Obama Says States Shouldn’t Define Marriage – That Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Should be a Nationwide Constitutional Right

Although President Barack Obama previously said the definition of marriage should be decided locally, he now believes the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to same same-sex marriage in all states.  He also suggested that the U.S. Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) decision earlier this month to not rule on same-sex marriage is the hallmark of his tenure in an interview recently published in the October 27, 2014 issue of The New Yorker.

 

In the interview, President Obama picked the silence of the SCOTUS on same-sex marriage when writer Jeffrey Toobin asked him to name the best High Court decision of his career.  “In some ways, the decision that was just handed down to not do anything about what states are doing on same-sex marriage may end up being as consequential — from my perspective, a positive sense — as anything that’s been done,” said Obama.  “Because I think it really signals that although the Court was not quite ready — it didn’t have sufficient votes to follow Loving v. Virginia (1967 decision ruling that states could no longer ban racial intermarriage) and go ahead and indicate an equal-protection right across the board — it was a consequential and powerful signal of the changes that have taken place in society and that the law is having to catch up,” he said.  Although his administration hasn’t yet made the argument before the SCOTUS, Obama told Toobin that he now believes the Constitution requires that all states allow same-sex marriage.

 

Many conservatives decried the Court’s decision to remain silent on the issue this month.  “Unfortunately, by failing to take up these marriage cases, the High Court will allow rogue lower court judges who have ignored history and true legal precedent to silence the elected representatives of the people and the voice of the people themselves by over-turning state provisions on marriage,” explained Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council.  “Even more alarming, lower court judges are undermining our form of government and the rights and freedoms of citizens to govern themselves.  This judicially led effort to force same-sex ‘marriage’ on people will have negative consequences for our Republic; not only as it relates to natural marriage, but also undermining the rule of and respect for law,” he said.

 

As one called of God to the ordained ministry of the church; and more importantly, one governed by the absolute truth of God’s Word, let me be clear – America cannot expect the continued blessings and protection of Almighty God over these United States.  We have repeatedly rebelled against His Word with demonstrated distain for the Creator’s mandates.  The only remaining hope for this nation (no longer under God nor indivisible) is if God’s people will repent of their sins and earnest prayer for a spiritual revival lead by God’s Spirit.  It is the ONLY hope for America!    

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

NC Magistrates Must Officiate Over Same-Sex Marriages or Resign

When a federal judge cleared the legal path for same-sex marriage in North Carolina earlier this month, it set off a flurry of weddings and celebrations … mostly in urban areas of the state.  But the joy was hardly unanimous … particularly among some public officials whose jobs include performing marriages.  At least 6-magistrates have quit or announced their resignations since same-sex marriages became legal October 10.  Some left 20-year jobs that paid more than $50,000.  Their decisions, they said, were based on religious convictions.

 

Rockingham County Magistrate John Kallam, Jr. said carrying out gay marriages would violate his religious beliefs and “would desecrate a holy institution established by God Himself.”  [Kallam’s last day will be October 31.]

 

Swain County Magistrate Gilbert Breedlove expressed the same sentiments, telling WTVD that marrying gay and lesbian couples violates his religious beliefs.  [Breedlove’s last day was October 20.]

 

The resignations began 1-day after North Carolina magistrates were ordered to perform civil marriages for same-sex couples or face suspension or dismissal.  The directive came after Elizabeth City Magistrate Gary Littleton refused to conduct gay marriages.

 

Chief District Court Judge Christopher Bean said that if Littleton keeps refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, he must resign or face removal.

 

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said there were no more legal options left and Gov. Pat McCrory said all state agencies would comply with the federal decision.

 

Apparently, the North Carolina Governor and Attorney General having read the U.S. Constitution!

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Do Gay Rights Trump Clergy Rights?

Their belief in the Biblical definition of marriage puts one Idaho couple center stage in America’s culture war over same-sex marriage.  Donald and Evelyn Knapp own the Hitching Post Wedding Chapel.  They are ordained Christian ministers and have been marrying couples since 1989 in traditional marriage services without conflict … until now.

 

The city of Coeur d’Alene, ID has a non-discrimination statute that includes sexual orientation and gender identity.  Since the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Idaho’s constitutional marriage amendment … defining marriage as a union of a man and woman … the statute is being enforced.  The Knapps were told by city officials if they didn’t perform same-sex weddings they would face fines and even jail time.  The city told the couple that the statute includes “public accommodations” and consider their business as one.

 

Last week, a same-sex couple asked to be married at the wedding chapel.  When the Knapps, who themselves have been married 47-years, declined based on their religious belief — they immediately faced the fines and possibility of jail time.  Attorneys representing them say this is government coercion.  They say just because the government recognizes same-sex marriages doesn’t mean citizens, even business owners, should be forced to do so.

 

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative public policy education and information group, wrote about the case on its Daily Signal website.  “The Knapps have been celebrating weddings in their chapel since 1989. Government should not now force them to shut down or violate their beliefs.  After all, protecting religious liberty and the rights of conscience does not infringe on anyone’s sexual freedoms.  No one has a right to have the government force a particular minister to marry them.” wrote Ryan Anderson with the Daily Signal.  “Some citizens may conclude that they cannot in good conscience participate in same-sex ceremonies, from priests and pastors to bakers and florists.  They should not be forced to choose between strongly held religious beliefs and their livelihood,” he also said.

 

Anderson stated in his article that Congress “has an opportunity to protect religious liberty and the rights of conscience.”  He reported that there are bills in Congress that would protect these rights and states need them as well.  He states in his article that Idaho has one.  It is the Free Exercise of Religion Protected Act.  “It is unclear how the city could claim that forcing the Knapps to perform a same-sex wedding is a compelling government interest being pursued in the least restrictive way.  There are numerous other venues where a same-sex couple could get married.  Indeed, there is a county clerk’s office directly across the street from the chapel,” Anderson said.  Anderson also wrote states must protect these rights so people aren’t coerced to act against their beliefs.

 

The Alliance Defending Freedom filed a motion on behalf of the Knapps arguing their 1st and 14th Amendment rights are being violated — pointing out that not only were the Knapps freedom of religion and free speech rights violated, but also the right to due process and equal protection.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Syrian Refugees Are Increasingly Receptive to Hearing of Jesus

A team of Israeli Messianic Jews and Arab Christians have been assisting Syrian war refugees.  The group recently visited a church where 219-refugees’ families (over 700-people) were taking shelter after fleeing from Islamic State (ISIS) and other Islamist groups.  “These people lost everything,” says one member of the Israeli group, whose names need to be protected.  “They even saw family members murdered or kidnapped.”

 

The Arab and Jewish team are working together with local Christians who are doing what they can to care for the needs of the multitudes of children who have been devastated by the war.  The team brought a large financial gift from the Body of Christ in Israel, Jews, and Arabs who wanted to reach out to the Syrians in a practical way.  “We brought milk for children, diapers, jackets, warm clothes, toys and candy; we purchased heaters and blankets, small cooking stoves and cooking pans. What a joy to see the faces of the young ones that walked around barefoot, having lost everything, receiving new sandals,” the team member recalls.

 

In addition to the practical humanitarian needs, they are also supporting educational opportunities for the multitudes of displaced children, including Bible teachings.  “We do not want to pass the pain to our children,” said a local Arab Christian working with the refugees.

 

Many of the refugees the team has helped are educated people with good professions who lost everything.  They told us about Mohammed (not his real name), a successful businessman originally from the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.  The Israeli team recounted Mohammed’s own story, which is representative of thousands of Syrian refugees, thus:

 

“Due to the war, he had to relocate several times during the past 3-years, but eventually had to run for his life with his family to Jordan.  While attending a funeral of one of the young men from his village with 3,000-people, a missile hit the crowd and Mohammed found himself lying over the dead bodies of 403-people – 15 of them members of his extended family.

 

Mohammed, his 4-daughters and 3-sons, a daughter-in-law and several grandsons then walked the cold desert to cross into Jordan … all while facing death threats.  [During the journey], some of their number were killed by wild animals.  A pregnant woman had to deliver her baby in the freezing cold desert.  They burned their jackets to make a fire to keep the new born baby warm.  Hope was waning.

 

Desperately, Mohammed left his family alone in the dark, cold desert and walked for 5-hours until he reached a Jordanian army border post, which provided assistance bringing his family into the country.”  

 

A month later, the team visited the family and brought them jackets to replace those they had burned.  They shared the Gospel with them and prayed for the family.

 

The team also visited a church that was filled with refugees, reporting:

 

“They slept in the pews, offices and every available place.  The church has rented a wedding hall for the people to live in.  What dedicated people that understand what is happening is an opportunity rather than a curse!  We were able to help with medications for a medical team that travels and takes care of refugees in different places.”

 

At one point, several refugees became angry when a team member identified as a Messianic Jew began to speak to them.  “But then I saw many people getting touched and crying,” said the Messianic believer. “Many of the people came and said, ‘When you first started to share, we wanted to kill you, but now we know that Jesus is real and want to accept Him has our Lord.’”

 

“I've never seen a church full of Muslim women wearing the hijab,” said the Israeli team leader.  “We could see the joy in the eyes of frightened children as we ministered to them.  We saw hunger for the truth as people started to question Islam.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

When the Enemy’s Evil Causes Conversions to Christ

Working in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region to help meet the needs of people displaced by the threats and violence of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Mosul and other areas, members of an Iraqi ministry team recently came into contact with a colonel from the Kurdish forces battling ISIS.  The colonel was serving as a division commander of the Peshmerga (the Kurdistan Regional Government’s armed forces) which have helped to slow the incursion of ISIS in its brutal push to establish a caliphate imposing a strict version of Sunni Islam. With the aid of U.S. airstrikes, the Peshmerga have also slowly retaken some territory. They are helping to secure the Kurdish capital of Erbil, where the ministry team … assisted by Christian Aid Mission … is supplying displaced people with food, clothing, beds and medicine.

 

The colonel had a few questions for the team members: What was the reason for offering all this aid? What was the motivation, what was the source of it?

 

The team director, informed the officer that all relief items had been donated or purchased locally.  “We spoke with him explicitly, explaining everything to him, saying that Christ taught us to love and express our love to the people in a practical way.”

 

The Peshmerga colonel … whose name is withheld for security reasons … was quick to respond.  “The Arabs around you in the Gulf states, which claim to be religious Muslims, have not sent us anything but terrorists,” he told the ministry team members.  “But you who follow Christ send love and peace and goodness to people every day.”

 

The conversation continued at length, the ministry team director said.  “After we had a long talk with him about Christ, he bowed and prayed, asking Christ into his life,” the director said.  “And he said, ‘Today I am the happiest person — I’ve had the privilege of making this decision,’ and he received a copy of the Bible.”

 

The colonel’s experience is reportedly just one of many taking place in Iraq.  In cities of refuge like Erbil for people displaced from their homes in other parts of Iraq, people are turning to Christ at a stunning pace.  Tent churches are springing up in the makeshift camps.  Under normal circumstances, mission strategies focus on how to proclaim Christ effectively; but the challenge now is keeping pace with the number who would receive Him, the director said.  “The greatest challenge in the ministry right now is not whether these people will accept Christ or not,” he said.  “In all our travel to deliver the aid and preach God’s Word, we did not find anyone opposed to or rejecting our message.  The challenge is how and when we will reach all those people with the message of salvation in the squares, sidewalks, roads, inside the tents and out, and everywhere.”

 

Christian Aid Mission’s Middle East director said that as a result of this trend, some church leaders and workers for ministry organizations are remaining in Iraq even as the cruel practices of ISIS … beheading Iraqi children who refuse to deny Christ in Qaroqosh and Western journalists elsewhere … gain greater notoriety.  “I think of workers who stayed behind in Mosul and the surrounding areas because there are so many who are receptive to the Gospel,” he said.  “They are willing to risk being in an area under the rule of ISIS for the privilege of more and more fruit for Christ.”  Forced to trust God more than they ever have before, these Christians are growing in their relationship with God in ways they had never imagined, he said.  “I respected them before the Arab Spring because they were serving in Islamic areas; but now they are serving more and maturing even more,” he said.  “We need to intercede for these workers.  They are all always in danger.  They need God’s power to show His love to the thousands of helpless people.”

 

When Iraqi ministry workers assisted by Christian Aid Mission obtain more funds for food, water, medicine and other supplies, they have the opportunity to demonstrate Christ’s love in a tangible way, he added.  “God has put within the hearts of thousands of Muslims a desire to read His Word,” he said.  “We can be the instruments of providing them with New Testaments and audio Bibles.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

SCOTUS Stays TX Pro-Life Law & WI Voter ID Law

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) granted the request of abortion facility owners to suspend a central provision of a Texas pro-life law until a federal appeals court rules on its constitutionality.  [You can read about this TX law in my March 14, 2014 blog posting.]  That decision could allow as many as a dozen abortion facilities unwilling or unable to meet tighter safety and health requirements to reopen their doors.

 

In a 6-3 decision, the justices stopped the state of TX from requiring abortion facilities to meet the same health and safety standards as other ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs).  The order noted that Justices Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas were the three; which mean that Chief Justice John Roberts voted with the majority.  The document did not elaborate on the justices’ reasons for granting the stay.

 

SCOTUS struck a huge blow to the health and safety of women throughout TX by blocking a federal appeals court ruling that demanded abortionists obtain admitting privileges at hospitals in order for their facilities to remain open, said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America.  In the name of access to abortion instead of the protection of women’s health and safety, the high Court is allowing facilities operating under subpar standards to remain open.

 

In another decision, SCOTUS ruled to block Wisconsin from implementing its new voter identification law on the eve of next month’s elections.  The stay, issued after an appeals court had told Wisconsin a few weeks ago to use the law in an upcoming election, overrules at least temporarily a unanimous decision by the appellate court that had followed the Supreme Court’s ruling for Indiana in its judgment.  SCOTUS’s order reverses a trend established by the justices in two other cases from Ohio and North Carolina, in which they allowed voting restrictions imposed by Republican legislatures to take effect.  The high Court majority’s one-paragraph order gave no reason; but the fact that this year’s election is less than a month away may have been the key factor.  Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas dissented, arguing that SCOTUS cannot block an appeals court ruling unless the lower court “clearly and demonstrably erred in its application of accepted standards.”

 

Lyle Denniston at SCOTUSBlog thinks that the issue may not be the ruling — which again relied on SCOTUS’s decision regarding Indiana’s identical voter-ID law — but the timing.  With an election just a few weeks away, the issue of confusing voters and elections judges may have created enough concern that the Court decided to intervene temporarily.

 

The Wisconsin law, challenged by civil rights and citizens’ advocacy groups, was described by them as “one of the strictest voter ID laws in the country.”  It would require voters to show one of only nine specific forms of identification to cast a ballot.  Apparently, thousands of Wisconsin voters have already cast ballots without producing the kind of ID required, and tens of thousands reportedly do not have the right kind of ID.

 

This likely kills any chance for Wisconsin to implement the law before the midterm elections in three weeks.  The state would have to ask for an emergency hearing, and then for rapid action from the Court in order to get the law approved for use in time for Election Day.

 

Both the timing and the equal-protection concerns evaporate after the election, though.  With the law modeled on Indiana (and the state’s ID issuance policy now in line with Indiana as well), the likely outcome of this case will be the same, too.  However, if Democrats take control of Wisconsin state government in November, expect this to be one of the first laws that get repealed.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Christian Fellowship Forced to Compromise College Christian Ministry

I referenced it in my previous blog posting.  The California State University (CSU) system issued a new nondiscrimination policy that required InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) to allow non-Christians to be chapter leaders … forcing this nation-wide organization to develop a new style of campus ministry.

 

“InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is now developing a new style of campus ministry on CSU campuses where we have been banned from participating in campus life as a recognized student organization,” IVCF stated.  “In order to maintain a ministry presence with 23-chapters on 19-CSU campuses, InterVarsity is introducing creative new ways to connect with students and share the gospel message — though doing so as an ‘unrecognized’ student group will prove considerably more costly.”

 

IVCF officials added that because it is no longer allowed to participate in campus organization fairs, InterVarsity will make contact with students by deploying new tools such as mobile banner stands, interactive displays, social media, and other techniques that don’t rely on established campus structures.  “Our campus access challenges give this generation of students an opportunity to reinvent campus ministry,” said Greg Jao, InterVarsity’s National Field Director.  “Even as we use new tools and techniques, we remind students that effective ministry is ultimately relational.  It’s about students inviting other students to follow Jesus.”

 

InterVarsity explained that it has always required chapter leaders to agree to its doctrinal basis – a summary of basic, historic Christian beliefs.  “While InterVarsity invites and welcomes all students as participants, we believe a Christian group should have the right to expect and even require their leaders to be Christian — just as any student group, club or Greek organization should be able to require their leaders to be like-minded,” IVCF said.

 

The implementation of the new CSU policy began in 2012, with a 1-year exemption for religious groups for the 2013-14 school year.  The policy means all 23-InterVarsity chapters on CSU campuses now operate without the benefits of official recognition.  IVCF said that on most of the 616-college campuses across the U.S. where InterVarsity has 949-chapters, its student ministry work continues as it has for more than 7-decades.

 

The policy is essentially asking InterVarsity chapters to change the core of their identity, and to change the way they operate in order to be an officially recognized student group.  “While we applaud inclusivity, we believe that faith-based communities like ours can only be led by people who clearly affirm historic Christian doctrine,” InterVarsity stated.  “The policy exempts sororities and fraternities from gender discrimination; we believe there should be a similar provision for creedal communities.”

 

Approximately 50% of students active in InterVarsity chapters are members of ethnic minority groups; in California the number is closer to 70%, officials said.  “Students from every conceivable background still come to college seeking answers to life’s larger questions in order to find meaning and significance.  And InterVarsity is committed to sharing with them the message of the Gospel, a message that has been revolutionizing lives for 2,000 years,” IVCF stated.

 

Should secular non-discrimination policies require Christian ministries to compromise their long-standing creedal positions?  What do you think?

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

College Drama Advisor Orders Christian Dumbing Down Production

Todd Starnes of Townhall.com reports that the folks in the drama department at Cape Fear Community College are just fine with staging productions about rape and incest; but when it comes to staging a show with Christian themes – well, that’s a problem.  So says Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) – a religious advocacy group – claiming the school’s drama advisor ordered a student to “dumb down” the religious nature of an upcoming production because it might offend and anger people.

 

Justin Graves is a 17-year-old homeschooler who has dual enrollment at the college.  A Christian and an up-and-coming magician, he proposed a faith-based magic show featuring skits and illusions that “illustrate a life changed by Christ.”  His fellow drama club students loved the idea and unanimously approved the project.  But drama club advisor, Jack Landry, overruled the students.

 

ADF attorney Travis Barham wrote a letter to the college alleging that Jack told Justin he “could not support the overtly Christian show” because the Wilmington, NC, college is a publicly-funded institution.  “So you ordered him to minimize or ‘dumb down’ the religious content until it was not ‘obvious,’” Barham wrote in the complaint.  “You explained that the content could anger taxpayers, prompting lawsuits; that you did not want anyone to feel ‘offended,’ (although you apparently had no such concerns when the drama club sponsored productions that included rape and incest this year); and that this production would violate the 1st Amendment if it included religious content.”

 

A college spokesman confirmed that the school received a copy of the complaint.  He declined to comment.

 

“It’s not the adviser’s job to dictate what a student can and can’t say in his own production,” said Barham.  “Universities seem to think they have to go on this quest to purge their campuses of all things religious.”

 

Graves was surprised and disappointed by what happened.  “I’ve been homeschooled for most of my academic career,” he said.  “But I love to get different viewpoints and ideas and discuss them with people.  I thought college would be that sort of place.”  “My faith is my life,” Justin said.  “I can’t dumb down knowing what my God did for me.”

 

The other stage productions are “House of Yes,” which includes a theme about incest, and “Tape,” a show which has a theme about rape.  “It’s absurd to say that a Christian message is some-how offensive if you are allowing all this other content to be portrayed,” Barham said.

 

Somehow the college can justify sponsoring plays with themes about rape and incest while banning the Christian production.  Clearly, the censorship of Justin’s production is a violation of the 1st Amendment.  “The Supreme Court has clearly indicated that public universities cannot single out religious speech for special, detrimental treatment,” Barham wrote in the complaint letter.  “Indeed, when the government targets not subject matter, but particular views taken by speakers on a subject, the violation of the 1st Amendment is all the more blatant.”

 

Sadly, many colleges and universities around the nation are cracking down on religious liberty.  Just ask the folks at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.  The prominent college ministry was de-recognized by the California State University system because they refused to sign a non-discrimination document that would have put them in conflict with their religious beliefs.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

More Light from God’s Word Will Soon Shine in the Darkness of D.C.

The controversial Museum of the Bible, a project spearheaded by Hobby Lobby President Steve Green, is scheduled open in Washington, D.C. in 2017, and is seen as a threat by an atheist group that claims the intent of the museum is not to educate tourists, but to “influence Congress.”

 

News of the museum’s pending construction came not long after Hobby Lobby won a religious freedom case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court ruled in June that Hobby Lobby could be exempted from providing four birth control methods that can lead to the early termination of a pregnancy.

 

Since the announcement of the project, the Museum of the Bible has generated negative responses from secular groups, including the Madison, Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF).  “I think they (the Green family) are a great threat,” Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of FFRF, told The New York Times, when she was asked to comment on the Green family’s plans for a 430,000-square-foot-Bible museum.  “My instincts would tell me that they are choosing Washington, D.C. because they intend to influence Congress.”

 

Cary Summers, chief operating officer of Museum of the Bible, told The Christian Post that the planned location, the Washington Design Center in Southwest Washington, was selected in large part because the nation’s capital is “the museum capital of the world.  Because the city is known as a destination for world-class museums, studies conducted by the museum team found that Museum of the Bible would be best attended in D.C. as opposed to other cities,” such as New York City or Dallas.

 

According to the museum fact sheet, once completed the Museum of the Bible will include eight floors and a basement that will house more than 500 biblical texts and artifacts; one rooftop biblical garden; permanent exhibits on the history, impact and narrative of the Bible; libraries and museum galleries; and will be open to 60 seminaries and universities worldwide whose students will be conducting research on the Green family’s collection.

 

The building — originally constructed in the 1920s as a refrigeration warehouse — “will be restored, adapted and enhanced,” to accommodate an “eight-story world-class museum” that will include “high-tech exhibits, immersive settings and interactive experiences,” Summers explained.

 

Architectural plans for the Museum of the Bible are being led by Smith Group JJR, “the architectural firm that designed the International Spy Museum, the White House Visitor Center, Normandy American Cemetery Visitor Center and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the African-American History and Culture,” Summers added.

 

The museum is not the only effort the Green family has undertaken to advance knowledge of the Bible.  The Green Scholars Initiative has developed an elective Bible course for public schools, which at least one Oklahoma school district is expected to implement.  The curricular efforts have also been criticized by multiple church-state watchdog groups that believe the course will lead to unconstitutional proselytizing by public school officials.

 

Perhaps next, FFRF would like to remove all churches and synagogues in D.C. … who are no-doubt influencing not only Congress, but other branches and departments of government.   

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Did SCOTUS Indirectly Rule in Favor of Same-Sex Marriage?

Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council (FRC), released the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to accept appeals in marriage cases involving the five states of Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin:

 

“The Supreme Court decision to not take up these lower court rulings, which undermine natural marriage and the rule of law, for now, puts the issue of marriage back before the U.S. Congress. This decision, in part, is an indication that those on the Court who desire to redefine natural marriage recognize the country will not accept a Roe v. Wade type decision on marriage.

 

“Unfortunately, by failing to take up these marriage cases, the high court will allow rogue lower court judges who have ignored history and true legal precedent to silence the elected representatives of the people and the voice of the people themselves by over-turning state provisions on marriage.  Even more alarming, lower court judges are undermining our form of government and the rights and freedoms of citizens to govern themselves.  This judicially led effort to force same sex ‘marriage’ on people will have negative consequences for our Republic, not only as it relates to natural marriage but also under-mining the rule of and respect for law.

 

“The Court decision ensures that the debate over natural marriage will continue and the good news is that time is not on the side of those who want to redefine marriage.  As more states are forced to redefine marriage, contrary to nature and directly in conflict with the will of millions, more Americans will see and experience attacks on their religious freedom.  Parents will find a wedge being driven between them and their children as school curriculum is changed to contradict the morals parents are teaching their children.  As more and more people lose their livelihoods because they refuse to not just tolerate but celebrate same-sex marriage, Americans will see the true goal, which is for activists to use the Court to impose a redefinition of natural marriage on the entire nation.

 

“Congress should respond to today’s announcement by moving forward with the State Marriage Defense Act, which is consistent with last year’s Windsor ruling and ensures that the federal government in its definition of marriage respects the duly enacted marriage laws of the states.”

 

Perkins is right.  The implications of the U.S. Supreme Court not taking up the marriage debate will only result in more attacks on religious freedom.  So, America will continue down this slippery slope of redefining natural marriage and under-mining the rule of law.  This isn’t just a matter affecting God-fearing wedding photographers and wedding cake makers; it affects any believer who holds the conviction that God’s eternal Word is true and inerrant, and not subject to temporal ‘political correctness.’

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

HGTV Benham Brothers are Christian Brothers before Business Brothers

Months after the cancellation of their HGTV show – because of their pro-life and pro-family views – Jason and David Benham aren’t worried … even as their business suffers from the backlash.  According to them, the greater opportunity to talk about God’s Kingdom is worth the trade-off.

 

“Absolutely, the trade-off is worth it.  And it’s really not much of a tradeoff now, especially when you read Hebrews, Chapter 11.  The men and women of faith who were sawn in two, boiled in oil, their children were taken from them.  It says they refused to accept their release, then to deny the Lord.  They really are the great cloud of witnesses who are cheering us on,” David told LifeSiteNews at the annual Values Voters Summit.  “It is an honor, with an eternal perspective, to lose anything for Jesus.”

 

Jason says that the brothers “do encourage entrepreneurs.  When your business is really doing well, be smart with it.”  He said that while “you make riches, which is money that you make one time; convert that to wealth, which is residual means of income, so that you can actually go out and talk like we can talk” without fearing the loss of clients, of business, and of income.  “We don’t have to be beholden to anybody.”

 

When it comes to how Christians should consider public policy, David says that all Christians should be involved in the political process.  “The earth is the Lord's,” he explained.  “It’s called the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  He is now King over your finances; He is King and Lord over how you treat your wife; He is King over how you handle your children; King over what your eyes look at, what your ears hear; He’s King of all.  It’s the same way politically.  You have fiscal responsibility—the Scripture is very clear about work ethic; it’s very clear about individual responsibility to work.  When it comes to your foreign policy, the Scripture is very clear; it says ‘Greater love has no man than this, to lay down his life for his friends.’  So it’s very important that we arm ourselves against evil,” continued David.  “Government is not the answer to man’s problems; God is the answer to man’s problems.  And when you remove God, you have to replace it with something, and government will always replace that.  So that’s why we have this huge paradigm shift from little government, where God was very involved in our country’s culture, to now big government, where God is removed and now government replaces God.”

 

“We definitely feel as though you need government,” explained Jason.  “God’s role is to provide and to protect.  And that’s what He does for us as individuals.  And He does that through the government of the Church. And the Church is the legislative body of Jesus Christ here on earth.  So wherever Christ goes in the heart of the individual, this is where His rule is set up.  And that’s practical, in terms of business; in terms of education.  So what we say is that the role of a physical government is to provide a basis of liberty through which we can then go out and restrain evil that good may flourish; then protect that liberty.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Atheist Groups Tackle a Football Statue

A Washington, D.C.-based secular organization – The American Humanist Association (AHA) – sent a letter to the Madison County School District in Danielsville, GA, on September 25, 2014, claiming that their high school football team’s ‘Red Raider’ stone monument (bearing religious statements, including Bible verses) is a violation of the 1st Amendment’s ‘establishment clause’ in the U.S. Constitution.

 

The AHA sent the Madison County School District a letter of complaint regarding the statue at the school district’s high school.  The letter stated:

 

“It is our understanding that sometime during this school year, the school district erected a large permanent sculpture entitled the ‘Red Raider’ monument, on school property, which includes prominent religious, and indeed, Christian biblical references.  Since it has been erected, the Madison High School football team has started a tradition of touching the sculpture before home games.”

 

David Niose, legal director of AHA, told The Christian Post that his organization learned about the statue “via email and social media” from “numerous people from the area.”  “We are waiting for a response,” added Niose, who sent the letter requesting a response within 2-weeks of its delivery.

 

Erected last month, the granite statue has multiple Bible verses listed on its frame and a tradition has already developed among the football team of touching the statue before going onto the field.  The statue, which also includes the high school initial and is topped with a sword within a stone a la Excalibur, was reportedly funded privately and given as a gift to the school.

 

The AHA is not the only atheist organization that has brought a complaint before Madison County regarding the granite statue.  The Madison, WI-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) sent a separate letter to the school district last month.  “If schools cannot display the Ten Commandments, which are themselves Bible quotes … schools cannot display other Bible quotes alone,” read the FFRF letter.  “In recognition of the district’s constitutional obligation to remain neutral toward religion, please remove the Bible quotes from the monument and any other religious messages posted on district property.”

 

In an interview with local media, Superintendent McCannon said that the school district had read the letters and was “investigating options available to it regarding the monument including, but not limited to, removal of the monument or modifying the monument in some manner.”

 

Why are the options only between remove or modify?  Why not consider – remain as is?

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel