Quote of the day:

"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."

_{- John Calvin}

Today’s Headlines

Congressional Drama

In a last-minute move, Congress has successfully passed a spending bill, ensuring the continued operation of the government for an additional 45 days. Concurrently, Representative Matt Gaetz, a prominent Republican figure who had previously led opposition against Speaker McCarthy, is once again pursuing a vote of no confidence to remove McCarthy from his position. In response to Gaetz's actions, some House GOP members are actively exploring the possibility of expelling Gaetz, a process requiring a two-thirds majority vote.

Gaetz frames this latest effort to oust McCarthy as a matter of principle rather than a personal vendetta. He cites McCarthy's alleged failure to uphold a commitment made in January to revert spending levels to pre-COVID standards as the impetus behind his actions. The unfolding developments in this political saga are expected to transpire over the course of the next couple days.

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The Remnant's Response 

As will often be the case when covering stories like this—those of us outside the room where the deal was cut for McCarthy to become House Speaker—we have no idea what commitments he made and how they should be rightly understood. What we do know is that our governmental leaders have long delayed faithfully dealing with our ever-increasing national debt. This story also highlights the tension that exists inside the Republican Party, which serves as a good reminder to all of us that those who should be allies often become the most painful kind of enemies. While we expect our enemies to oppose us, Jesus reminds us that faithful followers will experience their greatest challenge when christians in name only (ChRinos) turn their backs on us on issues of great ultimate importance. We should not be surprised in the coming days to find divisions (Luke 12:53). We are told that there are some who “went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.” (1 John 2:19). So, while we will have to wait to see how the tensions between Speaker McCarthy and Representative Gaetz play themselves out, we should prepare ourselves for the tragic moment when “ChRinos” compromise or make baseless accusations against the faithful.

Jamaal Bowman Disrupts Congress

Democratic Representative Jamaal Bowman from New York is facing an investigation for pulling a fire alarm in the Capitol office building during a vote on a GOP stopgap spending bill. (Watch Here) The incident led to the evacuation of the building. While Bowman's chief of staff stated that he pulled the alarm inadvertently, thinking it would open a door, and expressed regret for any confusion caused.

Prominent Republican lawmakers accused Bowman of violating the same law that many January 6 defendants were convicted of violating, citing his actions as interfering with legislative proceedings. They demanded criminal charges and likened his behavior to those involved in the January 6 riot at the Capitol.

Many Republicans criticized the incident, calling for repercussions and comparing it to the treatment of individuals arrested for their involvement in the January 6 events. Both the Committee on House Administration and the Capitol Police initiated separate investigations into the matter, with some Republicans asserting that Bowman's actions were a felony and posed a risk to federal employees' safety.

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The Remnant’s Response:

It is a form of judgment on a land when their "king is lad." (Ecclesiastes 10:16). We have all known "class clowns" who pulled the fire alarm at school to get out of class. However, it is a sign of the rapidly downward spiral our nation finds itself in that "clowns" have made their way into Congress. While it is discouraging to see congressmen act like high-school deviants, we can take heart in knowing that our country has survived generations of 'clowns' leading us.

Meanwhile, and more importantly to the remnant, let us be reminded that there is a reason the Lord has told His church to be careful about who it appoints to positions of leadership (1 Timothy 3:1-12). It is one thing to have a citizenry that is writing disparaging things about its governmental leaders; it is quite another to have them think poorly of the godly ones.

While all believers are commanded to "keep our behavior excellent among the Gentiles" (1 Peter 2:12), the Lord reserves especially harsh judgment for teachers and shepherds (James 3:1, Ezekiel 34). Given that the Lord considers all of His remnant to be a "Kingdom of priests" and a "holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9), let us focus on and repent of any of our foolishness and "alarm-pulling" before we spend too much time sounding the "alarm" about fools in D.C.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. May Run Independent

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., scion of the Kennedy political dynasty, is reportedly ending his challenge to Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination and will instead run as an independent candidate. Kennedy, 69, is expected to announce his independent candidacy in Pennsylvania on October 9th, citing concerns that the Democratic National Committee is changing the rules to exclude him from the nomination process.

This move by Kennedy to run as an independent candidate could potentially disrupt the 2024 presidential race for the White House. While polling has shown Kennedy performing relatively well against Biden in the Democratic primary, he is not seen as posing a serious threat. However, Biden's aides are reportedly concerned about the impact of third-party candidates, fearing they may peel away more support from Biden than from the likely Republican nominee, Donald Trump, potentially benefiting the Republican candidate in the election.

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The Remnant's Response:

When politics is rightly considered, one should not be thinking in reference to a political party (i.e., Democrat or Republican) but rather be thinking in terms of what parties (groups of people) believe. Americans have suffered through decades of election cycles because the ingrained two-party system has limited the citizenry's opportunity to vote for a broader selection of candidates who appear on ballots across the country.

Irrespective of the number of parties or candidates who appear on ballots, the goal of the faithful should not be to establish partisan or party-affiliated churches but rather to prioritize the embracing of biblical truth over any worldly identity or association. The remnant is called to be set apart as Christ is set apart (1 Peter 1:15-16) and must think of itself as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), not card-carrying Democrats or Republicans. Where a party's platform is consistent with Scripture, it should be supported; where it departs from biblical principles, it must be admonished and rejected (Isaiah 5:20). The same is true of individual candidates.

RFK Jr.'s willingness to run as an independent is a welcomed start toward shaking up the two-party system, which has frustrated many who have wanted to vote for a better candidate than is being offered by either traditional party. That said, while there is much to like about Kennedy's move, his extreme policies around the abortion issue disqualify him from being a viable candidate for those serious about protecting life. There should be no single issue that a candidate holds that earns a vote, but there are single issues that clearly disqualify a candidate. The sanctity of life certainly is on that list for the remnant.

 Other news you should know

🇪🇺 Team Europe takes home the Ryder Cup in dominating fashion.

👨‍👩‍👧 Tennessee Judge ends conservatorship between Michael Oher and the Tuohy family.

🗽 New York under water.

⚰️ Longest tenured California senator Dianne Feinstein passed away this weekend.

🐼 There are no more pandas in America as Chinese relations get tense.

 Remnant Resources: Weekly Picks

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