Today Marks the Start of a New Season

What is Lent?

In the early church, Lent was a time of preparation through fasting for new believers who were baptized at Easter.  Today, it has become a shared season on the Christian calendar of repentance and discipline in preparation for Easter as Christians focus their hearts on Jesus’s sacrifice and await the celebration of His resurrection.

Lenten practices have evolved over time, but many Christians still observe it by fasting, typically from food or a habit (i.e., watching TV or using social media).  Lent also includes practices like prayer, generosity, and Scripture reading.  The point is self-discipline to focus on Christ.

The season is a liturgical tradition rather than a biblical mandate.  Lent itself isn’t commanded in Scripture, but its practices—fasting, prayer, repentance—are rooted in the Bible.

Why is it called “Lent?”

The word comes from an Old English term lencten, meaning “springtime” or “lengthening of days,” pointing to renewal.

When is Lent each year?

In most Western traditions, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday).  While the date changes each year, Ash Wednesday always falls 40 days (excluding Sundays) before Easter Sunday.

On the “Day of Ashes,” some Christians wear ashes in the shape of a cross on their forehead to symbolize human mortality (“For you are dust, and you will return to dust”) and/or mourning.

Why 40 days?

The number 40 reflects key biblical moments of preparation and testing—including Jesus’s 40 days of fasting in the wilderness (Matthew 4), Israel’s 40 years in the desert (Joshua 5:6), and Moses’ 40 days on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34).

Sundays aren’t counted in the 40 days because they’re always considered celebrations of Jesus’s resurrection (The Lord’s Day), so they’re not treated as days of fasting or penitence.

Topics like Lent and whether or not Christians can/should practice it have the potential to cause division in the church.  When you’re tempted to split with a brother or sister over secondary and tertiary issues, remember that we have a higher calling to unity in Christ and love for one another.

“Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3).

 

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

Fewer Than 1/3 of Churchgoers Read the Bible Daily

Fewer than one in three Protestants who attend church services at least once a month read the Bible on a daily basis, according to a recent report from Lifeway Research.

A report published last week, based on The Lifeway Research State of Discipleship study, found that 31% of Protestant churchgoers read the Bible every day, while 30% do so a few times a week.

Additionally, 14% of respondents said they read the Bible once a week, 11% said they engage in it a few times a month, 5% said they only read it once a month, while 9% said they “rarely or never” do so.

According to Lifeway, the Bible reading rates have gone up compared to past years.  For example, in 2007, only 16% of respondents said they read the Bible daily, while in 2012, it was 19% of respondents.

Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, was quoted in the report as noting that the number of daily Bible readers has remained fairly steady since 2019.  “The portion of churchgoers reading the Bible a few times a week or more on their own has leveled off recently after rising dramatically since 2007, but the churchgoer population was also changing during this period,” stated McConnell.  “A lower percentage of Americans attend a Protestant church once a month today than when this series of studies began.  Clearly, the remnant of Americans attending church each month are more willing to regularly read the Bible on their own than when churches were more populated.”

Data for the report came from an online survey of 2,130 Protestant churchgoers conducted March 19-26, 2025, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.21% at the 95% confidence level.

The report also found that 74% of Protestant churchgoers said “the Bible has authority over every area of their lives,” while 15% of respondents were unsure and 11% disagreed.

Additionally, 72% of respondents found themselves “thinking about biblical truths throughout the day,” while 19% were not sure, and 10% of respondents disagreed. 

In a 2019 report, Lifeway Research found that 32% of regular churchgoers read their Bible on a daily basis, while 27% said that they read Scripture a few times a week, and 12% said they rarely to never read the Bible.

Regarding the 2019 study, Dirk Smith, vice president of the Bible distribution ministry Eastern European Mission, said in an op-ed published by The Christian Post last year that he believed the numbers were because of “the culture we’ve built around distraction, quick fixes and shallow spirituality.”

“We take the Bible for granted and allow ourselves to ‘unwind’ by doom scrolling — only to increase anxiety and depression levels,” he added.  “The consequences are undeniable.  Weak churches, weary Christians and a restless society searching for peace in all the wrong places.”

