Don’t Play Russian Roulette with Marriage (Part 1 of 3)

Today, there is a lot of oxygen being “sucked-up” on both sides of the issue of same-sex “marriages.”  There are those who just think it’s wrong; that it is contrary to the Creator’s design; that it is biblically chastised; that it threatens society as we know it.  While others say it’s natural, and that homosexuals should not be denied the opportunity to happily marry the person they love, and be afforded the same entitlements granted to heterosexual marriages.  The debate uses tradition, personal experience and logical reasoning … on both sides of the issue.  One side calls the other intolerant and homophobic; while the other is called perverted and immoral.  There’s not a whole lot of middle ground on this subject.  And because “we the people” are so divided, we appear more than willing to let the government decide.  Even persons of conviction preferred not to decide … as evidenced in the recent “Minnesota nice” outcome of the vote for a Minnesota Amendment to the State Constitution defining marriage as “between one man and one woman.”  
 

I would suspect that everyone knows someone for whom this is their sexual preference or orientation; and for that reason, are reluctant to express themselves publically; and, therefore, prefer to let the legislative or judicial branches of government “make the call.”

 

While for some it is a matter for the government to resolve; for others it is a matter of personal preference; and still others it is a matter of principle. For me as a Christian, I must come from a Biblical worldview, which says I must think on “… whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable …” (Philippians 4:8) 

So, seeking to address this matter with truth, let’s examine several of the arguments expressed by the advocates of same-sex “marriage.”
 

I. It is a civil right of same-sex couples to marry.

 

In order to gain power, the gay-rights movement has sought to ride the civil rights train. Using words like “rights,” “discrimination,” and “tolerance,” the homosexual movement has successfully convinced many to believe their cause is just and the right to practice openly-homosexual behavior should be permitted to climb the platform atop the civil rights pedestal. However, a person’s sexual preference is not a civil right and has nothing in common with the civil rights movement of the twentieth century.
 

The federal law known as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was part of a landmark legislative attempt to remedy discrimination on account of “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” The Act prohibits discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation; it bans discrimination in public facilities and in public education; it prohibits discrimination against recipients of federally assisted programs; it addresses discrimination in the workplace. This Act laid the foundation for future civil rights laws that were later adopted by several states, including local governmental subdivisions such as municipalities. An understanding of the historical background and reasons for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is important when considering adding any new class of persons to a protected civil rights category.  The two driving forces behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964 arose primarily out of discrimination against African-Americans and, secondarily, out of discrimination against women. The Act prohibits discrimination against individuals on account of “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” All five categories have at one time or another been the subject of no less than five constitutional amendments.

 

No one can seriously argue that African-Americans did not suffer rampant, widespread discrimination. Blacks were forced to use separate drinking fountains and restrooms. They were prohibited from staying in motels or from patronizing restaurants. African-Americans (and other people of color) were prohibited from voting until the states ratified the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Those of Korean, Japanese, Jewish, and German descent also faced discrimination following World Wars I and II. Women faced similar discrimination. They were prohibited from voting until the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified.  Like African-Americans, women were also excluded from the job markets and from places of political influence. The widespread discrimination against Blacks, women, and other people with particular national origins undeniably resulted in blatantly direct employment discrimination which excluded them from the economic marketplace. 

 

Race, color, sex, and national origin share common immutable characteristics. (An immutable characteristic serves to identify the protected class.)  A person’s race, color, sex, and national origin are unchangeable characteristics. One cannot transition from one category to another. A person is either born African-American or Caucasian, male or female. There’s no such thing as an ex-African-American. The ancestry of a person is fixed at birth.

 

Religion is the sole category within the Civil Rights Act that does not share the pattern of an immutable physical characteristic as do the other four categories. However, the characteristic of immutability in terms of religion is rooted in the 1st Amendment, and indeed, predates that Amendment. The drafters of the 1st Amendment considered the freedom to believe in God and the free exercise of religion to be a sacred right, which may not be alienated by any sovereign government. The 1st Amendment affords special protection to religion, in part, because of the history of religious oppression. This special protection was codified in the Civil Rights Act.

 

The matter of whether a person’s sexual preference meets the immutability requirement is not debatable. The practice of homosexuality is a matter of choice. In contrast to the immutable characteristics of race, color, or national origin, a person’s sexual preference is not static; it is an ever-moving target and, as such, can never be considered immutable. Fluidity of one’s sexual preference and the lack of any evidence establishing its immutability precludes defining a protected class based on sexual preference. 

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

It’s Freedom of Religion, Not Freedom from Religion

The primary legal source that protects religious freedom for all American citizens is the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which reads – “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”  These “free exercise” and “establishment” clauses forbid governmental entanglement with matters of religion.  This means government may not favor one religion over another; may not target one religion for particular benefits and burden another; may not entangle itself in core ecclesiastical subjects; may not set itself up as the arbiter of religious truth and enforce its determinations as law … just to name a few.  With this simple statement, the U.S. Constitution rightly established the proper boundaries for religions and for the state.  The two clauses protect the same central liberty … from two slightly different directions: the “establishment” clause forbids government prescription of religious exercise; and the “free exercise” clause forbids government proscription of religious practices.  The government should not try to force compliance with any particular religious belief or practice, or compel people to support any particular religion – because religious belief … if it is to be genuine … cannot be forced on people against their will.

 

By the same token, the opposite of the “compel religion” view is in error: that we should “exclude religion” from the public square; that religious belief should be kept at home and limited to places of worship; that it should not influence a civil society. 

 

This “exclude religion” view has had a strong influence in recent campaigns to persuade the courts and public opinion in legalizing same-sex “marriage.”  If these “exclude religion” arguments succeed, they could well be applied against evangelicals and Catholics who make “religious” arguments in light of their moral values against the likes of abortion, euthanasia, mandated costs of reproductive health by employers, and in the case of Christian owned/operated businesses – requiring them to service the gay agenda … all of which encroach on their religious principles.  By such reasoning, all actions of religious citizens and civil officials for almost any moral issue could be found invalid.  This would be the direct opposite of the kind of country the Founding Fathers established and contrary to what they meant by “free exercise” of religion in the 1st Amendment.  This changes freedom of religion into freedom from religion.  Our Founders never envisioned that the 1st Amendment would become a weapon to excise Christian or traditional religious expressions from the public arena.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Lawsuits Against Christians Refusing Business to Gays

Christian photographers Elane Photography in New Mexico were approached by a same-sex couple looking to hire a wedding photographer.  Elane Photography politely declined citing their Christian faith and were sued by the couple under the state’s anti-discriminatory laws, and won.  In New Mexico you apparently have no right to your free expression and practice of faith any longer.

 

Now the State of Washington is suing a small flower shop after the owner declined to provide flowers for a homosexual wedding – based on her religious beliefs.  Barronelle Stutzman, the owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, WA, is facing thousands of dollars in fines and penalties for allegedly violating the state’s Consumer Protection Act.  “If a business provides a product or service to opposite-sex couples for their weddings, then it must provide same-sex couples the same product or service,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement.

 

On March 1, a longtime customer asked Stutzman to provide flowers for his upcoming same-sex wedding.  According to court documents, she told him that she would not be able to do so “because of her relationship with Jesus Christ.”  The Attorney General’s office sent a letter to the florist on March 28 giving her a chance to reconsider her position and sign an agreement indicating her intention to comply with the law.  But Stutzman refused.  “Under the Consumer Protection Act, it is unlawful to discriminate against customers on the basis of sexual orientation,” the attorney general said.  In their letter to Stutzman, they told her the only way to avoid a lawsuit was to agree to provide services for homosexual weddings.  “This means that as a seller of goods or services, you will not refuse to sell floral arrangements for same-sex weddings if you sell floral arrangements for opposite-sex weddings,” the Attorney General’s office wrote.  The Attorney General is seeking a permanent injunction forcing the flower shop to comply with the law – as well as $2,000 in fines for every violation.

 

Attorney JD Bristol called the notion that his client was guilty of discrimination “nonsense.”  “Arlene’s Flowers has catered to all patrons, including homosexuals, for many years,” Bristol wrote in his reply to the Attorney General.  “Arlene’s Flowers has had openly gay employees.”  He told The Seattle Times that he believes the state is trying to make an example of the flower shop.  “This is about gay marriage, it’s not about a person being gay,” he told the newspaper.  “She has a conscientious objection to homosexual marriage, not homosexuality.  It violates her conscience.”

 

Bristol said he believes this is a freedom of religion issue.  “What the government is saying here is that you don’t have the right to free religious exercise,” he told the newspaper.  Religious liberty groups in the State of Washington and across the country are voicing their support for the flower shop.  “You may not be a florist, and you may have made a different decision, but liberty is at stake for all of us,” said Joseph Backholm, Executive Director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington.  “Draw your line in the sand right here.”

 

Backholm sent an email blast urging supporters to stand with Arlene’s Flowers.  “Don’t ignore the bully just because he hasn’t punched you in the mouth yet,” he said.  “A small business owner is looking at years of litigation and huge legal expenses because she won’t bow to the political elites.”

 

Peter Sprigg, with the Family Research Council, told Todd Starnes of Fox News they are seeing more and more of these types of cases.  “People need to be aware this is the underlying motive for the push for same-sex marriage,” he said.  “It’s not just about legal rights and benefits.  It’s about forcing everyone in society to recognize their relationships as being one hundred percent equal to opposite-sex marriages.”  He called the lawsuit a dangerous step towards encroaching on religious liberty.  “It also reflects a narrow view of religious liberty where people may have freedom to exercise religious liberty in their church, but they don’t have that right when they go outside those four walls,” he said.

 

Well before our nation’s birth, a biblical basis for freedom of religion came from the words of Jesus who said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” (Matthew 22:21)  In this statement, Jesus established the principle of a distinct realm of “things that belong to God” that should not be regulated or constrained by the government (or “Caesar”).  Although Jesus did not specify what things belong to this realm that is outside of Caesar’s control, certainly “the things that belong to God” must include decisions and actions regarding faith and practice.  This means that people's religious convictions and activities should clearly be an area in which government gives citizens uninhibited freedom. 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

To Stomp or Not to Stomp

You’ve no doubt heard about it.  At Florida Atlantic University (the Davie campus, near Fort Lauderdale) a student was suspended from class after he refused a professor’s directive to stomp on a piece of paper with the name of “Jesus” written on it.  “I’m not going to be sitting in a class having my religious rights desecrated,” student Ryan Rotela told television station WPEC.  “I truly see this as I’m being punished.”

 

Rotela, (a devout Mormon) said the instructor in his Intercultural Communications class told the students to write the name “Jesus” on a sheet of paper.  Then, they were told to put the paper on the floor.  After which, the professor told them to “Stomp on it.”  Rotela said. “I picked up the paper from the floor and put it right back on the table.  The young college student told the instructor, Deandre Poole, that the assignment was insulting, offensive, inappropriate, and unprofessional.

 

Rotela said the idea of stomping on the name of Jesus was beyond his comprehension.  “Any time you stomp on something it shows you believe that it has no value,” he told the television station. “If you were to stomp on the word Jesus – it says the word has no value.”

 

Rotela took his concerns to Poole’s supervisor – where he [Ryan] was promptly suspended from the class.  [Ryan has since been reinstated in the class, thanks to the help of the Texas-based Liberty Institute.]  The university is defending the instructor’s assignment to stomp on the name of Jesus.  “As with any academic lesson, the exercise was meant to encourage students to view issues from many perspectives, in direct relation with the course objectives,” said Noemi Marin, the university’s director of the school of communication and multimedia studies.  The university did not explain why students were only instructed to write the name of Jesus … and not any other religious figure.

 

The lesson on bashing the name of Christ is included in a textbook titled, Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach (5th Edition).  The synopsis of the lesson reads – “Have the students write the name JESUS in big letters on a piece of paper.  Ask the students to stand up and put the paper on the floor in front of them with the name facing up.  Ask the students to think about it for a moment.  After a brief period of silence instruct them to step on the paper.  Most will hesitate.  Ask why they can’t step on the paper.  Discuss the importance of symbols in culture.”

 

Paul Kengor, the Executive Director of the Center for Vision and Values at Grove City College, PA said he’s not surprised by the classroom lesson.  “These are the new secular disciples of ‘diversity’ and ‘tolerance’ – empty buzzwords that make liberals and progressives feel good while they often refuse to tolerate and sometimes even assault traditional Christian and conservative beliefs,” Kengor said.  Kengor said classes like the one at Florida Atlantic University often demonstrate the contempt many public institutions hold for people of faith.  “It also reflects the rising confidence and aggression of the new secularists and atheists, especially at our sick and surreal modern universities,” he said.   “Gee, I wonder if the instructor would dare do this with the name of Mohammed,” Kengor wondered.

 

What’s wrong with these academics?  Do they really think they can hide behind their diplomas and degree?  There’s an incredible irony in this professor’s actions.  Just as there is sarcasm in all the Christian bashing we seem to find in this culture.  Here’s the irony: Each breathe of life and beat of the heart is by the grace of Christ Jesus.  When the Son of God says, “Enough,” life is over!  And to Him we must all give an account.  Contrary to all the St. Peter at the Pearly Gates jokes, Jesus is the one to whom we must answer for every thought, word, and deed.

 

The apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-9)

 

Paul began his statement of this eternal principle with some very disturbing words, “Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked.”  Why did Paul say that?  Is it possible for us to be deceived?  Maybe we think we have pulled the wool over God’s eyes; that God doesn’t see what we are doing, or know what is going on inside our hearts and minds.  But Paul says, “You must not deceive yourselves.  You are not deceiving God.  God knows what kind of seed you are sowing, and whatever kind of seed you sow, that is the kind of seed you will reap when the day of harvest comes.”

 

Now here’s the good news. If you’re not very proud of the seed you have sown, then the best news is that Jesus Christ came to die for your sins and for mine, and to cleanse us with His own precious blood.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The CUNY Abortion Game

If you want to see just how bad the depravity of the American people has become, turn your attention to some students at Hunter College in New York City.  Founded in 1870, Hunter College is now the largest college in the City University of New York (CUNY) system.  Located in the heart of Manhattan, its current enrollment runs around 22,000 from all different backgrounds.

 

Recently, some of their sundry students gathered in a cafeteria and began playing a game that they called ‘Abortion Battles.’  Students, mostly male, placed a balloon under their shirt and then would square off against another balloon toting student and try to pop each other’s balloon with a plastic fork.  The game itself seems harmless at first, but when you think about the implications, it’s rather chilling. 

 

Assuming these students are under the age of 40 and thinking, they should have been giving thanks to God for their very lives … because since 1973 (40 years ago) it was perfectly legal to terminate their lives.  They should be asking – Why was I spared being aborted?

 

Now kids have been trying to pop each other’s balloons since I was a kid.  It was just what kids innocently did with no malice.  However, in this case, the college students are mocking and trivializing abortion, and the killing of unborn innocent babies.  Much of this mockery was captured on video.  In one part of the video, you can hear a bystander shout, “Kill the baby, kill it.”  Sadly, more and more Americans believe there is no real difference between popping a balloon and murdering an unborn child; and the actions of these college students clearly demonstrate it.

 

America is becoming desensitized to the horror of abortion.  With all of the violence on television, in movies and video games, they are numb to pain inflicted on a child in the womb … when they have their limbs ripped from their tiny bodies.  Popping the amniotic sac and emptying out its contents to them is no different than popping a balloon and emptying out its contents. 

 

Surely our time of judgment as a nation is coming, and perhaps it’s already here.  God gives nations rulers that they deserve; and since America has murdered nearly 60-million unborn children since the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision of 1973, our current governmental officials could be just what God wants us to have as part of His judgment.  And I’m sure that judgment includes the fall and collapse of America as we knew it; all because we turned away from God and embraced a hedonistic religion that thrives on the blood sacrifices of unborn children.

 

Trusting that God is not finished with the United States, I want to give you three specific things that you can do to end abortion:

I.  Speak Out

Proverbs 31:8-9 says, “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate.  Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.”

The 60-million babies aborted in the United States since 1973 don’t have a voice, but we do.  We need to start talking about it whenever and wherever the subject matters.  That means defending life in the relevant conversations in the coffee shop … as well as to contacting our law makers on capitol hill.  The trends in this nation right now are clearly showing that people are uncomfortable with abortion.  We have an opportunity (right now) to set right millions of wrongs.  But we’ve got to make noise to make it happen.

For years the tact of the liberals and abortionists has been to make the most noise.  It’s time that we talk back.  We may not get a chance to testify before a congressional committee, but each one of you can contact your congressmen.  You should – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate ...” (Proverbs 31:8)  That is righteousness; that is religion that God sees as undefiled.

Now, you might ask, “What will I say?”  Tell them what you know.  You don’t have to be a neonatal specialist to have a clue here.  Women – I would think that your testimony is stronger in some respects than that of men.  Way back around 200 AD there was a Christian theologian named Tertullian who recognized that as he argued against abortion in his day (it is an ancient evil) he said, “I call on you, mothers, whether you are now pregnant or have already borne children; ... Tell us: Do you feel any stirring of life within you in the fetus?  Does your groin tremble, your sides shake, your whole stomach throb as the burden you carry changes its position?  Are not these moments a source of joy and assurance that the child within you is alive and playful?  Should his restlessness subside, would you not be immediately concerned for him?”

Take what you know to be true and speak out!  The goal must not be merely to limit, but to end the murder of innocents.  We need to speak out, even at the risk of offending people.  We need to win in the court of public opinion, and we need to win on capitol hill, and in the Supreme Court.

But we have to do more than speak out, we’ve got to step up to the plate and take action.

II. Step Up

Proverbs 24:11-12 reads, “Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die.  Don’t try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it.  For God knows all hearts, and he sees you.  He keeps watch over your soul, and he knows you knew!  And he will judge all people according to what they have done.”

We have got to do whatever we can to save those innocent lives.  What does that mean you can do?  In addition to equipping yourself to think and argue persuasively on the pro-life issue, we need to begin acting as if we believe that abortion is a serious moral wrong.  We normally act based on what we believe to be true; but too often we’ve decided to become completely passive.

Now many of you might agree with the person who says “I believe abortion is wrong, but I don’t have a right to tell a woman what to do?  Oh really?  Than why do we lock up thousands of people in prison for murder, rape and drugs every year?  Haven’t we made an action based upon what we believe to be right or wrong?  If we really believe abortion is murder (and it is) than we have the mandate to act against it.

How do you do that?  Pray for God’s intervention certainly, but how about being the intervention?  Rescue the perishing by intervening in the process … if we can.

Yet as we step up to the plate to take action, we’ve got to remember that our goal is not to destroy people, but to bring them redemption.  We need to destroy the sin, but we have got to make sure that in the process we don’t destroy the sinner.  Remember the purpose of Christ? – To seek and save the lost?  We, too, have got to reach out with compassion in hopes of redemption.

III. Reach Out

It is sad to say, but it’s easier as a Christian to confess to sins of adultery, fornication, or theft than it is to be a Christian who has had an abortion.  We cannot forget that the procedure has two victims.  The child is gone, but the mother remains … and more often than not, she is daily haunted with a memory she can’t erase.  To that woman, God offers the sacred gift of complete forgiveness.  Abortion has created a multitude of ‘walking wounded’ who silently suffer their guilt and their shame.  And the devil uses the rhetoric to keep them locked in feelings of guilt, even if they’re Christians now.

My friends, the Church cannot afford to be self-righteous.  Psalm 14 reminds us, “...There is no one who does good.  The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.  They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;  There is no one who does good, not even one.”

When we talk about an action plan, perhaps this one point needs to be actively put into our lives more loudly than the others; and that is this – An offer of acceptance and forgiveness to any who would dare to seek it.

Are you willing to be like Jesus in this?  He stood before the crowd around Him and offered them redemption.  Matthew 11:28-30 reads, “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.’ ”

As we reach out to a sin worn world, we need to carry the message that redemption is possible; acceptance is available; and that we are the people willing to offer it in the name of Jesus Christ.

I challenge you to contact your congressmen; to put some feet on what you believe; to speak out for the unborn; to step up to action and reach out to the wounded.

I for one will accept without judgment and with compassion anyone who seeks redemption for anything.  How about you?

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Jesus Banned from Another U.S. City

In my lifetime of 60 years, I’ve witnessed Jesus, God and the Bible banned from public schools, government buildings and even the public square.  Today, in many town council meetings any mention of Christ has become a taboo.  Well, the latest victim to be raped of their 1st Amendment rights of free speech and religion is Longview, Washington – about 30 miles west of Mount St. Helens … the site of a volcanic eruption in 1980.

 

Now, Longview may be on the verge of its own eruption.  Mayor Don Jensen told the Kelso-Longview Ministerial Association that they are no longer allowed to mention Jesus Christ in their prayers at council meetings.  They can mention God in a nonsectarian way, but not Jesus.

 

And the reason behind the order?

 

According to Jensen, it’s because they fear a possible lawsuit down the road if someone invokes the name of Jesus: “It’s not my choice to stop this, but I don’t know how we can put our citizens at jeopardy and cost our city and our citizens a lot of money.”

 

In other words, the atheist minority has succeeded in bullying yet another community to turn away from the Creator of the universe for fear of offending someone and being faced with a lawsuit.  In fact, it seems that the Mayor’s decision was based largely on the complaints of one local atheist, Dan Smith who told the local news: “I do not want public prayer in my public building.  If I could have it my way there would be no religious – start the meetings with the banging of the gavel, and let’s go.”

 

Longview City Council meetings have been opened with a Christian prayer since the 1950s, but that seems to have come to a screeching halt.  Mark Schmutz, Pastor of North Lake Baptist Church told the local news: “They’ve asked us for years to schedule those invocations and we are those who believe Jesus is the Son of God.” … “We could say God and we could end with Amen, but we shouldn’t be specific about which religion or which God we’re calling upon.” … “People talk about lawsuits on a regular basis and nobody wants litigation, so you get to this place where it’s just easier not than to fight this fight.” … “We are ministers of the Gospel of Jesus and to not speak the name goes past our own convictions.”

 

What’s wrong with this picture: A thousand Christians could complain to the mayor and city council about not being able to say the name of Jesus Christ and it won’t make a difference.  But the complaint of one sad atheist is allowed to rule the day and infringe on the 1st Amendment rights of freedom of speech and religion of many more of the town’s residents.

 

In today’s America, the complaining of the one tramples on the constitutional rights of the many.  And you want to know why that is?  Because most of America’s Christians have sat back and refused to do anything to stop it.  In reality, the Silent Majority is just as guilty as the few atheists for driving Jesus Christ out of our public life.  

 

Jesus said, “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33 ESV)  As a simple proof-text, Jesus’ words should cause concern for professing Christians embarrassed to be identified with Him.  If you are a Christian who is embarrassed to publicly identify with Christ you might ask yourself why.  It may be a good time to examine yourself.

 

If you are one of those lazy Christians, take a good look in the mirror before you start to complain about what is happening to Christianity in America today.  Your silence has spoken as loudly as the shouts of the few that have caused you to lose what you once had.

 

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

Boy Scouts Must Stand Firm

 

As some of you may know, I’m an Eagle Scout.  I have proudly worn an Eagle ring for decades … rather than a ring from the schools of my bachelor, two masters, or doctorate degrees.  I’ve always looked fondly upon my involvement both as a youth and adult in an organization in which the Scout Oath pledges –

“On my honor I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my country

and to obey the Scout Law;

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong,

mentally awake, and morally straight.”

W. D. Boyce incorporated the BSA on February 8, 1910.  Within the first two years, its moral compass was clearly outlined in the Scout Oath.  Since its inception, Scouts have raised their hand and pledged to keep themselves "morally straight."  And as a result, our society has looked to Scouting to provide our nation’s leaders.  Undeniably, Scouting has remained a strong influence and force for good … as it has focused its membership and leadership guidelines on those things that correspond with the ‘morally straight’ aspects of high ideals and proper behavior. 

 

The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America is presently considering a change to its long-standing policy that prohibits openly gay members.  The BSA, which has 2.7 million youth and 1 million adult members, is "discussing" doing away with its national policy … having experienced months of protest.  Under pressure from activist groups and corporate donors who don’t agree with the Scouts’ values, the National Council is toying with the idea of allowing local councils to decide for themselves whether to abide by this policy. 

 

It is important to note that this “discussion” is not a reflection of what the Boy Scouts is against, but of what they are for.  In a word, this purposeful hedging in and maintenance of membership standards and practices is simply an outworking of their freedom to associate— and especially their freedom to associate with those whom they choose.

 

This was never a problem, and was not seen as a negation of any certain group or practice, until some began pushing to curtail the Boy Scouts’ freedom of association in the late 20th century. 

 

In June 2000, in the Boy Scouts of America vs. Dale decision, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Boy Scouts’ right to freedom of association; and therefore their membership policy.  The court decided that the constitutional right to freedom of association allows a private organization like the BSA to exclude a person from membership when “the presence of that person affects in a significant way the group's ability to advocate public or private viewpoints.”  In a five to four decision, the Supreme Court ruled that opposition to homosexuality is part of the BSA's 'expressive message' and that allowing homosexuals as adult leaders would interfere with that message.  Yet now, even after winning at the Supreme Court, the BSA national leadership is considering giving up their freedom to choose what they stand for.

 

Interestingly, shortly before this “discussion,” the Boy Scouts issued this statement:  “We believe that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the requirement in the Scout Oath that a Scout be morally straight and in the Scout Law that a Scout be clean in word and deed, and that homosexuals do not provide a desirable role model for Scouts.”

 

If the Boy Scouts’ position shifts, it will be a seismic cultural change.  Moreover, it will affect hundreds of thousands of boys who have gone through the program or are presently enrolled in Scouting … as well as those yet to participate.  Relationships to affiliated groups, such as churches and other local organizations, will be forever altered … especially since more than 50% of Scouting units are chartered to faith-based organizations and draw their volunteer leadership from among them.  Furthermore, such a change from America’s largest youth organization will threaten other groups which are presently standing on moral principles, rather than caving in to the ‘politically correct’ pressure that beckons them to embrace everything and stand for nothing in particular.

 

The Boy Scouts will no longer be what it has been for decades if it complies with the demands of others.  Once it assents, far from ‘making peace,’ it will only open itself and the local councils to continued and more aggressive attacks.

 

Again, this is a war the Boy Scouts of America didn’t initiate.  Yet since it has been launched against them, it's one they must win from the high ground of the Supreme Court victory (Dale) and the constitutionality of association.  A victory here will be a victory for current Scouts and generations of Scouts to come. 

 

As for the 'threats' of lost revenue from corporate donors who would cease to financially support Scouting, let them keep their restrictive money!  The BSA doesn’t need to be enslaved by 'worldly wealth' and all it entails.  If Scouting truly pledges in its Oath “duty to God” and in its Laws “reverence” to God, then it needs to remember this— serving God is not part-time; it requires exclusive, loyal, full-time service; it is uncompromising in honesty and loyalty.

 

Let the National Council of the BSA know your wishes for them to ‘stand fast’ in their membership policy – not granting membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA.  They must not abandon their morally sound membership policy.  Share your thoughts on this matter by submitting them at www.scouting.org/ContactUs.aspx.  Do it today, without delay!

 

For me, if the BSA caves-in on being "morally straight," then it loses its relevance.  And I will personally retire my Eagle ring – never to be worn by me again! 

Ken Beale, Jr.

Eagle Scout

Vigil Honor O/A

Young American Award

Youth & Adult Religious Emblems

Reclaiming America for Christ

Reclaiming America for Christ – April 11, 2013

 

What has happened to America?  What have we become?  Have we become the nation that our forefathers had pledged their sacred honor?  Would they be disappointed in what we have become?

 

Some of you know, I am a firm believer that America was founded on Christian principles … by Christian men and women.  And I’m (by no means) alone in that conviction.

 

Ronald Reagan said this on February 9, 1982 at the National Religious Broadcasters Annual Convention (almost 30-years ago to the day): “It’s been written that the most sublime figure in American history was George Washington on his knees in the snow at Valley Forge.  He personified a people who knew that it was not enough to depend on their own courage and goodness, that they must seek help from God – their Father and Preserver.  Where did we begin to lose sight of that noble beginning, of our convictions that standards of right and wrong do exist and must be lived up to?”

 

Lest I be accused of only referencing a Republican president, here is what Harry Truman said: “I do not believe there is a problem in this country or the world today which could not be settled if approached through the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount.”

 

How true!  Our country once lived by God’s teachings.  We had that old fashioned “Can Do Attitude” – that optimism that seemed to get us through all the difficulties that the world tossed our way.  Where do you suppose Americans gained that “Can Do Attitude”?  I believe it was from Scripture as found in Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”  America once believed that our strength came from above; and by acknowledging it – came many blessings to our Great Nation.  I believe we were once at a place in America when we could admit that we were weak … in order to draw strength from God.  And this is something that we still need to do today. 

 

As I look at our nation, I see politicians and people that have given up on God.  The once great nation deemed as a Christian nation by our forefathers is now considered by our current president as the direct opposite.  On April 7, 2009, President Obama commented during a press conference in Turkey in which, speaking for Americans, he said that, “We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values. Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation - at least, not just.  We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.”

 

That phrase – “Whatever we once were… ” reveals just how far separated from God our country has become.  We have quit on God; and it began long before this administration.  We quit on God by kicking Him out of our schools; by eradicating Him from the sphere of our government; by removing Him from influencing our lives.

50 years ago, I believe the majority of Americans would never have imagined we would have become what we have become today.  We are a product of our own demise.  We became complacent and comfortable; we became tolerant and accepting.  The bottom line is: We Quit!  We quit living as a Christian nation (years ago) … long before liberalism got its foothold in our society.  We quit when we placed God second to everything else in our lives.  We quit when we became afraid to speak His name in public.

I, like many of you, love our country; and I believe in what America represents.  I believe that we were founded on Christ’s Love.  But unfortunately, I believe we have strayed off course.  It’s time to reclaim this nation for Christ … as One Nation Under God. 

 

If we are going to reclaim America, how are we going to do it?  I think the Scriptures are very explicit.  There are two things that need to be done.  Interestingly, they are the first and the last commandments that God gave to us.

 

I. The first one, called the Cultural Mandate, is found in Genesis 1:28, where we are told to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,” and that we are to have dominion over all things.  We are appointed by God to administer His teaching to every sphere of society — not only to the individual, but to the family, the parents, the schools, the government, the arts, and everything which God has something to say about.  As we sing in the hymn – “This is my Father’s world ... ”  We are to bring His truth to bear on every sphere of society.  If we don’t, then society will do something else.  And that is precisely the problem we are in today … because we failed to fulfill that Cultural Mandate; we failed to be involved.

 

Let me ask you: Are you registered to vote?  Are you aware of the issues of our day?  Do you cast a vote?  Do you engage in the moral debates of the politicians?  For a ‘secular’ American citizen to fail to register and vote is a failure to fulfill a patriotic civic duty.  For a ‘Christian’ American citizen to do so … is not only to fail in that way … but it is to sin against God.

 

Now, I suspect a number of you are asking, “Did he just say what I thought he said?”  Yes, and I’ll say it again: For you as a Christian American citizen to fail to register and vote is a sin against God.

 

Most Americans don’t even know what a sin is … so it’s no wonder they don’t know that failure to vote is a sin.  A sin is any failure to do that which God has commanded us to do, or any doing of those things which He commanded us not to do.  Jesus commanded us, “Render to Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21) … which, at the least (in a democratic republic), means that we exercise our franchise — we register and vote.

 

Dear friend, if you are not registered and you haven’t been voting, you need to repent.  Get registered, get informed, and vote.  I hope that you will become active in our society — not only involved in voting, but in all phases of the culture in which we live.  Otherwise, views hostile to that which God has taught us in His Word will prevail … not only in education, the media, and entertainment, but also in government.  We need to be involved in all these areas.  The fact is in the pudding: had we been involved in our society and determining who will serve as our elected officials, things would be significantly different then they are today.  For too long, Christians have been sitting in the bleachers … instead of getting on the field.  And as a result, unbelievers who do not worship the true God and scorn His commandments, who want to do their own humanistic godless thing, have been more than happy to do so.

 

Seriously, my friends, what do you want for America?  Gary Bauer, who once served as president of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., said it well when he said – “I want to see an America where I don’t have to worry about date rape when my daughter goes out for the first time at college.  I want an America where, when a young man pledges to love and cherish and honor her for the rest of their lives, there’s a good chance he means it.  I want a country where children come first again and where virtue is honored; a place where values matter and the American dream is still real.  I want a country where families no longer have to hide behind barred windows, where criminals do real time and aren’t released on a whim or a technicality.  I want a place where children can play in public parks again without fear, and where adults can walk across those parks at night.  I want an America where families would spend more time being real families, not watching artificial ones [on television].  I hope for a land where love of country is seen as a virtue again.  Where the young are taught the unique blessing they have received just to have been born in such a place.  In my America, the schools would work once more.  Political correctness would be thrown out, and the goal of education would once again be to teach our children to have ‘knowing heads and loving hearts.’  In this land, racism, quotas, and special rights would be rejected, and all our children would be taught to judge their fellow citizens by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.  I see a country that respects life again, where drive-by shootings and one and a half million aborted babies each year are seen as a disaster.  Here responsibilities would be as important as rights, and a handshake would be something [once again] to rely on.  In my country, working men and women would be praised, not penalized by ever-growing government.  The truly poor would get a hand up, not a handout.”

 

This is the kind of country Bauer wants.  Question!  Is that radical?  If so, count me in.  How about you?  Is that the kind of country you would like to see in America?

 

But I hasten to add, all we can do to influence our society is not going to change human hearts.  It is going to remove the obstacles that the ungodly have brought in to oppose that changing of human hearts, but not  without a fight from the enemy of God and His people – Satan.  He will fight in every way possible to impede the progress of the Gospel of Christ.

 

You see, human nature cannot be changed by legislation.  It can only be changed by the indwelling Holy Spirit and Gospel of Christ.  We need to get government out of the way so the Gospel may go forth unimpeded today.

 

Which leads me to the second command –

 

II. In addition to the Cultural Mandate, there is the Great Commission – to share the Gospel — to preach the Gospel to every creature.  That is our task.

 

Let me ask you: Are you engaged in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others and thus advancing the Kingdom of God?  May I remind you what the real purpose is of this nation?  Let us hear the answer from the people who founded this country.  When, for the first time, in 1643 representatives from all of the colonies got together in New England, they wrote the New England Confederation.  In that Confederation they said these words: “We all came into these parts of America for one and the same end and aim, namely, to advance the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  THAT is the purpose of America!

 

Are you part of what America is all about?  Are you part of what the Kingdom of God is all about?  Are you part of what Christ commanded us to do?  Are you proclaiming the Good Tidings to people in this nation?

 

You see: That is what is wrong with America.  We can cast the blame on the atheist, the agnostics, the ACLU, the NEA – pick whichever one of those you like – and all sorts of other godless institutions.  But a great share of the blame must be laid right at the door of the Church and right in our laps.  We have disobeyed the Great Commission to share the Gospel of Christ, which is the last thing God told us and the first command He gave to His followers.  If all of the Christians in America simply led one person to Christ this year, this nation would once again be overwhelmingly Christian, and most all of the problems of society would vanish.  The solution to those problems is for us to become involved in our culture and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  If Christians would do those two things, this nation and this world would be transformed almost overnight.  It would be glorious … would it not?

 

My friend: Are you living in silent rebellion to God’s command? for that is the problem of this country.  The problems of this country are due to that rebellion.  Judgment must begin at the house of God.

 

Now, some of you would argue that America is not a Christian nation.  I suppose they have forgotten about the man who said this just a few decades ago: “I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good Book and the spirit of the Savior have from the beginning been our guiding geniuses … whether we look to the first Charter of Virginia … or to the Charter of New England … or to the Charter of Massachusetts Bay … or to the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut … the same objective is present; “a Christian land governed by Christian perspectives.”  Care to guess who said that?  It was the very liberal Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Earl Warren.  Are you surprised?  Yet, today that is supposedly an offense …

• in spite of the fact that John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the first Supreme Court of the United States, said, “This is a Christian nation,”;

• in spite of the fact that President Harry Truman said, “This is a Christian nation”;

• in spite of the fact that the entire Supreme Court, made the Trinity decision of 1892 and after examining all the various documentary evidence involved in the founding of this country, unanimously declared, “We find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth … this is a Christian nation.”

 

You wouldn’t know that from what is being taught in our public schools.  Almost all reference to the religious founding of this country has been censored from our textbooks.  There is virtually no mention of anything concerning the Christian involvement in the founding of America.  Therefore, we have tens of millions of people in this country who haven’t the foggiest idea where this country came from or who started it. 

 

Let me inform those who have sat in a public school over the past 50-years:  All of the Pilgrims were Christians.  That is why they came to these shores … for religious liberty.  Even 150 years later, in 1776, 98% of the American people professed to be Protestant Christians; 1.8% professed to be Roman Catholic Christians; .2% professed to be Jewish.  That means, 99.8% of the people in America in 1776 professed themselves to be Christians.  I know of no other nation in the world that was founded by a group of people who so uniformly professed a single religion.  For 300-years, this nation has been a Christian nation (since the Pilgrims landed here), until the past 50-years … when it has endured an increasing assault by atheists, agnostics, secularists, humanists and communists of every stripe imaginable.  There has been this unceasing barrage of attacks against the Christian institutions of this country and they have been enormously successful in taking over the entire public education system and most of the media.

 

Again, my point is this – the time has come for Christians to reclaim America, and defend the spiritual liberty and values that made this nation great.

 

If we continue the way we are going, and if Christians do not begin to do something to change it, we are going to see both peace and prosperity utterly demolished in this nation.  The time has come and is long overdue when we need to reclaim America for Jesus Christ.  I say this without shame and without apology — Christ is the only person in this world, and His cause is the only cause in this world, for which we should have no embarrassment and no shame, and we should say, “Yes, we want to reclaim America for Christ.”

 

And we can do it – “For we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” (Philippians 4:13)  We can do it by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, by the power of His Gospel, by Christian men and women being committed to share the power of that Gospel … which is the only power that can transform lives.