To Declare, or Not to Declare … ‘IS’ the Question

The militant group ‘Islamic State’ in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has already seized large parts of Iraq and has a message to America – “We will drown all of you in blood.”  Unlike al-Qaeda, ISIS has focused on seizing land in Iraq and Syria for its self-proclaimed caliphate.

 

The Obama Administration has responded with the first American air strikes since the end of the occupation in 2011.  In response, ISIS has warned the U.S. it will attack Americans “in any place” if the raids hit its militants.  While U.S. airstrikes in northern Iraq have helped Kurdish fighters take back some territory captured by Islamic State militants, ISIS continues to march toward Baghdad.  The latest advance by the Islamic State has sent tens-of-thousands of members of the Yazidi ethnic minority and Christians fleeing for their lives.

 

The horrible barbarism of ISIS is impacting and affecting Americans directly.  We’ve seen or heard of the gruesome video of 40-year-old American journalist, James Wright Foley, beheaded by the terrorist group.  ISIS has another American in captivity, and are threatening to kill him too if the U.S. doesn’t stop their airstrike campaign.

 

In response, former CIA Director Mike Morell argues “we cannot let something like this [beheading] stop us” from taking the fight to the enemy.  “In fact, we should pick up the pace here.  The definition of terrorism is political violence … so we should mark this date down because this is ISIS’ first terrorist attack against the United States.”

 

Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) condemned ISIS in clear and unequivocal terms.  Here is what he said:

 

“The brutal execution of American journalist James Foley by ISIS is the latest example of the evil and barbarism of these terrorists. My thoughts and prayers are with the Foley family and with other Western hostages who at this hour are still being held.  Just as al-Qaeda’s initial killings of Americans abroad foretold the carnage they would unleash with-in our borders, this barbaric beheading of a defense-less hostage is the clearest indication to date that ISIS has declared war on the United States, on the American people, and on freedom loving people everywhere.  For more than a year, ISIS has been murdering civilians, raping women and young girls and enslaving them, and carrying out a systematic genocide of anyone who does not share their warped and extremist Islamist views.  ISIS cannot be reasoned with, they can’t be negotiated with, and their view of the world is irreconcilable with civilized society.”

 

Despite the preponderance of evidence that proves ISIS is a fundamentally evil and dangerous terrorist threat to the U.S., President Obama continues to appear unwilling to do what is necessary to confront ISIS and communicate clearly to the American people about the threat ISIS poses to our country and to our way of life.  Stay tuned.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

To Arms! To Arms! Who Will Heed the Call?

In the United States and Europe, we have seen the demonstrations and heard the distain over the tragic deaths of Palestinians who have been used as human shields by Hamas.  The United Nations has held inquiries and focuses its anger on Israel for defending itself against this terrorist organization that controls Gaza.  But the barbarous slaughter of thousands upon thousands of Christians in the Middle East and central Africa is met with relative silence or indifference.

 

The Middle East and parts of central Africa are losing entire Christian communities that have lived in peace for centuries.  The terrorist group Boko Haram has kidnapped and killed hundreds of Christians this year — ravaging the predominantly Christian town of Gwoza, in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, a few weeks ago.  Half a million Christian Arabs have been driven out of Syria during the three-plus years of civil war there.  Christians have been persecuted and killed in countries from Lebanon to Sudan.  Where is the reported outrage?  Why is mass-media so silent about these atrocities?  Very few reporters have traveled to Iraq to bear witness to the Nazi-like wave of terror that is rolling across that country.  Our Hollywood, music and athletic celebrities have taken up numerous causes this summer … but not the brutality against Christians in the Middle East and central Africa.  Have we lost our ethical bearing?  It appears that our moral compass is either malfunctioning or has been misplaced.

 

Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, wrote in the New York Times:

 

“The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is not a loose coalition of jihadist groups, but a real military force that has managed to take over much of Iraq with a successful business model that rivals its cold-blooded spearhead of death.  It uses money from banks and gold shops it has captured, along with control of oil resources and old-fashioned extortion, to finance its killing machine, making it perhaps the wealthiest Islamist terrorist group in the world.  But where it truly excels is in its carnage, rivaling the death orgies of the Middle Ages.  It has ruthlessly targeted Shiites, Kurds and Christians.”

 

A Chaldean-American businessman named Mark Arabo told CNN, describing a scene in a Mosul park: “They actually beheaded children and put their heads on a stick … children are getting beheaded, mothers are getting raped and killed, and fathers are being hung.”

 

The general indifference to ISIS, with its mass executions of Christians and its deadly preoccupation with Israel is diametrically opposed to civilized people.  Where do you stand on this growing threat of anti-Semitism and Christian suffering?

 

The bond between Jews and Christians is understandable.  We share much more than most religions: We read the same sacred text, and share a moral and ethical core.  Now, sadly, we share a kind of suffering … while the world is indifferent to their suffering.  (The Jewish people understand all too well what can happen when the world is silent.)

 

Back in the 1700s, the statesman Edmund Burke said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

 

Good people must join together and stop this revolting wave of violence … this campaign of death.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

One State’s Same-Sex Marriage ≠ Another State’s Granting of a Divorce

In a decision that has broken a chain of judicial losses for those who support marriage between one man and one woman, a judge has ruled that Tennessee’s amendment banning legal recognition of same-sex marriage is constitutional.  The ruling is the first that has found the U.S. Constitution does not protect same-sex marriage … since the U.S. Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) decision overturning the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in June 2013.

 

The Christian Post reported that Roane County Circuit Court Judge Russell E. Simmons, Jr. ruled last week in Borman v. Pyles-Borman against the claim that the state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage violates the ‘Equal Protection Clause’ of the U.S. Constitution.

 

The case actually involves two gay men who were legally married in IA in 2010 (but live in TN) and now wish to be divorced.  IA, however, requires that to be granted a divorce, the plaintiff must establish residency in the state for a minimum period of time.

 

Citing the 1972 decision by the MN Supreme Court in the case Baker v. Nelson that the U.S. Constitution does not protect “a fundamental right” for same-sex couples to get married, Judge Simmons wrote, “Baker holds that a state’s law on same-sex marriage does not violate the equal protection or substantive due process rights under the U.S. Constitution.”  “Although SCOTUS has had opportunities to overrule the Baker decision, it has refused to take that position even in the decision on which the plaintiff relies, which is United States v. Windsor,” Simmons continued.

 

Though Simmons’ decision did not comment on the constitutionality of state-level same-sex marriage bans, a string of judges across the country have decided that some state bans violate the U.S. Constitution.

 

In 2006, the citizens of TN, as well as those of other states, voted to approve a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.  The ballot initiative, known as ‘Amendment 1,’ passed with an overwhelming majority of 81% of voters.  (VA, WI, SD, SC, ID and CO also passed similar bans against same-sex marriages.)

 

Judge Simmons continued in his Memorandum Opinion:

 

“In the Windsor case the Supreme Court opines that if a state finds same-sex marriage to be valid, the Federal Government cannot trump that State’s law.  The Supreme Court does not go the final step and find that a State that defines marriages as a union of one (1) man and one (1) woman is unconstitutional. Further, the Supreme Court does not find that one state’s refusal to accept as valid another States [sic] valid same-sex marriage to be in violation of the U.S. Constitution.  The State also takes the position that the laws and Constitution of Tennessee do not deny equal protection, because they do not burden a fundamental right, target a suspect class, or intentionally treat one differently than others similarly situated without any rational basis …  The Court finds that marriage is a fundamental right, however, neither the Tennessee Supreme Court nor the United States Supreme Court has ever decided that this fundamental right under a state’s laws extends beyond the traditional definition of marriage as a union between one (1) man and one (1) woman.”

 

Despite the fervor with which gay activists have seized upon the narrative that to refuse same-sex marriage is discriminatory, and the insistence of the Obama Administration to push the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender (LGBT) community into the spotlight at every opportunity, last month The Washington Post reported that the National Health Interview Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 1.6% of respondents self-identified as gay or lesbian; even fewer, 0.7%, self-identified as bisexual.  The outcome of this study suggests that the gay population in the U.S. is far less than perceived.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

SPECIAL POSTING re: ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

If you’ve been on any form of social media over the past few weeks, you’ve most likely seen videos of people being doused by large buckets of ice water, often with the assistance of their all-too-willing family members and friends.  The videos are both hilarious and inspiring.  Celebrities, politicians, sports figures, policemen, firefighters, pastors, priests, and thousands of other people are engaging in what is becoming one of the most successful non-profit, viral fundraising campaigns in modern history — the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

 

ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, but it’s more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.  It is a fatal condition and impacts some 30,000 Americans at any given time.

 

The success of the Ice Bucket Challenge has been amazing.  The ALS Association reports it has raised over $15.6 million dollars in donations as of August 18th, compared to $1.8 million during that same time period last year.  This social media campaign continues to pick up steam, so the ALS Association could reap unprecedented dollars and new donors in the coming weeks and months.  America continues to show that it is the most compassionate, most generous population on the planet.

 

Like those who have participated, I desperately want a cure for ALS to be found.  From what I understand, the suffering, pain, and degenerative nature of the disease are horrible.  It wreaks havoc on its victims and their families across the country.

 

What most people don’t realize, however, is that the ALS Association supports and is currently engaged in embryonic stem cell research.  In other words, they support the practice of killing unborn embryos for medical research.

 

The ALS Association website states, “Adult stem cell research is important and should be done alongside embryonic stem cell research as both will provide valuable insights. Only through exploration of all types of stem cell research will scientists find the most efficient and effective ways to treat diseases.”

 

The American Life League contacted the ALS Association to inquire if they are currently engaged in embryonic stem cell research.  They replied:

 

“The ALS Association primarily funds ‘adult’ stem cell research.  Currently, the Association is funding one study using embryonic stem cells (ESC), and the stem cell line was established many years ago under ethical guidelines set by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS); this research is funded by one specific donor who is committed to this area of research.  In fact, donors may stipulate that their funds not be invested in this study or any stem cell project.  Under very strict guidelines, the Association may fund embryonic stem cell research in the future.”

 

Make no mistake; embryonic stem cell research is simply abortion by another name.  In the process of extracting cells from an embryo’s body for medical research purposes, the embryo is killed.  That means our increasingly utilitarian society allows the killing of helpless, voiceless members of the human race in order to perform medical research that will supposedly cure its more developed members.

 

Those of us who recognize that all life is sacred — regardless of size, location, level of development, or degree of dependency — must vehemently object to killing human embryos for any reason … including medical research.  No significant progress or cure has been found by using embryonic stem cells, whereas substantial progress has been made with adult stem cells (which involve no killing of human beings).

 

Before you douse yourself in cold water, consider contacting the ALS Association urging them to discontinue their embryonic stem cell research program and their support of the practice in general.  As an organization committed to improving the quality of life of those victims suffering from ALS, they should also be committed to protecting every other member of the human race … including the unborn.

 

As for me, don’t challenge me nor expect me to donate in lieu of being doused by a bucket of ice water.  I already make my donations to pro-life organizations that respect the unborn.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Dead-end After the Fork in the Road

“Anti-LGBT attitudes are terrible for people in all sorts of communities. They linger and oppress, and we need to stamp them out, ruthlessly,” tweeted Josh Barro, a writer for the New York Times.  In subsequent tweets he made clear that those who believe in traditional marriage are not worthy of respect or civility and, most alarmingly, that the government has the power to redefine words such as marriage.

 

In Houston, TX, ironies-upon-ironies abound in an anonymous group publishing the names and addresses of citizens opposed to a gay rights measure.  You may recall, this also happened during the ‘Proposition 8’ campaign in CA.  People who gave money to support traditional marriage had their employers and addresses exposed, and then became subject to harassment.

 

In NJ, a church had its tax-exempt status revoked on property on which it refused to allow a gay marriage.  In CO, NM and OR the nation has seen photographers, florists and bakers compelled (against their will) to provide goods and services to gay marriages.  [I’ve written past blogs addressing these various examples.]  The gay couples could have gone elsewhere, but instead decided to target these small businesses for ruin … because of their religious beliefs.

 

President Obama and many Democrats no longer talk about “freedom of religion.”  Instead, they talk about “freedom of worship.”  One is no longer allowed to live and practice one’s religion in the public square.  They are only permitted to worship in their places of worship.

 

At the liberal web publication Slate, a writer whose job is to advocate for LGBT (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender) issues treated with seriousness a study that purports to show religious children are more likely to believe in fantasies than secular children … because they might believe crazy things such as a story about a crucified man who rose again from the dead.  Interestingly, every example given was a story from the Bible, not the Koran or books of other religions.  This is not happening to orthodox Jews or Muslims, but to Christians.  Enormous energy is being expended by the ‘left’ in America to make Christianity and Christians unacceptable.

 

It raises a serious question Americans must confront – Are gay rights and Christianity compatible?  The answer appears to be ‘No.’  As gay rights activists use the tactics of pushing for what they declare civil rights, they are targeting churches, religiously affiliated groups and Christian businesses for harassment and lawsuits.

 

In Macon, GA, a gay teacher at a Catholic private school decided to marry his partner.  Catholics do not believe being gay, in-and-of-itself, is a sin.  But they do treat marriage as a sacrament and maintain it must be between one man and one woman.  Once the teacher decided to marry his partner, the school dismissed him for corrupting the Catholic Church’s sacrament.  The church also takes a hard stance on divorce.  But now the teacher has filed a discrimination complaint against the school.  He does not claim he was discriminated against because he was gay. Instead, he claims gender discrimination because he is a man who does not act like other men (i.e., he likes other men instead of women.)

 

Across the country, the ‘left’ has decided our sexual preference is something we are born with; but our gender is something we get to decide.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is threatened and harassed. Several thousand-year-old pillars of society are being shoved aside in the name of ‘tolerance.’  Those who speak up for sanity, tradition and faith are treated scornfully.

 

This will not end well for any of us.  Despite surveys designed to show the contrary, children tend to do best with mothers and fathers.  A society that willfully undermines perpetuating itself is a society bent on suicide. One thing is for sure – a faith that survived its followers being used as torches to light the streets of Rome will survive a modern age hell bent on ruthlessly stamping it out.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

America’s Complacency May Well Bring Caliphate

The self-declared ‘Islamic State’ is a direct threat to America— and a greater threat than many Americans realize.  Some in the U.S., including some of our policymakers, maintain that the Islamic State is simply a warring faction in an internal, sectarian conflict exclusive to Iraq.  They are sadly mistaken.

 

The Islamic State is now known to be operating in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon; and there are credible reports that it is also at work in Libya. Even Abu Sayyaf, the Filipino jihadist terrorist organization, with its base of operations some 5,000 miles away from Mosul, Iraq, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.  Moreover, the Islamic State reportedly has recruits from the U.S., Great Britain, Western Europe and just about every Islamic nation around the globe … some 20,000 fighters by some estimates.  There have been public demonstrations in support of the Islamic State in the Netherlands, Austria and Indonesia.  But, most ominously, the Islamic State’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has promised to “see us in New York.”

 

America must not ignore this grave threat or allow it to metastasize overseas, because there can be no doubt that a jihadist organization like the Islamic State that is already committing genocide and other atrocities, will follow through on its threats.

 

It may seem ridiculous when the Islamic State claims to be bent on raising “the flag of Allah in the White House,” but, rest assured, they are dead serious about trying, and as they have said: “We are here America near our target sooooon.  We are everywhere.”

 

A complacent America ignored the warning signs leading up to 9/11 — the threats from Osama bin Laden and his allies, the terrorist attacks on American targets overseas — and the result was September 11th.  We must never be complacent again.  We must be forever vigilant.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Real Front Lines of the ‘War on Women’

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is determined to reestablish an Islamic Caliphate (a state ruled by Shariah law, led by a supreme religious and political leader known as a caliph – i.e., “successor” to Muhammad) across the Middle East.  And what’s more, in pursuit of their agenda, the terrorist organization has adopted “convert or die” as its mantra.  

 

In particular, the Yazidis (of Kurdish culture), have been specifically and ruthlessly targeted by ISIS for extermination.  Current figures estimate that some 500 Yazidi refugees have been slaughtered since the crisis first began.

 

But the terrorist group’s propensity for barbarism is not merely exposed by their bloodthirstiness and ideology.  There have also been reports that many of these jihadists are kidnapping young girls and keeping them as sex slaves for themselves, or profiting off their innocence.  Of course, many of these reports are difficult to substantiate; but the anguish of one father who recently learned that his daughter will soon be sold into slavery underscores the depravity of ISIS and its evil tactics via The Guardian:

 

For the past week, Khandhar Kaliph’s hands have trembled whenever his phone has rung.  He nervously greeted his daughter, who had been kidnapped when the ISIS overran the Yazidi city of Sinjar.  There was a minute of silence, before he broke down sobbing.  “She said she is going to be sold as a slave this afternoon, for $10,” Kaliph said.  “What can a father say to that?  How can I help?  We all feel so useless.”

 

Kaliph’s daughter, who he did not want to name, had access to a group phone passed around between other girls imprisoned by the ISIS in Bardoush prison in central Mosul.  All face the imminent prospect of being married off; or worse, being used by the jihadis as a sex slave.

 

Those of us in the Western world can only read these reports with horror and revulsion.  This is evil personified.  And yet the Obama Administration maintains that the U.S. is not in an open state of war with these extremists.  That might be true; but can there be any doubt that ISIS is at war with us … and with all humanity?

 

This is the real “war on women” … as opposed to the politicized and polarizing cliché so often used in American party politics.  

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Record Numbers Are Crossing/Caught at the Border from Terrorist Countries

The illegal immigration crisis at the Southwest border is not just related to Central Americans crossing the border in droves, there’s also a record-high number of individuals coming from countries with “substantial terrorist ties,” says Texas Gov. Rick Perry.  “And when you think about the idea that some of them are from countries that have substantial terrorist ties – whether it’s Pakistan or Afghanistan or Syria – we are at historic record highs with individuals being apprehended from those countries.”

 

That assessment was supported by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, who appeared last Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” and recalled the foiled Iranian plot in 2011 to carry out terrorist attacks in the United States.  “We noticed the very dangerous trend a few years ago,” Rogers said, “when the Iranian Qods force – their external terrorist group, if you will, supported by the country of Iran – was planning an operation to use the southern border to infiltrate people into the United States to kill the Saudi ambassador.”  “So, clearly our enemies and our adversaries under-stand that it is a weakness,” he continued.  “We have seen a trend of countries that we are very concerned about, a rise in individuals being apprehended at the border.  The scary part about that is those are just the ones that get apprehended.”

 

An intelligence report from the Customs and Border Protection breaks down some of those numbers: 22-individuals from Pakistan were caught attempting to sneak into the U.S. this year alone, with another 211-individuals either turning themselves in or being caught at official ports of entry; 13-Egyptians were caught trying to sneak into the U.S. this year alone, with another 168 either turning themselves in or being caught at official ports of entry; 4-individuals from Yemen were caught attempting to sneak into the U.S. by Border Patrol agents in 2014 alone, with another 34-individuals either turning themselves in or being caught attempting to sneak through official ports of entry.  Yemen is not the only nation with individuals who pose terror risks to the U.S. that the report indicates travel from.  The failed nation of Somalia, known as a hotbed of Islamic terror activity, was also referenced in the report.  Four individuals from Somalia were caught trying to sneak into the U.S. by Border Patrol agents in 2014, with another 290 either turned themselves in or were caught attempting to sneak in at official ports of entry.  This reporter previously covered the issue of illegal immigration into the U.S. from Somalia and other nations in the Horn of Africa.

 

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that they figured out [the border] is a weakness in our national security,” Rogers said.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

U.S. Silence in the Worldwide Persecution of Christians is Deafening

Continuing with the evident persecution of Christians (worldwide), are you aware of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)?  This Christian organization works for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.

 

Specifically in China, CSW is concerned about the ongoing church demolitions and the removals of religious symbols in Zhejiang Province … amid growing reports of the use of extra-judicial measures and violent tactics by the authorities.  The spate began in early 2014.  The estimates for the number of churches wholly or partly demolished so far range from 130 to over 200.  In June, China Aid reported that some sources claimed 360 Christian organizations had had their buildings demolished, crosses removed or received demolition notices.

 

Crucially, the churches affected include both Protestant and Catholic, registered and unregistered.  They vary in size and in age.  Some have had their sign removed, while others have been completely demolished. However, almost all have been ordered to remove religious symbols … most often the cross (but also sacred statues and signs.)  CSW says that some churches are reporting the use of extra-judicial measures and violence by the authorities.  Dozens were injured on July 21st when several hundred armed men attacked members of Salvation Church as they tried to prevent police removing the church’s cross.  According to reports, the incident occurred at 3a.m. when the uniformed men lined up near the church.  Church members reported that the men suddenly charged without warning after the members prevented them from entering the church.  Some claim the police present did not have the correct paperwork to remove the cross.  Days earlier, on July 17th, the church’s pastor Zhan Yingsheng resigned from the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement and began a hunger strike in protest against the authorities’ attempts to remove the church’s cross.

 

Some Zhejiang Christians claim that the removal of crosses and the demolition of some churches are the result of a visiting provincial secretary’s complaint about the number of Christian crosses in the province, and believe that the ‘Three Rectifications and One Demolition’ campaign associated with the demolitions is being used to target churches.  However, the authorities maintain that the campaign is not targeting Christianity.

 

The CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said, “We are deeply concerned at the use of violence against the members of Salvation Church, who were attempting to peacefully protect their church’s cross from being removed.  This spate of demotions and the removal of Christian symbols have left Christians across the province feeling humiliated and victimized.  In cases where churches and other buildings are found to be in violation of regulations, we urge the provincial authorities to conduct proper investigations in accordance with the law, without the use of violence and intimidation tactics.  We further call on the Chinese authorities to provide compensation to those injured on July 21st, and to hold to account those responsible for the incident.”

 

Christians (worldwide) need to wake up to the persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Hear the warning of Martin Niemoller … a German pastor during the WW2 … who failed to cry out against the atrocities of Adolf Hitler.  He later became a victim of a Nazi concentration camp.  He issued a warning that we must heed today about Christian responsibility in the face of an ungodly government.  He stated: “[In Germany] First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out … because I was not a Socialist.  Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out … because I was not a Trade Unionist.  Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out … because I was not a Jew.  Then they came for me … and there was no one left to speak for me.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Rise Up, O Men of God, the Atheists Sound Retreat

Last week, a federal judge in Wisconsin dismissed the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s (FFRF) attempt to use the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a weapon to censor houses of worship who preach on moral issues that have political implications.

 

After almost 2-years of litigation, FFRF asked the Court to dismiss its own lawsuit once the Becket Fund stepped in to defend the rights of a small Wisconsin church and its pastor.  FFRF had relied on the so-called Johnson Amendment, a law that politicians use to restrict what some private groups can say about them, and which … by an accident of history … caught houses of worship in its web when it was passed 60-years ago.

 

“This lawsuit was a bad idea from the beginning who thinks the IRS should be deciding what a preacher says in a sermon?” said Daniel Blomberg, Legal Counsel for the Becket Fund.  “Fortunately for the 1st Amendment, once FFRF encountered an actual opponent they as Monty Python might say gallantly chickened out.  Today’s win shuts down FFRF’s first-of-its-kind attempt to make the tax man into a sermon-censorship board.  Whatever people think about religion or politics, we all can agree that deciding what clergy say to their congregations should be a private religious decision, not one for bureaucrats or militant atheists.”

 

FFRF filed the lawsuit in an attempt to force the IRS to enforce the ban … something the IRS has for decades been reluctant to do.  The Becket Fund successfully intervened in the suit on behalf of Milwaukee-based Holy Cross Anglican Church and its vicar, Father Patrick Malone, a Benedictine abbot.  The Church argued that FFRF’s suit must fail because enforcing the Johnson Amendment against its internal religious speech would violate federal constitutional and statutory law.

 

“The IRS has long threatened churches with speech restrictions, but hasn’t been willing to do much more for fear of losing in court.  But FFRF’s suit, which tried to force the IRS to make good on its threats, gave houses of worship a chance to fight back.  Once FFRF realized its error, it packed up shop quickly,” Blomberg said.  “It’s remarkable to see the collusive way that FFRF and the IRS orchestrated getting out of this suit as fast as they could.  From hiding documents to falsely promising to provide information, they did whatever they could to run away quickly.”

 

Father Malone is one of thousands of religious leaders across the country that could face severe penalties for faithfully preaching their moral convictions to their congregations.  The IRS’ rules reserve the power to revoke a house of worship’s tax-exempt status, and levy fines against churches and individual leaders, when religious leaders are deemed to say things that the IRS does not allow.

 

I consider myself among those clergy who boldly speak to the moral issues of our society and world … providing a Biblical worldview to any-and-all who seeks to know what the Bible says about various social concerns the politicians so often engage in debate and policy. 

 

In the words of the rallying hymn: “Rise up, O men of God.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Perpetual Price of Liberty

Today, I find myself concluding a week of vacation in colonial Williamsburg, VA.  I want to share this local piece of American history.

 

To avoid interference from Lieutenant-Governor Dunmore and his Royal Marines, the Second Virginia Convention met March 20, 1775 inland at Richmond (in what is now called St. John’s Church) instead of the Capitol in Williamsburg.  Delegate Patrick Henry presented resolutions to raise a militia, and to put Virginia in a posture of defense.  Henry’s opponents urged caution and patience until the crown replied to Congress’ latest petition for reconciliation.

 

On the 23rd, Henry presented a proposal to organize a volunteer company of cavalry or infantry in every Virginia county.  By custom, Henry addressed himself to the Convention’s president, Peyton Randolph of Williamsburg.  Henry's words were not transcribed, but no one who heard them forgot their eloquence, or Henry's closing words.

 

“MR. PRESIDENT: No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House.  But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do, opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely, and without reserve.  This is no time for ceremony.  The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate.  It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfil the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country.  Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offence, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

 

Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope.  We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts.  Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.

 

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience.  I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years, to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves, and the House?  Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received?  Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet.  Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss.  Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with these war-like preparations which cover our waters and darken our land.  Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation?  Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled, that force must be called in to win back our love?  Let us not deceive ourselves, sir.  These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort.  I ask, gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission?  Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it?  Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies?  No, sir, she has none.  They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other.  They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging.  And what have we to oppose to them?  Shall we try argument?  Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years.  Have we anything new to offer upon the subject?  Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain.  Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication?  What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted?  Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves.  Sir, we have done everything that could be done, to avert the storm which is now coming on.  We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament.  Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne.  In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation.  There is no longer any room for hope.  If we wish to be free if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight!  I repeat it, sir, we must fight!  An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!

 

They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary.  But when shall we be stronger?  Will it be the next week, or the next year?  Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house?  Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction?  Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.  Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us.  Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone.  There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.  The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.  Besides, sir, we have no election.  If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest.  There is no retreat but in submission and slavery!  Our chains are forged!  Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston!  The war is inevitable and let it come!  I repeat it, sir, let it come.

 

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter.  Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace.  The war is actually begun!  The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms!  Our brethren are already in the field!  Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish?  What would they have?  Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?  Forbid it, Almighty God!  I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

 

May the God of our Founding Fathers bless us, once again, with god-fearing statesmen!

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel