Thu Jul 2, 2026 — SCOTUS Term Ends, Kyiv Under Fire, Vatican Schism

This is The Gospel Briefing. I'm Charles King. The Supreme Court closed its term with three rulings that will shape American life for a generation. Missiles fell on Kyiv overnight. And the Vatican declared a schism you probably haven't heard of yet. Headlines... Heartbeat... Hope. Let's get into it. [TRANSITION] We start at the Supreme Court. The justices closed out their term yesterday with three major rulings, and any one of them would normally lead the news for a week. Together, they landed on the same afternoon. First. The Court upheld birthright citizenship on constitutional grounds. In a six to three decision, the majority affirmed that the Fourteenth Amendment means what it has meant for more than a century. If you're born on American soil, you're an American citizen. Full stop. Second. The Court ruled on campaign finance. And third — the one drawing the most heat — the Court ruled in West Virginia versus B.P.J. on transgender athletes in high school sports, upholding West Virginia's law restricting participation in girls' sports to biological females. Three rulings. Three fault lines in American life. Citizenship. Money in politics. And the body. Christians are going to have strong reactions to each of these, and honestly, believers of good faith will land in different places on the legal questions. But underneath all three is something Scripture has been telling us for a very long time. The Court is not the church. And the Constitution is not the Bible. 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." That verse was written about ancient monarchs, but it applies just as well to nine justices in black robes. God is sovereign over the Court. He is not anxious about the ruling. And neither should we be. On the transgender athletes case specifically — Scripture is not vague on the body. Genesis 1:27. Male and female He created them. That is the anthropology the church has always confessed. But the way we hold that truth matters. We hold it with conviction and with compassion for young people who are hurting. Both. Not one or the other. [TRANSITION] Overseas now, and this one is heavy. At least thirteen people are dead in Kyiv after what the city's mayor is calling the most massive attack on the Ukrainian capital since the war began. Russian ballistic missiles. Cruise missiles. Drones. All through the night. Residents took shelter in metro stations. Buildings burned. A day of mourning has been declared. We are more than four years into this war now. And there's a temptation — I feel it too — to let the headlines wash over us. Another attack. Another death toll. Another Thursday. Resist that temptation. Every one of those thirteen was made in the image of God. Every family in Kyiv this morning is grieving someone specific. A husband. A daughter. A neighbor who used to wave from the balcony. Psalm 46 was written for weeks like this one. "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." The psalmist wasn't writing from a quiet place. He was writing from a city that knew what siege felt like. And what he says at the end of that psalm is this: "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations." Pray for Kyiv. Pray for peace. And pray with the honesty of a psalmist — not pretending the news doesn't hurt. [TRANSITION] Our third story is one you may have missed. But it matters. The Vatican has formally declared the Society of Saint Pius the Tenth to be in schism. The society's bishops and priests have been excommunicated. Here's the background. The Society of Saint Pius the Tenth is a traditionalist Catholic group that broke from Rome decades ago over the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. They've operated in a kind of gray zone ever since — Catholic in practice, but out of step with the pope. This week, they consecrated new bishops without papal approval. And Rome responded. Now — I'm a Protestant. My tradition parted ways with Rome five hundred years ago over the gospel itself. So I'm not going to pretend I have skin in this particular family fight. But here's what I keep coming back to. Every church body eventually has to answer the question: what is our authority? Rome answers one way. Protestants answer another. And in an age when everyone wants to be their own pope — spiritually speaking — this story is a reminder that authority is not optional. Scripture is sufficient. Second Timothy 3:16. All Scripture is breathed out by God. That's where authority lives. Not in a magisterium. Not in a personality. Not in our own preferences. [TRANSITION] Now to the quick briefs. The United States and Iran met separately with Qatari and Pakistani mediators in Doha this week. Qatar reports positive progress. Talks will continue. Isaiah 2 promises a day when nations will beat their swords into plowshares. We are not there yet. But every honest conversation is a small mercy. The Education Department is six months late releasing its federal civil rights data on schools — information about bullying, harassment, and disability services. Delay isn't neutral. Micah 6:8 tells us to do justice, and justice requires that we actually see what's happening to the vulnerable. Funerals were held this week for fourteen Pakistani children killed when a tutoring center collapsed in Lahore. Fourteen. Investigators are looking at possible negligence in the construction. Grieve with those who grieve. Pray for those parents by name if the Lord brings them to mind. And on a lighter note — Americans are showing up for the World Cup in record-breaking numbers. We may not be a soccer nation yet. But something's shifting. And I, for one, welcome the idea of Americans finally learning what the offside rule is. [TRANSITION] Today's verse is Psalm 46:10. "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth." A Court hands down rulings. A capital burns. A church body fractures. And through all of it, God says, be still. Not because the news doesn't matter. But because He is not on trial. He is on the throne. Thanks for listening to The Gospel Briefing. If today helped you, send it to one friend who needs steady news and steadier hope. I'll see you tomorrow.