Assisted Suicide Doesn’t Mean a “Dignified Death”

The campaign to legalize assisted suicide relies on the promise that the drugs used to assist people to die will ensure a peaceful, dignified, and controlled death for those who are terminally ill.  The public is often presented with this picture – that you’ll be able to take a harmless drug, fall asleep, and die without distress.  However, recent events in Tennessee put that narrative into question.

On 30 September, Christa Pike of Tennessee was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection.  According to reports, she was given two doses of Pentobarbital but survived and was taken to hospital in critical condition.  The incident is so serious that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has suspended executions for at least the rest of the year to find out what went wrong.

The point is not that assisted suicide and the death penalty are the same.  But the drug behind both practices is a common factor, and in Switzerland, euthanasia clinic Dignitas uses Pentobarbital.  The significance of this comparison is revealed by the assumption that the use of these drugs always means a quick, predictable, and humane death.

Reports suggest that execution staff in Christa Pike’s case struggled to establish intravenous access and that multiple needles were used before the drugs were administered.  Witnesses recounted that after initially remaining quiet, Pike cried out in pain and warned that something had gone wrong with the injection.

Despite the intention to bring about death, the injection did not.  And in a shocking turn of events, it has been reported that Pike has regained consciousness and is talking.

What was supposed to be a controlled procedure became a prolonged and distressing ordeal – one that Pike herself may well remember, along with all those who witnessed it.

Just last month, a bill to legalize assisted suicide was voted down in the UK House of Commons.

Supporters often mention the supposed choice and control involved with assisted suicide, but looking at evidence in places where assisted suicide is already legal contradicts that ideal.

In evidence submitted to Parliament, Dr Calum MacKellar highlighted reported complications in Oregon, including seizures and vomiting.  He also referred to cases where patients took hours to die, and one reported case in which a person took more than five days to die.  His conclusion was clear – “At present no quick and completely effective lethal drug exists.”

Some commentators have made a striking observation.  If the sole objective was to achieve the quickest and most reliable death possible, there are methods far more certain than the drugs currently used in assisted suicide.  Yet society recoils from such proposals because we instinctively recognize that dignity is about more than simply finding the most efficient way to bring about death.  The question is not only whether a method can end life, but whether deliberately ending life should be seen as the answer to suffering in the first place.

This finding shows how, with no completely reliable lethal drug out there, no campaigner, doctor or legislator can truly guarantee a peaceful and painless death.  The reality is that complications can occur, dying can be prolonged and the outcomes can differ significantly from what was expected.

Imagine a terminally ill patient choosing assisted suicide, believing it will be a calm and rapid process.  Imagine family members gathering to say goodbye, expecting death to come within minutes.  If complications arise, if the drugs do not work as anticipated, or if dying is prolonged for hours or even days, the experience could be very different from the one they were promised by campaigners.

Imagine if a terminally ill patient were to choose assisted suicide with the understanding that it would be a calm and rapid process, with family members gathered to say goodbye and expecting a peaceful death to come in minutes.  If complications arose and the drugs did not work as anticipated, or if dying was prolonged for hours or days, the experience would not be what they were promised at all.

As Christians, we know that compassion is not measured by how efficiently society can bring about death.  True compassion is shown through support and good quality palliative care.  The dignity of a person does not depend on if they are healthy or not.

Every life has value, even during suffering.

Christa Pike’s botched execution is a reminder that death cannot always be controlled and go according to plan.  Even in tightly regulated environments and with the use of verified drugs to bring about death, the outcome can be unexpected.

Assisted suicide advocates can promise choice, but they can’t guarantee a peaceful death. They can promise control, but can’t eliminate the risk of complications.

When the consequence of getting it wrong is suffering at the very end of life, that is not a risk that should be brushed aside.

The warning from Tennessee is clear, that when society places its trust in lethal drugs, things can go badly wrong and it is the most vulnerable who so often face the consequences.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

How Does a Murderer Get Lifesaving Care but Babies are Left to Die?

Let the contrast sink in: When the state’s attempt to kill a convicted murderer fails, doctors rush to save her life.  When a mother’s attempt to kill an innocent child fails, Congress still argues over whether the law should explicitly require appropriate care.  The House passed such a bill in 2025.  It has not become law.

Christa Pike was convicted of the brutal murder of her classmate and sentenced to death. Tennessee’s execution attempt two weeks ago failed.  Now she is in critical condition and receiving lifesaving care, according to her lawyer.  The rationale is that even a person guilty of murder must not suffer needlessly.  Many forms of executions are no longer used because they’re considered cruel.

But what about the barbaric executions we still routinely perform on children?  What about the baby who survives an abortion attempt?  What kind of society believes that even the people who commit the worst, most detestably evil crimes deserve humane treatment, but children can be viciously murdered at whim by tearing them apart limb from limb in the womb?

That child has committed no crime.  There was no due process, no trial, no conviction, no sentence—only a tiny, helpless human being who is alive and entirely dependent on adults to protect him or her.

Yet abortion is the leading cause of death in the United States.  The procedures can only be described as excessively and senselessly cruel.  Reported cases on babies that survived abortion show that some have been left without life-saving treatment. Minnesota recorded three infants born alive after abortions in 2017; none survived.  One received “comfort care” and another received no specific care.  A former labor-and-delivery nurse testified that she cradled a baby born alive after an abortion at a Chicago hospital while the infant died.

An innocent baby deserves protection—without political hesitation and without exceptions based on how that child came to be conceived or born.

If we can insist on compassion and competent care for the rightly condemned, we have no excuse for withholding it from the innocent who rightly deserve life.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Day the Graves Opened: A Preview of Coming Attractions

Have you heard the story about the time people came out of their graves and walked around town?  Was it people dressing up for Halloween?  Was it a zombie movie?  No, not exactly. It’s a story straight from the pages of Scripture!

As Jesus hung on the cross, a lot of supernatural phenomena took place, including a mighty earthquake, the sun going dark at 12:00 noon, and the curtain in the Temple being ripped from top to bottom.

But one of the most amazing things of all happened when people came out of their graves! It’s only mentioned in one Gospel.  Matthew 27:51–53 says: “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.”

They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people!  Is this not an amazing passage?

What is this all about?  It is a preview of things to come.

Sort of like when you’re at the movies, and you see the trailer for the newest films coming out. Fact is—most of the time, the trailers are better than the films themselves! As amazing as this event was, the one it is pointing to will be even greater.

The Bible, speaking of this future day, says: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

One day, we will be reunited with loved ones who have gone before us to heaven.  What a glorious day that will be!

That day, dead believers will come alive!

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Midterms a Contrast between Opposing Worldviews

For U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-R), the stakes for the 2026 midterm elections couldn’t be higher.  Not only are two political parties facing off on November 3, but two completely different worldviews.

Speaking by live remote to an audience gathered at Family Research Council’s (FRC) Pray Vote Stand Summit held in Leesburg, Virginia with just over a month until Election Day, Johnson emphasized America’s polarization with the audience.  “We’re at a crossroads,” Johnson said.  “It’s not just a contest right now between Republicans and Democrats, as everybody in that auditorium knows, this is a contrast between two completely different worldviews for America, who we are, and what we’re going to be. And that’s what’s on the ballot.”

The speaker later went on to explain what he meant by the sharp contrast he was drawing.  He told FRC President Tony Perkins, “By our count … about 38 or 40 of these openly avowed — radical leftist Marxist ideologues have won their primaries in the Democratic Party, and that’s for Congress and state offices.”

“This is a serious threat,” Johnson warned.  “It’s not just isolated to New York City or San Francisco.  This is across the country, and we have to be wary of that.  And we have to defeat that ideology because it is anti-American.  And frankly, it is anti-God.”

While he obviously views the emerging socialist wing of the Democratic Party as a threat, in Johnson’s mind socialists aren’t what he worries about the most.  He warned, “The most dangerous candidate for Congress right now isn’t the person waving [the Marxist] flag.  It’s the Democrat running as a so-called moderate.  When we know very well that the moderate Democrat wing is not going to exist anymore.  They’ll have no power because the energy, the excitement of the grassroots is on the side of the insurgent Left, and they will move that party off the cliff.  That’s what’s going to happen.”

The speaker joined in on the conference from his home in Louisiana, where he had a short break before returning to midterm campaigning.  The wide-ranging conversation between Johnson and Perkins also included Johnson’s effect on the atmosphere regarding faith and politics in America.  Perkins mentioned Johnson’s focus on prayer during his term as speaker, noting, “That’s not a throwaway line we’ve seen in your leadership, but we’ve seen … that we’ve gained ground in terms of embracing and exercising our religious freedom and our leaders actually expressing their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ from positions of leadership, which I think is emboldening the church across the nation.”

Johnson agreed that speaking about his faith is very important to him.  “It’s part of our worldview and how we live.  And I’m doing the same thing as speaker as I did as a rank-and-file member of Congress, as I did as a state representative and as constitutional lawyer, and as a young guy in law school when you met me, this is who we are.  We don’t separate our faith from who we are.”

Johnson continued, “While that seems radical right now, that’s exactly what previous generations of leaders in Congress did.  I mean, they were overt about it.  And so while the media tries to portray me as some sort of unusual, circus act or something, this is exactly what the Framers of the Constitution and previous generations did and believed and spoke like.”

Johnson, whose party is facing its biggest test of the Trump 2.0 era in the midterms, takes solace in his faith that God will bring results.  “I’m comforted by the reminder of John Quincy Adams.  You know, the ‘old man eloquent.’  They called him the Hellhound of slavery because he ran for Congress after serving as president to try to eradicate slavery — and he wasn’t successful during his lifetime, but he planted the seeds so that the next generation could complete the job.  But he reminded everyone, duty is ours. Results are God’s.”

Johnson encouraged the crowd, “God does not hold us responsible for the result.  He holds us responsible to be faithful.  And as long as we will do that, and I know everybody there with you today is going to do that, then God does the rest.  And I take great comfort in that. … I’m convinced America is the last, best hope of man on earth, we’re going to win this because there is no better plan.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Flydubai Hijacker Had “Islamist Radical Indoctrination”

In the aftermath of the Flydubai FZ1073 hijacking, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the publicly unidentified co-pilot responsible was indoctrinated by radical Islam.  The Omani national who almost killed over 170 people on last week was also suicidal, Netanyahu explained during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”

“This was a premeditated hijack attempt by the co-pilot.  That’s very unique.  We don’t see that usually,” Eyal Hulata, senior international fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former head of Israel’s National Security Council, observed during last week’s “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins.”

Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot, quickly became a hero in the disaster.  As the plane rapidly plunged toward the ground, Machchhar managed to open the door of the cockpit, despite being stabbed by the aggressor.  Passengers rushed to help, subduing the co-pilot who was attempting to crash the plane.  A pilot in training who happened to be a passenger was able to stabilize the fight, leading the plane to a safe landing in Saudi Arabia.

“That’s a huge catastrophe that was averted,” Hulata said.  “This could have been a very different conversation unless of the brave act by the pilot himself and the fellow passengers who were able to intervene on time.”

Hulata noted the slight similarity of the incident to the fatal events of 9/11.  “Airplane security and safety is usually aiming at potential threats coming from passengers hijacking planes like the ones that happened on September 11, 25 years ago.  This was a case where the co-pilot, in fact, [was the] threat itself. “

“One of the things that happened after September 11th is that no one can get into a cockpit of an airplane to prevent passengers [from] rushing in [and] taking control.  In [this] case, the problem was actually in reverse.  There was no ability to get into the cockpit and to intervene, if it wasn’t for the captain that opened the door from the inside,” noted Tim Miller, president and founder of LionHeart International Services Group and a former Secret Service Special Agent.

Miller went on to link the incident with the global pattern of anti-Semitism that has been occurring.  “The world should not tolerate the targeting of Jewish people wherever they are on an ongoing basis.  And, you know, it’s interesting we saw what happened with Prime Minister Netanyahu and half the world walking out,” he described, referring to many of the world leaders in the room at the United Nations General Assembly last week walking out when Netanyahu took the stage to speak.  “And it’s truly a tragedy that these events … [are] going to continue to increase.”

Hulata explained that the unidentified pilot is still in Saudi Arabia under interrogation, and that the injured pilot was reportedly transferred back to the United Arab Emirates for his treatment. “Flydubai, [and] the Emirati services, of course, are investigating this as well, and I believe that they will be able to get to the bottom of this.  Of course, Israel has very close connections with the Emirates.”

Hulata continued that the questions remaining surround the motives of the alleged terrorist and his associations.  “There have been already stories coming out. I heard President Trump already suggested himself that there are connections to Iran.  We don’t [know] that for certain. I wouldn’t be surprised if that is the case, but we do need to get to the bottom of this to understand why this happened … so that measures could be taken to prevent something similar to this happening again.”

“We’re talking about a pilot that is relatively new in the airline that has been going through a process of radicalization, which would suggest that he has motives that are murderous, that are potentially jihadist [in order to] target Israelis at this … very delicate [time],” Hulata added. “The connections that he might have had to other origins such as state sponsored terror — this would be important to understand [in order] to isolate this situation.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Anti-Zionism: How Antisemites Cloak Their Jew Hatred

It seems that each day brings a new attack on the Jewish people – whether on the streets of New York or aboard the FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv that nearly ended in catastrophe just a few days ago.  The tide of antisemitism unleashed around the globe following the October 7 massacre wasn’t just confined to Hamas sympathizers in the region – it galvanized antisemites around the world to express their hatred for Jews under the flimsy guise of “anti-Zionism.”

Nearly three years after those attacks and one year after the ceasefire, the threat remains across the West, including in the United States.  According to the Anti-Defamation League, the number of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. climbed to 8,873 (a 140% increase) in 2023, with the majority of attacks taking place after October 7; reached a record high of 9,354 incidents in 2024; and 6,274 in 2025 (still the third-highest recorded).  New York led all states with 1,160 incidents reported in 2025, and antisemitic crimes in New York climbed by more than 8% in 2026.

Progressive haters of Israel like to pretend that this is a regrettable response to the “genocide” perpetrated by the Israeli government.  This allows them to quickly pivot to the topic that obsesses them: perpetuating this modern-day blood libel against the world’s only Jewish state.

When anti-Israel politicians like New York City’s Zohran Mamdani are confronted with the natural consequences of their rhetoric – an uptick in antisemitism – they need a PR plan to cover their tracks.  Enter Mamdani’s farcical “Strategy to Combat Antisemitism,” released last week to widespread criticism from the Jewish community.

The document is a typical exercise in hiding the ball, claiming to address a key security challenge for the city while ignoring the key motivator that has driven the surge in antisemitism over the past three years.  While the document acknowledges the increase in anti-Jewish crimes since October 7, there is no mention of “anti-Zionism” – which functions as both the fig leaf and rallying cry for so much of this hatred.  Nor is there any analysis of the way in which the October 7 attacks themselves energized antisemitism in New York and around the world. The college protests and encampments that have made Jewish students feel unsafe on their own campuses are not mentioned.  Incredibly, there is no mention at all of Islamist or Left-wing antisemitism, despite the fact that these are key ideological vehicles for contemporary hatred of the Jewish people.  In fact, the only specific attacks on Jews that the plan references are to white supremacist incidents from several years ago – omitting recent attacks motivated by hatred of Israel, such as the murder of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., last year.

But actions speak louder than words, and here are some telling actions that preceded the release of this strategy: On Day 1 of his administration, Mayor Mamdani revoked executive orders barring city agencies from boycotting or divesting from Israel, and another that adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.  He also revoked Executive Order 61, which strengthened NYPD protection around synagogues and set protest buffer zones near houses of worship.  He threatened – without any legal basis – to have Benjamin Netanyahu arrested for war crimes, singling out the leader of the world’s only Jewish state while ignoring the Iranian regime that killed more than 40,000 of its own people in the past year alone.  And he sided with the protestors who menaced attendees of an event at the Park East Synagogue in May, and has consistently ignored or downplayed other antisemitic crimes.

Rabbi Yosie Levine of the Jewish Center remarked, “When I was growing up, the only time we saw security outside of my synagogue . . . was when the mayor came to speak. The police were there to protect him.  Today, every time the mayor speaks, we need the police to protect us.”

We need to recognize Mamdani’s antisemitism strategy for what it is: a cynical ploy that whitewashes the very phenomenon it purports to address.  It’s consistent with the modus operandi of so many of the DSA activists positioning themselves as the new vanguard of the Democrat Party, and it should be called out at every turn.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

James Talarico’s ‘Pastor’ Says Christ “Didn’t Die To Save Our Sins”

Undercover footage has exposed the teachings of a lesbian minister from Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate—and aspiring pastor—James Talarico’s home church.  The pastor, who reportedly uses “they/them” pronouns, claimed Christ “didn’t die to save our sins,” condemned God as “a vengeful, killing-people kind of God,” and questioned whether Jesus ever existed.

The footage was caught on camera and reported by an undercover journalist for The Daily Wire.

The Rev. Babs Miller, a minister to the parish at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX, who reportedly identifies as nonbinary, told the journalist, who was pretending to be a prospective new member, that the Gospel “doesn’t make sense.”

“Jesus was political,” she said. “Jesus was put on that cross, not to save us; Jesus was put on that cross because Rome hated Him and they thought He was a threat to their domination of that area.  And so, they killed Him.  He didn’t die to save our sins.  That makes a whole lot more sense to me than to say that some God would kill His Son for us.  That doesn’t make sense.  How does that make up for all the things I can do?  No, it doesn’t.”

She also said the virgin birth stems from “pagan beliefs,” rather than a Biblical reality, and Jesus Christ’s existence has no meaning to her.  “Mary and the Virgin Birth comes out of the pagan belief that the gods came down and impregnated people,” Miller said. “We have no way of knowing if Jesus really existed any more than we have of knowing that the original Buddha ever existed.  And whether or not Jesus existed doesn’t really matter to me.”

Miller also condemned God as He has revealed Himself in the Old Testament.  “The God in the Old Testament is not a loving God; it’s a vengeful, killing-people kind of God.  This is a lot of mythology.”

Miller, in another video published last week, said St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is “not a worshipping church” and that she doesn’t “have a need for a God.”

Talarico has attended St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church since childhood.  The church’s lead pastor is the Rev. Jim Rigby, whom he considers his spiritual mentor.

A slew of videos has uncovered Rigby as an individual who also denies core Biblical teachings.  In the same video that Miller claimed she has no need for God, Rigby bragged that he was a speaker for a Freedom from Religion Foundation event.  The nonprofit is an atheist organization that centers on stripping religious expression from public spaces.

Rigby said in the video that “if you love humanity and you love nature, and that’s why you hate religion, then we’re on the same team.”  Talarico made a similar comment in 2021 when he called himself “a Christian who hates Christianity.”

Various sermons and posts from Rigby have gone viral on social media recently, sparking discourse.

In one sermon, he questioned whether Jesus’ resurrection happened.  Rigby also said he didn’t believe in “an actual devil” and claimed “that sin exists in the abstract” in a Tuesday post.  In another post, he denied the need for atonement.

The church, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), in 2023 invited a Zen Buddhist priest to preach at an Easter service.  During the sermon, he read a section from Thich Nhat Tan’s “Living Buddha, Living Christ.”

Talarico, in a viral video, called Islam and Christianity “equal pathways to truth” and has also credited Islam’s influence on his religious beliefs.

Sen. Ted Cruz (TX-R), in response to Miller’s recent comments, was among those who shared concerns over her teachings.  “I try never to judge another’s faith—that’s for God to do—but if James Talarico’s pastor says she doesn’t believe that Jesus existed or that Jesus died for our sins, then that ‘pastor’ is not a Christian.  She’s just a left-wing activist,” Cruz said.

Jeff Mullen, a longtime evangelical pastor, posted an open letter to Talarico earlier this year.  In it, he responded to Talarico’s claim that God is nonbinary and urged Talarico not to “reshape” God according to any cultural preferences.  “God is spirit and transcends human limitations,” Mullen wrote.  “Christians agree on that.  The question, however, is not how modern culture categorizes God but how God has chosen to reveal Himself. Throughout Scripture, God consistently reveals Himself as Father.  Jesus taught His disciples to pray, ‘Our Father in heaven’ (Matthew 6:9).  Christ is the Son, and the Church is His Bride.  These are not accidental descriptions but part of God’s self-revelation.”

Mullen went on to say, “Every generation faces the temptation to reshape God according to its own values.  Ancient cultures carved idols from stone.  Modern cultures often carve them from ideology.  Faithful Christianity begins by allowing God to define Himself rather than redefining Him according to cultural preferences.  We do not improve upon divine revelation; we submit to it.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

What The Growing Hatred Of All Things Christians Tells Us

The world is fast moving toward pushing for the extinction of the one true “religion of peace” due to Christianity’s claim to be the only path to heaven and its moral code, which runs contrary to the flow of popular thought.

To see just how delusional our world has become, consider the way that many politicians and world leaders are protecting and even promoting the practice of Islam, which refuses to submit to non-Muslim governmental systems and is not simply a religion but a political system as well, and promotes Sharia law.  Yet Western society blindly demands the coexistence of all belief systems while pushing for the extinction of the one that stands for truth, the Christian faith.

The world is readying itself for the ministry of the false prophet and his global religious system. The pump is being primed by people’s demands that all religions be viewed as equal and that adherents of every religion respect the beliefs of others.  This will never happen, and the only solution is for people to develop a one-world religion.

The world is making itself ready for the greatest deception in all of human history: the pseudo-peace that will be offered to the world through the worship of the antichrist.

While it is clear that today’s growing call for religious ecumenism is setting the stage for a one-world religion, what is often overlooked is the nature of that final global religion.  It will not be Catholicism blended with Islam blended with Buddhism, like many have purported.  Revelation 13 makes it clear that the global religion of the tribulation will be Satan worship.  Everyone whose name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will worship the dragon who empowers and gives global authority to the beast.  Imagine a world filled with Satan worshippers, and you can easily arrive at an understanding of why the tribulation saints will be hated to the degree that people prefer to see them dead. After all, their “god” only comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10).

The growing hatred of all things Christian and the rejection of the Judeo-Christian values that have long been the standard for defining morality tell us that our world is well on its way to the worship of the dragon and the first beast, as prophesied in Revelation 13. Remember, worship means “to prostrate and submit,” and our world is now bowing before and submitting to things never dreamed of less than a quarter of a century ago.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

An Anything But Christ Culture

Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 were in response to a question His disciples asked in verse 3: “What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”  Think they were sorry they asked?  The disciples faced intense persecution for sharing Jesus’ message with the world. All but one of them, John, died a martyr’s death.

But the persecution didn’t stop with them.  And it didn’t end in the first century.  Some scholars estimate that more Christians were killed in the twentieth century than in all previous centuries combined.

Christians have been persecuted more than any other religious group.  And it’s not just confined to atheistic or Islamic countries.  We’re starting to see more and more persecution in the United States.  We see it in the woke ideology that has infiltrated our education system. We see it permeating the military.  We see it being spread by the media.

When you stand up and say, “I’m a Christian,” you can expect pushback, resistance, and even persecution.  Paul said, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).  That’s a promise of God we rarely claim.

Yet Jesus said the closer we get to the time of His coming, the more His people will be persecuted.  So how should we respond?  

First, remember that it’s not us people hate; it’s Jesus.  And if people see Jesus when they look at us, it means we’re doing something right.

Second, consider the times.  Jesus said persecution will intensify as we draw closer and closer to the time of His return.  If you notice an uptick in the mistreatment of believers, look up.  Don’t get discouraged.  Remind yourself that something amazing is on the way. Our suffering is temporary; our glorious reward for faithfulness is eternal.

Third, pray for believers who are facing persecution.  Ask God to give them the strength and endurance to persevere.  Ask Him to help persecuted Christians remain faithful in their mission and not abandon their faith.

Staying strong in the midst of persecution is one of the most powerful testimonies a Christian can offer.  It says to unbelievers, “Here’s something worth suffering for.  Here’s something more important than my life.”  So as persecution increases in the last days, so do the opportunities to impact other people’s lives with our response.  The challenge of Christians is to look beyond our own suffering and persecution to see the good that God is bringing from it in the lives of others.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Suicide Among Teen Girls Is Rising

The gender gap in teenage suicide is narrowing, showing an alarming increase in suicides among girls.  The suicide death rates of boys and girls ages 10-14 almost evened out between 2018-2024, Axios reported last week.

Previously, data showed boys experienced the highest suicide death rates, with girls beginning to contemplate suicide more frequently.  Suicide was the second leading cause of death among 10- to 14-year-olds from 2018 to 2024, according to a JAMA Pediatrics study. Additionally, suicide death rates for one- to 27-year-olds between 2014-2024 increased in most states, growing to almost 20%, showing an increase from 13.8 suicides per 100,000 people to 16.4.

“The rapidly narrowing gender gap in suicide among children ages 10 to 14 is especially alarming: the suicide rate among girls has more than quadrupled since 2007, and by 2024, the rate among boys was only 4% higher,” David Closson, director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand.

Jean Twenge, a psychologist and author of the research, told Axios that statistical changes are “a bit of a mystery.”  Twenge believes that possible reasons behind the explosive rise in female suicides may be that girls were not adequately impacted by school suicide prevention programs, the unachievable beauty standards in society, and social media.

“We know from a lot of research that the association between time spent on social media, depression, self-harm, and other mental health issues is stronger for girls than for boys, and girls also spend more time on social media,” Twenge remarked.  She also shared that “other research she has studied found that Black and Latina girls have the highest rates of social media use, which could be contributing to the trend.”

Closson said that while there is ongoing research to understand the causes for suicide, such a complex mental health crisis should not be reduced to a single explanation. “These numbers reveal a generation struggling with profound loneliness, anxiety, and despair,” he observed. “Our culture tells young people, especially girls immersed in social media, that they must construct their own identity, secure the approval of others, and find their value in appearance, achievement, or online attention.  That is an unbearable burden for a child to carry.”

Teenagers live in an age where they are bombarded with influences that deeply affect their mental and spiritual wellbeing.  Artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbots and social media addiction are just a few of the forces that plague them.  Teenagers aren’t as social as they used to be — some make friends with ChatGPT, substituting an online bot for authentic human connection.  Pew Research Center reported at the end of last year that nearly one in five teens admit to using the social media sites TikTok and YouTube almost constantly.  Pew also found that 64% use AI chatbots, with three in 10 admitting to doing so daily.

Brown University’s School of Public Health reported last year that one in eight adolescents and young adults will even turn to AI for mental health advice “amid reports that OpenAI is facing seven lawsuits alleging that ChatGPT drove users to delusions and suicide.”  In November 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported that there are four lawsuits representing people who died by suicide after AI interactions, and an additional three who “experienced psychological trauma.”

According to Focus on the Family, identifiable risk factors for suicide among young people include mood disorders, substance abuse, certain personality disorders, childhood abuse, and divorce of parents.  Focus further emphasized that parents “should be on the alert to ensure that their child is not the victim of either physical or social bullying.”  “Resist the temptation to minimize a teen’s feelings.  It’s not important that the problem seems trivial or easily solved to you.  What counts is how he sees it,” the organization recommended.

Closson explained that if a parent has any inclination their child is struggling with suicidal ideation, they should seek the necessary help.  “There is no shame in recognizing that you need support.  Reach out to your church, a trusted biblical counselor, or another qualified professional, and make sure your child is not left to struggle alone.  The fact that your child is going through this does not mean that you have failed as a parent.”

It is the responsibility of Christians to point those suffering to the hope of the gospel, especially the young and most vulnerable, Closson underscored.  “In Christ, despair does not have the final word, no life is beyond redemption, and no one needs to suffer alone.  Every person is created in the image of God, possesses inherent dignity, and has a life filled with meaning and purpose that does not depend on popularity, performance, or feelings.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Life Is the Condition of Every Other Right

The Declaration of Independence gives us three examples of ‘unalienable’ rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Life is the first of those rights because it is the condition of the others.  It is thus the most foundational of all rights.

Those words come from the opening paragraph of a “Declaration for Life: A Statement from Christian Leaders,” spearheaded by Senator Josh Hawley (MO-R) … releasing the declaration last week after a prayer breakfast with Missouri pastors who traveled to Washington for the occasion.

The Biblically and historically guided statement lays out the reason for the declaration: “The divine image each human being bears was not earned.  It cannot be forfeited.  And it is the first duty of the Church to defend human dignity where it is denied.”

The Declaration says life is foundational because of both America’s founding principles and the Biblical doctrine of the image of God.  But what makes this declaration timely is that it does not stop with the prose of Biblical purpose; it moves to practical application with what has happened since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Roe v. Wade did not end abortion in America.  “Far from it.  More abortions are performed in this country today than when Roe was still the law of the land.”  The reason?  Federal policy governing the abortion drugs, like mifepristone, that now accounts for over two-thirds of the abortions in the United States.  The FDA dropped the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone, and the DOJ refuses to enforce federal law that prohibits abortion materials being sent through the mail.  The result? Mailboxes in America have been turned into potential abortion facilities.

From the abortion industry’s own estimates, annual abortions have gone from about 930,000 prior to the overturn of Roe to over 1.1 million — an over 20% increase.  That comes despite the efforts of many states to protect the unborn.

There are Republican members of Congress and state leaders who continue to champion the unborn, but the Republican Party has gone all but silent on the issue of life.  The strong pro-life language that was a part of the GOP platform for decades was removed, and little is said about abortion.

Political parties may change their platforms.  Politicians may change their priorities.  But the responsibility of the church does not change.

Proverbs 31:8-9 says, “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die.  Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”

In the context of that passage, it is a call to the king, the civil leader.  But in America, ours is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.  We cannot simply outsource the responsibility for justice to those we elect.

We are called to defend the defenseless and speak for those whose voices have been silenced.  Justice must have an advocate.

And that begins with life.  Because the Declaration for Life gets this fundamental truth exactly right: life is the condition of every other right.  If we will not defend the right that makes every other right possible, we weaken the foundation of justice itself.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

When Israel’s Holy Days Become Opportunities for Her Enemies to Strike

As Jewish people around the world are in the midst of observing their High Holy Days, they do so this year with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation.  While these holidays hold great spiritual significance to so many, the Jewish people remember that these days can be mixed with tragedy.

God gave the children of Israel three fall feasts:

• The Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah (Tishri 1; Leviticus 23:23–25; Numbers 29:1–6).  This two-day celebration marks the beginning of a new year for the people of Israel.
• The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur (Tishri 10; Leviticus 23:26–32; Numbers 29:7–11).  This day of elaborate ceremony (Leviticus 16:1–34) foreshadowed the forthcoming, final sacrifice of the Messiah to remove our sins forever (Hebrews 9:6–14).
• The Feast of Tabernacles, Booths, or Ingathering, also called Sukkot (Tishri 15–21; Leviticus 23:33–36, 39–43; Numbers 29:12–39; Deuteronomy 16:13–17; Ezekiel 45:25; Zechariah 14:16–19; one of three Pilgrim Feasts requiring the presence of every Israelite man [Deuteronomy 16:16–17]).  This beautiful harvest celebration of thanksgiving was intended for the whole family and the whole nation.

In this year of 2026, the fall feasts take place as follows:

• The Feast of Trumpets: September 11–13
• The Day of Atonement: September 20–21
• The Feast of Tabernacles: September 25–October 2

These feasts were intended to be holy times of celebration.  Even today, they point back to ancient biblical traditions while also foreshadowing major events in the prophetic future. Sadly, however, in at least two major cases, they have become reminders of the most unholy ambitions of Israel’s enemies.

These events happened almost exactly 50 years apart.  The most recent one, in 2023, reshaped the world, including our own United States due to the alliance we share with Israel on so many levels.  It had much the same effect on the people of Israel as September 11, 2001, did on us here in America.

The October 7 Massacre

Hamas savagely kidnapped, raped, and murdered Israelis after infiltrating the nation’s border with Gaza on Saturday, October 7, 2023.  These attacks took place on the Sabbath, which was also Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:36; Numbers 29:35), and also Simchat Torah, a rabbinic holiday formulated to encourage rejoicing in the Torah.  This slaughter devastated the people and nation of Israel and continues to play out before us in the news on a daily basis.

The Yom Kippur War

Many believe that the terrorists who carried out these horrific attacks three years ago were hearkening back to the events of October 6, 1973, another Sabbath day, when a coalition of mostly Arab countries, led by Egypt and Syria, carried out a surprise military attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year.  The fighting lasted until October 24.  It became a dramatic story of Israel overcoming overwhelming odds.  The United States’ assistance may have spared the world from the potential of a nuclear disaster, but the effects of the Yom Kippur War continue to influence the Middle East today.

It would seem that those who hate Israel have taken particular joy in using their holidays as opportunities to mount these kinds of assaults against them—on days when they might be the least suspecting and least prepared.

Although their rebellion did not take place during a fall holiday, the Jewish people remaining in Poland launched the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising on April 19, 1943, just as Passover began. They engaged the Nazis as a direct response to their scheme to imprison and kill thousands of the residents remaining in Warsaw during that holy spring season.

Throughout history, we see God’s loving and providential care for His Chosen People in spite of the worst ambitions of their adversaries, even on these most holy and meaningful days.  As Christians, we stand with Israel and the Jewish people at such times of deepest need and amidst tragedy.

It would seem reasonable to conjecture that the Antichrist, energized by Satan—who desires to destroy Israel and thwart the Second Coming of their Messiah—might utilize a similar strategy during the Tribulation, possibly at its midpoint.  Perhaps his breaking of his covenant with Israel and his determination to “bring an end to sacrifice and offering” (Daniel 9:27), when “he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4), will be undertaken in conjunction with the perversion of one of Israel’s holy biblical feast days.

It is imperative that we as believers in Israel’s Messiah understand and appreciate the significance of these feasts, even as we anticipate their fulfillment in a restored nation of Israel when that Messiah returns.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel