.

MARY REICHARD, HOST!: Good morning! Big changes are ahead in the way the military handles accusations of sexual assault.

RISCH: These clients, as many of us know, arrive in our care amid one of the most traumatic events anyone might have to endure.

NICK EICHER, HOST: The third and final report in a series on military justice today on Legal Docket.

Also today, the Monday Moneybeat. What does it mean when global bureaucrats agree to phase out fossil fuels? Economist David Bahnsen today on the UN’s COP-28.

And the WORLD History Book: a Christmas classic goes to print for the first time.

REICHARD: It’s Monday, December 18th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

EICHER: And I’m Nick Eicher. Good morning!

REICHARD: Up next, Kent Covington with today’s news

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Israel pressure » Israel is facing renewed pressure from some of its closest European allies to agree to truce amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

British lawmaker Layla Moran says some Christians who live in Gaza have sought shelter in their local church.

MORAN: It started off, maybe about 100 people. It swelled to 300. They’re sleeping on mattresses in the Sunday school rooms, and the situation there has been deteriorating over the 60 odd days that they’ve been there.

Growing calls for a prolonged cease-fire follow the accidental killing of three Israeli hostages.

The United States has not called for a cease-fire. But it is expected to pressure Israel to scale back major combat operations when U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits today.

Back in Washington, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen says President Biden was right to stand with Israel in its objective to destroy Hamas.

VAN HOLLEN: No more October 7ths. But he’s also right that how Israel conducts this operation, how the Netanyahu government conducts this operation, is important.

Israel-Hamas / tunnel » The Israeli Defense Forces announced Sunday that it uncovered a large tunnel shaft in Gaza close to what was once a busy crossing into Israel.

HAGARI: [Speaking Hebrew]

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari called the tunnel the “flagship project of Hamas.” He added that “This is no ordinary tunnel. It is a city of terror underground.”

Hagari said the tunnel stretches for more than 2½ miles and links up with a sprawling tunnel network across Gaza.

The IDF says Hamas vehicles apparently passed through the tunnel, carrying weapons and terrorists in preparation for the Oct. 7 attack.

Ukraine-border deal » Meantime, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers are still hoping to strike a deal on legislation to fund continued aid to Ukraine while also tightening security at the U.S. southern border.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons told CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday:

COONS: I have spoken with a number of the negotiators. They have been working hard this weekend. I am hopeful that we can reach a conclusion this coming week.

But GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham sounded less optimistic about the talks, telling NBC’s Meet the Press:

GRAHAM: They sent over a supplemental with border security provisions that did nothing to change policy. The bottom line here is, we feel like we’re being jammed. We’re not anywhere close to a deal.

The White House is still seeking more than $100 billion dollars to fund aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other priorities. But many Republicans say they will not agree to fund more Ukraine aid unless Democrats agree to major policy changes to address the border crisis.

Impeachment inquiry latest » House Republicans are pushing forward with their investigation of President Biden and his family after formalizing an impeachment inquiry last week.

GOP Senator John Cornyn says he supports the effort.

CORNYN: It seems like we're peeling back layers of an onion, and the investigation is revealing new and very serious evidence along the way.

But Democrats insist that after months of digging, Republicans haven’t found evidence of any wrongdoing by the president while in the Oval Office. Congressman Ro Khanna:

KHANNA: I don't think the President did anything wrong as President of the United States. Look when you impeach someone, it's because they took conduct, as President, that was— violated the law and there's not a shred of evidence of that.

Republicans say Biden was inappropriately involved in his son’s business dealings, effectively running an influence peddling scheme. But that largely centers on his time as Vice President. The White House insists Biden has done nothing wrong.

Hunter Biden reaction » House Republicans are also sounding off about the president’s son, Hunter Biden defying a subpoena to testify last week.

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna:

PAULINA: I think that once we bring a contempt charge against him, I think that a lot more people are going to second guess whether or not they want to play games with Congress.

The younger Biden chose not to appear last week behind closed doors for testimony inside the Capitol, opting instead to host a press conference on the Capitol grounds.

Congressman Jason Smith told Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures:

SMITH: The fact that he is the president's son and he's doing that is creating a very severe constitutional crisis.

Hunter Biden demanded he be allowed to testify publicly. House Republicans say that may come later, but for now, he’s legally required to answer their questions behind closed doors.

Presidential politics » The latest polls continue to suggest that President Biden is now the underdog heading into next year’s election. An average of recent head-to-head polls has Biden trailing Donald Trump by 3.5 points, nationally.

Nikki Haley leads Biden in a one-on-one matchup by about 5 points. And her campaign has continued to pick up steam, securing the endorsement of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu. Haley trails Trump by more than 20 points among Republicans in New Hampshire. But Sununu says that doesn’t tell the whole story.

SUNUNU: Forty percent of our state is what we call undeclared or independent. If they come out in record numbers, which they will, now Nikki Haley really has a shot here.

Nationally, Haley has almost caught up to second place Ron DeSantis in primary polls. She now has roughly 12 percent support, trailing DeSantis by less than 1 point.

But Trump still enjoys a nearly 50-point lead over the rest of the field.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: A special report on Legal Docket about military justice for victims of sexual abuse. Plus, the Monday Moneybeat.

This is The World and Everything in It.

NICK EICHER, HOST: It’s Monday morning, December 18th. One week until Christmas! This is The World and Everything in It. Good morning! I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

We’re in Week Two of our three-week December Giving Drive, and what a Week One! Thank you for the great, encouraging start!

EICHER: Our friends who provided the WORLD Mover Match were pleased and surprised by your generosity in Week One. And the response certainly beat expectations, so we’re encouraged, and our friends who provided the match incentive by their leadership giving say “thank you” for stretching their vision as well.

REICHARD: We do have two more weeks left in the drive and what happens in those two weeks will have such a major impact on what we’re able to keep doing  and what we’re able to do additionally. Every bit of your December Giving Drive gifts go to strengthen and expand sound journalism grounded in facts and Biblical truth.

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REICHARD: Yes, that’s wng.org/donate! And thank you!

Up next on Legal Docket, Big Changes to Military Justice, and this is Part 3.

Today we wrap up the series —because big changes are coming and those take effect next week.

And they represent the biggest transformation since the adoption of the Uniform Code of Military Justice almost 75 years ago.

EICHER: Announcement of the military justice overhaul made big news when we first learned of it back in July. This was CBS:

CBS: President Biden signed an Executive Order Friday reforming the Military Justice system. A key part of that reform focuses on how the military handles cases of sexual assault and other violent crimes.

The changes were part of a bi-partisan effort contained within the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, and it comes after an independent review of sexual assault cases in the military. The Executive Order effectively removes prosecution decisions from the military chain of command to an independent set of military prosecutors for cases involving sexual assault, gender-based violence, domestic violence, murder, and other serious crimes.

EICHER: These changes take effect December 28th.

To review …

In part one of our series that we began in August, we talked to the military lawyer who would have made these decisions for the Army: Brigadier General Warren Wells. At the time, he was the Army’s Lead Special Trial Counsel. In other words, its top prosecutor.

But just a few weeks ago, General Wells became the Army’s former top prosecutor. And it was because an email he sent a decade ago that came to light. It prompted Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth to fire Wells on December 1st.

At the time of the email, Wells was a Lieutenant Colonel in charge of a group of junior Army defense attorneys. In the email, Wells had questioned the ability of Army commanders to make fair decisions in sexual-assault cases. He thought that as long as there was misinformation on the subject among some in Congress making those decisions would be extra difficult.

Wells acknowledges it was inappropriate as a prosecutor to raise such a question and explained he meant only to highlight the role of Army defense attorneys.

No matter. He’s been replaced for now by his former deputy lead special trial counsel, Army Colonel Robert Rodrigues.

REICHARD: In part two of our series, we talked to the Army’s top defense counsel, Colonel Sean McGarry. He explained what the legal changes mean in practice for military defense lawyers.

So those are the parties in a court-martial: the prosecution and the defense counsel who represents the accused.

Of course, there’s also someone else vital to a sexual assault case: and that’s the victim.

EICHER: It was about 10 years ago that the military branches began the Special Victims’ Counsel program, known by the initialism SVC.

SVCs are lawyers who represent victims for certain offenses under military law.

Here to tell us more about SVCs and how they’re preparing for the changes coming next week is World Correspondent, Jeff Palomino. Jeff is a retired Air Force Colonel. On active duty he was a military lawyer and tried more than 75 courts-martial and practiced military justice most of his twenty-three year career. Good morning, Jeff!

JEFF PALOMINO: Good morning Nick and Mary.

You know, there’s something especially egregious in the violation of trust when sexual assault is alleged in the military. That’s why each military branch has lawyers specifically assigned to represent victims.

The Judge Advocate General of the Army, Lieutenant General Stuart Risch, recently talked about those victims at the Pentagon:

STUART RISCH: These clients, as many of us know, arrive in our care amid one of the most traumatic events anyone might have to endure. It’s an unfortunate reality that a large number of their clients are friends, they’re family members, and civilians of all of us. They are our sons and daughters, our wives and husbands, our sisters and brothers. And they are so often the victim of the most personal and violative crimes we prosecute in our Army.

Colonel Evah McGinley runs the Army’s SVC program.

EVAH MCGINLEY: A Victims’ Counsel is a government attorney that is specifically appointed to represent a victim's interests in sexual assault cases or domestic violence cases.

Currently, we've got about 58 full time Special Victims’ Counsel or SVCs, and about 29 part time. And when I say part time, I mean, they are splitting their duties with another function within their office.

Generally, we have both captains and majors as victims counsel.

Victims can request an SVC at any time in the process. Like defense counsel, the military provides them at no cost to the client. Unlike the defense, though, Army SVCs don’t work for Colonel McGinley in the Pentagon.

MCGINLEY: The Special Victims Counsel, we are not what's called a stove-piped organization. So, that means that all of those individual counsel fall under an Office of the Staff Judge Advocate where they are. And it's just to make sure that they have got all the right support at their specific installation.

This model had proved successful in the Army, because an SVC’s legal advice is confidential and independent from the chain of command.

MCGINLEY: They advocate for what the client wants to see happen in that specific case. They have their own separate attorney client relationship with that client. Their professional obligation is to that client and only that client.

Colonel McGinley and her team provide technical support and training to SVCs in the field. They also coordinate the SVC certification course at the Army’s legal school. That’s the same school that trains military judges, Army prosecutors and defense counsel.

MCGINLEY: The training for Special Victims’ Counsel in the Army is robust. In addition to information and training and familiarity with how to deal with victims, how to talk to victims, the other entities involved, such as our social workers or medical personnel, they're also given really a rich background in the law that applies. So they're sort of fine tuning their military justice practice as well as getting that background in dealing with those individual clients.

Army SVCs represent soldiers, but their clients are not all service members. Some are dependents and some are Defense Department civilians; about 85 percent are female. SVCs also have a different legal relationship with their clients than most lawyers.

MCGINLEY: We specifically represent the client's wishes. There may be times when the client's wishes are not necessarily in their best interests. So our attorneys have the obligation to walk them through that to explain what is probably objectively in their best interest, but ultimately, the client gets to decide what path they want to pursue. And that's especially important for sexual assault victims, because as part of as part of that crime, some of their choice has been taken away. And so by restoring that to them, even if it seems counterintuitive.

So it’s the client who makes the decisions, not the lawyer. In other words, the SVC advocates for what the victim client wants. How does that work?

MCGINLEY: So, for example, I think it's probably safe to say that the government hopes to vigorously prosecute every credible allegation of sexual assault across the Army. That may not be consistent with what a given victim’s wishes, it's the SVC’s role to advocate just for what that victim wants to see happen in a given case without without becoming distracted by what the larger Army interests are.

The Army emphasizes that no two clients are the same. Clients may want different things… even if the facts of their cases are similar.

MCGINLEY: Every individual victim has individual interests and individual hopes and expectations for how their case will come out. You may have a client who wants to see a conviction and wants a substantial sentence of confinement, and nothing less will be acceptable.

There are some victims where they want to see this in an administrative proceeding, because they just want to make sure that that suspect is out of the Army as quickly and cleanly as possible.

Or maybe they don't want to see anything at all happen to the accused, but they just want to never encounter that accused again.

Like the other military branches, the Army puts a lot of resources toward helping sexual assault victims.. But, the SVC is the only person to help victims through the legal process…from the victim’s first interview with law enforcement all the way to a court-martial, if that happens.

When there is a court-martial, SVCs have a different job than the other parties.

MCGINLEY: An SVC has a unique role in a court-martial because, of course, they're not responsible for defending the accused and they're not responsible for prosecuting the case. Um So they're not there conducting cross and direct examination of every witness that's on the stand.

That means the SVC’s principle role is in legal arguments before trial.

Here’s where two Military Rules of Evidence really come into play. One involves evidence of the victim’s prior sexual conduct. The other is when conversations between a victim and counselor can be discovered by the defense. SVCs can file briefs and even argue on behalf of the client on these issues.

MCGINLEY: That's an area where the special victim counsel can make a motion and can argue on behalf specifically of that victim in that case.

They're not, again, serving in the role of the prosecutor or defense, but they can still be heard by the court making those motions.

Colonel McGinley is tracking the changes to military justice coming next week. These are mostly for the prosecution. So, while significant, they don’t create a lot that’s new for SVCs.

MCGINLEY: We do not anticipate any significant changes in our daily work ah when we shift to the Office of Special Trial Counsel. We anticipate that we'll have the same professional working relationship with the Office of Special trial counsel as we do with the prosecutors now. But the things that they are advocating for on behalf of their clients will remain the same.

She says it’s satisfying work:

MCGINLEY: We're hoping that at least our victims have confidence that their desires were advocated for. It may be that they don't get the outcome they wished for, but at least they will know that there was someone there advocating on their behalf for that outcome.

And that’s this week’s Legal Docket! I’m Jeff Palomino.

REICHARD: We’ll put links to the earlier coverage of changes to the military justice system in today’s show notes. (Part I and Part II)

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: The Monday Moneybeat.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Alright, it's time to talk business, markets, and the economy with financial analyst and advisor David Bahnsen. David heads up the wealth management firm the Bahnsen Group, and he joins us now. David, good morning.

DAVID BAHNSEN. GUEST: Well, good morning, Nick, good to be with you.

EICHER: Let me begin with the Fed, David. This was the Fed’s last meeting of the year, it was at once no big surprise, but also very significant. I’ll quote The New York Times reporting, “The Fed penciled in three interest rate cuts for next year. In all, it’s likely to be three quarters of a percentage point, projected to lower the Fed’s prime lending rate to below 5%, down to 4.6%.” That's a notable drop from what the Fed said back in September. The Times noted the Fed announcement sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a record high. The S&P 500 also achieved that marker when you consider the so called Total Return basis. Treasuries rallied as well. Anyway, David, instead of interest rate hikes or holding high rates in place, now we’re talking about cuts.

BAHNSEN: Yeah, I think it’s pretty bad reporting from the New York Times in the way in which they present it and yet, a lot of the facts in there are somewhat accurate. But I want to be really clear: there was nothing that they reported there that was a surprise, the futures had been pricing all of that and then some well before the press conference of last Wednesday. What I believe Chairman Powell did last Wednesday, that will be in the history book, at least the history books that me and my people read, I mean, related to finance, is he actually said, well in advance of any rate cuts, any discussions of rate cuts, that they were looking at three rate cuts next year. It was the fact that he admitted it does not mean Oh, wow, now the markets are excited, they’re going to cut 75 basis points. The markets already knew they were going to cut 75 basis points.

By him admitting it, what he said is, we’re not going to cut any less than 75 basis points. That’s the real message. And so now you basically have a situation where there is a 100% chance in the Fed Funds Futures market, that there will be a 100 basis point rate cut by this time next year. There’s a less than 100% chance that it will be one and a quarter, one and a half and about 25% chance of one and three quarters. So you could be nearly at 2% lower a year from now.

Now, the markets and financial conditions pricing this could be wrong, they could revise. But this was an absolutely stunning level of capitulation and surrender by the Fed chair as they get ready to close out 2023 and go into the election year of 2024.

EICHER: When you say capitulation, though, David, do you mean to say that Chairman Powell shouldn't have said what he said or shouldn't have done what he did?

BAHNSEN: No, I do not mean that. And it's a very good question, Nick. What I mean is capitulate from what he has been saying, which I have been saying is utter nonsense for six months. The financial markets were not in need of additional tightening, the inflation—and what we need to refer to in 2023 as rapid and significant disinflation—has been happening no matter what, that the conditions that they have been dealing with were on a trajectory and in some cases had arrived, producer price prices are at deflation, core goods are at 0% year over year inflation. And were it not for that obnoxious lag effect in the way they measure shelter, which is basically looking at leases that were signed a year ago. And each month you get another roll off from the year ago month that that is distorting the numbers, in my opinion, adding over 1% to the inflation rate.

So they have something in the range of a 2-2.5 inflation rate now, and as he pointed out directly when asked about this, why start cutting before you get to the 2% target. He said that is absurd that we would wait to get there. And he’s right. There is a lag effect in monetary policy, one of Milton Friedman's most famous lines and that if they wait to get to two, then they will wait too long and overtighten, etc. What Powell said Wednesday is exactly right. It was just true six months ago as well. Now do I think they’re gonna get very lucky here, that we will avoid a recession, that they will have limited the damage they did to certain pockets, such as the breakdown of a few pretty big regional banks, certain aspects of commercial real estate? I think that’s possible. We shall see. But there was no question, especially as you saw the Bank of England and the European Central Bank the very next day, not say the same thing, say, you know, we’re not ready to talk about cuts. The Fed led the way in hawkishness a couple of years ago, meaning tighter monetary conditions that are leading the way in dovishness. Now, that’s all I mean, by capitulation.

EICHER: Well, now for good reason, we don’t pay a whole lot of attention to United Nations climate summits. But this one, David, COP-28 seem to yield some news. The delegates agreed to transition away from fossil fuels this decade, and to do so in a just, orderly, and equitable manner. As I read here, the US climate czar John Kerry said that “the transition to renewable energy is not going to happen magically because everyone sits there and does business as usual.” He said, “Business as usual has to change.” Does it alarm you at all, David, this talk of transitioning from fossil fuels?

BAHNSEN: Well, I suspect some would like me to say that it does. And I definitely understand the question, but I really want to answer you honestly, I want listeners to hear this. Nick, if you made a promise to me right now that you are committed to being a billionaire by 2040, would you want me to take it seriously? I mean, I think you’re a very resourceful guy, but I don't think you're gonna be a billionaire in 10 years. And I don’t think most people have the capacity to will themselves to being a billionaire. They can say that they want fairies to fly out of space. They’re not getting us off of fossil fuel by 2032, 2040, or 2050. And Saudi Arabia can say it, they’re not even going to try to do it. I mean, some of the countries, the problem is they actually try until Russia invades Ukraine, and then they have to go back to coal plants. So I think that it’s important in the sense that it provided a week of a lot of people to talk about it. But do I think it’s going to happen? Do I think it could happen if they wanted it? No, and no, so that’s where I don’t get real worried about it because I just don’t take it seriously.

EICHER: Alright, David Bahnsen, founder, Managing Partner, Chief Investment Officer at the Bahnsen Group, you can keep up with David bahnsen.com. You can read his Weekly Dividend Cafe commentary at dividendcafe.com. David, always great to talk with you, appreciate the time that you give us, have a good one.

BAHNSEN: Thanks so much, Nick.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Monday, December 18th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Up next, the WORLD History Book. Last week we told the story behind a well-loved Christmas carol. Today the story of A Christmas Carol—by Charles Dickens, published in London for the first time 180 years ago this week. WORLD Radio executive producer Paul Butler has our story.

PAUL BUTLER: In the 2017 film: The Man who Invented Christmas, we meet a world famous author in a bit of a dry spell. He’s had a few flops.

MOVIE CLIP: It's about a businessman or a factory owner, a miser. His partner dies, he doesn't shed a tear. And on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Eve he meets some kind of supernatural guides or spirits.

He’s expecting a fifth child, and borrowing money in the hopes of future success. According to the movie, that’s when Charles Dickens decides to write a Christmas book in hopes of making a comeback…

MOVIE CLIP: It's a short book. Short and sharp. It’s a comedy.

It’s an entertaining premise for a film to be sure, but unfortunately it’s as fictitious as Scrooge himself.

The story of A Christmas Carol begins long before 1843 London. It starts in Charles Dickens’ troubled youth. When he’s 12 years old his father is thrown into debtors' prison—forcing Charles into child labor at a shoe-blacking factory. A few months later, the family is reunited, but his time in the poor house casts a long shadow over the rest of his life.

As a young man, Dickens’ first job is as a clerk:

MOVIE CLIP: “You’ll want all day tomorrow, I suppose?”/“If quite convenient, sir.”/“It’s not convenient, and it’s not fair.”

Dickens goes on to work as a reporter, and even as an actor before his writing career takes off. He becomes a literary celebrity after the release of Oliver Twist and The Pickwick Papers. His notoriety grows through live readings of his works. In 1842 Dickens heads to America for a reading tour. During the trip he meets a handful of influential Unitarians—including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Raised a nominal Anglican, Dickens readily embraces the non-trinitarian faith and its commitment to societal improvement.

Upon returning home he reads a devastating report on unsafe working conditions for children in mines and factories. Dickens is deeply moved by the account. He begins planning a protest pamphlet but comes to believe a novella might have greater effect. The idea for A Christmas Carol is born.

MOVIE CLIP: A few of us are endeavoring to raise a fund to buy the poor, some meat and drink and means of warmth.

By the time Dickens settles in on his plan, he only has six weeks to write and publish the story if he wants it out before Christmas. His publisher says it’s not enough time, so he arranges to publish it himself independently—printing 6000 copies.

One of the most important scenes in the short story occurs in the third stave. In his final moments with the spirit of Christmas present, Scrooge observes something under the giant’s robe. When he lifts it back, two starving children stare up at Scrooge:

MOVIE CLIP: “Spirit, are they yours?” Scrooge could say no more. “They are Man's,” said the Spirit, looking down upon them. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree.”

For all the moments of levity and humor throughout the short story, it is with these two forlorn characters that Dickens strikes his hammer blow. To address the needs of the poor, society must start with neglected and forgotten children.

With Jacob Marley’s warning and the spirits’ guidance, Scrooge has a dramatic change of heart.

MOVIE CLIP: Before I draw nearer that stone, answer me one question…are these the shadows that must be, or are they only shadows of what might be?

Dickens’ Christmas Carol has its intended effect. Charitable giving increases after its publication. And together with Dickens’ many other stories, it begins to change societal perspectives on poverty and child labor.

Within a year of its first release, A Christmas Carol is republished 11 times—twice by the end of 1843. In an essay on Dickens’ first Christmas story, Catholic author GK Chesteron explains why it is so popular:

CHESTERTON: The Christmas Carol is a happy story first because it describes an abrupt and dramatic change. It is not only the story of a conversion, but of a sudden conversion, as sudden as the conversion of a man at a Salvation Army meeting.

But what kind of conversion is it? Dickens’ unitarian convictions believe that man is basically good and can redeem himself. That is exactly what we see in Scrooge. It mimics conversion, but the transformation is man-made—not new life from the Holy Spirit. Society is changed for the better, but Christmas becomes about generosity and doing good deeds instead of celebrating God made flesh.

In the years after publishing A Christmas Carol, Dickens authors a book for his children—a retelling of the life of Christ. It reveals his Unitarian view of Jesus: a good man who God loves as His own son. Which also shapes his view of Christianity. Here’s his great, great grandson reading from the book in 2017:

MARK DICKENS: It is Christianity to do good always, even to those who do evil unto us. It is Christianity to love our neighbor as ourself and to do to all men as we would have them do to us. It is Christianity to be gentle, merciful and forgiving and to keep these qualities quiet in our own hearts and never make a boast of them…

These are certainly all things that Christ teaches ought to characterize a Christian…but these things a Christian does not make. Scrooge has a change of heart…and lives by Dickens’ motto. But ultimately, Scrooge is the source of his own goodness. Rather than the righteousness of the eternal, pre-existent son of God.

The Christmas Carol audio clips included in today’s feature are from the 1951 Renown Pictures version of the story.

That’s this week’s WORLD History Book. I’m Paul Butler.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Tomorrow: the pros and cons of using melatonin to help kids settle down before they go to bed. And, a visit to a reindeer farm. That and more tomorrow.

I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. 

The World and Everything in It comes to you from WORLD Radio. WORLD’s mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires.

The Bible says: But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. —II Peter 3:8, 9

Go now in grace and peace.

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