“The Christian life is a lifelong shedding of tepid thoughts of the goodness of God.”

Dane Ortlund

Table of Contents

1. 49 Days Till the Election

2. Am I Racist?

3. Ohio Immigrant Crisis

4. Other news you should know

5. Remnant Resources

49 Days Till the Election

Merely 49 days away from November 5th, polls reveal that the race remains closer than either party is comfortable with. After a controversial debate has led to whistleblowers, viral moments, and an unclear “winner,” the nation watches as the trek toward the ballot box continues. Yesterday, Donald Trump survived an apparent second assassination attempt in Florida after secret service agents apprehended and engaged fire with a suspect in Trump’s “vicinity.” The suspect has since been caught, and information about the event is rapidly developing. 

We are now only 49 days away from November 5th, 2024, when Americans will return to the voting booth to cast their vote for future leaders of our government. This means each candidate has 49 more days to make their case as to why voters should trust them with the high privilege of serving as “ministers of God for good” (Romans 13:4). At one point in our nation’s history, advocating for policies that are inconsistent with God’s revealed will was the fast track to political suicide. Today, one could responsibly make the case the opposite is true. At America’s founding, nine of the thirteen colonies had some sort of “religious test” requirement for officeholders in their state constitutions.  The state of Massachusetts’ constitution read, “Any person chosen governor, lieutenant-governor, councilor, senator, or representative, and accepting the trust, shall before he proceed to execute the duties of his place or office, make and subscribe the following declaration: “I . . . do declare that I believe the Christian religion, and have a firm persuasion of its truth.” 

At America’s founding, the make-up of the citizenry was such that it was assumed that someone not willing to make a “religious oath” should be taken as unfit to govern. Article 6 of our federal constitution stipulated that “no religious test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public trust under the United States,” but given the founding state’s constitutional requirements, this is best understood as prohibiting specific denominational allegiances more than indifference to understanding the importance of having a strong faith (i.e., the federal government did not want to favor citizens from one state or denomination over another when it came to holding national office).

During our nation’s founding, it was all but unthinkable that men who rejected biblical ideals and embraced unbiblical values could be taken seriously as potential leaders (Deuteronomy 17:18-19). If America wants to be great again, a good place to begin would be to look at the convictions and beliefs of its potential leaders and ask, “Who rules my ruler?” (Proverbs 29:2). Giving lip service to faith is not enough (Matthew 15:8). VP Harris was exposed to both Hinduism (via her mother) and Christianity (via her father) and she currently claims association with the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. She also has married into and become part of a Jewish family, and it is unclear which of these associations, if any, she believes “rule her” as she “rules.” Meanwhile, those around Trump have testified to his increased spiritual sensitivities since the first attempt on his life. He grew up being exposed to the Presbyterian faith and has associated with Marble Collegiate Church for the past 50 years. Marble Collegiate Church is part of the Reformed Church in America and used to be led by Norman Vincent Peale, who is better known for his self-help books than his fidelity to God’s Word. Today, Trump said he is a “non-denominational Christian” and has found broad support from evangelicals because of his advocacy for religious freedom and his stronger (though recently more compromised) convictions on issues related to life. In 2015, he said, “People are so shocked when they find … out I am Protestant. I am Presbyterian. And I go to church, and I love God, and I love my church,” and to this day, less than 5% of Americans think of him as very religious, in no small part because he is better known for his acerbic tweets and name-calling than he is his quoting and support biblical Truths. Yesterday’s “I hate Taylor Swift” tweet from the former President continues this behavior and doesn’t communicate to those watching that he is taking Jesus’ command in Luke 6:37 all that seriously. To be sure, no one should take political advice from Taylor Swift (who has made an entire career out of writing songs about choosing the wrong person and calming down about the wrong things) either, but national leaders need to do better than pop stars. God’s Word reminds us, “Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent” (Proverbs 17:28), and it is a sad statement that our nation’s candidates help themselves when they keep their mouths shut and their thumbs away from keyboards. VP Harris seems to be following President Biden’s offense of offending as few people as possible by staying as far away from interviews and serious questioning as possible. Meanwhile, Trump continues to need attentive secret service agents to stay as far away from potential assassins as possible, and he should find some advisors (Proverbs 13:20) who counsel him to stay further away from impulsive speech (Proverbs 12:18) and name-calling (Ephesians 4:29) and who encourage him to embrace his Presbyterian roots in word, deed, and policies as his primary vision for making America great again. America is not and should not be a theocracy, but it will only prosper and find peace when members of the democracy embrace the same God that our nation’s architects humbly acknowledged in our founding (Psalm 33:12).

_{By: Todd Wagner}

Am I Racist?

The Daily Wire's new film “Am I Racist?” came in fourth this weekend at the box office, surprising many critics due to its lower-end budget of $3 million. It is a satirical mockumentary starring Matt Walsh and marks the company's first wide theatrical release. The film critiques the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) movement, as Walsh goes undercover, interviews, and interacts with authors, business owners, activists, and people on the street.

This is Matt's second film after the 2022 release of "What is a Woman?" 

When millions of dollars need to be spent in your nation to expose a pervasive racist anti-racist ideology, you know you've got a problem on your hands. The DEI movement, and values systems like it, thrives on racism and partiality even as it seeks to "destroy" it. It is never a good strategy that calls for the oppression or suppression of one type of person, or group of people, for the elevation of another.

The best ideas of men pale in comparison to the perfect ones God set out for our flourishing and good (and unfortunately, DEI isn't even one of our "best" ideas) (Isaiah 55:8-9, 1 Corinthians 1:25). God's wisdom suggests that partiality is always a sin (James 2:9), a person's gifts make room for them and that suffering or experiencing injustice is to be considered a gift as you share it with Christ and are sustained by Him (1 Peter 2:19-20, James 1:2-4). While you laugh at the ridiculousness exposed in Walsh's latest film, pray for our nation and those deceived by and under the influence of any other way but the way of Jesus.

_{By: Kirby Mankin}

Ohio Immigrant Crisis

JD Vance and Donald Trump have promoted unverified claims that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating pets, leading to increased security threats and disruptions in the community. Local officials and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine have refuted these claims, but the rumors have still caused harm, including the evacuation of schools and threats targeting Haitian residents. Vance has defended the claim, arguing that it is a tactic to draw media attention, while Trump has echoed the claims and promised mass deportations if elected. The controversy has intensified local tensions and brought forth conversations about the negative impact of spreading misinformation.

It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out (Proverbs 25:2). Before any leader repeats a story as fact, it is their responsibility and will add to their glory if they take time to investigate its veracity (Proverbs 20:25). Wisdom tells us not to be rash with our words (Ecclesiastes 5:2) and to carefully evaluate what we hear “to see if it is so” (Proverbs 18:17). Hear, speak, investigate is as tragically a misordered and dangerous sequence as “ready, fire, aim” (Proverbs 19:2-3). Leaders who tell tales will lose trust and not lead for long. Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), and so are influence and trust.  

If it turns out these claims cannot be substantiated, both Trump and Vance should humble themselves, acknowledge that they repeated false stories, and accept the consequences and purpose to do better. If the stories can be authenticated, those mocking and criticizing them for bringing the stories to wider attention must do the same. The fact that neither is likely to happen testifies to the increasing trouble poisoning our nation. It is the job of the remnant to lead the way out of the chaos of misinformation and purposefully traffic in the truth, not giving “answers before we hear” (Proverbs 18:13) while steadfastly modeling and repeating the Truth that sets men free (John 8:32).

_{By: Remnant News Team}

Other news you should know

🧑🏻‍🚀️ Lots of action in space these days.

😬 Hate on Truth Social.

📈 Stock market had its best week this year.

↩️ More prisoner exchanges happen between Russia and Ukraine.

🏈 Sometimes it is genetic.

 🇮🇱 Houthi rebels launch missile into Israel.

🚓 US citizens arrested in Venezuela after possible coup plans discovered.

👍🏻 Pennsylvania plans to crack down on possible election fraud.

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