The Daily Briefing highlights the news of the day and research that reveals the spirit of the day.
The Daily Briefing is a newsletter sent straight to your inbox every morning that provides biblical insight on today's news.
Top News
6. Supreme Court strikes down Colorado law banning 'conversion therapy' for minors (ABC News)
“The Supreme Court on Tuesday overwhelmingly sided with a Christian therapist, rejecting a Colorado law that prohibited mental health professionals from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of L.G.B.T.Q. minors. The court’s decision has implications for more than 20 other states that have similar laws barring so-called conversion therapy, and is a major win for conservatives.
“Critics and major medical organizations say such therapy is ineffective and potentially dangerous for young people. But in its 8-to-1 decision, the court said the law, as applied to talk therapy, represented an “egregious assault” on free speech and the First Amendment. “Colorado may regard its policy as essential to public health and safety,” Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote for justices from across the ideological spectrum. “But the First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.”
“Two of the court’s liberal justices — Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor — sided with the majority. Only Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, reading a lengthy summary of her opposition from the bench.”
Is sexuality fixed or fluid? Interestingly enough, those who argue that it’s fluid are often against conversion therapy. Essentially, you can flow one way but not the other. One study, frequently highlighted by LGBT advocates, noted that sexuality is “far from fixed” and attraction undergoes “extensive and often subtle changes throughout a person’s life, continuing long past adolescence and into adulthood, with women showing slightly more fluidity than men.”
Conversion therapy is a broad category, but in some instances, it is an effective practice. A recent study found that the vast majority of individuals in one sample had reduced their same sex behavior to “slight” or none. This therapy trial affected men and women differently, with women (88 percent) more likely to have strongly reduced same sex attraction than men (39 percent). However, the results weren’t just from an attraction standpoint, with notable reductions in depression for women and reductions in self-harm for men.
Many conversion therapy practices have been inhumane. However, there are groups that counsel individuals to deny themselves, pick up their cross, and follow Jesus. All Christians, regardless of their sexuality, are constantly changing (2 Corinthians 3:18). We change but God’s love doesn’t. His love is not contingent upon our obedience or orientation. Russell Moore put it well: “The Bible doesn’t promise us freedom from temptation. The Bible promises us the power of the spirit to walk through temptation.”
5. Judge halts construction on Trump’s ballroom, says Congress must decide (WaPo)
“A federal judge ordered a halt to construction of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, ruling that Trump lacks authority to fund the estimated $400 million project through private donations. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon disagreed with the Trump administration’s argument that the president has broad authority to make changes to the White House without congressional approval, including projects on the scale of his planned, 90,000-square-foot ballroom. “The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” Leon wrote in a 35-page ruling issued Tuesday afternoon.
"Leon, an appointee of President George W. Bush, also wrote that Trump has not identified a law that allowed him to demolish the White House’s East Wing last year without congressional approval.”
The Red Hot Chili Peppers Can’t Stop, but Pres. Trump must stop… And the ballroom isn’t the only instance where he is being told to pause. Yesterday, a federal judge struck down part of the president’s executive order targeting funding for NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service, ruling that it was unconstitutional retaliation that violated their press freedom rights under the First Amendment.
Are the courts overstepping their bounds? Writing in Federalist #78, Alexander Hamilton noted: “It is more rational to suppose that the courts were designed to be an intermediate body between the people and the legislature, in order to keep the latter within the limits assigned to their authority. The interpretation of the laws is the proper and peculiar province of the courts.” More than 10 years later, Chief Justice John Marshall famously declared that “it is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is.”
May the tribe of Othniel increase… Othniel is often cited as the "ideal" judge because his story in Judges 3 is remarkably straightforward. He rose to power in an emergency and he left power in peace. Instead of conducting power-grabs or allowing his ego to get the best of him, Othniel kept strictly within his mandate. Unlike the sons of Samuel or the latter actions of Gideon, Othniel refused to enrich himself and served as a model for those who would come after him. In this instance, these judges aren’t attempting to get the last word but, like Othniel, make sure the law is first priority.
4. Bulls waive Jaden Ivey after he called NBA's Pride Month celebration 'unrighteousness' (Fox News)
“The Chicago Bulls have waived former top-five NBA draft pick Jaden Ivey for "conduct detrimental to the team." Ivey posted a nearly hour-long rant on Instagram on Monday, sharing anti-LGBTQ sentiments, among other remarks. Ivey has posted several lengthy rants on social media over the last few days, talking primarily about his religion. In his most recent post shared to Instagram on Monday morning, Ivey discussed how the NBA celebrating Pride Month is "unrighteous," while also sharing inflammatory comments about abortion. In the same video, Ivey shared how listening to certain music is "wicked" for lyrics about drugs and sex. He specifically cited rapper 50 Cent as an example.
“Ivey’s NBA career was going down a difficult recovery path after suffering a drastic leg injury back in 2025. He snapped his fibula in a game against the Orlando Magic going for a loose ball. After starting for the Pistons all season and putting up career high scoring numbers, his game struggled to regain its place after the injury. He was forced to miss the rest of the season and needed surgery to heal it.”
Channeling Lynyrd Skynyrd, there are 3 Steps to a moral revolution, according to Theo Hobson. First, what was once condemned is now celebrated. “Churches have always faced difficult moral issues and they have muddled through." The next step involves the transition from what was once celebrated is now condemned. “Those who want to uphold the old attitude are not just dated, moralists. They are accused of moral deficiency.”
Then the final step revolves around the idea that those who refuse to celebrate are now condemned (or fired). This is where it gets personal, transitioning away from a belief held to a now person who holds a belief. “The old taboo surrounding this practice does not disappear but "bounces back" at those who seek to uphold it.”
Remember Gamaliel… When the early Apostles were brought before the Jewish high council (the Sanhedrin), many members wanted to put them to death. However, a Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up and urged caution. “Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men.” In this instance, Mr. Ivey has taken a bold stand for righteousness, but he has also recently taken a stand against the Catholic church (suggesting it’s a false religion) and against Steph Curry (questioning his Christian faith). I completely agree he shouldn’t be released for his Christian beliefs, but maybe there are other reasons why he is being released. (Acts 5)
Cultural News
3. America Loves To Hate This Easter Candy—But It's Still The Most Popular (Delish)
“Ask anyone how they feel about Peeps and you're almost guaranteed a strong opinion… According to research from Innerbody, Peeps are still the most popular Easter candy in the United States, drawing 50 percent more interest than the next most popular option, the classic chocolate bunny.
“After Halloween, Easter is one of the biggest candy-buying holidays in the country. But instead of dark colors and sinister sweets, the season swaps in purples, oranges, and other pastel colors across candies like jelly beans and an assortment of bunny-shaped items. So, to identify which of those sweets are most popular, Innerbody analyzed Google Trends data and identified the candies by relative search interest.
“Not only did it reveal Peeps as the most sought-after Easter candy, but they also dominated the most states geographically. Seventeen states ranked Peeps as their top Easter candy, especially in an "interior belt stretching from Kansas and Oklahoma through West Virginia, up into Pennsylvania."
The people want Peeps… and Bibles. Market research indicates that Bible sales are up, some say by more than 40 percent. Christian app downloads are up 80 percent. And Christian music streams are up 50 percent.
Is the uptick in Bible sales connected to an uptick in religious attendance? Ryan Burge points out how the share of non-religious Americans has stopped rising in any meaningful way. Since 2017, Gallup has had nones hovering between 20-21 percent. GSS data from 2022 noted its first percentage drop among nones, from 29 percent to 27 percent. In 2023, Pew recorded a decline from 31 percent to 28 percent. And the Cooperative Election Study has now tracked a drop off between 34 percent and 36 percent from 2020 to 2023. So while we may not be growing, we aren’t dropping….
Are we in the midst of a revival? I’m inherently cautious when trying to identify a move of God, knowing that he is the potter and I am the clay. So while we have seen societial movements to and away from God throughout history, this I do know: he who started the good work will see it through. Or as GK Chesterton famously quipped: "Christendom has had a series of revolutions and in each one of them Christianity has died. Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave." (Phil. 1:6, 1 Cor. 15)
News You Can Use
2. Let’s get the baseball ABS challenge system in other areas of life
Watch it here. “If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” (Gal. 6:1)
1. “The man on the middle cross said I could come.”
Watch it here. “Truly I tell you, today you shall be with me in paradise.”
