Biden’s Change of Title IX Would Redefine Pregnancy to Include Abortion

The Biden Administration’s recent move to redefine sex under Title IX anti-discrimination policy has drawn anger from Americans— but a recent report reveals the administration is taking a dangerous step to redefine pregnancy.

According to The Heritage Foundation (HF), the Biden Administration wants to redefine pregnancy to include childbirth, lactation, and “termination of pregnancy,” or abortion. The HF explains that the change would protect an individual who got an abortion from facing discrimination.  For example, with a doctor’s note, a woman can recover from the procedure and not be penalized for missing class or a sports competition.  The language in the policy now equates a process that maintains life, pregnancy, with a process of ending life–abortion.  “It’s a distinction that makes all the difference.  The new definition would treat abortion as morally equal to pregnancy, childbearing, and lactation,” wrote Melanie Israel and Emma Waters with HF.  “This is absurd.  Pregnancy is a natural process.  A new life begins at the moment of conception.  This human being is just that— a human being— at every stage of development,” they explained.  “Abortion, in contrast, is the intentional, direct destruction of preborn human life.  It kills the pre-born baby and halts the natural process of pregnancy.”

The change is hard to spot in the 700-page policy, but outlines on 3 pages that the new definition would allow Title IX to be “more fully” implemented.  “The proposed definition would more fully implement Title IX by clarifying that Title IX covers discrimination based on medical conditions related to or caused by pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, or lactation, even if they are not related to ‘recovery from pregnancy,’ ” the policy reads in part.

Americans understand the new policy would not only end protections for girls and women by allowing men who identify as women to use women’s restrooms and locker rooms and to compete on women’s sports teams.  But experts at HF explain that schools will be able “opt-in” to use Title IX as a vehicle to promote abortion.  “By neither ‘requiring nor prohibiting’ abortion access in schools, the language of the Title IX rule change would create a “gray zone,” they explained.  “This gray zone would mean that schools may ‘opt in’ to use Title IX as a vehicle for abortion education, referrals, or access.  This could take the form of connecting students with abortion clinics, not disclosing a pregnancy or abortion to a minor’s parents, paying for abortion travel, or promoting dangerous abortion pills.”

HF makes clear the Biden Administration does not have the power to rewrite state’s abortion policies, but its promotion of it under the Title IX rule could incentivize schools to push it.  As CBN News has reported, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a new rule in July, expanding the definition of discrimination on the basis of sex to include decisions concerning abortion.  Pregnant women would be protected by the HHS rule if they faced discrimination due to pregnancy or other related conditions, including abortion or “pregnancy termination.”  “We want to make sure that whoever you are, whatever you look like, wherever you live, however you wish to live your life, that you have access to the care that you need so that your decisions are based on what you and your health-care provider and your physician ... is available to you so you can access the care that you need,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Could Parents Day Replace Mother’s Day?

In looking for solutions to new problems, either in our lives or in society, it often pays to look past “newness” and instead ask, why are the “old” answers not working?  Are older maxims and ethical rules not working because they failed, or because they were found to be difficult?

This is a question especially important to Christians, since Christians know that there are eternal truths that do not change with the political season.  Christians are not waiting for “God's Ten Commandments 2.0.”

It would be hard to find one of the Ten Commandments more ignored and more violated in our world than the First Commandment— “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Our secular society and all forms of utopianism are obviously in open rebellion against all religious faith and against Christianity in particular, and new gods are found and worshipped in abundance.

And yet, there is another of God’s Commandments which is violated widely, not by open rejection but by narrowing its meaning.  In fact, it is a Commandment that our society superficially accepts and celebrates— yet simultaneously rejects in important ways.  This is the Fifth Commandment, where God commands to “Honor thy father and mother.”

Yes, for generations we have had Father’s Day and Mother’s Day on our calendars.  One day each May and each June we are expected to purchase flowers or lunch at a nice restaurant or in some other material way show our appreciation for the love and sacrifices a parent made for our benefit.

It’s past time to stop and ask ourselves: How’s that one-special-day-a-year thing working out?  Does our modern secular society really honor parents and parenting?  There is growing evidence to the contrary.  In fact, respect for the indispensable role of parents is under widespread attack.

Our secular culture, especially our public schools but also in the new, intrusive information technology and 24-hour entertainment, is teaching our children that their parents’ values and beliefs must take a back seat to the requirements, standards, and demands of a progressive civic culture.

As a nation, we are sleepwalking through a cultural meltdown.  This growing, increasingly assertive usurpation of parental authority is not in any way consistent with observance of God’s Fifth Commandment.  The authority of parents is not only NOT honored by progressive incursions, that authority is being directly challenged and diminished.

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are not government created holidays; they are the product of the corporate greeting card, flower and candy purveyors of our nation.  Very likely, soon they will be pushing the consolidation of two days into one mega-holiday: “Parents Day”— with no genders specified.  You have two mommies or two daddies?  No problem!

The decline in parental authority over their children is not an accidental by-product of technology or expanding social mobility.  Parental authority is under systematic attack.

The culture war is not a sideshow, as too many politicians of all political parties believe. The culture war is the main event, and we are already in Act Three.

In Colorado this past Spring, the Governor signed into law a “Codification” of “Women’s Reproductive Rights.”  That new law REPEALED the parents’ rights to even be notified of a child’s planned abortion.  The proposed federal “codification law” contains the same usurpation of parental rights.

God’s Fifth Commandment to honor our father and mother is not only under attack in our society; it’s on life support.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Abortion Rite

In all of life there are, and have been, many “rites of passage” to endure or to get through in order to move on to a next level.  Usually this “rite” is the choice of the person going through it.  Yet sometimes is given to a person whether that person wanted it or not.  

In the epic 1970 movie “A Man Called Horse” Richard Harris portrays an outsider willing to endure a horrendous rite of being suspended from the roof beams by his pectoral muscles in order to be awarded the opportunity to become a warrior.

In the Hebrew tradition a child of 12 must pass through b’nei mitzvah to be seen as coming of age.  In Hispanic culture a girl enjoys the Quinceanera party on her 13th birthday as her rite of adulthood.  In Lutheran tradition the students usually complete their Catechism classes by age 14 in order to be Confirmed.  A theological student is expected to satisfactorily pass ordination testing to become an Ordained Minister.  These are really not so bad and often fulfill an important function.

However, some rites that people go through are not so pleasant nor are they always part of their own decision.  Examples include: the ancient tribal rite of sacrificing a young virgin to the “Volcano god” to avoid the god’s anger.  And our own world that honors abortion as a way to ensure the presumed physical and mental health of the mother.  Abortion has become a rite in itself of appeasing evil over good.  Honoring death over life and the Giver of life, the Almighty Creator God.  

Political ads often show a mother convinced that a continued pregnancy would have ruined or even ended her life.  But an abortion” saved her.”  The facts are that the ratio of deaths during pregnancy are 17.4 per 100,000 worldwide.  That is a 0.0174 percent, extremely small, and for many of those both the baby and mother could have saved with proper medical care.

On the reverse side, statistics show that, “… about 42 million women with unintended pregnancies choose abortion, and nearly half of these procedures, 20 million, are “unsafe” for the life and health of the mother (3% in Western nations).  Some 68,000 women die of these “unsafe” abortions annually, making it one of the leading causes of maternal mortality (13%).  Of the women who survive “unsafe” abortions, 5 million will suffer long-term complications.  And we must ask, what about the millions of aborted babies that have met with “long-term complications” called death?  The comparisons made are: 13% of maternal mortality is due to abortion; 0.0174% of mothers die during pregnancy; basically 100% of babies die from abortion.

In all of this our media and far too many politicians portray abortion as the giver of life to the mother, the source of health, and the essence of joy and relief in one’s life.  

Christians, it is time we step forward and honor our God and His sacrifice, Jesus Christ, who gives life to all who will receive.  No longer shall we stand back and ignore, sit quietly and pretend, or smile when one states that she is going to get an abortion.  Do whatever you can to lead her and all others to life.

“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life, so that you and your children may live, and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him.  For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 30:19–20).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Iron Sharpens Iron

What is a Christian friendship and why do we need it?  If “iron sharpens iron,” then the proverb (Proverbs 27:17) indicates that it takes another fellow Christian to be the best of ourselves.  How, then, do we find and nurture these relationships in a world where, often, the closest we get to someone is a text, Instagram message or fist bump at the door of the church?

I Thessalonians 2:8 relates how the early church “cared for you … because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”  This indicates that there were true caring relationships among the fellowship. Intimate with the intricacies of their lives.  It wasn’t a simple “Hi, how are you?” entering the church on Sunday morning.  They knew each other.  They knew their hardships and their trials.  Iron against iron.  How much closer can two people be than the sliding of steel against steel?

In an article sharing data from Growing Together (a Barna report), it says that 56% of Christians feel their spiritual life is entirely private.  Yet, four out of five agree that friends should challenge each other to grow in healthy ways.  Boomers are the most likely to believe their spiritual life should be private (63%), while Gen Z are the least likely to believe their spiritual life is private (46%).

A private spiritual life goes completely against Jesus’ exhortation to “make disciples.” This results in many “blades” being dull from lack of use.  There is no growth when our faith is silent.

God favors friendships.  David and Jonathon, Naomi and Ruth, Paul and Barnabas, and Jesus with His disciples.  He knew we needed each other when He created us.  The purpose of friendships in the faith are to exhort, encourage, pray, admonish and, share God’s Word together.  Those are the acts of sharpening.  Galatians 6:2 tells us to carry each other’s burdens.  James 2:8 exhorts us to love one another.  Matthew 18:20 reminds us that “where two or more are gathered, there I am [Christ Jesus] with them.”

Many say, “I have 1,500 friends on my Facebook page.”  Others may boast the number of Instagram followers.  Yet, if faced with the question of the number of true Christian friendships, the results will be minimal for most.  The “hello and goodbye” at the door of the church is not iron against iron.  No one is sharpened by the nod and fist bump greeting.  No one is ever truly admonished with the sad face emoji, nor heralded with a happy face.  Christianity demands intimacy and intimacy is rare, even within families.

Encourage one another.  As steel scrapes steel the rust is diminished and the shine is revealed.  Working in tandem to admonish the rust and draw closer spiritually.  Sliding into one another’s life challenges and finding answers together with the Word and prayer.  

The battle for The Kingdom is in peril if too few swords are sharp and ready.  The battle is won together.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

There is Only One God

Some have pointed to a quotation from Mohandas Gandhi to declare that “Religions are different roads converging to the same point.  What does it matter that we take different road, so long as we reach the same goal.  Wherein is the cause for quarreling?”

But this view is misguided and incompatible with Christianity.  After all, there is only one means of reaching the “same point” of reunification with God— that is through the salvation offered by Jesus Christ.

Moral pluralism is incompatible with Christianity because our sense of morality is derived from the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Bible itself.  There is no room for other gods. As 1 Timothy 2:5 teaches, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”

The problems with pluralism were brought into focus with a recent Huffington Post article which, despite the publication’s pluralist bent, could not help but acknowledge the ghastly horrors that the Islamic system of “morality” has forced upon the women of Afghanistan.

The article focused on the experience of “Khadija,” a female lawyer who had practiced law under a laxer regime of Islam but now faces the loss of her bar license for the “crime” of being a woman.  As the article recounts:

“Khadija majored in Islamic law, passed the bar exam, and spent four years working as a criminal defense attorney.  However, when the Taliban came to power she was no longer allowed to work and was forced to remain at home with a backlog of cases from her clients.  The Taliban justice ministry took lawyer licensing control from Afghanistan’s independent bar association and asked lawyers to renew their licenses to work under the Taliban.  But women don’t have the right to take the bar exam or renew their licenses anymore.”

While the Taliban are known for practicing a highly radicalized form of Islam— which is not necessarily representative of every professed Muslim— this kind of insidious misogyny is embedded in Islamic tradition.  This claim is not mere conjecture, it is evident from polling conducted in several countries with large Muslim populations:

For example, 96% of Muslims in Malaysia, 94% in Afghanistan, 93% in Tunisia, and 69% in Russia completely or mostly agree that a wife must always obey her husband under all circumstances, no matter how immoral or vicious his demands.  The kind of genuine patriarchy exemplified in Afghanistan is incompatible with the teachings of which Christian men are often reminded in Ephesians 5:25-28: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.”

In this example, we can clearly see the differences between the love Christian men and women are taught to have for one another through the true God and the subjugation of women that is allowed under the false teachings of “Allah.”

There is one source of morality.  There is one God and one religion.  That is the God of the Bible and the God of Christianity.  Christians must not fall prey to the siren song of moral pluralism, lest they condone atrocities like those experienced by the women of Afghanistan and miss the solid reality of the Supreme Creator and Ruler of all.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Air Force Taken to Task for Denial of Religious Accommodations

In July, U.S. District Court Judge Matthew McFarland in Cincinnati, OH issued a preliminary injunction to prevent the Biden Administration from enforcing the COVID-19 shot mandate on some 10,000 unvaccinated Air Force service members.  McFarland’s order covered Air Force, Space Force, and Air National Guard personnel who have requested religious exemptions.  

Last week, the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Department of the Air Force’s attempt to overturn class certification and a class-wide preliminary injunction that protects the entire U.S. Air Force while the lawsuit continues against the Department of Defense COVID shot mandate.  

Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel (LC), explains the Air Force wanted to overturn McFarland’s injunction, arguing there was insufficient information for a class action. The appeals court disagreed.  “The [Sixth Circuit] upheld the injunction down below and said that the record shows what the lower court judge found – [specifically] that is there is a systematic process of denial of religious accommodations by the Department of Defense and the Air Force,” Staver says.  “Consequently, they upheld this injunction to apply to the class.”

According to Staver, the appeals court also suggested that the injunction should be focused on abolishing altogether the discriminatory policy under which all the religious accommodation requests have been denied.  “So, it’s a great victory for the men and women in the United States Air Force,” the LC founder concludes.  “It also has precedential value – and certainly persuasive value – for all the other class actions that are ongoing right now.”  

As for those other class actions against injection mandates, Staver predicts they will “continue to crumble one by one in the courts.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

New Disney Cartoon Series Domesticates Demons

Disney-owned FX is releasing a new adult cartoon series, “Little Demon”— about a woman who has a fling with satan (voiced by popular actor Danny DeVito) and bears his child.  According to the show’s description, “Thirteen years after being impregnated by satan, a reluctant mother, Laura, and her Antichrist daughter, Chrissy, attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware but are constantly thwarted by monstrous forces, including satan, who yearns for custody of his daughter’s soul.”  “Little Demon” takes it a step further with satanic symbols, witchcraft, demonic activity, nudity, and violence.  

With the animation coming soon to Disney+, Star+, and Hulu, the parents of Disney’s primary audience are not happy about this release.  One Christian parents’ activism group, One Million Moms, has garnered over 20,000 signatures petitioning Disney to cancel the series.  “We must do so because Disney is introducing viewers, including children who might stumble across this series, to a world of demons, witches, and sorcery.  Along with the demonic content of this series, the minds of younger viewers will also be inundated with secular worldviews that reflect the current culture.”

Last week, Congressman Mike Johnson (LA-R) took to Facebook to write a post that has since gone viral, reaching an audience of over six million.  “The shocking ending to the LSU opener was not the most disturbing part of the game last night.  For me, that came during a commercial break in the second quarter when the television audience was presented with the trailer for a new FX cartoon,” Johnson posted.  “I couldn’t get to the remote fast enough to shield my 11-year-old from the preview, and I wonder how many other children were exposed to it—and how many millions more will tune in to the new series, owned and marketed by Disney.  The trailer included dark images of Hell, demons, and satanic imagery, and an explanation that the main character is—the Antichrist.”  As a father of four kids, Johnson continued, “Please be careful.  Our job as parents is to guard the hearts and minds of our kids.  This culture has become alarmingly dark and desensitized, and this is not a game.  Disney and FX have decided to embrace and market what is clearly evil.  Stay far from it.”

This horror-comedy is yet another reason many parents are raising alarms about Disney. A number of recent actions by the media conglomerate have caused controversy among parents as Disney continues targeting children and families with their content.  A leaked video from an executive conference call captured responses to Florida Gov. (R) Ron DeSantis’ Parental Rights in Education Bill, with the Disney executives admitting on camera that the producers have a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” for their kids’ entertainment.

Pixar’s “Lightyear” film not only underperformed box office projections by $20 million, but outraged many parents with Pixar’s first portrayal of a kiss by a same-sex couple.  

Disney has also been one of many corporations to fund abortions for their employees, following suit with Citigroup.  With Disney’s apparent domestication of the demonic, Family Research Council’s Joseph Backholm, a fellow Christian parent, offered a Biblical worldview perspective to The Washington Stand.  He commented, “The ironic thing is, this is evidence of the spiritual war that the series is designed to make you think doesn’t exist. ... The problem conceptually with making light of serious things is that you don’t take [them] seriously.  Biblically, we know that principalities and powers and demons are real, and they are an active enemy of us and our children’s soul.  What Disney seems to be trying to do is get people to laugh at things that are very serious, and they’re trying to either make them believe they aren’t even real or not something you need to worry about.  And that’s why you turn things into comedy.”  From a father’s vantage point, he said, “It’s very important that our children [aren’t] exposed to things that have the explicit or implicit message that satan [and] demons are not things that we have to be concerned about.  They need to understand that they have a real enemy.  Christians don’t need to be afraid of that enemy, but we need to take it seriously.  The fact [is], there is a war over our souls, and that’s what this seems to be designed to minimize.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Court Sides with FCA Chapter Disbanded for Its Biblical Beliefs

Pioneer High School, located in San Jose, CA, took exception to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) requiring the club’s student leaders to sign a “sexual purity” statement as well as a “statement of faith.”  Those biblical beliefs are standard for a faith-based organization, and they did not apply to other students, but school officials ultimately ruled that the reference to homosexuality violated a nondiscrimination policy. So, the school district pulled the club in 2019 and denied recognizing the “FCA Huddle” again during the 2019-2020 school year.

Last week’s ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was 2-1.  In the ruling authored by Judge Kenneth Lee, Judge Lee and Judge Danielle Forrest said San Jose Unified School District violated the First Amendment when it revoked FCA’s status as a high school club, The Christian Post (CP) reported.  Judge Lee pointed out the high school recognizes other student clubs whose membership is based on ethnicity and gender, such as a girls-only club for seniors.  

In a statement to American Family News, FCA said it is “grateful” for the court decision that allows its “FCA Huddles” to resume serving student athletes in the San Jose school district. “With the help of our attorneys at Becket and CLS,” the statement said, “the court protected our Huddles’ equal access to campus, ensuring FCA students are treated fairly.”

According to the CP story, the FCA chapter at Pioneer High had been meeting and ministering for 20 years until social studies teacher Peter Glasser learned about the statement of faith and the “purity” statement.  Glasser, who started the high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance Club (GSAC), ran to school officials to complain about the FCA statements, calling them discriminatory.  Urged by the teacher to take action, a faculty group called the “Climate Committee” convened to discuss the FCA Huddle and its beliefs.  The committee ultimately agreed to punish FCA and yank its status.  According to a story by Pioneer High’s own student newspaper, The Pony Express, Glasser also posted the FCA statements in his social studies classroom and led class discussions about how unfair they are.  The statements remained up on the whiteboard for a week in the class where some FCA members were among Glasser’s students.

An attorney for the Center for Law and Religious Freedom, co-counsel for the FCA lawsuit, later complained to Superintendent Nancy Albarran that Glasser had “disparaged” his own students’ religious beliefs.  The attorney said the teacher had also “mischaracterized” the FCA itself, since it welcomes all students to attend meetings.  The same student newspaper story showed GSAC students protesting in a hallway during an FCA meeting in 2019.  A campus police officer is seen barring the protesters from entering.  

Glasser, who is still employed at Pioneer High, was featured in a five-minute YouTube video in which he praised the teaching profession.  He also said his goal as a teacher is to help students grow and mature, and to be comfortable being themselves.  “As a teacher,” he smilingly said, “I can’t accomplish anything unless kids can come into my classroom and feel safe.”

Reacting to the ruling, First Liberty Institute attorney Kayla Toney says the decision “certainly sets a precedent” for the public schools in nine western states covered by the 9th Circuit.  “It also sends an important message to school districts everywhere,” Toney says, “that they cannot discriminate against Christian or religious students because the First Amendment protects those students’ ability to exercise their faith.”  First Liberty, which has represented Christian students in similar lawsuits, filed a friend-of-the-court brief that supported FCA.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

We Are Told to Trust the Science … Except Biology

From kindergarten classrooms to human resources offices to elite academic institutions, pressure is growing for Americans to ignore what’s in front of them in favor of a new version of reality that is more “inclusive” and “updated.”  Public discourse now centers on debates about whether men can become pregnant and how to define a woman.  The trend is to deny scientific reality in favor of the new wave of gender ideology.

The Biden Administration has taken up the torch of this ideology by trying to redefine the word “sex” to include “gender identity” in various federal statutes, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Title IX, causing catastrophic effects for many groups, not the least of whom are medical professionals and female athletes.

Some doctors in Texas, though, are fighting the Biden Administration in court, trying to stop this reinterpretation of “sex” in the ACA that would force them to perform harmful medical procedures on patients seeking to alter their biological sex.  Because the ACA, popularly known as Obamacare, draws some of its vital language by incorporating Title IX, the law that regulates school athletics and bans discrimination “on the basis of sex,” it necessarily affects Title IX and female athletics.  That, in turn, led a group of female athletes to file a brief in support of the doctors’ case opposing the Biden Administration’s attempt to redefine sex in federal law.

Doctors and female athletes have good reason to be worried.  Reinterpreting “sex” in these federal statutes would erode the basic biology that forms the foundation for science and medicine.  For instance, forcing doctors to pretend that a patient cannot have prostate cancer because the patient identifies as a female will put health care professionals in an impossible situation.  And remember, this is not about ensuring access to particular procedures—some doctors do that willingly.  This is about the Biden Administration’s forcing doctors to get in line with an extreme political agenda, even if it means violating their conscience and forsaking their medical judgment.  And, as many now know, gender ideology also is changing the landscape of women’s sports.

In 1972, Congress created Title IX to provide equal opportunities for women in education.  Title IX then paved the way for women to have their own sports teams, and the next 50 years led to generations of women holding their own in sports competition.  

College athlete Maddie Dichiara is one such woman who has benefited from Title IX. She has joined the growing chorus of female athletes who are concerned that the Biden Administration is threatening the very existence of women’s sports.  Dichiara plays soccer for the University of Houston on a full scholarship.  But the recent shift to include gender identity in the definition of “sex” already has begun to threaten the benefits that Maddie and thousands of other women enjoy.  

The devastating consequence of allowing men to compete in women’s sports was probably most strikingly visible when University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas handily won the women’s 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division I Championships. Thomas, who used to swim for a male team, beat two former Olympians in the same race.  Some observers said Thomas hardly tried.  But the women in the pool knew they were racing for second place.  

Chelsea Mitchell, a Connecticut high school track standout, faced a similar situation when she was forced to compete against two males.  Mitchell was one of the fastest women in the state and secured eight state championships.  She would have won 12, if not for the males who breezed by her to come in first place.  

It’s personal for Mitchell and Dichiara, who both joined the legal effort to support the doctors’ case in Texas.  Allowing males to compete in women’s sports strips women of the opportunity to be champions.  This harmful gender narrative doesn’t affect only doctors and athletes, though.  It endangers private female spaces.

Once New Jersey agreed to house inmates according to how they identify, a male who identified as female impregnated two female inmates.  Or take homeless shelters that house women who have escaped from sex trafficking or have been abused by men. Redefining “sex” and allowing men to access a delicate, women’s-only space can endanger women mentally and physically.  That threat almost materialized in Anchorage, Alaska, but for legal action by Alliance Defending Freedom.  

Until a few years ago, everyone could agree on at least a few basic truths.  Now, Americans are being told to ignore reality and the basic biological differences between males and females.  The Biden Administration’s radical gender ideology agenda will endanger medical professionals, destroy women’s opportunities, and silence opposing viewpoints.  Thankfully, female athletes such as Maddie Dichiara and Chelsea Mitchell are taking the lead to return us to the reality that this administration won’t acknowledge.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Power of "I Am"

Jesus asked His followers: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).

If you were to ask someone that question, what would their response be?  Would they describe your physical attributes, such as being short or tall, or having brown hair or blonde hair?  Would they describe your character, such as being kind or rude, stubborn or easy-going, joyful or cynical?  Or would you be described by your political perspective, whether Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal?

Today we are inundated with an “identity agenda” that defines us by our political beliefs, sexual orientation, education, job, or even favorite sports team.  This viewpoint affects both the culture and its politics.

So how should we as Christians respond to the identity mentality that now dominates our culture?  The answer begins with “I am.”

Isn’t it interesting that today whenever we describe ourselves, we almost always begin with “I am” and then continue with whatever narrative?  Significantly, when Moses asked God how to answer the Israelites’ question of who sent him— what was the authority and motivation behind his actions— the Lord answered him, “I Am” (Exodus 3:14).

As humans created in the image of God, our identity flows out of His identity— not out of our race, gender, political affiliation, or any other such superficial characteristic.  Without God, our identity and how we describe ourselves will always be incomplete and insufficient.

As people turn away from God as the foundation of their identity, any level of disagreement is now perceived as a personal attack.  Politics was never intended to be personal— because it was never intended for us to identify more with a political party than with our Creator.  Gender was never meant to be a defining question because we were never meant to identify more with our sexual orientation than with a loving, sovereign Father.

The identity agenda feeds the lie that the government needs to think and act on behalf of some particular group.  It feeds the lie that you can empower women while demeaning the unique roles that only women can play— such as wife and mother.  It feeds the lie that only certain lives matter.  It feeds the lie of tolerance, while holding that traditional moral and ideological differences are intolerable and must be silenced.

Imagine if everyone, starting with Christians, valued others regardless of their beliefs, lifestyles, jobs, or favorite sports teams.  Imagine if we removed the labels and name-calling from conversations.  Imagine if lies were combatted with truth.  Imagine a country where the majority of people rested in and identified with their Creator and His Kingdom rather than with politics and worldly entities.  Imagine the good that could come out of such a place!  Let us therefore:

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around our waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place” (Ephesians 6:14).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel 

Jesus Wept and so Should We

When Jesus arrived on the scene after Lazarus died (a close personal friend), He was met by mourning family and friends.  Feeling their deep grief, Jesus “groaned in the spirit, and was troubled” (John 11:33).  He then went to Lazarus’ burial place and, in the shortest verse of the Bible, we see that “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).

Jesus’ tears had an enormous effect on those gathered around Lazarus’ tomb.  The people looked at Him and were astonished: “Behold how He loved him!” (John 11:36).  Jesus’s tearful reaction served as a testimony to the love He had for His friend.  By this example, Christ showed us an appropriate response to the loss of a loved one.

In today’s secular culture, however, people are starting to think that mourning and funerals are out of touch— who wants to spend a day crying?  A recent editorial described the shift from funerals to what could be called “death parties”:

“An increasingly secular, nomadic, and casual America is shredding the rules about how to commemorate death … end-of-life ceremonies are being personalized: golf-course cocktail send-offs, backyard potluck memorials, more Sinatra and Clapton, less “Ave Maria,” more Hawaiian shirts, fewer dark suits. Families want to put the ‘fun’ in funerals.”

More and more in America are shifting away from funerals and instead are throwing a party in an attempt to drown out their grief.  But is this really the best way to deal with the passing of a loved one?  If Jesus wept, shouldn’t we?

Alfred Tennyson, one of the most famous English poets, had a revelation while mourning the sudden and unexpected death of his best friend.  Through much prayer and reflection, Tennyson realized: “Let love clasp grief, lest both be drowned.”

Tennyson echoes what Jesus said during the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

The Bible further tells us that there are times and seasons when it is good and healthy to mourn— just like there are times where it is good to rejoice: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven … A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4).

If Jesus wept at the death of a loved one, so can we.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Do We Depend on God or the State?

Things which are provided for us from outside sources should always be blessings to us.  

In Jeremiah 7:13 God promises us, “He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers.  He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land – your grain, new wine, and oil – the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that He swore to your forefathers to give you.”  These promises to provide only bring blessing.  

Scripture supports the opening words of the age-old hymn, ‘The Doxology’— “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.”  A hymn written in 1674 by Thomas Ken (inspired by Louis Bourgeois, 1551)— What God provides is always a blessing to us and evokes us to praise Him (Psalm 47:6).

Is this concept also true regarding what government provides to us?  The answer in your mind most likely will be “Yes and No.”  Truly, our governments do provide needed things such as defense, roadways, and some regulations and laws that we have difficulty providing for ourselves.  But are they capable of meeting this standard of blessing every time?  Absolutely not!  Only God can meet that standard.  Yet, government is obviously needed in certain areas to assist us (assist, not rule over us).

Governments tend to detest limits and often get confused as to what provisions and policies are really blessings to all.  When they are not, they result in chaos and confusion; bickering and fighting; anger and violence.  “Who is being blessed?” and “Who is being cursed?”

When we follow God’s standards (Ten Commandments as example, Deuteronomy 5:1-22), we find ourselves as between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal (Joshua 8:28-29).  On the one hand are blessings and on the other are curses.  No confusion there.  Agree with God = blessings; disagree = curses.  Governments, all too often, attempt to stand on both sides at once, declaring that it is all the same.  It does not work.  For proof, just look at the current condition our nation is in.  There is confusion and chaos at every level: gender identity, rights (including life itself), education, marriage, insurance … we can go on and on.

The point is that we, as Christians, depend on God for our provisions, not government. Seek to limit government to only that which assists toward blessings to all (following God’s directives).  Limit government’s reach after that.

When God is limited, government grows and entangles.  When government is limited, God is allowed to increase His blessings to us.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Volunteer FD Chaplain Fired

Dr. Andrew Fox served as the lead chaplain for the fire department in a voluntary capacity for eight years.  But after sharing his religious views on his personal blog, on his own time, city officials demanded that he recant and apologize for the harm his comments had allegedly caused.  He did apologize, explaining his intent was not to offend but to foster discussion.  But city officials found his apology insufficient – so in December 2021, he was dismissed from the department.

Attorney Kelly Howard of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is representing Dr. Fox, an ordained minister in the Assemblies of God.  “He would share religious thoughts, theology, philosophy; and last summer, he was writing about men participating in women’s sports, which was not taken too well by some anonymous members of the fire department,” she tells American Family News (AFN).  “After a few months, he ended up being fired … for speaking freely on his blog.”

Fox v City of Austin has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.  The filing points out that during his tenure with the fire department, Fox was never accused of discriminating against anyone or treating anyone improperly.  In fact, the city lauded him for his integrity and service.  None of that mattered to city officials, however, according to ADF.  “This wasn’t even related to his duties at the fire department,” ADF Attorney Howard adds.  “That [he was fired] should concern anyone who perhaps has a blog of their own or maybe they write a letter of opinion to the local newspaper … Even if you don’t agree with Dr. Fox’s views, [this is something that] should definitely be concerning.”

The complaint filed by ADF requests that Fox be reinstated to his former position as lead chaplain; that the city cease enforcing policies that punish individuals for expressing constitutionally protected messages about gender-identity and women’s sports; that the city declare it violated Dr. Fox’s rights; and he be awarded compensatory damages caused by the city’s actions, as well as attorneys’ fees.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel