Evangelical Churches and the BSA are Unequally Yoked

In the fitting words of the host of Fox News & Commentary, Todd Starnes, “The Boy Scouts of America sacrificed its last vestige of integrity on the altar of political correctness.”  As an Eagle Scout myself, I couldn’t agree more!

On January 30, the BSA announced that girls who identify as boys will now be allowed to join the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts – marking a complete capitulation to the gender and sex revolutionaries.  The policy change takes effect immediately and has parents on both sides of the issue asking, “Will transgender children will be able to share tents and bathrooms in the great outdoors with heterosexual boys?”

“For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America, along with schools, youth sports and other youth organizations, have ultimately deferred to the information on an individual’s birth certificate to determine eligibility for our single-gender programs,” BSA spokesperson Rebecca Rausch told Associated Press.  “However, that approach is no longer sufficient as communities and state laws are interpreting gender identity differently, and these laws vary widely from state to state.”

Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council, gave Trail Life USA – a Christ-centered scouting program that has exploded in growth since its founding in 2014 with nearly 30,000 young people now involved in the program – high marks.  “It’s what the BSA used to be before its leadership compromised the core tenets of scouting.”

In a released statement, Trail Life assured its “members and charter organizations nationwide that we are committed to the biblical traditional values affirmed in our statement of faith and values.”  John Stemberger, Chairman of Trail Life’s Board of Directors, said the BSA decision is “sad beyond belief.”  “It’s the beginning of the end of what the Boy Scouts used to mean,” he said.  “It’s really a sad move.”  He warned the decision will “put boys in a state of confusion and does nothing to help normal psychological development.”  “Aside from the fact they are now going to confuse literally hundreds of thousands of young men and boys – you are now going to have further youth protection problems,” he said.  “Facilities and campgrounds are not designed for this type of thing.”

The BSA is also going to face some logistical issues.  Will boys and girls be allowed to shower together?  Will they be allowed to use the same camp dressing rooms?  What sort of restroom accommodations will be provided for transgender scouts?  “It’s simply stunning that a leading youth organization which parents entrust the protection of their children with has opted to again appease political activists rather than follow clear, common-sense best practices for child protection,” Stemberger said.  Stemberger went on to say what’s really sad is the BSA rarely talks about its original mission – to teach young people ethics and morals – to teach them how to make ethical and moral decisions through their lifetime.  Those days are long gone.  So much for the BSA being “morally straight” (no pun intended) in the face of militant gender revolutionaries.

If my church were a chartered partner of the BSA, I’d not be renewing the charter but rather charter with Trail Life USA.

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel