Quote of the day:

 "What God says is best, is best, though all the men in the world are against it."

_{- John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress}

Today’s Headlines

Newsom Vetoes Controversial Bill

California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have mandated judges to consider a parent's affirmation of their child's gender identity when making custody and visitation decisions. In his announcement, Newsom expressed his commitment to transgender rights but emphasized caution in prescribing specific legal standards for the judiciary, fearing it might set a precedent for diminishing civil rights. The proposed legislation aimed to include gender affirmation as one of several factors for courts to consider in custody cases.

While Newsom argued that existing laws already consider the child's well-being and the parent's affirmation of their gender identity, Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who introduced the bill, expressed disappointment in the veto.

Newsom's decision comes amid ongoing national debates about transgender rights, including bans on gender-affirming care, transgender participation in sports, and gender identity notification in schools. Additionally, Newsom vetoed bills related to self-driving trucks and sharing information about incarcerated immigrants with federal authorities.

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The Remnant's Response:

Governor Newsom vetoing legislation as problem-riddled as California Bill AB957 is a welcome development since we discussed the bill here. However, it's important to note that while he expressed concerns about the bill's potential impact on the judiciary, he also emphasized his belief that the bill's goals are already achieved through existing judicial and legislative practices. Newsom is a politician who has proven he is not to be trusted when it comes to calling good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20-21). There is no middle ground for governors when it comes to affirming gender dysphoria, protection of life, and rights for parents. It is time for Governor Newsom to stop wavering between two opinions, "if the Lord is God, follow Him, but if 'Baal,' follow him" (1 Kings 18:21).

People seeking to maintain and grow their power often employ a complex interplay of motives and interests. While we can certainly celebrate when governors veto bills like this, we should remain vigilant and discerning about the true character and motives of all our political leaders. As Jesus advised in Matthew 10:16, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves", underscoring our need to be alert even when "pleased."

Irrespective of others, let us be always reminded that the Lord is unwavering in His embrace of righteousness, and we should be as well (1 Peter 1:14-16). Stop and pray for Governor Newsom to veto his history of rejecting God's will and way, and pray with us the remnant would deepen in its embrace (Romans 12:9).

Senator Bob Menendez Indicted

Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and his wife have been charged with federal bribery by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. They are accused of accepting cash, gold, a luxury vehicle, and other benefits from three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for Menendez using his influence to benefit the businessmen and Egypt. Menendez faces three counts, including conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. The investigation is ongoing.

Menendez has denied the charges and expressed confidence that the matter will be resolved. The indictment alleges that Menendez secretly provided sensitive government information to aid Egypt and pressured a U.S. Department of Agriculture official to protect a business monopoly granted to one of the businessmen, which was used to fund the bribes. Federal agents reportedly found large sums of cash and gold bars at Menendez's home during a search in June 2022. Menendez had faced federal corruption charges in 2015, which were dropped in 2018. He currently serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

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The Remnant's Response

We have written before about the danger of rushing to judgment, violating the principle of "innocent until proven guilty," and giving prosecuting authority to those who control distribution systems or means of commerce. Today, let us add to this list the danger of "trial by media." Wisdom reminds us that "he who gives an answer before he hears, it is a folly and shame to him" (Proverbs 18:13). It is especially tempting to believe negative stories about someone we distrust, dislike, or who has been dishonest with us before. Senator Menendez certainly appears to fit that description based on previous actions and attempts by our federal government to prosecute him, as well as a formal rebuke and censure from the Senate ethics committee back in 2018. God's Word reminds us that "a good name is to be desired above great riches" (Proverbs 22:1), but it doesn't instruct us to assume guilt just because someone has a bad name (Proverbs 18:17). Leadership is a sacred privilege, and betrayal of trust while in leadership is costly (Proverbs 29:4; Ezra 8:22). We can be glad we live in a country that is, at least evidenced by this story, willing to prosecute corruption (1 Peter 2:14). Meanwhile, may this story cause the remnant to repent of compromise, wherever it exists in our life, so others see the goodness of the Lord in us and demand an explanation for our steadfast commitment to faithfulness in all things (1 Peter 3:15).

Fast Growing Christian Newsletter Adds Three Chapters to Bible

It's us, we did that. Last Monday, September 18th, we referenced John 24:14, which obviously does not exist (Joshua 24:14 does). While we weren't trying to indicate we stumbled upon previously undiscovered scrolls on our last trip to Israel, we were surprised to find that the typo went relatively unnoticed, and we received NO pushback from our faithful readers. We're thankful that you trust us, but really… don't trust us that much. Now we know we set out to be a quick read to inform, embolden, and engage our readers three times a week, so we are not expecting to be referenced and spell-checked every time. However, our late-night editing and your early-morning reading might have gotten the best of all of us this time. This is a friendly reminder that we welcome your feedback at [email protected] and that we want our readers to click on those bible verses!

As far as the math error on Friday's story on our ever-increasing national debt, all we can say is we were told there would be no math when we applied for this job.

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The Remnant's Response:

​​At the Remnant, we take seriously our effort to inform, equip, and encourage you.

We believe excellence honors God and inspires men (Colossians 3:23, Proverbs 22:9).

Despite our efforts, periodically, typos or formatting errors - math mistakes - make their way through our process, and when they do, we correct them on our online/web page. If it is ever egregious, we will send out a correction to address the unintentional error and or bring greater clarity to a topic that we believe is too serious to hope you see our edit online (you can read all old stories at mail.theremnantnews.org). We always work hard to maintain the trust that is central to our mission in this newsletter and appreciate reader feedback and engagement that makes us better. Please help us serve and encourage others by sharing your referral code (at the bottom of this email) or joining convos on our Instagram and X pages. Many have found it helpful to simply forward the remnant news stories to friends on days that they think would be especially helpful to others.

Meanwhile, when we caught that autocorrect (which clearly doesn't know there are only 21 chapters in the gospel of John) changed "Josh" to John in our September 18th Remnant Response about "Christless Conservatism," the issue was immediately corrected on our web page. It is our hope and intention that you are looking up verses in our responses to deepen your love for and familiarity with God's Word and rightly "testing our words" (Acts 17:11).

We were glad some of you caught our math error Friday in our story about the national debt, noting it would take over one MILLION years (not merely one hundred thousand) to count out the necessary amount.

We promise less math in the future, and we pray that you find yourself bolder in your walk and more useful to our King because you invest time here with us.

Other news you should know

🙏🏻 In the US 47% of the population identify as religious.

🎡 Disney aims to quit the culture war.

💿 The end of an era, Netflix is shutting down their DVD mail service that changed the entertainment industry.

🏈 It’s a Love Story? Taylor Swift cheers on the Kansas City Chiefs.

🍿Screenwriters and Hollywood strike temporary deal.

 Remnant Resources: Weekly Picks

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