Thursday, April 23, 2026
4/23/202626 min
This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.
Part I (00:13 – 11:14)
It’s Yet Another Sign That the Lemon Test is Gone: Federal Appeals Court Rules Texas Can Require Ten Commandments in Classrooms
- 5th Circuit allows Texas to require Ten Commandments in classrooms by The Washington Post (Laura Meckler)
Part II (11:14 – 13:26)
The Ten Commandments Have Shaped History: The Massive Impact of the Ten Commandments on Western Civilization
Part III (13:26 – 14:31)
The Ten Commandments in a Secular Age: Secularists Revolt Against Both the First and Second Tables of God’s Law
Part IV (14:31 – 20:07)
The Enduring Pattern of the Moral Law: Even in a Secular Age, Sexual and Financial Misconduct By Those in Power is Still Considered Immoral
- House Ethics Panel Defends Handling of Sexual Misconduct Allegations by The New York Times (Michael Gold)
- Ohio State Details Relationship That Led to President’s Resignation by The New York Times (Stephanie Saul)
Part V (20:07 – 25:48)
The Sinfulness of Sin Has Not Changed: Technology and Opportunities Change, But the Sinfulness of the Human Heart Has Not Changed
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAlbert Mohler· Host0:00
[intro music] It's Thursday, April 23rd, 2026. I'm Albert Mohler, and this is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. We've been talking about some big court action in recent days, and now we have to go to the Fifth Circuit, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Uh, that traditionally has been a pretty conservative court, but it was narrowly split. It was an eight and nine decision just days ago in which, uh, this Fifth Circuit upheld the right of the State of Texas to require the Ten Commandments to be posted in public school classrooms. It's part of a larger display also mandated by the government. And so you have Texas, and Texas really became the lead. Other states began to do the same thing, requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments. Some of you have a memory that this has been going on as a matter of public controversy for a long time, and you're, you're exactly right. But what happened this week at the Fifth Circuit is setting up what almost assuredly will be a very significant Supreme Court battle. Now, as we've often discussed, the Supreme Court gets to decide which cases it's going to take. And one of the things that makes it more likely that the Supreme Court will take a case is if there is a divide at the circuit level. So you have the federal district courts, and then you have the circuits, the, the courts of appeal, then you have the Supreme Court of the United States. If you have a difference, a disagreement at the lower level