“Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.“

Elizabeth Elliot

Table of Contents

1. Deadly Fire Ignites in Rafah

2. Player Compensation in the NCAA

3. Google’s Faulty AI

4. Other news you should know

5. Share this newsletter

Deadly Fire Ignites in Rafah

The Israeli military is investigating the possibility that stored munitions near a compound hit by an airstrike in Gaza ignited, resulting in the deaths of over 40 civilians. Chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that while the cause of the deadly blaze in Rafah remains unclear, the 17 kilogram munitions used were likely too small to cause such a significant fire. Hagari mentioned the potential of weapons stored in a nearby compound, unbeknownst to the military, igniting due to the strike, as indicated by footage showing secondary explosions. Despite efforts to avoid civilian casualties, the incident has sparked international outrage and increased pressure on Israel, particularly following a recent order from the International Court of Justice to halt operations in Rafah.

There was no war in Eden. No death. No suffering of the innocent. No mismanaged air strikes or “tragic mishaps.” It was THE tragic mishap of declaring war on God that gave birth to all the evil, despair, war, and death with which we are so familiar (Genesis 3). Adam and Eve were the first to error and to operate without “precision,” leading to the death of every other “innocent” since birth (Romans 5:12).

We should have nothing but gratitude for the gracious and perfect mercy of the Lord that He has made provision for all men through the obedience of His Son (Romans 5:18-19).

To receive the Lord’s provision, men must recognize their error, confess their sin, and trust in His provision (1 John 1:9, Romans 10:9-10). As we have written extensively and repeatedly, Israel has every right and responsibility to respond to the evil thrust upon it, and Israel is right in acknowledging its error in this failed strike and investigating the reason for the failure. Meanwhile, war is riddled with chaos, and failure in war is not to be equated with the intentional evil the world witnessed on October 7, 2023. It is precisely because of the Hamas attacks that “there are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians.” Meanwhile, Hamas continues to intentionally, immorally, unmercifully, and illegally hold 100 civilians hostage and withhold the remains of ~30 others without the same moral outrage being expressed by a watching international community and a feckless United Nations. Israel should continue to make every effort to minimize collateral damage while it wages a necessary war against evil and hold itself accountable for any intentional harm perpetrated against non-combatants, but there is no evil in making and grieving the misfortunes and failures of war. As we wrote as recently as last Friday, We must remain sober-minded and prayerfully aware of the multitudes who will continue to suffer and die as a result of this current trouble and join the Spirit in longing to see the Lord Jesus come quickly (Revelation 22:3-7; Psalm 30:5), but we cannot cease to make war against evil until He comes (1 Corinthians 15:58).

_{By: Todd Wagner}

Player Compensation in the NCAA

The NCAA and five major conferences have agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle antitrust claims, signaling a shift towards a new revenue-sharing model that could see athletes receiving direct compensation. This landmark decision, approved by all Power 5 conferences, including the Pac-12, marks the end of the NCAA's traditional amateurism model. Under the settlement, over 14,000 former and current college athletes stand to benefit from endorsement and sponsorship deals dating back to 2016. 

Colleges also have the opportunity but are not required, to set aside $21 million in revenue to share with athletes per year. While the agreement introduces a new compensation model allowing schools to allocate funds to athletes, challenges remain regarding Title IX, NIL activities, and ongoing legal proceedings.

We should rejoice with those who receive blessing, just as we should weep with those who are under duress (Romans 12:15). Just as the hard-working farmer deserves the first share of the crops, so these athletes deserve the fruits of their labor (2 Timothy 2:6).

There is much to learn about the Christian life through athletics and, so it is not surprising that the apostle Paul repeatedly returned to the topic to illustrate the importance of faithfulness, self-discipline (1 Corinthians 9:24–27), hard work, delayed gratification (2 Timothy 2:5) steadfastness in battle (Ephesians 6:12), and final reward (Philippians 3:14). All are illustrations relevant to our sanctification and ultimate reward (Romans 5:3–5; Proverbs 5:23; Hebrews 12:11). All of us would do well to persevere in these things as we navigate the troubles in the arena of life (1 Peter 1:3–7; Romans 12:12), and endure to the end (Matthew 24:13) while we wait to reap our reward in due season (Galatians 6:9). Athletics provide a great picture of how we are to set our hearts fully on Jesus and lay aside every weight and sin which so easily entangle us (2 Timothy 2:4). Let us follow the great cloud of witnesses (spiritual athletes) who have modeled these traits so that by faith we might live the life and attain to the glory our Lord Christ desires for us (Hebrews 12:1–2).

_{By: Jack Mueller and Todd Wagner}

Google’s Faulty AI

Google's new AI Overviews feature aims to offer quick, concise summaries of search results generated by artificial intelligence, but it's facing criticism for occasionally providing inaccurate and dangerous misinformation. Examples include suggesting adding glue to pizza or eating rocks, sourced from old Reddit comments and satirical articles. This highlights broader issues with generative AI models, which can sometimes produce false or misleading information due to flawed training data or algorithmic errors. Despite Google's efforts to enhance search with AI, these mistakes risk eroding trust among users and raising concerns about the reliability of search results.

The “war” on misinformation continues to prove difficult to win, given our ever-growing love of convenience.  There appears to be less concern about “misinformation” when it doesn’t offend the sensibilities of ‘experts’ in Silicon Valley, mainstream media, or other cultural elites, but when the ‘misinformation’ threatens their agenda or worldview, there seems to be a consistently voiced concern about its dangers, something that should not surprise us (2 Timothy 4:3-4). 

There has never been a more important time to ensure that what you are reading, feeding yourself and others, is right and True (John 3:20, 8:32, John 17:17). Over the last several years we have seen several instances where reporting characterized by mainstream media or political pundits as “misinformation” or “conspiracy theories” are eventually shown to have significant portions of truth in them.  It is no surprise that each passing day has us seeing a growing hatred for God’s Truth and the examples that support it (John 3:19-20). It has been a rarity in modern history that standing on the foundation of Scripture and the fundamentals of the faith is popular or considered culturally acceptable (John 15:18-19). 

The remnant needs to remain vigilant in its consumption of information lest it find itself feeding on ingredients more damaging to its spiritual health than glue and rocks are a threat to a nutritious pizza (Proverbs 10:20-22).

_{By: The Remnant News Team}

Other news you should know

💂🏼Mandatory service for Brits?

🧑🏼‍⚖️ Closing arguments done in Trump trial.

🗳 We’ll be seeing him on the NY ballot.

🤦🏼 Harvard trying to be Swiss going forward.

💥 The US speaks up about the Rafah strike.

🥊 Mike Tyson doing better after health scare on a flight.

💸 Is generosity ever a bad idea?

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