In Plain Sight

The ongoing debate regarding the separation of religion and government has been going on for a long time.  The Constitution’s First Amendment states that there will be no designated national religion, but neither shall the government restrict religious practice. Nearly 3/4 of adults in America agree that religion should be kept separate from government policy.  All our Presidents have claimed to be Christian, as well as most members of Congress.  It is generally accepted that the morals of Christianity should guide our political decisions.

In November of 2022, a memo was sent by the Department of Human Resources for King County— where the city of Seattle is located.  The memo included “Guidelines for Holiday Decorating for King County Employees.”  The content of the memo stated, “displays of religious symbols may only be displayed in an employee’s personal workspace.  Religious symbols should not be displayed in or as a background to an employee’s virtual workspace.”  Included were the nativity scene, Mary, and Joseph, the cross, as well as Buddhist symbols and other religious symbols.  Across the nation the use of Christmas displays depicting the Nativity has been removed where they had traditionally taken a prominent place in front of Capital buildings and other government structures.  

Children’s “Christmas” pageants in public schools have been reduced to the holiday fare of Santa and Frosty the Snowman.  Public schools have also removed the freedom for students to read the Bible.  The early American public, private, and church schools used the Bible extensively in their day-to-day teaching.  The names in the Bible were used in learning the alphabet and passages were memorized.  Bible principles were taught as well as history.  The addition of the McGuffey readers in 1836 replaced some use of the Bible, but contained many Biblical references itself.

On June 17, 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that legally or officially mandated Bible reading or prayer in public schools is unconstitutional.  Many Christians argue that prohibiting prayer and reading the Bible in school infringes on their religious rights.  A 2019 survey of American teens shows that some forms of religious expression are common in public schools including prayer for sporting events and wearing jewelry and clothing with religious symbols.

Ultimately, it is impossible to stop a whispered prayer during times of fear or facing a health crisis.  This was exemplified very publicly in the news when Buffalo Bills player Demar Hamlin collapsed on the field in front of thousands on the field and millions watching on television.  His stunned team members immediately dropped to their knees, some weeping, and cried out in prayer.  Football analyst, Dan Orlovsky, stopped mid-broadcast and led viewers in prayer.

Prayer cannot and should not be stopped.  It is everywhere in plain sight.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

SCOTUS Takes Case of Christian Postal Carrier Who Lost USPS Job for Not Working Sundays

The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has agreed to take a major religious liberty case involving a United States Postal Service (USPS) carrier whose request to not participate in Sunday deliveries was denied.

Gerald Groff, a Christian, had worked as a USPS carrier since 2012, when his local post office began Sunday deliveries for Amazon in 2015.  USPS initially granted his request to not work on Sundays by transferring him to another branch.  But when that branch, too, implemented Sunday delivery, Groff was told he must work Sundays.  Facing termination for refusing to work Sundays, he resigned and sued USPS.

Last week, the SCOTUS announced it would take up the case Groff v DeJoy.  In their request to the SCOTUS, Groff's attorneys say USPS violated the text of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits religious discrimination by employers.  The law says religion includes “all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an employer demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate an employee’s or prospective employee’s religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer’s business.”

Groff is represented by First Liberty Institute, the Church State Council, the Independence Law Center and Baker Botts LLP.  “Observing the Sabbath day is critical to many faiths – a day ordained by God.  No one should be forced to violate the Sabbath to hold a job,” said Randall Wenger of the Independence Law Center.

Groff’s attorneys are asking the SCOTUS to overturn its 1977 decision Trans World Airlines, Inc. v Hardison, which narrowed the scope of Title VII.  That ruling said employers should not be required to “bear more than a de minimis cost” when accommodating religious freedom requests.

Groff lost at the district court and appeals court.  “It is unlawful for employers to discriminate against employees on the basis of religion,” said Kelly Shackelford, president and chief counsel for First Liberty.  “It’s time for the Supreme Court to reconsider a decades-old case that favors corporations and the government over the religious rights of employees.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

U.S. Military Has Lost Some of Its Bravest for Refusing the Jab

Legal successes are paving the way for defiant military service members to find protection from retaliation after refusing to get the jab when it was a Pentagon mandate.

