“Seek not to grow in knowledge chiefly for the sake of applause, and to enable you to dispute with others; but seek it for the benefit of your souls, and in order to practice."

_{- Jonathan Edwards}

Today’s Headlines

Ohio Issue 1 - Rejected

Ohio voters voted “no” on “State Issue 1” which would have made it more challenging to amend the state constitution in the future. If approved, the proposed issue would have:

1. Increased the minimum standard for making amendments to the constitution from a simple majority at 50% to 60%.

2. Required signatures from 5% of electors (in Ohio’s 88 counties) on initiatives to amend the constitution filed after January 1, 2024.

3. Rejected any additional signatures added to a petition after it is filed with the secretary of state, beginning January 1, 2024.

An amendment to the Ohio constitution allowing for abortion up until birth is being voted on this November.

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The Remnant’s Response:

Politics are not our savior, but they are not our sworn enemy either. As followers of Christ it's crucial that we stay engaged. Not voting equals indifference, and indifference isn't an option (Proverbs 24:11-12, Proverbs 31:8-9). Politics follow culture, and God's design is for culture to flow from His church. While we might not fully or perfectly bring His grace and glory to our world, we must never cease striving (Matthew 28:19-20). Passivity was humanity's initial sin, and it still leads to turmoil today. Edmund Burke accurately noted that “all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men do to nothing.” In Ohio, many worked to alter their state constitution's amendatory process due to the looming prospect of its citizens constitutionally safeguarding infanticide. While the desired change didn't pass, we can pray for Ohio's remnant to persistently contend for their fellow citizens' hearts and minds, avoiding a grave error this November. Though no alterations occurred today in Ohio to hinder entrenching abortion on demand as a constitutionally protected right, our responsibility to advocate for life by changing hearts through introducing them to the Way, the Truth, and the Life remains unaltered.

Alleged Assassination Attempt

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has detained an alleged informant associated with a plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky. The woman, whose identity remains unknown, was gathering intelligence to facilitate a Russian airstrike during Zelensky's visit to Mykolaiv. However, SBU's efforts thwarted the plot, leading to the woman's arrest while she attempted to transfer information. President Zelensky, claims to have previously evaded numerous assassination attempts.

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The Remnant’s Response:

Assassinations are familiar to students of Scripture, as various Kings and Queens from Israel, Judah, and foreign nations met their end in this manner (see Judges 3:15-25). In a fallen world, conflicts and wars are ever-present. “There is a time for war” (Ecclesiastes 3:8), and within war, treachery, deceit, and death abound, none of us should be taken aback by the targeting of leaders and armies amid such strife. While God isn't a proponent of war, it's evident that taking life during warfare isn't equivalent to murder (Genesis 9:6, Exodus 20:13). Otherwise, men would lay their soldiers to rest in the prison yards rather than in places of honor.

God would never command someone to commit sin, but He has instructed His people to administer justice and declare war (1 Samuel 15:3). We will leave it to foreign 'intelligence services' to determine if treachery occurred against their leader during the ongoing Ukraine/Russian war, but it shouldn't surprise us that combatants and their leaders are targeted or perish. This world is fallen. We should never delight in war, or the death that naturally follows, but there is nothing in God’s word that suggests the Lord’s servants should not participate in it as part of God’s bringing wrath to evil doers (Romans 13:4).

Fallen Soldiers Families Seek Answers

Two years after the US military left Afghanistan, Gold Star families, who lost loved ones in the Kabul airport suicide bombing, voiced their grievances and demanded accountability in a congressional forum in California earlier this week. They highlighted the Biden administration's mistakes during the withdrawal and the resulting attack which happened during the withdrawal. Families called for resignations and expressed dissatisfaction with the partial acknowledgments previously given by officials. Transparency and ownership of mistakes were recurring concerns, as families criticized the administration's lack of accuracy and truthfulness regarding the incident. The families were united in their desire to ensure that the sacrifices of their loved ones were not in vain and that appropriate accountability was handed out by the administration.

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The Remnant’s Response:

We do not have time to fully comment on the failed withdrawl of “Operation Enduring Freedom,” the name given to America’s engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan following 9/11, but we can comment on the effects of poor leadership.

Regarding the purpose of the forum, it is a good thing when leaders are held accountable for their decisions. (2 Corinthians 5:10) Dishonesty and lies bear consequences that extend beyond the liar. Proverbs 12:22 tells us, “The LORD detests lying lips but delights in people who are trustworthy.” Instead of defending actions as successful, it is the job of leadership to own failures, confess sins (James 5:16), and, as much as possible, make amends. (Luke 19:8) Wise leaders don’t seek to cover their mistakes but own them and mourn with those whose lives have been affected by their failures. (Romans 12:15).

As Christians, our duty encompasses advocating for transparency, accountability, and justice, urging those in authority to uphold these values (Ephesians 5:1-3). Equally essential is honoring individuals and families who sacrificed their lives and relatives on behalf of our nation.(Romans 13:7). We should pray for our leaders (1 Tim 2:1-2) and, as appropriate, make them pay for their failures and untrustworthiness by removing from them the privilege of leadership and justly allowing them to endure all appropriate consequences of their failure. (1 Tim 5:20, 1 Peter 2:20)

Other news you should know

🔫 Supreme Court temporarily reinstates Biden admin ghost gun restrictions.

🎤 Rapper Tory Lanez sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting rapper Meg the Stallion in the foot.

⛈️ Severe storms struck eastern US leaving over a million without power and taking the life of 2.

🎟️ Can we please get an alternative to ticketmaster?! Swifties would like to know.

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