Abortion: Just the Facts

Based on recent reports out of the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS), it looks like the issue of when a woman or girl can choose to get an abortion may soon be left up to the people in the states to decide.  This gives people in the states, through their elected representatives, the opportunity to support and nurture vulnerable women and girls and the babies in their wombs.

Women and girls need love and encouragement when facing an unplanned pregnancy, not a cold-blooded abortion industry looking to make money off their vulnerability.  The abortion industry, like Planned Parenthood, has for decades told women and girls that a preborn baby is nothing but a clump of cells.  That lie is what millions of women and girls have been told. That is the lie being told to millions of vulnerable women and girls who are lined up in abortion clinics like widgets on an assembly line, forced to fork over hundreds of dollars in advance, and have their babies dismembered and then sucked out by a vacuum from their womb.  But, from the moment a baby is conceived, it is much more than a clump of cells.

At 4 weeks, a baby’s brain and heart tissue begin to develop, and the first heartbeat can be detected after 22 days.  Limbs and major organs start forming shortly thereafter and then come the lips and nose.  A preborn baby responds to touch by week 6 and scientists have discovered that preborn babies may be able to feel pain as early as 12 weeks gestational age. Ultrasounds show the beating heart and small fingers and toes. These are the facts the abortion industry doesn’t want you to hear.

The argument in favor of abortion is encapsulated in the slogan— “My body, my choice.” This argument, however, is fundamentally flawed.  It deliberately ignores the fact that innocent infant lives are at the center of the abortion issue.  What about the body of the preborn baby? What about their choice?  There are two bodies involved in an abortion— the mother’s and the baby’s.

The circumstances of the mother, however tragic and difficult, must not devalue the life of the child she carries and the long-term psychological impact on the mother who has an abortion cannot be thrown aside.  Abortion providers make money off abortions and the sale of baby body parts for research.  

Does anyone really believe that abortion providers will give an unbiased opinion to a vulnerable woman or girl on if they should have an abortion?  Not likely.  That’s why millions of American women support increased funding for pro-life pregnancy resource centers who value the life of the mother and the baby— including diverting Title X family planning funds from abortion clinics to life-affirming pregnancy centers.  We should also support increased funding for adoptions, counseling, support, and housing for vulnerable pregnant women and teens.

If Roe v. Wade is overturned and the decision of when a woman or girl can choose to have an abortion is made by the states, elected representatives of the people must remember that “We the People” includes innocent lives.  We must also implore members of Congress, governors, and state legislatures to ensure through funding and policy that we are supporting and nurturing vulnerable women and girls and simplifying and supporting adoptions.

As we await SCOTUS’s final decision, we must condemn the illegal intimidation of our justices and pray for their safety and steadfast courage.  America can do better.  States can do better. Let’s work together to protect and nurture vulnerable women and girls and the babies that they bear.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Captivating or Captive

Our society has become an “influencer-led” society.  With the world drawn together in an ever-shrinking, media driven sphere, we find the impact of the influencer to reach the worldwide market surprisingly easy.  People are influenced by all the media.  Bombarded daily with quotes and facts (and non-facts) from thousands of sources.  It is the ultimate source of wisdom.  But is it?

In March, Time announced its first Time100 Impact Awards.  It is “a recognition of leaders who, through sustained effort, have done extraordinary work to shape the future of their industries and the world at large.”  The seven honorees include David Adjaye, architect; Sarah Al Amiri, advanced technologist; Tony Elumelu, economist; Ellie Goulding, singer, activist; Huda Kattan, beauty magnate; Deepika Padukone, actor, and will.i.am, musician.  This is a diverse group.  All making an impact on how we live and think in our world.  [Admittedly, I never heard of any one of them!]

Listed as the most powerful people of 2022 are Joe Biden, President of the United States of America; Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon; Janet Yellen, economist; Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft; Charles and David, owners of Koch Industries; Warren Buffett, businessman, speaker, investor; Mark Zuckerberg, Cofounder of Facebook.  Significant to their title of most powerful, people have either relinquished or rewarded their power of influence to them.  [All these names I recognize.]

The Christian blog In His Name lists its own top influencers in the Christian sector: Tim Tebow, author, speaker, and philanthropist, is listed first, followed by Christine Caine, evangelist, author, speaker; Kirk Cameron, actor, producer; Max Lucado, pastor, speaker, author; Dr. Tony Evans, pastor, speaker; Bill Johnson, evangelist, speaker; and Steven Furtick, pastor, author, songwriter as the top 7.  [Obviously, I didn’t make the top 7.]

Proverbs 1:5 reminds us that wisdom comes from listening, learning, and discerning. Proverbs 12:26 cautions us to carefully choose our friends because the way of the wicked leads us astray.  This demands questions for the Christian.  Who is allowed to be an influencer?

True wisdom in navigating today’s barrage of information and ever-changing messages comes from the learning and discerning.  Being aware of whom you spend time with is critical.  Learn the message and motive behind that person.  Remember, the wicked will lead you astray.

Living with intention as Christ ambassadors require lifestyles that reflect Christ.  We can be thankful for contributions made by many that have changed our world for the better if we don’t surrender our Christianity to it.  We must always take captive our thoughts and in that be vigilant to the exposure of influence and wisely discern what God would call worthy.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Judge blocks Biden’s Mandate Requiring Christian Employers to Cover ‘Trans’ Surgeries

A federal court has placed a temporary block on the enforcement of a Biden Administration mandate requiring an alliance of Christian employers to pay for or provide health plans that cover gender transition surgeries.

Judge Daniel Traynor of the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota issued an order last week granting the Christian Employers Alliance (CEA), an organization that provides support to Christian businesses and nonprofits, a preliminary injunction on grounds the mandate would “irreparably harm” the Christian group.

Last October, the CEA filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), seeking to block the enforcement of the mandate that requires coverage of trans-affirming counseling and medical services that violate the beliefs of its members.

At issue were two mandates from the EEOC and HHS interpreting Title VII civil rights discrimination protections based on “sex” to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

“The Alliance must either violate its sincerely held beliefs or face monetary losses, fines, and even civil liabilities.  The Plaintiffs and their members face a very real irreparable harm if they are either forced to comply or if they refuse to comply,” wrote Traynor, a Trump appointee.

CEA has already shown it faces an injury.  Absent a preliminary injunction, CEA and its members will be forced to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs or incur severe monetary penalties.”

The CEA is represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative legal group that has successfully argued religious liberty cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. ADF Legal Counsel Jacob Reed said in a statement that he believes the “court was on firm ground to halt enforcement of these unlawful mandates that disrespect people of faith.”  “All employers and healthcare providers, including those in the Christian Employers Alliance, have the constitutional right to conduct their business and render treatment in a manner consistent with their deeply held religious beliefs,” Reed said.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Lawsuit Reveals School Hiding ‘Trans’ Identity From Parents

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is representing middle school teacher Pamela Ricard of Fort Riley, Kansas.  She was reprimanded, then suspended, in April 2021 after she addressed a female student by the student’s legal and enrolled name.  But the teacher sued, arguing Geary County public schools violated her First Amendment rights by punishing her for “bullying” and by later refusing her request for a religious accommodation.

ADF attorney Caleb Dalton says Ricard attempted to accommodate the female student, but only to a point, because the teacher felt she was violating her conscience by using the wrong pronouns.  “While [Rikard] was able to use their preferred names,” the attorney explains, “her conscience would not allow her to use preferred pronouns."

The lawsuit names the school board, Superintendent Reginald Eggleston, and school principal Kathleen Brennan as defendants in the case.

In an update to Ricard’s lawsuit, a federal judge last week granted a motion that allows the teacher to communicate with the student’s parents by using the student’s real name and normal pronouns.  “The important part of this case is not only was the school attempting to compel [Rikard] to use pronouns that would violate her conscience,” the ADF attorney explains.  “They prohibited her from allowing parents to even find out how their students, their children, identified at school.”  In other words, the math teacher alleges in her lawsuit the school district expects her to deceive parents in order to hide the opposite-sex identity of the female student in her class and others.

The idea that a rural school district in Kansas would hide anything from parents seems like an unlikely scenario but parents across the country are learning school buildings have been taken over by far-left teachers and administrators who view disapproving parents as enemies of progress.

Geary County Schools is in a rural county of approximately 36,800 Kansans.  The school district office is in Junction City, home to 22,700 residents, but the area is most known for the U.S. Army post there that is headquarters for the 1st Infantry Division.

According to ADF, Rikard was punished last year despite the absence of a school district policy on how to address transgender students.  The law firm alleges the school district hurriedly introduced that policy after Rikard was punished for violating a “Bullying by Staff” policy.

ADF also alleges attorneys representing the school district have attempted to reverse the school district’s policies, and misrepresent them, over fear of an unfavorable court ruling. “We’re talking about middle schoolers here,” Dalton says.  “So, we’re pleased that the court resolved this in Pam’s favor and specifically held that schools don’t have any interest in hiding important information from parents.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Christian Professor Awarded $400K in Settlement Over Use of Trans Pronouns

A Christian professor, who claims he was threatened with punishment by university officials in Ohio for refusing to use the preferred pronouns of a trans-identified student, has secured the right to avoid using pronouns that conflict with his beliefs after years of litigation.  

Shawnee State University philosophy professor Nick Meriwether reached a recent settlement with school officials in which the university agreed to pay $400,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees, according to his legal team at the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).  The settlement lifts any requirements for Meriwether to use preferred pronouns for students that may contradict their biological sex, according to ADF. Additionally, the university has reportedly agreed to rescind a written warning issued to Meriwether in June 2018.  

Last week, ADF attorneys filed a voluntary dismissal of the case.  “Meriwether went out of his way to accommodate his students and treat them all with dignity and respect, yet his university punished him because he wouldn’t endorse an ideology that he believes is false,” ADF Senior Counsel Travis Barham said in a statement.  “We’re pleased to see the university recognize that the First Amendment guarantees Dr. Meriwether — and every other American — the right to speak and act in a manner consistent with one’s faith and convictions.”

The university denies that Meriwether was mistreated, describing the settlement as “an economic decision.”  “We continue to stand behind a student’s right to a discrimination-free learning environment as well as the rights of faculty, visitors, students, and employees to freely express their ideas and beliefs,” the university said in a statement. “Over the course of this lawsuit, it became clear that the case was being used to advance divisive social and political agendas at a cost to the university and its students. That cost is better spent on fulfilling Shawnee State’s mission of service to our students, families, and community.”

In 2018, a biologically male trans-identified student filed a complaint against Meriwether when the professor referred to the student with masculine pronouns, even though the student identified as female.  The university concluded that Meriwether created a hostile class environment by refusing to use the student’s preferred pronouns.  School officials threatened the professor with punishment if he persisted.  Meriwether filed a lawsuit against the school in November 2018, arguing that his constitutionally-protected freedoms of speech and religion were being violated.  

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Dlott, a Clinton appointee, dismissed the professor’s case in February 2020 following the recommendation of Magistrate Judge Karen Litkovitz.  Dlott concluded that his rights were not violated.  “Plaintiff has not alleged that defendants forced him to espouse or express a view that plaintiff disagreed with or found objectionable.  Plaintiff does not claim that defendants mandated that he use any particular terms of speech to refer to Doe,” wrote Dlott.  “To the contrary, plaintiff acknowledges that defendants gave him the option to stop using gender-based titles during class, but plaintiff rejected that option.”

The judge wrote that the school’s policies were interpreted as giving Shawnee State professors two choices on referring to students: “eliminate all sex-based titles and all pronouns when speaking to all students” or “use pronouns that refer to each student’s gender identity.”  Meriwether argued that the option to stop using all pronouns was “impossible, impractical, and unreasonable given the way professors speak, particularly in classes that feature significant and frequent class discussion.”

In March 2021, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled in favor of Meriwether, reversing the earlier dismissal, and remanding the case to the lower court.  Judge Amul Thapar, a Trump appointee, stated in the panel opinion that universities “have prided themselves on being forums where controversial ideas are discussed and debated.  And they have tried not to stifle debate by picking sides.”  “But Shawnee State chose a different route: It punished a professor for his speech on a hotly contested issue.  And it did so despite the constitutional protections afforded by the First Amendment,” wrote Thapar. “The district court dismissed the professor’s free-speech and free-exercise claims.  We see things differently and reverse.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

I Feel The Snow Is Red

Which is it: Feelings are reality … or … feelings vs. reality?  It seems our culture excels at ignoring reality, but it doesn’t stop there.  Many work very hard to turn everything around in order to pronounce that their feelings are reality.  “If I feel it, that’s how it is.” Example: “I noticed that snow is red and not white, because I feel that it is that way … since I feel it, that is how it is for me.”  But again, it doesn’t stop there. 

Next, everyone is expected to provide for each person’s feelings, no matter how far from the truth and reality they may be.  If a boy feels like a girl, then everyone and everything is to be devoted to “making it a reality” for him/her.  What else will be included in this ridiculous scenario?  If a six-year-old girl is infatuated with fairies, should we all provide everything necessary to for her to sprout wings, turn mint green and fly?  If a boy loves The Hulk, are we obligated to transform him into a giant, green, muscle-bound freak and then declare him normal?  The leftists are doing their best to promote these fantasies and require parent, doctors, schools, etc. to comply or lose all rights and funding.  In the meantime, people of all ages are being harmed, even ruined.

Two big differences:

1) The world’s version of trans-formation is, in reality, trans-deformation.”  It destroys both body and soul.

2) The change that Jesus Christ offers is true transformation of body, soul and spirit. Wholeness as compared to brokenness, healing as compared to deformity, forgiveness of sin, rather than supposed affirmation that sin is not only okay, but beautiful and desired.

Licensed professional counselor Charles Corbin Humble, M.A. makes these statements, “It is good to first validate that feelings are real, and painful, and distressing and confusing … (however) … Feelings are real, but not reality … no one should stay at this point too long … When actions are based on feelings all kinds of things go wrong.”  

Jim Taylor Ph.D. speaking in his article in Psychology Today says it this way, “Perception is reality.  This aphorism is often used to justify a perception that may be unjustifiable or just plain out of touch with reality.  It is employed as a cudgel (club) to beat others into accepting someone’s preferred so-called reality … Perception is NOT reality.”

Perception defined: The way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression.

Reality defined: The world or state of things as they actually exist … existence that is absolute, self-sufficient, or objective, and not subject to human decisions or conventions.

As God’s people we must always be focused on Him, our Creator.  Do not let your eyes wander (Proverbs 17:24) to the foolish things of this world, but rather keep them fixed on the reality of Jesus in our lives (Hebrews 12:2; Psalm 141:8).  Pray that He will open eyes of the blind.  “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.  I will keep you and make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release those who sit in darkness” (Isaiah 42:7).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Belief Soup

According to Wikipedia, there are an estimated 10,000 distinct religions worldwide. About 84% of the world’s population affiliate with Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or “folk religion.”  No wonder that “being religious” can mean many things in today’s culture— creating a “belief soup” that all too many are gulping.

As Christians then, it is easy to shrug the shoulders and say, “to each his own” or “good, they at least believe in a god”.  These easy outs are contrary to what the Bible commands. Possibly tasting a bit of the “soup” and finding it palatable.

Jesus was clear in Matthew 28: 16-20.  The Great Commission is paramount to the Christian’s responsibility, “go and make disciples … baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Is Christianity buried in the soup or does it stand alone as the only clear choice of eternal hope?

There are a rising number of Christians who believe their faith is an individual and personal choice and they intend to keep it that way.  This individualized culture runs counterintuitive to the Great Commission.  Of those who would share their faith, many feel inadequate or have experienced a bad reception to sharing in the past.  Some feel that a certain “giftedness” is required to tell others about their faith.  Fear of seeming pushy or unaccepting of other religions is also a part of our culture. In our quest to play nice, we have watered down our soup.

Stand back and address the heart of your faith.  Is it the community, the lifestyle, the touchy-feely heart song or is it the deep relationship with Christ?  Does your Christianity stand out as the choice meat of religion to the world?  If we are branded by our salvation as “Christ Ones.” Is that evident in your life?

The evidence that most demonstrates Christian maturity is the character of Christ in one’s life. The Bible says that believers were first called Christians in the city of Antioch (Acts 11:26).  Up to that time … they were simply known as “the people of the Way.”

Maturity comes with constant study and prayer and a close relationship with Christ.  The more Christ-like, the more people will begin to see the difference between Christianity and the world’s religions.  Those who choose to see the difference will not be able to deny it.  “For the word of God is alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12).

Jesus said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Poisoned Toys

There’s nothing more innocuous than children’s toys.  These emblems of childhood joy and innocence are prevalent in stores like Dollar Tree and Dollar General.

Sadly, these toys may not be so innocent after all.

Recent testing indicated that among items sold at discount stores “researchers tested 226 products purchased at five popular retailers for chemicals, including phthalates and lead, and found that 120, or more than half, had at least one chemical of concern. Among the products that tested positive were colorful baby toys and Disney-themed headphones.”

As sickening as this story is, it is hardly the first time something like this has been discovered.  In another announcement, a March news story declared that, for the first time, microplastics had been detected in human blood.  Previously, such microplastics had also been detected in the placenta of unborn babies, sparking similar outcry.

Our world is cursed, which means all of us are negatively affected by the consequences of original sin.  As Genesis 3:17 records, “To Adam [God] said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.”

Concerning though this is, it is surprisingly less dire than the maladies faced by our great grandparents, who were often poisoned by the concoctions that treated such every day items as dresses and hats.

Interestingly, in a culture obsessed with health and fitness, we seem to struggle to keep things in perspective.  As Shelly McKenzie’s book Getting Physical: The Rise of Fitness Culture in America documents, our contemporary fixation on health and purity is a relatively new phenomenon.

In spite of all the carcinogens to which they were exposed, our forefathers still managed to live long and fruitful lives which led to the founding of our great nation and the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Though it is certainly not a good thing to find plastics in the human body, we should also keep this in perspective by recognizing it as part of the nature of our fallen world.  While the consequences of that fallen world must be grappled with in this life, we must also remember that it is given that all of humanity must die an earthly death.

As Christians, we can live in the hope of our glorified bodies.  As it says in 1 Corinthians 15:50-53:

“I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”

This is not telling us to completely disregard our physical health in this life but, instead, it tells us to remember that it is the hope of our glorified bodies that ought to drive us forward.

Tainted toys cannot touch the immortal soul, nor the salvation freely offered by our God in Heaven.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Jesus Loves the Little Children—All the Children

The Apostle Paul speaks to the early Christians in 1 Timothy.  He makes it clear that they are to provide for relatives and members of their household.  He directs this to individuals and not the church at large.  Paul emphasized that men in the family are obligated to take care of their families.  This admonition is still true today, yet we find that 80% of children institutionalized in orphanages and group homes throughout the world have a living relative.  Many, of which, are single parents.

“By the end of the 19th century, orphanages were considered one of best methods for caring for dependent children.”  Single parents found that placing their child in an orphanage could be a stopgap while they recovered from hard times.  Sadly, many children remained institutionalized.  Children left without parents due to death had no other place to go.

In 1920, orphanages were being phased out with the rise of Foster Care programs. Psychologists said that institutionalized children have delayed cognitive and social development due to the lack of personal attention and care that would be found in a family setting.

By the 1960’s most orphanages were closed.  Yet, by 2000 group homes and residential treatment homes have in essence become orphanages without the moniker.

The need to care for the children of the world continues as countless families lost jobs and loved ones to the pandemic.  Time will tell how many children will be left parentless by the war in Ukraine.

The UN adopted “Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children” declares “the family [is] the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth, well-being and protection of children.”  In 2021 a bill was put before Congress entitled Children in Family Security Act in 2021.  The purpose of the bill was to help ensure that those children in adversity throughout the world are taken care of outside of institutional care. The bill defined those children as:

• having not attained 18 years of age, and
• are experiencing conditions of serious deprivation and danger including living at risk without family care; experiencing violence; affected by humanitarian crisis; orphans; living with disabilities.

It is interesting, considering Paul’s exhortation, that most orphanages were started by Christians.  Christians have done incredible work protecting and providing for children. Many thousands of Christians have adopted their children from orphanages all over the world in recognition that children are best raised in the family unit.

Have we done enough to protect and preserve the family?  Why now must the government step in?  Do we want to relinquish more of our freedoms by placing the most vulnerable of the world in the hands of government policy?