On December 21, 2022, following a December 16 evidentiary hearing, Texas District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix granted preliminary injunctive relief to six U.S. Army soldiers and four Army West Point cadets who have all been denied their requests for religious accommodation from receiving the currently available COVID-19 vaccines.  The current injunction is preliminary in nature, explains attorney Aaron Siri, and the case must move forward to obtain a permanent injunction and declaratory relief for the soldiers.  A briefing on class certification and a class-wide injunction was completed December 28.  “We are waiting on Judge Hendrix to make his decision on both requests,” the attorney advises.

However, on January 10, 2023, shortly after the class certification and class injunction were briefed, Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Lloyd Austin officially rescinded the COVID-19 mandate for all service members to include active, guard, and reserve, Siri says.  “In that order,” he points out, “Secretary Austin stops all separations based on a service member’s request for religious, medical, and administrative accommodation, and directs removal of any adverse actions from service member records that were solely based on the denials of such requests, to include letters of reprimand.”

A few months earlier, on November 29, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the class-certification and class-wide national injunction protecting over 10,000 Air Force members from being punished and separated because of their religious convictions against taking the currently available COVID-19 vaccines.  The Court held that under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, “the Air Force wrongly relied on its ‘broadly formulated’ reasons for the vaccine mandate to deny specific exemptions to the Plaintiffs, especially since it has granted secular exemptions to their colleagues.”  The Court further held that “[t]he Plaintiffs have offered ‘significant proof’—indeed, the evidence is undisputed—that the Air Force has a ‘uniform’ practice of denying religious exemptions to anyone who wants to remain in the service.”

When asked as to how the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) affects both the Army case and an Air Force case, Siri states, “the fight in the court room is not finished, [and] we are concerned that the military will continue to discriminate against our clients in violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and the Constitution.”

A second attorney involved in the legal fight, Lt. Col. R. Davis Younts, agrees with Siri. The Air Force Reserve Judge Advocate General (JAG) and civilian attorney, warns “it is possible that the Army will continue to take every opportunity to retaliate against the unvaccinated and make continued service as difficult as possible.”  Younts emphasizes that his views do not reflect those of the DOD or the Department of the Air Force.  “Many of these service members have deeply held convictions that abortion is murder,” Siri tells American Family News, “and refuse to partake in any product involved with abortion.”

All of the current COVID-19 vaccines can be traced to aborted fetal material, or cell lines, or strains from fetal material, so many service members are refusing to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs even if they are being penalized by being blocked from official travel and from military schooling required for their careers.  The legal cases that have been fought and won so far, Siri concludes, would not be possible without the “brave men and women” in a military uniform who risked their careers for their religious beliefs.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Do it Anyway

Everywhere you look, there is hatred and evil.  Sinful lifestyles are big business in the entertainment industry.  The news is riddled with shootings and murders.  There are wars and injustice in the world.  This is not a new scenario.  From the first murder of Abel by his brother Cain, the pattern of evil has carried on.  When sin came into the world it grew into the monster it is today and continues to devour.

And evil begets evil.  After the terrorist attack of 9/11, the homicide rate grew by 20% in a year. Between 2019 and 2020 the United States homicide rate rose 30% as a terrified country muddled through the unknowns of COVID19.  Mass shootings are not only frequent, but they have become a common occurrence.  A country that once felt safe is no longer.  It seems that instead of one nation under God, there are too many that prefer to play god in a very unholy way.

In everyday life, the Christian is called to take a stand— even in the face of great evil. Without the salt and light that Christ in us provides, the dark monster will continue to grow.  Too many teachers are no longer examples to our children as many embrace the world and its values. Your next-door neighbor may boldly live a lifestyle contrary to scriptural principles and fight for his right to do so.  Good is considered evil and evil is seen as good.  It leaves the Christian asking how can I love the unlovable and not feed the monster at the same time?

Jesus walked among sinners.  He chose His battles.  The evil around Him must have broken His heart.  Yet, He loved the world so much that He gave His life for it.  If the Christian wishes to truly walk with Jesus, must he be ready to lay down his life, as well? Many in the world have done so and there may come a time in America when that reality is here as well.  Until that time, prayerfully choose your battles and love the sinner despite the sin.

It has been recorded that there were verses written on the wall in Mother Teresa’s home for children in Calcutta.  These words offer insight into how she looked the monster in the face and held her faith and her commitment to God.  Here are those words:

“People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.”

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.”

“If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.”

“If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.”

“What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.”

“If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.”

“The good you do today will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.”

“Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.”

“In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.”

Do it anyway, Christian.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Three Major Political Issues Christians Should be Following in 2023 (Part 3)

With a new year comes new hopes, new goals, and new challenges.  For Christians, despite what “new” may come our way, we can be confident that we have the exact same God sitting on the throne of the universe, in control of all things.  And included in “all things” are political things — elections, Supreme Court cases, cultural battles … you name it.  So along with settling on a Bible reading plan, making it back to the gym, and finally getting organized, this week I’ll devote my blog postings to three major political issues to put on your “to track” list for 2023.

3. The fight against transgender ideology and the war on children

Finally, Christians need to continue tracking the fight to protect children from the horrors of transgender ideology, including medical treatments/surgeries that permanently damage children’s bodies, discussion about sexual orientation and gender ideology that confuse and sexualize children, and public school curricula and programs that seek to drive a wedge between children and their parents.

Last year we saw Florida take the step to ban any conversation about sexual orientation and gender ideology in public school classrooms from kindergarten through 3rd grade. Other states will most certainly take similar actions this year.

For example, a state legislator in Texas has introduced a bill that, if passed, would prohibit public schools in Texas “from teaching gender identity and sexual orientation to students in kindergarten through eighth grade.”  The bill’s sponsor, Jared Patterson, said, “Parental rights are paramount to the safety and well-being of a child.  Therefore, I filed HB 1155 to ensure no school teaches radical gender ideology to any child from K -8th grade, and where parents must review and sign off on any health-related services.”

Beyond working in their own state to elect conservative legislators and school board members that can prevent the transgender poison from being taught in public schools, Christians should also be active in contacting their members of Congress and pushing for similar legislation at the federal level.  What’s more, Christians should pay close attention to legal efforts undertaken by “de-transitioned” youth to sue the gender clinics and doctors that provided them with “gender-affirming” care that has destroyed their bodies.

For example, the Washington Examiner reports on the case of Chloe Cole, an 18-year-old woman, who “is suing the doctors she claims coerced her into harmful gender transition procedures in the name of affirmation when she was just a child.”  If these types of lawsuits prevail, it will go a long way towards shutting down the truly barbaric gender clinics across our country, like the Boston Children’s Hospital and the Vanderbilt Medical Center’s transgender clinic that Matt Walsh’s reporting helped close for the time being.  

Concern for these issues comes directly from biblical teaching on each one.  While some issues may be complicated, these are not.  The clear commands of the Christian faith, as found in the Bible, compel us as Christians to worship God rightly (Romans 12:1-12), protect life (Genesis 9, Psalm 139), and defend the creation-order reality of men and women (Genesis 1:27-28, Matthew 19:4).

As you head into 2023, make sure to get educated and stay informed about how and where you, as a faithful follower of Christ, can play a political part in ensuring positive outcomes on preserving religious liberty, protecting unborn life, and stopping the transgender war on children.  God will be glorified and our country will be better for it.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Three Major Political Issues Christians Should be Following in 2023 (Part 2)

With a new year comes new hopes, new goals, and new challenges.  For Christians, despite what “new” may come our way, we can be confident that we have the exact same God sitting on the throne of the universe, in control of all things.  And included in “all things” are political things — elections, Supreme Court cases, cultural battles … you name it.  So along with settling on a Bible reading plan, making it back to the gym, and finally getting organized, this week I’ll devote my blog postings to three major political issues to put on your “to track” list for 2023.

2. Pro-life efforts at the state level after SCOTUS Dobbs 2022 overturned Roe v Wade

The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) Dobbs 2022 decision was an incredible, historic year for the pro-life movement at the federal level.  On June 24, the SCOTUS overturned Roe v Wade in its entirety, along with Planned Parenthood v Casey — the two legal decisions that created the nationwide abortion regime that ruled in America over the last 50 years. That centralized regime is gone.  The question of the legality of abortion has, for the time being, been returned to the states.  

Some states, like Texas, enacted bills that banned all abortions except in the case of life-threatening medical emergencies.  As a result, LifeNews.com  reported, “New data from the Texas health department shows abortions have dropped to 0 under the Texas abortion ban, saving as many as 5,700 babies from abortions.”

In states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas the state-level pro-life fight has gone well. But unfortunately, in the wake of the Dobbs decision, many other new pro-life ballot measures lost and horrific proabortion measures prevailed.

LifeNews.com has a helpful and encouraging article outlining the 29 possible states that may ban abortion by the end of 2023.  They set out three categories:

“14 States Have Abortion Bans Enforced.”

“8 States are Fighting in Court to Save Their Abortion Ban.”

“Other States with the Potential to Protect Babies from Abortions.”

Pay close attention to that last category, which includes Florida, Nebraska, North Carolina, Virginia, Alaska, Montana, and Kansas.  If you live in those states make sure to get involved. Or consider the state-level work of End Abortion Now (EAN) and Action for Life (AFL).  They are “working on bans that begin at specific points during pregnancy” and “working to abolish abortion from the moment of conception, providing preborn people with the same rights and protections as people after birth.”  Again, if you live in a red state, or one of the states listed above that has the potential to ban abortion, make sure to be aware of any ballot measures or legislation related to protecting life, call your state representatives, and get out to vote!

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Three Major Political Issues Christians Should be Following in 2023 (Part 1)

With a new year comes new hopes, new goals, and new challenges.  For Christians, despite what “new” may come our way, we can be confident that we have the exact same God sitting on the throne of the universe, in control of all things.  And included in “all things” are political things — elections, Supreme Court cases, cultural battles … you name it.  So along with settling on a Bible reading plan, making it back to the gym, and finally getting organized, this week I’ll devote my blog postings to three major political issues to put on your “to track” list for 2023:

1. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision in 303 Creative v Elenis

2. Pro-life efforts at the state level after SCOTUS Dobbs 2022 overturned Roe v Wade

3. The fight against transgender ideology and the war on children

1. SCOTUS decision in 303 Creative v Elenis

If you are a regular reader of the Freedom Center, you will be well acquainted with this case.  Christians should be tracking this because it is primarily about freedom of speech and religious liberty — two fundamental pillars of our faith and practice of Christianity here in the United States.  303 Creative v Elenis is a case about the freedom of speech of a website designer, Lorie Smith, but it is also one of the most critical cases related to religious liberty that the SCOTUS has considered for years.  

As the Freedom Center has explained, Smith, a devout Christian and the owner of 303 Creative, sued the state of Colorado over its Anti-Discrimination Act and whether or not she would be forced to create websites celebrating same-sex marriage against her religious beliefs.  She lost at both the federal district and appellate levels before the SCOTUS agreed to take up her case.  While it hasn’t been quite as high profile, 303 Creative v Elenis nearly mirrors Masterpiece Cakeshop v Colorado, in which a Christian baker refused to custom-design products that violated his religious convictions.  

Alliance Defending Freedom, a non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life, is arguing the case for 303 Creative and Lorie and, by extension, for people like you and me.  They write, “After realizing that Colorado was censoring her and after seeing Colorado use this same law to punish Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips, she challenged the law to protect her freedom and her art studio."  The SCOTUS heard oral arguments for 303 Creative in early December 2022.  By all accounts, it appears to have gone well for Smith.  The decision will most likely come down in June 2023.  

Christians should track this issue because a right ruling in 303 Creative will go a long way toward protecting and preserving our First Amendment freedoms to live as Christians in America.  It would ensure that Christian business owners and other Christians in the public square aren’t coerced to participate in speech, content creation, or ceremonies, etc., that go against our biblical beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman (for just one example).  This is, currently, the biggest SCOTUS case of 2023.  If Lorie Smith and 303 Creative prevail, Christians will have great cause for rejoicing this summer.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Why Are Believers Being Booted From the Armed Forces?

Conservative activist Gary Bauer has a theory about why leftists who now control the U.S. military want to purge Christians from the ranks.  

The new Republican-controlled House has many things on the agenda as it begins its work.  Among them is the concern of some in Congress – and evangelical Christians as well – is a campaign threatening the religious rights of those in America’s military.  For example, an amendment passed as part of the recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) putting an end to vaccine mandates in the military.  However, no provision was made to reinstate the thousands and thousands of former service members who have had their careers destroyed for refusing – because of religious concerns – to comply with the vaccine.

Gary Bauer is chairman of Campaign for Working Families.  During an appearance on American Family Radio the other week, he shared his thoughts on the matter.  “I think the reason they were kicking people out of the military over the vaccine is because they knew that most of the objectors were, in fact, Christians who had theological reasons they didn’t want to take the vaccine,” he stated.  “And I believe that politically leftist people who have been imbedded now into the Pentagon and over at the White House – and every place else in Washington – want Christians out of the military.”  

Bauer added further to his theory behind the absence of a provision for those already booted from the service for refusing the vaccine.  “I think [the leftists] feel they may have to utilize the military for controversial purposes in the years ahead – and they don’t believe that Christians might follow inappropriate orders that could be given to them,” said Bauer.

No doubt – it’s a purge Bauer isn’t alone in his speculation.  Mat Staver with Liberty Counsel pointed out in October that of the more than 3,700 Marines who had requested a religious accommodation from the shot, the Marine Corps had granted only 11 accommodations.  He is convinced the Biden Administration’s continued push for the mandate at that time had nothing to do with COVID or protecting people’s health or military readiness.  “It has everything to do with using this as a reason to purge the military of people of faith,” he told American Family News (AFN).  AFN has reported on the case of an Army chaplain who, when denied an appeal for religious accommodation, was given two options: either voluntarily submit for retirement, or voluntarily get vaccinated.  In light of the NDAA amendment, according to Chaplain Brad Lewis, the Army may have stopped “adverse actions,” such as force separations – but hasn’t said how it plans to proceed.

In another case, a medical officer in the Army – a professed Christian – submitted a detailed whistleblower declaration to the U.S. Senate after being court-martialed for refusing to participate in the vaccine, the associated testing, and masking.  1LT Mark Bashaw was subsequently ordered to turn over his computer to his command after calling attention to data showing an 1,100% increase in adverse events from viral vaccines in the U.S. military.

This is just one of many areas in which the military has gone woke.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Legalizing of “Human Composting”

New York became the sixth state to legalize “human composting,”— the practice of transforming bodies into soil.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (Democrat) signed legislation over the weekend to add “natural organic reduction” alongside cremation and burial on the list of acceptable ways to lay human remains to rest.  California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington have already legalized the practice, which proponents tout as more environmentally friendly than burial or cremation.

A Seattle funeral home that offers human composting, describes the process as the “gentle transformation of a human body into soil.”  This is done by placing bodies into stainless steel reusable vessels with wood chips, alfalfa, and straw to decompose for at least six weeks.  The remaining tooth and bone fragments are ground into smaller parts and the body is returned to family members as soil.

Needless to say, this has raised concerns amongst religious groups.

The New York State Catholic Conference condemned the new burial legislation, stating on Monday that bishops “regret” that Hochul has signed the legislation and “do not believe the process meets the standard of reverent treatment of earthly remains.” Catholic Conference Executive Director Dennis Poust said burial is preferred while cremation and burial is considered an acceptable alternative.  “Just as Church teaching prohibits the scattering or dividing of cremated remains, it would not permit the spreading of composted human remains co-mingled with other organic matter to fertilize a garden,” he wrote.

In Islam and Judaism, bodies are washed, shrouded, and buried as quickly as possible without embalming.  Grinding bones, such as in the composting and cremation processes, is forbidden by leaders in both religions.  “The idea of ‘utilizing’ a body as a growth medium is anathema to the honor due to a vessel that once held a human spirit,” Rabbi Avi Shafran, a public affairs director at America’s top Orthodox group, Agudath Israel of America, told the outlet Forward.

This is just one more example of the extent to which Democrats have no respect for life!

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Reject Gender Ideology Says Transgender Pioneer

Walt Heyer, one of the first transgender women when he transitioned four decades ago, has long since transitioned back to male.  Today he rejects the notion that there can be a transgender person, arguing a person struggling with gender dysphoria almost always an underlying issue.  “People who identify this way are struggling with either bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, body dysmorphia, depression, or some underlying comorbid issue,” Heyer said on "The New Foundation for American Greatness" (a Just the News special report sponsored by Heritage Action for America).  “Nobody’s born transgender, he continued.  “The truth is transgenders don’t exist.  There is no such thing as a transgender.”

Walt Heyer began his transition from male to female in the 1980s, when he started to go by the female name Laura Jensen.  He said that childhood trauma from his grandmother dressing him up in a purple dress when he was four and being sexually molested as a kid led to this ultimate decision.  “My grandmother was a seamstress making women’s clothing, and she was babysitting me,” Heyer recalled.  “I became very interested in what she was doing as a 4-year-old kid.  I was mesmerized by what my grandma was doing and eventually showed an interest in cross-dressing, at 4 years old.  As you know, 4-year-olds are curious about everything.”

Heyer recounted how his grandmother ended up psychologically abusing him by dressing him up in a dress she made for him.  “Grandma decided in her wisdom to make me a purple chiffon dress that perfectly matched my little body in 1944,” he continued. “She put that dress on me and started affirming me and started telling me how cute I was.  In there lies what we call an adverse childhood experience where you begin to damage a child.  This is emotional and psychological abuse.”  Although this early cross-dressing episode and his later experience as a victim of sexual abuse at age 9 led to him struggling with gender identity, it wasn’t until the early ’80s that Heyer began his transition, he says.  “I decided that I would go see a gender specialist,” he said.  “Never go to a gender specialist.  They will destroy your life. That’s their whole purpose.  It destroyed my life.  He said, ‘You have gender dysphoria, and what you need is hormones and surgery.’  That was in 1981.”  It wasn’t until he started studying psychology at the University of California Santa Cruz that he understood that nobody is born transgender and those struggling with gender dysphoria typically have underlying issues, such as depression or body dysmorphia.  Heyer went on to write “Trans Life Survivors”— a book compiling the first-person accounts of 30 people who learned the hard way that the promises of gender change are illusory.

“Nobody is altered hormonally to the point where they change genders,” said Heyer. “The only thing that hormones do is make you look feminine or, for a girl, look masculine.  So what is the real word that we should be using?  The real word is we’re feminizing boys or men, and masculinizing women.  We’re not changing anybody’s gender.  No gender in history has ever changed.”

The most important takeaway from Heyer’s own unhappy gender change experience is to understand “we have a social contagion that is indoctrinating kids in school,” he said.  

Successfully turning back the seemingly inexorable tide of gender ideology must begin with rejecting the new language the movement seeks to normalize in its bid to effect a new social reality, Heyer believes.  “We need to stop using the word gender dysphoria, stop using the word transgender, and stop saying transitioning,” he said, “because I haven’t found one person that actually has gender dysphoria.  I have found that they have generalized dysphoria ... so I think we need to own the language.  We’re using the LGBT language, and we’re hurting ourselves by using their terminology.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

God Has a Plan for You

In recent news, elite institutions like Yale Law School and Harvard Law School decided to withdraw from voluntarily reporting information to the U.S. News and World Report law school ranking system.  Allegedly, the move was intended to make it easier for these powerful law schools to admit students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Nonetheless, many commentators have pointed out that refusing to participate in voluntarily providing data for the rankings system will not actually remove these schools from the U.S. News list.  This move will only force the rankings to rely more heavily on data like reputational rankings, which are already one of the biggest components of the ranking process.  As one cynical commentator wrote:

“If Yale Law School really wanted to make a difference, it would use its gargantuan horde of financial and social capital to greatly expand the number of people it teaches while developing lower-cost models of education… [instead of] denouncing an outside interloper.”

It is infuriating that, for the legal profession, schools like Yale and Harvard have a stranglehold on opportunities for greatness.  It is certainly inequitable and feels unfair.  However, as Christians, we must not fall prey to the idea that everyone can, or even should have, the exact same outcomes in life.

In Jeremiah 1:5, we see evidence of God’s divine providence and plans for the life of each and every human being.  Here God says to the prophet Jeremiah, “Before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

The reality is that God has given certain people authority and power that He has not accorded to all others.  Even then, as the Gospel account of John illustrates, that power is not always desirable.  For instance, Jesus said to Pilate, “You would have no power over Me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:11).  It is very unlikely that Pilate took any comfort in those words.

This is not to deny the idea of free will; after all, we have plenty of biblical evidence that other prophets, like Jonah, ran away from the calling of God (Jonah 1:1-3).  Nonetheless, it does indicate that, whether or not we accept God’s plans for us, there are purposes for which each of us are created.

God did not make every person for the exact same purposes.  He did not intend for everyone to get into the best law schools or ivy league universities.  That does not make any individual any more valuable in the eyes of God than any other.  Like cogs in a finely tuned clock, each of us can play a crucial and constitutive part in God’s plan of salvation.  This fact comes into conflict with one of the great debates of contemporary America: the question of social inequity.

Before getting too excited about solving the “problem” of inequity, one should note that this idea of equity is distinct from equality.  As one article defines the distinction:

“Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.  Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.”

Although it is fairly easy to know how to give everyone the same set of opportunities in foresight, it is nearly impossible to ensure that everyone has the same outcome.  Not only is this difficult because no one can possibly know all the variables that affect outcomes, but it also actively seeks to undermine the idea that God intends for people to play different roles in His Kingdom.

While this may seem fatalistic, it is not to say that we should create a new caste system or reject all forms of ambition.  Instead, we should understand that each of us has a solemn duty to pursue God’s will for our life.  God made us all equal.  He did not intend for all of us to have “equitable” outcomes.  As we can see with the example of Yale Law School, even attempts to create this equity are often disingenuous and unlikely to succeed.

We owe one another dignity, love, and respect, not accolades or positions of honor.  As Christians, we must understand that God did not give everyone the same outcomes.  And that is okay.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel 

No, No, No. I Will NEVER Accept This as Normal

Today’s posting is completely authored by Dr. Michael Brown— host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program.  I feel this word must be spread.

By the grace of God, as long as I have breath, I will never accept as normal a sentence like this: “Back in June, a group of women complained that [Darren Agee] Merager, 53, who identifies as female, allegedly exposed her penis at the Wi Spa in Los Angeles to them.”  No, no, no.  I will never accept such semantic nonsense as normal, and neither should you.  Not in a million years.  

And if a woman, in the midst of other naked or partially naked women, “exposed herself,” there would not be an outcry from the other women, especially mothers with their daughters.  Who would even notice?  But when a man walks into a women’s spa — simply because he “identifies” as a woman, which is both a travesty and a terrible danger — and then exposes himself, that is when the outcry begins.  That outcry must never stop!

Ironically, the Daily Mail (DM) began its story on Merager with this very bold, even damning headline: “Transgender ‘pervert’ is arrested 15 months after she ‘exposed herself to women and girls at Wi Spa in LA’ triggering violent protests from Antifa goons who branded allegations a bigoted hoax.”  

So, the DM had no problem referring to Merager as a “pervert,” also describing him as a “sex pest.”  And the article notes that Merager was already a registered sex offender and even calls him a “convicted sex criminal.”  The DM further reports that, “The story was then, for months, swept under the rug by the mainstream media — with many, including the leftist radical group Antifa, defending Merager.”  Yet the DM writes, “A transgender person wanted for exposing their naked, half-erect penis to women in two separate changing room incidents in Los Angeles has been arrested after more than 15 months on the run.”  And, as quoted above, “Merager, 53, who identifies as female, allegedly exposed her penis at the Wi Spa in Los Angeles ...”

First, using trans-correct terminology, Merager is referenced with a third person plural pronoun (“their”).  Then, in an act of journalistic insanity (yet one that is in keeping with official journalism guidelines), Merager is referenced with a female pronoun (“her”).  And in both cases, the pronouns were in reference to his private parts.  

As for Merager himself, this man obviously needs to find the Lord and get his life right, all while paying the just penalty under the law.  (He was also arrested for allegedly exposing himself to women and children in a women’s locker room.)  

As for the women and/or girls who were traumatized by his actions, may they get all the help they might still need, and may Merager’s arrest help bring them some sense of closure and relief.

As for Antifa, the fact that the group defended Merager, even violently, tells you everything you need to know.  May their eyes be opened to truth and reality, and may they have the courage and the humility to acknowledge the deep error of their ways.

As for the spa (and others involved in justifying this madness), may they no longer endanger their patrons by embracing the latest wave of cultural madness.

As for the rest of us — for you and me and our families and friends and the circles that we influence — may we shout from the rooftops that we will never accept this as normal. Nor will we accept as normal 13-year-old girls getting full mastectomies simply because they are confused about their gender identity.  Or 10-year-old boys sterilizing themselves for life as they take hormone supplements to stop the onset of puberty while they figure out if they are male or female.  Or female athletes getting crushed and humiliated by boys who identify as girls and who are demolishing the hard-earned records of their female peers.  Or boys claiming to be girls so they can have access to the girls’ bathrooms at school, where they proceed to rape and attack them.

No, no, no.  I will never accept this as normal, and neither should you.  As to why I’m writing about this subject yet again (I’m sure I’ve written hundreds of related articles in the last 10 years), the answer is simple: As long as these stories come up in the news and in our schools and on our social media streams and in our places of business, I will continue to address them.  Otherwise, little by little, we will become used to all this, totally desensitized by the constant repetition.  We can never let that happen.  This is cultural madness, plain and simple, and I will not tone down my rhetoric in an effort to appear moderate and balanced.  I truly care for those who struggle with gender identity issues, especially young people.  I also know that the vast amount of confusion we’re witnessing today is the result of sociological contagion.

Let us call it out for what it is.  And let us not stop speaking up and speaking out until the tide turns and sanity prevails.  Do we really have a choice?

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Resolute for 2023

What comes to mind when you hear the word resolute?  Perhaps the infamous Resolute Desk located in the White House?  Maybe a person who is ‘dead set’ on a particular goal at work?  How about someone who is unwavering in thought, demeanor, or belief?  The word resolute can be construed as a positive or a negative word depending on a person’s view of being determined and unwavering in their stance. 

It is interesting to note that the Resolute Desk is considered to be a nineteenth century ‘partners desk.’  Simply put, this means that it is intended to be used simultaneously by two persons facing each other.  However, since being modified in 1945 to conceal President Franklin Roosevelt’s leg braces, it can no longer be used as a partners desk.

Now is our traditional time of declaring ‘New Years’ Resolutions.  As we face a new year, we tend to consider making changes in our lives and improving our personal traits in some way(s), or even starting over in a new direction.  To be resolute in these endeavors and see them through, we understand that sheer determination is often needed.  Consider partnering in this in order to be accountable to another.  It can very well become the difference – to be facing someone who is watching your every move and checking each decision you make to see if they lean toward the goal in mind.

Who might your partner(s) be in assisting you in your resolve?  Have you asked someone who is indeed unwavering and will stand fast alongside of you?  Your need, your hope, your desire may seem hopeless, but believe in God’s promises and allow His people to come alongside. Cherish their love for you and their willingness to look you in the face – even get in your face, to keep you on track.  Certainly, there will be times when you just do not want to continue.  Yet, stay steadfast, unwavering as God is with you.  Isaiah 26:3, “You (God) will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.”

Ask for a partner.  Offer to be a partner.  Be ready in all situations to give an answer for the hope in you because it is there.  It is there in the form of the Word of God, the Bible.  It is there in the presence of the Holy Spirit— the One who is your comforter, your counselor, to bring peace, hope and victory to you.  God even provides other believers to be there for you.  1 Thessalonians 2:11-12, “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His kingdom and glory.”

Be resolute!  Help another to be resolute!  Make good and godly resolutions according to God’s Word and to exemplify Jesus Himself in this world.  Do not be afraid to be determined, intent, decisive, confident, firm, resolved, adamant, purposeful, single-minded, unwavering … steadfast and resolute.  1 Peter 5:10, “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To Him be the power forever and ever.  Amen.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel