Quote of the day:

“If God would concede me his omnipotence for 24 hours, you would see how many changes I would make in the world. But if he gave me his wisdom too, I would leave things as they are."

^{- J.M.L. Monsabre}

Today’s Headlines

Supreme Court Lifts Stay On White House Communication

The Supreme Court blocked a lower court decision that limited how federal officials can communicate with social media companies about content moderation. Conservative Justices Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch disagreed. The lawsuit was brought by Republican attorneys general and social media users who claimed the government violated the First Amendment by pressuring companies to remove specific content. A district court judge had stopped officials from encouraging platforms to delete or suppress content, but an appeals court narrowed the injunction. The Biden administration appealed to the Supreme Court to freeze the lower court decision entirely, arguing it impeded the government's ability to address matters of public concern. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the lower courts found serious First Amendment violations when officials pressured companies to censor views—the Supreme Court plans to hear full arguments on the case's merits.

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The Remnant's Response

Those reading this newsletter in the United States are blessed to live in a country with rights like the ones in our First Amendment, which include freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble, and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. These rights have not typically existed in societies throughout human history. What has been typical is the tyranny of men oppressing and ruling over other men. "The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; He who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life" (Proverbs 20:2). We often cite 1 Timothy 2:1-2 when referencing our government and world leaders, but we haven't typically written about the specific reason we are told to pray is "so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in godliness and dignity" (1 Timothy 2:2).

For centuries, lands were ruled by the decree of kings, commonly referred to by the Latin phrase "rex lex" (the king is the law). America's founding fathers changed the course of history when they ratified the Constitution, which made the 'law king' (Lex Rex) because they embraced a worldview that believed in the sinfulness of man (Psalm 53:2-3) and therefore wrote the separation of powers into our Constitution. They agreed with Lord Acton, who famously wrote, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Consequently, they devised a system that not only kept the executive, legislative, and judicial branches balanced in their powers but also, as a matter of first importance, made it clear that citizens of our land were given certain rights (First Amendment) and the ability to organize and maintain weaponry (Second Amendment) so they could not be easily forced to surrender those rights.

Americans should be thankful for any laws or leaders that align with a biblical worldview (Proverbs 29:2, Psalm 33:12), but they should not be emboldened by them. Our confidence (2 Timothy 1:7) and responsibility (Ephesians 4:15) come not from our Constitution but our calling (Jeremiah 1:17). As cited above (2 Timothy 2:2), the reason we are called to pray is so we don't have to live loudly in protest of unrighteous ideas embraced and enforced by a government that has lost its way (Acts 5:29). But the remnant must always be ready to stand up against deception, misinformation, and tyrants who try to control others by controlling the narrative (Ephesians 5:6-12).

It is a blessing to live in a land where we are free to speak, but it is a terrible mistake to be silent when it is illegal to confront lies (Ezekiel 2:6, 3:16-18). The remnant should be constantly reminded that irrespective of their nation's "king," they serve the "High King of Heaven," who gives them a greater reason to freely speak, defend Truth, and assemble (Matthew 10:28).

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Israel Update

Here are the big updates from the weekend:

• Israel has evacuated around 200,000 people from communities near Gaza and Lebanon due to the threat of attacks.

• President Biden and Pope Francis spoke by phone about the need for peace, and the Pope called for aid access to Gaza and hostages to be freed.

• UN agency warns it will run out of critical fuel for humanitarian aid in Gaza in 3 days if supply lines remain closed.

• About 60% of Gaza's population is now displaced.

• Israel carried out a rare airstrike on a mosque in the West Bank that it said contained a "terror cell" planning an imminent attack. Tensions and violence have been rising in the West Bank.

• U.S. strengthening military presence in the Middle East to defend Israel if needed and deter Iran/proxy groups from escalating crisis.

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The Remnant's Response 

It doesn’t take a lot of courage to call for peace, but it takes a lot of courage to wield the sword of justice that maintains it (Joshua 7:13-15). War is not for soft men (2 Chronicles 12:9); a strong military keeps the wicked in their caves (Romans 13:3-5). Jesus reminds us of this truth when exhorting His disciples to consider the cost of following or not following Him, “what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace” (Luke 14:31-32). Jack Carr, author of the James Reese series about an ex-navy seal betrayed by his government, quotes Robert E. Howard, the famed pulp fiction writer, and creator of Conan the Barbarian, when he reminded, “Civilized men are more discourteous than savage because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.” Solomon reminds us that ‘as a general thing,’ when the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly- the hearts of men among them are given fully to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11). So while we “call for peace,” let us remember, it is often necessary to execute justice swiftly and severely to keep it (Psalm 101:6-8). The Pope would do well to remember that “blessing” evil behavior, on battlefields or in the bedroom is bad for peace, both in human hearts (Proverbs 13:13) and in human lands (Proverbs 28:28).

 Other news you should know

🤦🏻‍♂️ 9 candidates running for House speakership.

⚾️ Rangers force game 7, Phillies Lead 3-2.

🏈 Former Baylor coach Art Briles has negligence claims dismissed by court.

🎤 Did P Diddy order the hit on Tupac?

🧵 Roughly, half of threads users stopped using threads already.

🏠 Woman comes home from vacation to find her house… demolished?

 Remnant Resources: Weekly Picks

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