WEEKLY NEWS SUMMARY - SEPTEMBER 16, 2026
In this week's Intersect, read about:
Maine Court Restricts Church Custody
"The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has unanimously upheld a lower court order stripping a mother of her right to bring her daughter to church. The ruling closes one chapter in a two-year custody fight that has drawn national attention to the limits of parental rights." Read more at Million Voices...
THINK.
- The lower court's order did not just limit church attendance. It barred a fit mother, never accused of abuse or neglect, from reading the Bible with her own daughter without her ex-partner's approval, a restriction that goes far beyond how most custody disputes involving faith are normally resolved.
- Liberty Counsel says this ruling breaks from earlier Supreme Court precedent protecting a parent's right to direct her child's religious upbringing, and the mother now plans to appeal within 90 days. If the U.S. Supreme Court takes the case, it could set a national standard for how far family courts may go in restricting a parent's faith.
- Scripture calls parents to raise their children in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), a responsibility no court order can simply hand to the other parent. A mother's right to bring her daughter to church and open Scripture with her is not a privilege courts may revoke without the clearest evidence of harm.
PRAY.
Lord, we lift up this mother and daughter caught between a broken family and a court order limiting their faith together. Give the justices who may review this case wisdom to honor both a child's welfare and a fit parent's God-given right to raise her in the faith. Protect every family navigating custody battles where faith itself is on trial.
ACT.
Pray for families in custody disputes where a parent's faith has become a point of conflict, that courts would protect both the child's welfare and a fit parent's religious liberty. Support organizations that defend parental rights in court, and stay informed as this case moves toward a possible Supreme Court appeal.
Missouri's GOP Map Blocked Ahead of Midterms
"Missouri's highest court has blocked a new Republican-drawn congressional map from being used in November's midterm elections. The unanimous ruling hands Missouri Democrats an unexpected win in the national fight over congressional district lines." Read more at Million Voices...
THINK.
- Missouri's older, court-tested map will now govern this election instead of the new lines lawmakers passed. That map split Kansas City to make a longtime Democrat's seat competitive, and voters gathered over 300,000 signatures asking for a say before it took effect.
- This ruling raises a bigger constitutional question: can elected legislatures redraw districts mid-decade whenever it suits them, or should voters have a genuine voice through the referendum process? Both parties have pursued aggressive mid-decade redistricting this year, and consistent rules matter more than which side wins a single ruling.
- Scripture reminds us that justice must be measured with the same standard for everyone (Proverbs 11:1). Believers should want maps drawn fairly and courts that apply the law evenly, whether the outcome helps or hurts their preferred party.
PRAY.
Father, we lift up the courts and lawmakers wrestling with how our elections are structured. Grant them wisdom to seek fairness over political advantage, and grant citizens confidence that their voice still matters in how they are represented. Guard our nation from division and grant leaders the humility to accept rulings even when they disappoint.
ACT.
Stay informed on redistricting fights in your own state and learn how your congressional district lines were drawn. Contact your state legislators to encourage transparent, fair map-drawing processes, and pray for judges at every level as they weigh these consequential cases.
Judge Blocks Trump's Mail Ballot Safeguards Before Midterms
"A federal judge in Boston has extended her block on new U.S. Postal Service rules meant to tighten mail-in ballot security. The decision keeps President Trump's election integrity measures on hold just as states begin mailing out ballots for the November midterms." Read more at Million Voices...
THINK.
- The blocked rule would have required tracking barcodes and citizenship checks on mail ballots, common-sense steps meant to confirm that only eligible voters cast a ballot. Delaying these safeguards just as ballots go out means this election cycle will run without the added verification Trump's executive order sought to provide.
- The judge argued that election rules belong to the states and Congress, not a federal agency like the Postal Service. That is a fair constitutional question, but it should not become an excuse to delay basic security measures indefinitely while litigation drags on.
- Without integrity at the ballot box, an election is not truly an election at all. Scripture calls leaders to govern with integrity so that the people can trust them (Proverbs 29:2), and if citizens cannot trust that only eligible votes are counted, every result is left open to doubt no matter who wins.
PRAY.
Lord, we ask for integrity and transparency in how our elections are run. Give judges discernment to weigh the Constitution rightly, and give election officials the diligence to protect every legitimate vote from fraud or error. Restore the confidence of the American people in the fairness of our elections.
ACT.
Pray for election integrity at every level of government, and consider becoming a poll watcher or election judge in your own community to help safeguard the process firsthand. Contact your representatives in Congress to support clear, constitutional standards for mail-in voting security.
NC Parents Told to Homeschool in Trans Teacher Fight
"Parents at a Wake County, North Carolina elementary school are demanding the right to pull their children from a class taught by a transgender teacher. Some say they were mocked and told to homeschool instead when they raised the issue at a school board meeting." Read more at Million Voices...
THINK.
- These parents are not asking the district to fire anyone. They simply want advance notice and the option to opt their child out on religious or personal grounds, a modest request that should not draw mockery from a public school board.
- The Supreme Court already recognized in Mahmoud v. Taylor that parents have a right to opt children out of instruction that conflicts with their faith, even though that case did not address a teacher's own identity directly. Wake County's silence on a clear opt-out policy leaves families without the protection similar rulings have already affirmed elsewhere.
- Scripture places the responsibility to raise and instruct children squarely on parents, not the state (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). When a school tells a mother or father to simply leave public education instead of respecting that God-given role, it gets the relationship between family and school exactly backward.
PRAY.
Lord, we pray for the parents and children caught in this conflict, that they would be treated with respect rather than dismissed. Give school board members humility to listen to families of every conviction, and give parents courage to stand firm in raising their children according to their faith. Protect the innocence of every child in these classrooms.
ACT.
Attend your local school board meetings and ask whether your district has a clear, respectful opt-out policy for instruction that conflicts with your family's faith. Encourage your school board to adopt advance-notice policies that respect parental rights, and pray for families navigating these disputes in your own community.
My Faith Votes— is a ministry that motivates, equips, and activates Christians in America to vote in every election, transforming our communities and influencing our nation with biblical truth. An estimated 25 million Christians who are registered to vote, fail to vote in presidential elections. My Faith Votes is on a mission to change this statistic by helping Christians act on their faith and vote in every election. When we pray unceasingly for our nation, think biblically about the issues, and vote consistently in every election the impact of Christians taking action from the local to the state and federal level will be unprecedented.
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