Fixing the Issue of Church Political Speech
For decades, there has been a fierce debate about the constitutionality and general legality of the Johnson Amendment. This little-known amendment has been used to restrict the First Amendment rights of churches and faith-based organizations for more than 60 years. But the mission of the church demands that it be encouraged to speak truthfully to America’s postmodern generation. How should the church respond?
The Epstein Saga
Your impact on behalf of the vulnerable can begin immediately. Walk upright. Defend those vulnerable to oppression. Desire and pursue equal justice.
Rare Cuts
The federal government has approved $9 billion of spending cuts. How should Christians view this development?
Pressure on Putin
The United States is turning up the pressure on Russia both economically and militarily. U.S. President Donald Trump announced both planned economic tariffs on Russia and an increased supply of weapons for Ukraine in an effort to turn back the military offensive led by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Department of Education Resumes Closure
The U.S. Supreme Court has lifted a lower court’s injunction that had temporarily blocked the Trump administration from dramatically scaling back the U.S. Department of Education. The decision allows the administration to move forward with its plan to reduce the footprint of the agency—a plan that contains both elimination of programs and personnel as well as reorganization of certain programs to other federal agencies.
Church Endorsements
Birthday Bill Signing
America’s 249th birthday—July 4, 2025—was celebrated with fireworks, BBQs, and the signing of the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” After months of negotiating and drafting, the U.S. House and U.S. Senate finally approved joint language just in time for the bill to be signed into law on Independence day. The bill-turned-law makes significant changes to U.S. tax law, as well as spending programs.
Fearfully and Wonderfully
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, upheld a Tennessee law that bans puberty blockers and hormones from being administered to minors for the purpose of transitioning to the opposite sex. Twenty-seven states have similar laws on the books, and the Supreme Court’s ruling mostly ensures those laws will remain in effect.
Constitutional Limitations
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 to limit the use of universal or nationwide injunctions by lower courts, reinforcing that such courts may only issue rulings for the parties directly involved in a case. This decision underscores the constitutional boundaries of judicial authority, reminding Christians that while human power is limited by design, God’s authority is limitless and eternal.
NATO Summit
World leaders gathered in The Hague for the NATO Summit this week. The annual meeting focuses on security, and occurred this week as numerous conflicts rage, including between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Iran, and now—in at least a limited fashion—the U.S. and Iran. Leaders from the allied nations are discussing varied viewpoints on whether and how to intervene in each situation, as well as how much of their respective budgets to dedicate to both domestic security and collective world security.
Bunker Busters
U.S. bombers attacked three key Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend in an attempt to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities. B-2 stealth bombers based in Missouri were used for the heaviest bombing, including the deployment of 14 “bunker-buster” bombs used to penetrate the underground Iranian facilities at Fordo and Natanz.
Political Violence in Minnesota
Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, are dead, and Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, are injured after a gunman went on an overnight shooting spree with apparent plans to target dozens of elected officials. Authorities say the suspect, who was later taken into custody near his home, had a target list of more than 40 Democrat lawmakers and attempted to harm at least two additional officials at their homes on the night of the attack.
Parade and Protests
The U.S. Army celebrated its 250th anniversary this week with a parade of troops, military equipment, and music in the streets of Washington, DC. It was among the first of what will be many events commemorating 250 years since many of the foundational moments in American history—including the adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The celebratory event was met by protests in many American cities but went off without major incident in DC.
All Out War
Israel and Iran are at war. The two countries have long been enemies and there has for some time now been sustained hostilities, proxy skirmishes, and recently direct engagement between them. This week marked a significant escalation, however, with Israel embarking on a multi-day and ongoing campaign to cripple Iran’s nuclear weapons capability. The result has been the destruction of multiple sites related to Iran’s nuclear enrichment and development, as well as the death of multiple Iranian military leadership.
Revoked
The U.S. State Department is “aggressively revok[ing] visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” according to a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The move comes amid increasing economic tension—including an ongoing tariff escalation—between the U.S. and China, and also as world observers warn about the possibility of a Chinese takeover of Taiwan.
Elusive Peace
There are yet again new rounds of negotiations to end the fighting in two major wars. First, Israel has reportedly signaled agreement with a U.S.-led framework that includes a ceasefire, hostage exchanges, and increased aid into Gaza. Hamas wants changes to the framework but has reportedly indicated an openness to continued negotiations.
All the Jobs
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is acquiring more responsibility, as U.S. President Donald Trump has named him interim national security advisor in addition to his current role leading the State Department.
Wrongly Raided
Federal agents obtained a warrant and used it to raid a house in Oklahoma, seizing possessions in an effort to secure evidence for a human smuggling case. Residents of the home claim there was one major problem with the raid—it was carried out on the wrong individuals. The residents of the home claim they had only recently moved in, are U.S. citizens, and are not alleged to be connected in any way to the crime that justified the warrant.
Minerals and Reconstruction
The United States and Ukraine have signed a long-anticipated deal that paves the way for continued U.S. investment in Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s ongoing invasion while guaranteeing the United States a share of both Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and the resulting profit from extracting those minerals.
Freed
The last living American hostage, Edan Alexander, has been released by Hamas. Edan Alexander was just 19 years old when he was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and he spent 583 days as a hostage before being freed in what Hamas described as a “goodwill gesture” in advance of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the region.