Supreme Court to hear TN transgender case; Believers concerns perceptions among Americans are declining; Reasons to raise up future leaders

Good News for Today

The Supreme Court announced Monday they will hear arguments in a Tennessee case that puts limitations on gender transition treatment for minors.

Ethics leader Brent Leatherwood told Baptist Press, “This Tennessee law, created to protect vulnerable children, is now being challenged by the Biden administration in their latest effort to push forward radical gender ideology.”

Leatherwood said, “The protection of children from harmful transgender surgeries and interventions is not only an entirely appropriate action by the state, it is desperately needed in an era when culture is consumed by the fiction of gender fluidity.”

More than two dozen states have implemented restrictions on transgender issues over the past couple of years.

The court said they plan to hear the case later this summer.

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Most churchgoers believe Christians have a good reputation with Americans in general, but they worry those feelings are starting to sour.

A Lifeway Research study finds 53% of U.S. Protestant churchgoers say most Americans have a positive perception of Christians. Two in 5 (40%) disagree, and 8% aren’t sure.

More consensus exists on the direction public sentiment is headed. Around 7 in 10 (69%) believe people’s perceptions of Christians in the U.S. are getting worse, while 21% disagree. Another 10% say they aren’t sure.

Two in 3 churchgoers (66%) say a reason the public perception of Christians is worsening is because fewer Americans believe faith in God is relevant. Around 2 in 5 point to Christians not acting any different than those who aren’t Christians (45%), more Americans rejecting Christianity because it claims to be the only way (40%) and Christians often looking down on those who aren’t Christians (38%).

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David Ludwig, a church leader in Pennsylvania, believes leaders must be learners.

He writes, “Leaders need to keep growing so we can develop other leaders.

You can’t give away what you don’t have. I’m thankful that as a young leader I had a mentor that taught me the value of leadership development. Leadership development was a priority in his ministry, and because of that he convicted me of the importance of making this a priority in my ministry too.

Leaders need to develop “potential-future leaders.”

These are the people who are not leaders yet, but they have the potential to be leaders someday. Why is it important to develop this group of people? Because one day, we will be gone. Who will lead when you are gone? Do you have a leader succession plan? Even if you have enough leaders now, it is always wise to develop future leaders.