“The growing churches in America right now aren’t the ones with the flashiest worship teams or trendiest branding.  They’re the ones that open the Bible and teach it line by line, verse by verse, book by book.”

 

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

Scouting America Must Choose—DOW or DEI

The Department of War (DOW) requires Scouting America, formerly known in its glory days as Boy Scouts of America, to implement major reforms if the woke entity wishes to continue its connection with the federal department.

Sean Parnell, assistant to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, issued a February 2 statement about Scouting America’s desire to remain connected with the Department of War (DOW) and how this conflicts with its increasing commitment to woke ideology. “From Day One at the War Department, we have made it very clear: No more DEI at DOW.  Zero tolerance,” Parnell explained.  Therefore, the scouting organization has to choose either DOW or DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion).

As one who remembers the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) back before they started allowing girls and openly homosexual individuals into the organization will understand, the organization has become aggressively wokeified within the last decade.  I became an Eagle Scout in 1970, but I would never recommend people putting their sons — or daughters — into Scouting America today.  It remains to be seen if DOW can force Scouting America to make significant enough reforms that the organization will be worth joining again for patriots.

Parnell explained about the DEI explosion within Scouting, “As a result, over the past several months, the Department of War has been reviewing its relationship with Scouting America—formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America.  A great organization, that has — in many ways — lost its way.”

Scouting America lost its moral compass as surely as an inexperienced scout can lose his physical compass.  Hegseth previously put Scouting America on notice, hence the deal negotiations.  Parnell explained further DOW’s reasons for demanding reform: “On January 21st, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14173: ‘Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,’ terminating radical DEl preferencing in federal contracting.  All of our affiliations must meet this standard.” Parnell went on:

“But, for more than a decade now, Scouting America's leadership has made decisions that run counter to the values of this administration and this Department of War, including an embrace of DEl and other social justice, gender-fluid ideological stances.  This is unacceptable.”

DOW found a great deal to alarm and concern the Trump administration during its review, Parnell noted, even while expressing optimism that the scouting organization is finally on the road to reform and compliance with administration standards.

“Our review of the DOW’s financial assistance and partnership with Scouting America, including its quadrennial National Jamboree celebration, has been rigorous and ongoing,” Parnell stated.  “Scouting America remains far from perfect, but they have firmly committed to a return to core principles.  Back to God and country—immediately!”

Scouting was never supposed to be about DEI propagandizing.  It was supposed to teach real-life skills and encourage civic responsibility, patriotism, and healthy living. Without those priorities, Scouting America is merely an empty shell of its original self.

Parnell optimistically ended his statement, “Scouting America and the Department of War are near a final agreement where we believe we can continue our partnership with Scouting America, as long as the organization rapidly implements the common-sense, core value reforms.  They are on the clock, and we are watching.”  Only time will tell.

 

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

Persecution and Church Raids in Russian-occupied Ukraine

Russian authorities have continued to raid religious worship services in parts of eastern Ukraine, warning congregations that unregistered churches could face repeated disruption unless they comply with Russian law.

On January 25, Russian police and military authorities carried out coordinated raids on Sunday worship services run by two Council of Churches Baptist congregations in Krasnodon town (known in Ukraine as Sorokyne) in the occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine.  Some of the officers were equipped with automatic firearms, according to church leaders.

Pastor Vladimir Rytikov said officers entered the prayer hall during worship, ordered the men present to stand, and recorded the identities of several attendees, Forum 18 reports.  He was later taken to a police station and questioned about the church’s refusal to register under Russian law.  “They said that if we don’t register, they’ll come to every service and stop it taking place,” Pastor Rytikov said.

A second Baptist congregation in a nearby village, Teple, was raided at the same time by officers from the police unit tasked with countering extremism.

The January raids are part of a broader pattern of enforcement actions against religious communities in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

Between July and December 2025, there were at least seven raids on worship meetings across Russian occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.  Most involved Council of Churches Baptist congregations, which operate without state registration as a matter of principle, Forum 18 reports.

Five religious leaders were fined following these raids under Russia’s “anti-missionary” legislation, which penalizes religious activity conducted without official authorization.

Russian occupying authorities insist that all religious communities must register under Russian law or formally notify the authorities of their existence.  Leaders are also required to hold Russian citizenship. Communities that refuse — or that retain links to Ukrainian religious structures — are treated as operating illegally.

Council of Churches Baptists have long declined registration in any country wherever they function. Russian officials, however, claim that unregistered meetings constitute unlawful missionary activity.

Russian courts have repeatedly upheld fines against pastors in occupied Ukraine on this basis, even where services were held in private homes or long-established prayer houses.

The United Nations (UN) has repeatedly criticized restrictions on religious freedom in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and called on Russian authorities to allow religious communities to practice their faith freely.  In a report to the UN Human Rights Council, Secretary-General António Guterres stated: “No individual should be criminally charged or detained simply for practicing their religion, including in the forms of collective worship and proselytizing, in accordance with international human rights law.  Religious groups in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine should enjoy access to their places of worship and be able to gather freely for prayer and other religious practices.”

Rights groups say enforcement actions against churches and other religious communities form part of a wider campaign of pressure in occupied territories, including the closure or seizure of churches and other places of worships, the replacement of religious leaders with figures deemed loyal to Moscow, and the detention or removal of clergy who refuse to comply.

Former detainees and human rights investigators say some religious leaders have been subjected to severe abuse while in custody, including beatings, prolonged isolation, and other forms of physical and psychological mistreatment.

The Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) reports that in several cases, priests and pastors have disappeared for weeks or months after being taken for interrogation, while others have been forced to flee or accept removal from their posts.

Observers say religious leaders are often targeted not for specific offences but because of what they represent.

“In the occupied territories, churches are among the few remaining institutions that command moral authority independent of the state,” said Mitzi Perdue and Nicole Monette of CEPA.

International bodies warn that these measures — alongside “anti-missionary” prosecutions, censorship of religious literature, and disinformation campaigns — amount to a systematic effort to suppress independent religious life and enforce political loyalty.

Calling for "targeted sanctions" against perpetrators, Perdue and Monette, continued, “What is happening to the clergy in occupied Ukraine is more than another tragic byproduct of war.  It is a deliberate governance strategy, removing independent moral authority and replacing it with Moscow-loyal figures.  Compliance is enforced through terror.”

As of early 2026, hundreds of religious communities in occupied regions have registered under Russian law, while others remain unable or unwilling to do so.

Communities linked to Ukrainian church structures, including many Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox groups, are among those most frequently targeted.

Local believers say the result is a climate of uncertainty in which worship continues under the constant threat of inspection, fines or closure.

Russian officials contacted by journalists have declined to explain the legal or security rationale for involving multiple state agencies — including police, prosecutors and security services — in raids on worship services.

 

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

Church Movement Seeks to Overturn Same-Sex Marriage

A coalition of Christian conservative organizations and leaders has joined a new campaign seeking to mobilize churches to push for the overturning of the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Known as the Greater Than campaign, the effort is spearheaded by the advocacy group Them Before Us and includes among its supporters Focus on the Family, Live Action, the Colson Center, Word on Fire, the American Family Association and Citizens for Renewing America.

The ultimate goal is to get the Supreme Court to overturn the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which held that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects same-sex marriage.

Greater Than describes itself as a "coalition of parents, students, researchers, think tanks, influencers, and citizens who are willing to state the self-evident but costly truth: children need, deserve, and have a right to their mother and father."

Individuals expressing their support for the campaign include pro-life activist Lila Rose, The Blaze talk show host Steve Deace, Princeton University Professor Robert P. George, and author and speaker Heidi St. John.

“When marriage was redefined in 2015, parenthood was too.  Once husbands and wives became optional, mothers and fathers became replaceable,” states the campaign’s website.  “But for a child, their mother and father are never optional; they are essential. Children need both a mother and a father to provide stability, guidance, and the unique love only a man and woman can give.  No adult desire or ideology can change that.”

Katy Faust, founder and president of Them Before Us, told The Christian Post (CP) in an interview the other week that her group was inspired to launch the campaign last year as the country neared the 10-year anniversary of the decision.  “It dawned on us: has anybody really, really put together an effort to overturn this?” Faust recalled.  “I kept thinking, another organization that has more legal chops than we do was ultimately going to do it.  But it dawned on us leading up to the 10-year anniversary that no, this is probably something that we need to do.”

"We can pull in a lot of other wonderful, faithful, grounded, virtuous, clear-eyed organizations into the mix, because there’s a lot of people that have been steadfast before Obergefell and ... I think are ready to really make an effort to take it down.”

The campaign has three components, Faust said.  The first is “a judicial strategy” that she believes “has the possibility and I would say likelihood of success.”

The second component is an effort at “changing public opinion,” with Faust saying “Americans need to understand the threat that gay marriage poses to children and that natural marriage is directly connected to children protection.”

The third component involves mobilizing churches, which Faust hopes to transform into “a child-centered fighting force.”  The campaign plans to develop “materials that both Protestants and Catholics can use to understand why natural marriage is God's plan A for child protection,” Faust said.

Released on June 26, 2015, the 5-4 Obergefell decision struck down state-level constitutional bans on same-sex marriage, with Justice Anthony Kennedy authoring the majority opinion.  “The Constitution promises liberty to all within its reach, a liberty that includes certain specific rights that allow persons, within a lawful realm, to define and express their identity,” wrote Kennedy.

“The petitioners in these cases seek to find that liberty by marrying someone of the same sex and having their marriages deemed lawful on the same terms and conditions as marriages between persons of the opposite sex.”

In 2022, the Obergefell ruling was federally codified when a Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress passed bipartisan-supported legislation, which then-President Joe Biden signed into law.

Recently, social conservatives have tried to advance legal challenges in the hopes that the more right-leaning modern-day SCOTUS will overturn the 2015 decision.

Last November, however, the high court denied without comment a petition filed by former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis to reconsider the 2015 ruling.

Faust told CP that she was “actually glad they didn’t take up the case,” as she believed that Davis “was the wrong victim and she was asking the wrong questions.”

“Children have lost their mother or father.  They are being commodified.  Parental rights themselves are being weakened because of gay marriage,” Faust said.  “The real question before the court is not ‘does gay marriage provide some kind of inconvenience for Christian adults?’  The question before the court needs to be ‘do children need, benefit from, deserve and have a right to their own mother and father?’ ”

 

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

Representatives Establish ‘Sharia Free America Caucus’

Across our nation and around the world, Islam is on the rise.  And, in order to combat this growing threat, some Republican lawmakers have established the Sharia Free America Caucus in the House.

Several House Republicans are uniting against what they call a dangerous Islamic ideology spreading nationwide.  Texas Representative Keith Self shared with CBN News why he helped to create the Sharia Free America caucus.  “North Texas has had like 20 mosques in the last two years,” said Self.  The congressman draws a direct connection between a growing Muslim population in his home state to a gradual infiltration of Islamic control.

While Representative Self is concerned about the growing influence of Islam in his state, he’s more concerned about Sharia law, the Islamic law and framework for daily life laid out in the Quran.  Sharia is wielded by dictatorships like the Iranian regime to oppress people, and it is entirely incompatible with our Constitution.

While Representatives Self and Chip Roy are leading the fight against Sharia through the Sharia Free America Caucus, they have had several other lawmakers join them. CBN notes that 26 Republican representatives from 17 states have joined the caucus, and all of them are determined to stop Sharia law from being welcomed in America.

Representative Self in particular highlighted an upcoming vote in which Texans will have the chance to decide on the future of Sharia law in the Lone Star State.  According to the Representative, Texas voters will see Proposition 10 on the March 3 primary ballot, a proposition that “calls for the prohibition of Sharia Law in the state.”

While Sharia law in America seemed unthinkable just a few years ago, it is now a very real threat.  Let’s ask God to protect us from this violent, oppressive, pagan ideology!

 

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

Vance Calls Abortion a Decision Between God and Paganism

Vice President JD Vance said in his remarks at the 53rd annual March for Life rally in Washington, D.C., that the debate on abortion is a decision between God or paganism.

In his remarks (January 23) before the massive pro-life gathering at the National Mall, Vance touted the Trump Administration’s efforts on behalf of the movement.  This includes pardoning pro-life activists imprisoned for protesting at abortion clinics and ending federally funded experiments using aborted fetal cells.

He also spoke about the child tax credit, making housing more affordable, and creating special government accounts for children, including an initial $1,000 deposit for babies born between New Year’s Eve 2024 and New Year’s Day 2029.

Vance also talked about an academic paper he recently read, which detailed how ancient brothels unearthed by researchers often had many baby skeletons nearby.  “This is shocking to us because we grew up in a Christian culture and were formed by religious values.  Even those of us who aren’t particularly faithful, it’s a shocking thing to hear,” said Vance.  “But we have to remember that in the ancient pagan world, discarding children was routine.  From the skeletons in brothels, to the child sacrifice of the Mayans, the mark of barbarism is that we treat babies like inconveniences to be discarded rather than the blessings to cherish that they are.”

Vance contrasted this with civilization being influenced by Judeo-Christian principles, referencing Psalm 139, which notes that humans are “fearfully and wonderfully made” by God.

He added that the March for Life is not just “about a political issue,” but rather, “whether we will remain a civilization under God or whether we ultimately return to the paganism that dominated the past.”

“The far left in this country tells our young people that marriage and children are obstacles, that it’s irresponsible, even immoral, because of climate change or some other reason,” the vice president continued.  “They tell us that life itself is a burden.”

“But we here at this march, we know it’s a lie.  We know that life is a gift.  We know that babies are precious, because we know them and we love them and we see the way that they can transform our families.”

Vance said that family life was not just “the source of a great joy,” but was “part of God’s design for men and women, a design that extends outward from the family to our neighborhoods, to our communities and to the United States of America itself.”

“To our fellow Americans, we say you’re never going to find great meaning in a cubicle or in front of a computer screen,” he declared.  “But you will find great meaning if you dedicate yourself to the creation and sustenance of human life.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome Vice President Vance back to the March for Life this year,” said March for Life President Jennie Bradley Lichter, in a statement provided to The Christian Post.  “His presence at this year’s March underscores the importance of this iconic event and the centrality of the pro-life movement to a healthy conservative coalition.  We are honored that he will join us in standing up for the unborn alongside our marchers from all over the country.”

The March for Life is the largest annual pro-life gathering in the U.S., held every year on or around the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal in all 50 states.

Roe was overturned in 2022 with the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson ruling.  The decision opened the door for several states to ban abortion in nearly all circumstances.

The theme for this year’s March for Life was “Life is a Gift,” with Lichter explaining last October that it was chosen because it invites people “to be swept up into a movement that transcends politics and celebrates the joy, beauty and goodness of life itself by recommitting ourselves.”

In addition to Vance, the rally also featured a video message from President Donald Trump, who highlighted his efforts to advance pro-life agenda items and religious liberty.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., also gave remarks at the March for Life, sharing the stage with several other pro-life members of Congress.

 

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

Britain’s Largest Abortion Provider Defends Sex-Selective Killing of Baby Girls

As evidence emerges suggesting approximately 400 sex-selective abortions of baby girls happened between 2017 and 2021, Britain’s largest abortion provider continues to claim the practice is not illegal, despite a government confirmation to the contrary.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), which in the last financial year performed over 110,000 abortions in the U.K., claims on its website that sex-selective abortions are not illegal, sparking wide condemnation.

On its website, BPAS claims “The law is silent on the [sex-selective abortion] matter. Reason of fetal sex is not a specified ground for abortion within the Abortion Act, but nor is it specifically prohibited.”

This directly contradicts a statement from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in response to these revelations.  “This Government’s position is unequivocal: sex-selective abortion is illegal in England and Wales and will not be tolerated.”  “Sex is not a lawful ground for termination of pregnancy, and it is a criminal offence for any practitioner to carry out an abortion for that reason alone.”  “Anyone with evidence that this illegal practice is occurring must report it to the police immediately.”

The DHSC’s position on sex-selective abortion has been explicit since 2014, when they issued guidance saying, “Abortion on the grounds of gender alone is illegal.  Gender is not itself a lawful ground under the Abortion Act.”

Despite the government’s position, a BPAS spokesperson doubled down on their view that sex-selective abortion is not illegal, insisting “there are instances” where abortion on the grounds of the sex of the unborn baby may be justified.

BPAS’s statement on sex-selective abortion follows revelations from a DHSC 2023 report of sex ratios at birth, which suggested that approximately 400 sex-selective abortions have taken place of female fetuses of Indian ethnicity between 2017 and 2021.

The report explains that where the ratio of males to females for a particular ethnicity or mother’s country of birth is greater than 107 males born for every 100 females born, “this may indicate that people in this group have been involved in sex selective abortions.”

The 2023 report conducted an analysis of birth sex ratios by the ethnicity of the child for England and Wales, both for overall birth sex ratio and by birth order, and found the “birth sex ratio for children of Indian ethnicity of the birth order 3 or more was 113 and found to be significantly higher than 107.”

This disparity in sex ratio at birth was used to draw the conclusion that “there may have been approximately 400 sex selective abortions to female fetuses of Indian ethnicity, after 2 or more previous children, in England and Wales over the 5 year period from 2017 to 2021.”

Due to the small number of births within many ethnic minority communities analyzed, even a large imbalance in sex ratios at birth for a particular minority community may not be identified as statistically significant using the approach taken by this report, meaning sex-selective abortions could be happening in a number of these minority communities in the U.K., but are not being detected by the statistical approach taken to produce the report.  This suggests the 2023 report, which found evidence of approximately 400 sex-selective abortions, may be underestimating the true number of sex-selective abortions in the U.K.

The report itself illustrates this limitation, stating that for 100 births, there would need to be a sex ratio of about 149 boys per 100 girls before it is flagged as significant; even with 5,000 births, you still need 112 boys per 100 girls.  Furthermore, the report also outlines that, because of this limitation, 80 countries with fewer than 100 births were excluded entirely.  The absence of a statistically significant finding elsewhere is not the same as proof that sex selection is not happening within other ethnic minority communities in the U.K.

Countries with a sex-selective abortion problem which have migrant populations in the U.K., where sex-selective abortions may be happening but where the approach taken by this report is likely to not be able to detect them, include Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Albania, Nepal, Vietnam, South Korea, Armenia, Georgia, Taiwan, Tunisia, Azerbaijan, and Montenegro.

On the NHS (Britain’s nationalized health care system), it is not possible for mothers to find out the sex of their baby until 18 weeks.  However, the report outlines that it is now possible to identify fetal sex through NIPT testing in private clinics after just 7 weeks gestation.

Even though the Government has said that sex-selective abortion is illegal, the U.K.’s largest abortion provider, BPAS, which receives the vast majority of its funding from the Government, is telling women that sex-selective abortion is not illegal.  This is a shocking contradiction in values from the Government.

The Government must act without delay to cut all funding it provides to BPAS, urgently update legislation to introduce an explicit ban on sex-selective abortion, and must not pursue further changes to legislation, such as those proposed in Scotland, that would likely make this problem much worse.

 

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

In Colorado, the Church is Uniting Behind These Ballot Initiatives

Americans should not turn a blind eye to what is happening in blue states.  What unfolds in Colorado rarely stays in Colorado (CO).

Increasingly, CO serves as a testing ground for policies later exported nationwide, a litmus test for the United States much like Europe is a preview of emerging social trends for the rest of the world.  Just two decades ago, CO was considered a reliably conservative state.  That changed through a coordinated, well-funded political strategy that its architects openly described as a “blueprint,” while warning that states like Texas would be next.

At the first day of CO’s 2026 legislative session, Democrats have introduced a bill titled “Legal Protections for the Dignity of Minors” (SB 26-018) that would make legal name-change records for minors confidential and strip custody and decision-making rights from parents who do not affirm their child’s claimed gender identity.

In blue states, Democrat supermajorities increasingly dominate state government.  In CO, there are no conservatives holding executive office, and the legislature is controlled by a far-left majority.  As a result, not only are conservatives unable to pass sound, commonsense legislation, but are often powerless to stop laws that are unconstitutional, harmful, and untethered from reality.

The 2025 legislative session was yet another marathon of ideologically driven policymaking centered on gender identity.  CO enacted laws that forces all private insurance companies to pay for all wrong-sex cosmetic procedures for trans-identified people (HB 25-1309,) protects the doctors who chemically and surgically mutilate children from investigation or lawsuit (SB 25-129,) makes “misgendering” and “deadnaming” illegal (HB 25-1312, think Jack the cake baker,) eliminates any data on children being given wrong-sex hormone prescriptions (also HB 25-1309,) and criminalizes recording accurate sex on death certificates (Yes, you read that correctly. HB 25-1109.)

Yet even amid this sobering reality, there is reason for hope.  In response to the rapid advance of radical ideology, a broad and growing coalition of Coloradans has emerged — people of faith and conviction who are paying attention, setting aside differences, and utilizing citizen-led ballot initiatives to push back.

Article V, Section 1 of the Colorado Constitution states that “the people reserve to themselves the power to propose laws and amendments to the constitution.”  That is precisely what is happening. With more than 1,500 volunteers active in all 64 counties, Protect Kids Colorado is advancing three ballot initiatives: stronger penalties for child sex traffickers (#108), protections for girls’ sports (#109), and a prohibition on irreversible gender-transition procedures for minors (#110).

The deadline to submit 125,000 valid signatures from registered CO voters is mid-February.  Because the signature-gathering process is heavily regulated and often prohibitively expensive, most efforts rely on millions of dollars in paid signature collection. Protect Kids Colorado, a Spirit-led, all-volunteer organization, is seeking to defy that model by mobilizing the Church and everyday citizens to carry this effort across the finish line.

With the support of Catholic Vote, the Colorado Catholic Conference, Truth & Liberty, Focus on the Family, hundreds of Evangelical partners, including Calvary Chapels and Assemblies of God congregations, and large churches such as Flatirons and Brave, along with thousands of concerned Coloradans, these initiatives are now within striking distance of success.

If the Church, the hands and feet of Jesus, continues to step forward with courage, unity, and conviction, these measures will qualify for the ballot.  And if they do, CO can make history — becoming the first non-conservative state to join 27 red states in passing real protections for children and sparking a ripple effect across the country.

These grassroots battles in America’s blue-state strongholds matter to the entire nation. This is not merely a political struggle; it is a spiritual one, for the hearts, minds, and futures of our children.  We were born for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).  If the Church continues to stand, God will continue to move, and the next generation will not be surrendered to darkness.

 

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

Renee Good’s F-I-L Doesn't Blame ICE for Her Death

The ex-father-in-law of Renee Good says he doesn’t blame Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for her death, and is calling on Americans to “turn to God” at this time.

During an appearance on CNN’s “OutFront with Erin Burnett” last week, Timmy Macklin Sr. reacted to the incident of the previous week in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where his ex-daughter-in-law was shot and killed as she struck an ICE agent while driving an SUV.

“Renee was an amazing person,” he recalled.  Praising Good as “full of love,” “full of joy,” and a “real gentle” and “good mother,” he lamented that sometimes, “we make bad choices.”  He stressed that he didn’t blame Renee for what happened to her, but believes that if she had been following God, she wouldn’t have put herself in that situation.

“There’s so much chaos in the whole world today and that’s why the Bible says, ‘If my people would humble themselves and seek His face and pray and turn from their wicked ways, God will hear from Heaven and forgive our sins and heal our wounds,’” he added, quoting from 2 Chronicles 7:14.  “We need to turn to God and walk in the spirit of God … and let Him lead us and guide us.”

Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during a protest against the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement activities.  Video footage from the ICE agent’s perspective shows Good’s new same-sex spouse, Rebecca, taunting an ICE agent as she stood outside the SUV Good was driving and using to block traffic.

“You want to come at us?” Rebecca Good asked the ICE agent.  “I say go get yourself some lunch, big boy.  Go ahead.”

An ICE agent was talking to Renee Good as she used her SUV to intentionally block traffic.  After Good was ordered to get out of the SUV, an unknown person shouted, “Drive, baby, drive!” before the video footage shows her driving into an ICE officer, who was knocked backward.  The shots were heard but not seen on the video.

Good’s death has become a flashpoint in the ongoing culture war in the U.S., with many on the political Right saying the shooting was a justified act of self-defense, while others on the political Left characterized the incident as an unnecessary use of force because Good posed no threat to the agent.

Macklin told CNN he wasn’t “blaming anybody” for Good’s death.  “I don’t blame ICE, I don’t blame Rebecca, I don’t blame Renee.”

“I just wish that, you know, if we’re walking in the Spirit of God, I don’t think she would have been there,” he said.  When asked if he had a message for the ICE agent who shot Good, Macklin responded, “This world is full of trials and tribulations,” while addressing the immigration enforcement officer’s characterization of his former daughter-in-law as and f---ing b----.

Macklin said of the ICE officer, “his will needs to turn to the Lord.  He doesn't know the Lord like he should.”

Good was married to Macklin’s son before his death in 2023.  Macklin is the grandfather of Good’s 6-year-old son, Emerson.

 

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

73M Defenseless People Killed in 2025

More than 73 million abortions were performed worldwide in 2025, making abortion the leading cause of death last year.  The figure draws on World Health Organization (WHO) estimates compiled by the global data-tracking platform Worldometers.

The Worldometers total, based on a WHO fact sheet, places the annual global abortion rate at about 39 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 49.  It estimates that 61% of unintended pregnancies, out of 121 million per year,

Compared to other causes of death, abortion exceeded all others by a wide margin.  In 2025, cancer reportedly caused 10 million deaths, smoking-related illnesses 6.2 million, infectious diseases 17 million, and HIV/AIDS 2 million.

Worldometers, which tracks population growth, births, deaths, automobile production, book publications and CO2 emissions, among other data, reported a total of 140 million global deaths from all causes in 2025.  Of these, 67.1 million were from causes other than abortion, meaning abortions accounted for nearly 52% of the total, as noted by LifeNews.

In the United States, Worldometers estimates between 1,500 and 2,500 abortions are performed each day.  Based on 2020 data from the Guttmacher Institute, this reflects a rate of 14.4 abortions per 1,000 women and suggests that about 20% of all pregnancies, excluding miscarriages, end in abortion.

Although abortion rates have declined in the U.S. over the past decade, the total number remains high. An estimated 930,160 abortions were performed nationally in 2020.

The cumulative number of abortions in the United States since 1973 is estimated at 66 million.  That year marked the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, which was overturned in 2022.

WHO’s global abortion estimate includes both legal and illegal procedures.  It is based on comprehensive modeling that updates earlier figures from 2010 to 2014, when the estimate stood at 56 million annually.

The updated estimate reflects population growth and wider access to abortion pills, along with improved data collection related to unregulated procedures.

The Worldometers abortion tally is published in real time and based on WHO modeling rather than direct counts.

Each abortion in last year’s 73 million figure represents a terminated pregnancy, and biological details about fetal development are cited by pro-life advocates as grounds for opposition.

Last week’s annual March for Life event in Washington, D.C., marks the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and advocates for expanded legal protections for unborn children.

 

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

Trump to Block Visas from Somalia

Immigration doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition.  Rather, as in the past, using statistical analysis to build a smart immigration policy.  It’s simple.  We have generations of statistics for immigration by different groups and from different parts of the world, and their lives in America.

That means we can track immigrant crime rates, welfare use rates, household income rates, terrorism rates and other metrics, crunch the numbers and conclude which kind of immigration is in our national interest … and which isn’t.

Now the State Department in the Trump Administration is beginning to do something like that.

“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates.  The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the State Department announced.  “The pause impacts dozens of countries – including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea – whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival.  We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused.”

Somalia and Haiti are ‘no brainers.’  Iran is an odd one because while there are security concerns, Persian immigrants tend to be prosperous and not the folks you find at the welfare office.

The full list hasn’t been made public, but it will no doubt outrage those like Rep. Pramila Jayapal who claimed that Somalis built America.

But America will be much better off for it.  As Daniel Greenfield recently wrote, “are third world migrants without high school diplomas earning 200% of the federal poverty line and sitting and defrauding every welfare program imaginable really saving Minnesota?”

They’re not and they’re bad for America.

 

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