Yes, the secular world is recognizing the sanctity of the family, but never forget, Jesus is the Creator of the true family; man and woman joined as one and blessed with children.  

In a world where “family” is loosely defined, dare we choose to give up what God has defined in favor of “for the better good of the world’s children”?  Let us ponder the words of Mathew 26:40, “In as much as you have done it to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Honoring Motherhood

The political climate is tense with the prospect of overturning Roe v. Wade as we celebrate Mother’s Day 2022.  Roe v. Wade was an astonishing decision made in 1973 by the U.S. Supreme Court giving women the right to choose to have an abortion. Whether you call this the antithesis of motherhood or personal freedom, it has vastly changed our culture and called Christians and the pro-life movement to rally to end abortion.  On the cusp of the corner turned, at last, we observe Mother’s Day in hope and prayer.

Though Mother’s Day is widely commercialized, the celebration of mothers has a rich history.  Created by a woman named Anna Jarvis in 1908, it became an official U.S. holiday in 1914.  Going further back, we find that ancient Greeks and Romans held festivals honoring mother goddesses.  In more recent history, the United Kingdom recognized a tradition called “Mothering Sunday.”  It was held on the fourth Sunday of lent and was an encouragement to return to the “mother church” of their childhood on that Sunday.

Many churches have adopted the recognition of mothers on Mother’s Day by passing out flowers, honoring women for the most children, grandchildren, etc.  This day, however, can bring sadness as people reflect on tumultuous childhoods with less than caring mothers.  The family unit is no longer the Donna Reed family of the 60s.  There are mothers and stepmothers and step-grandmothers and absent mothers.  There are same sex marriages in which men take the role of a nurturing mother.  There are countless women who for one reason or another chose to relinquish their motherhood with abortion, and feel the empty womb every day of their life, especially on Mother’s Day.

What is the Christian’s responsibility to mothers?  Exodus 20:12 places “Honor your father and your mother” as the 5th commandment.  It does not add “if they are honorable.”  Yes, parents can fall short of the expectations children place on them and cloud an honest attempt at honor.  Jesus did not call us to love only the lovable.  He looked at our sin and decided He loved us to the point of death.  Many mothers say they would die for their children.  There is no person on earth that has the relationship of mother to child save that of a mother.

When Roe v. Wade is overturned, Christians will be called on to support mothers like no other time in American history.  There will be mothers who need financial assistance, medical assistance, and emotional support.  Our shoulders must be broad to carry the burdens of many.  “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed” (Proverbs 22:9).

We must remember to replace judgment with compassion and promote a culture of life instead of a culture of death.  Not relying on social nets to carry this next generation of mothers but the love of Christ and the works of His followers.  

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Pentagon Must Be Blocked From Imposing the Jab

Last week, Federal Judge Steven Merryday granted a temporary restraining order in Navy SEAL 1 v. Austin for a U.S. Air Force Academy cadet who faced immediate discipline after being denied his appeal for a religious accommodation from the COVID shot mandate.  

The unnamed cadet, according to Liberty Counsel (LC), believes that God has called him to serve in the Air Force – but also holds a sincerely held religious belief that he shouldn’t receive any of the COVID shots because of their connections to abortion.  LC is representing that cadet.  Mat Staver, founder and chairman of the law firm, categorizes Merryday’s decision as a “good” one because it prevents the Air Force from discharging or disciplining the cadet or taking retaliatory action because he refuses to take the injection.  And he tells American Family News it’s the goal of the Biden Administration to purge from the military every person with a religious exemption request.  “We’re working to stop that implementation of this purge – but it’s across all branches, whether you’re in the top of your class as a cadet … or whether you are an experienced member of the services who has 20-25 years’ experience,” he explains.  That’s why LC has filed a memo calling on Judge Merryday to issue a class-wide preliminary injunction to provide relief from the unlawful shot mandates being imposed on service members in every branch of the U.S. military.

The Florida-based legal group currently represents more than two dozen plaintiffs from all branches of the military who were denied religious exemptions from the mandate. “We are continually getting one injunction after another,” says Staver— a clear reference to a recent one involving a U.S. Marine Corp captain.  “But we need to get a class-wide injunction to protect every person in the military [because we] represent about 30 plaintiffs [and] we can’t go back to the court 20,000-some times.”

The military has no basis for pressuring, abusing, and unlawfully violating the religious rights of the troops, Staver argues.  In addition, he says they clearly are violating the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).  “It’s a cookie-cutter template denial system,” he accuses.  “They’re not showing a compelling governmental interest or the least restrictive means to the person under RFRA.  So we’re asking Judge Merryday to issue the same relief that some of these individuals have received; thankfully so, to every person who’s similarly situated.  That’s what our goal is and that’s what we will also be bringing up again before the judge later this week.”

According to LC, at least 24,000 religious accommodation requests have been filed thus far. And while that number continues to grow, Staver claims “they’re all being denied.”

 

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

Illinois Office Seekers Being Urged to Endorse Parents’ Bill of Rights

In what could be a top issue in the November election, parents of school children and local education officials are voicing their concerns over how their children are being educated in Illinois (IL) public schools they fund with their tax dollars.

During the IL State Board of Education’s (ISBE) April hearing last week, Shannon Adcock from the parents’ rights group Awake Illinois told board members they're on notice.  “With two years of failed pandemic policies and an abysmal state schools report card, classroom activism and socialism is replacing academics and worrisome mental health stats of our youth,” Adcock said.  “A sleeping giant has awakened, and we go by moms and dads.”  Adcock urged candidates for elected office to endorse a parents’ bill of rights pledge.  “To sign the following commitment in support of a bill that shall allow parents to take their children’s taxpayer-funded education dollars to the education providers of their choosing, whether public or private,” she said.

Other elements of the pledge include prohibiting teaching minors explicit sexual topics, discussing staff sexuality or teaching sexual orientation or gender identity in the classrooms. She also pushed for an annual curriculum transparency report.  But it wasn’t just parents and parents’ rights groups raising concerns with education policies in IL. Kyle Thompson, regional superintendent for IL Regional Office of Education No. 11, said a survey to ask young children controversial questions raises serious concerns.  “Recent non-regulatory guidance from ISBE included three choices for sex, nine choices for sexual orientation, and six choices for gender identity,” Thompson said.  He said schools were notified by the state the survey was being delayed until next school year out of concerns that parents have the right to access their children’s educational record. Forcing teachers to teach against their values is a reason they’re leaving the profession, he said.  

“The number of families pulling their children to home-school also continues to rise as the state continues to emphasize sex, race and gender over reading, writing and math,” Thompson said.  In his district, he said there are new private schools building more space for an increasing number of enrollees fleeing public education because of what he said was an attack against parents, students, and teachers.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

OK Gov Signs Ban on Nonbinary Birth Certificates

The bill followed a flap last year over the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s agreement in a civil case allowing a nonbinary option.  The birth certificate in that case was issued to an Oklahoma-born Oregon resident who sued after the agency initially refused the request.  

People who are nonbinary do not identify with traditional male or female gender assignments. News of the settlement prompted outrage among Republicans, including Governor Stitt, who along with fellow conservatives in a number of GOP-led states have been engaged in a culture war over issues like restricting LGBTQ and abortion rights.

Stitt’s appointee to lead the agency abruptly resigned the next day, and the governor then promptly issued an executive order prohibiting any changes to a person’s gender on birth certificates— despite the settlement agreement.

Many states only offer male or female gender options on birth certificates, but Oklahoma (OK) is the first to write the nonbinary prohibition into law, according to Lambda Legal, the civil rights group suing OK.  Currently, 15 states and the District of Columbia specifically allow a gender marker designation outside of male or female, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality.  That number will increase on July 1 when Vermont’s new statute goes into effect.

“People are free to believe whatever they want about their identity, but science has determined people are either biologically male or female at birth,” said OK Rep. Sheila Dills, the House sponsor of the bill, in a statement after the bill passed the House last week.  “We want clarity and truth on official state documents.  Information should be based on established medical fact and not an ever-changing social dialogue.”

OK’s governor earlier this year signed a bill prohibiting transgender girls from playing on female sports teams— one of many such bans being signed into law across the country. Other conservative states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas have passed laws prohibiting gender-confirming treatments for minors.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel