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Trump asks Congress for billions more for the Iran war as Republicans push back. Two massive earthquakes devastate Venezuela. And how should churches handle the Fourth of July without making America the point?
Trump's request for billions in Iran war funding meets resistance from his own party, Venezuela reels from two of its largest earthquakes in over a century, and Russell Moore offers wisdom for pastors navigating a Fourth of July Sunday on America's 250th anniversary.
Stories Covered
• Trump asks Congress for billions in Iran war funding as Senate Republicans push back
• Two major earthquakes strike Venezuela, killing at least 32 and injuring 700+
• Christianity Today on how churches can honor America without making America the point
• Michigan childcare provider collected $1.1M in taxpayer funds with no visible operations
• Four years after Dobbs: the patchwork legal landscape on abortion in America
• American farmers await relief at the pump following potential Iran peace deal
• U.S. men's soccer faces Turkey in the World Cup, with Philly's Ukrainian soccer roots
Scripture References
• Proverbs 21:1
• Psalm 46:1-2
• Matthew 22:21
• Proverbs 11:1
• Romans 9:13
• Psalm 46:10
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📖 Go deeper on today's verse — What does Psalm 46:10 mean? A free Bible study from Bible Copilot.
Understand the news. Keep your peace. Follow Christ. The Gospel Briefing is a five-minute weekday Christian news decision brief hosted by Charles King. Each episode brings three consequential stories into the light of Scripture, helping you enter the day informed and steady - without panic, outrage, or partisan noise. Go deeper with Bible Copilot.
This is The Gospel Briefing. I'm Charles King.
Today... the President asks Congress for billions more for the war with Iran, and his own party is pushing back. The earth literally moves under Venezuela. And a question worth asking before the Fourth of July: how do you love your country in church without making your country the point?
Headlines... Heartbeat... Hope. Let's get into it.
[TRANSITION]
The lead story this morning is out of Washington. President Trump has formally asked Congress for billions of dollars in supplemental funding tied to the ongoing conflict with Iran. The exact figure is still being debated on the Hill, but the request is significant. And here's the wrinkle... it's not Democrats giving him the hardest time. It's Republicans.
A bloc of Senate Republicans walked into a tense meeting with the President this week and walked out unsatisfied. Some want a clearer endgame. Others want more oversight. A few simply do not believe another round of war funding is what the country needs right now.
So the President is sparring with his own party. The budget faces an uphill battle. And the rest of us are left to think carefully about what's actually being asked.
Here's where I want to slow down. Scripture does not give us a tidy foreign policy doctrine. Christians of good faith disagree about when war is just, how long it should last, and who should pay for it. That's an old debate, and it should be a humble one.
But Scripture does give us something. Proverbs 21:1 says, "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will."
Whatever you think of this President, whatever you think of this war... the heart of every leader in Washington this week is being moved by a hand they cannot see. That should make us pray more and panic less. Congress will vote. The Lord will rule. Both of those things are true at the same time.
[TRANSITION]
Story number two takes us to Venezuela, and I'm including it because the scale of what happened is hard to overstate.
Two major earthquakes struck the country less than a minute apart. A seven point two, followed by a seven point five. The second was the largest earthquake to hit Venezuela since 1900. At least thirty-two people are dead. More than seven hundred are injured. Buildings in Caracas have collapsed, and rescue workers are still hearing voices calling from the rubble.
One survivor told the BBC, quote, "I thought I was going to die." End quote.
There is no political angle here. No partisan takeaway. Just families digging through concrete with their hands, hoping to hear someone they love.
When the ground itself betrays you... when the thing you stand on every day of your life suddenly cannot be trusted... you understand why the Psalmist wrote what he wrote.
Psalm 46:1-2. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea."
That verse was written by someone who understood that the ground is not the foundation. God is the foundation. Pray for Venezuela today. Give if you can. And remember that even when the earth shakes, the throne does not.
[TRANSITION]
Story number three. This one comes from Christianity Today, and it's a question every American church is quietly wrestling with right now... the Fourth of July falls on a Sunday this year. And it's the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the United States. That is not a small number.
Russell Moore wrote a piece this week answering a pastor who asked, simply, what do we do that morning?
Moore's answer was thoughtful. Sing about your country. Thank God for your country. Pray for your country. But do not put the flag where the cross belongs. Do not let the worship of God become a campaign rally for the nation. The gospel is not a patriotic asset. America is not the kingdom of God.
I'll be honest with you. I love this country. A lot of you love this country. There is nothing wrong with gratitude for the place God has providentially set you. The wrong turn is when the country becomes the point... when the sermon ends not with Christ crucified but with a standing ovation for the founders.
Jesus said in Matthew 22, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Notice he did not say render the same thing to both. They get different things. Caesar gets your taxes and your honest citizenship. God gets your worship.
If your pastor handles this well on July fifth, send him a thank-you note. He's doing something harder than it looks.
[TRANSITION]
Now to your quick briefs.
In Michigan, lawmakers are investigating a childcare provider that allegedly collected over one point one million dollars in taxpayer reimbursements despite, and I quote investigators here, no visible signs of operating. No children. No staff. Just checks. Proverbs 11:1 says the Lord detests dishonest scales. He still does.
This Sunday marks four years since Dobbs overturned Roe v. Wade. NPR is reporting that the legal landscape across the states is still a confusing patchwork. Some states have near-total bans. Others have expanded access. The cultural battle is far from over, and the church's calling has not changed... defend the unborn, walk with the mother, and do both with the same hand.
American farmers were hoping a potential Iran peace deal would bring relief at the pump and at the co-op. Fertilizer prices have eased. But farmers are saying real relief is still months away. Pray for the people who feed you. They are tired.
And one bright spot. The U.S. men's soccer team plays Turkey today in the World Cup. They've already clinched their spot in the Round of thirty-two. Philadelphia is hosting matches this week, which is fitting, because Ukrainian immigrants built Philly into a soccer town generations before the rest of America caught on. A small reminder that immigrants have always woven themselves into the fabric of American life in ways we only notice later.
[TRANSITION]
You're reading Romans nine. "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." What does that even mean? Bible Copilot is a Bible study app that answers questions like that from Scripture itself. It walks you through the Hebrew Paul was quoting, the historical context, and how Calvin and Wesley each read it, in under thirty seconds. Get your first month of Pro free at mybiblecopilot.com slash gospel. That's mybiblecopilot dot com slash gospel. Bible Copilot.
Your verse of the day comes from Psalm 46, verse ten. "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Wars in the Middle East. Earthquakes in Venezuela. A country preparing to celebrate two hundred fifty years. And the same God who ruled before any of it... ruling still. Be still. He has not lost the thread.
Thanks for listening to The Gospel Briefing. If today's episode helped you think more clearly, send it to one friend who needs a steadier voice in their feed. I'll see you tomorrow.