Stopping Illegal Immigration Is a Pro-Life Issue

In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul exhorts: “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.  Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves” (Romans 13:1-2 NASB).

The majority of Christians understand that following all laws that do not expressly violate God’s laws—including immigration law—is a God-given duty.  This is especially true when there are legal avenues of applying for asylum—particularly for those facing religious persecution (Acts 5:29).  Hence, illegal immigration wrongly “resists authority” (Romans 13:2).

Laws are to be uniform and applied equally to all.  To choose to uphold some laws but ignore others (such as border laws) sends the message that laws do not apply to everyone.  As Samuel Adams affirmed: “There shall be one rule of justice for rich and poor—for the favorite in [the royal] court and the countryman at the plow.”

America is in danger of going the way of so many nations before it that brought confusion on themselves by enforcing certain values and laws while ignoring others merely for political expediency.  Yet what is now going on in America is not a new or unique problem.  Long ago, C.S. Lewis acknowledged: “Such lopsided ethical developments are not uncommon, and other ages too have had their pet virtues and curious insensibilities.”

Today, far too many are using their “pet virtues and curious insensibilities” as the basis for which laws should be obeyed or ignored.  This leads to illogical and inconsistent policies.

For example, it is ironic that many who are decrying the alleged mistreatment of migrants at the US border are ignoring the significant fact that 70% of the migrants who arrive here became victims of violence during the caravan to reach the border.  In fact, 1 in 3 women have been sexually assaulted by other migrants traveling with them.

Open borders draw far too many with the wrong type of character; open borders are a magnet for those who exploit women and others.

Nearly 20,000 slaves are trafficked into America every year, of whom about 80% are forced into sex slavery.  The silence from the #MeToo movement about this danger lurking at the border is deafening.

Stopping illegal immigration is a pro-life issue.  Until borders are controlled and criminal cartels held accountable, women and children will continue to be victimized on the altar of “humanitarianism.”  The violence they allegedly flee may pale in comparison to the horrors they actually experience in their journey to the land of the free, and then the abuse they experience after they arrive here.

As Christians, we must not sit idly by as others weaponize out-of-context “Christian compassion” for their own political gains.  The Bible is clear: “Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities—to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed” (Titus 3:1 NASB).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Maintaining Integrity When Business Meets Politics

Christians are told in 1 Corinthians 1:8 that God will “keep [us] firm to the end, so that [we] will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  This verse points us to the role that God plays in transforming our lives as well as our hearts.

When one declares themselves to be a Christian, they become part of a great family of believers who are being sanctified by God’s grace.

While Christians are called to grow in the wisdom of the Spirit, we are not able to do so without being wary of the allure of the world’s promises.  These promises often come as lies from the Devil; as we know from 2 Corinthians 11:14, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”

American culture often endorses worldly cunning while despising heavenly wisdom.  This reality is illustrated by the scheming endorsed by the so-called “hustle culture,” a phenomenon in which people are encouraged to give their work their absolute best and sell themselves at every opportunity.  Phrases like “be your own brand” and “networking” float around self-help manuals like a swarm of money-hungry vampire bats.

Though these movements appear to be falling out of favor with the mainstream media, they are still very much alive in corporate America.  Always looking for an “angle” is a way of life for many American businessmen.  As a result, it often creates a competitive and contentious environment.

This phenomenon presents unique challenges for Christian organizations because they often become representatives for Christianity, and how they respond to the un-Christ-like temptations of this business environment affects how the general public sees Christianity.

Consider the example of the Babylon Bee, a satirical Christian news site.  The Bee holds itself out as a Christian organization, which lends it a kind of credibility with the religious right and also makes it a Christian representative to the general public.

Despite doing everything by the book, the Babylon Bee still found itself at the center of a spat last spring between the respective Presidential campaigns of Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump, who got into a public argument on social media platforms regarding their relationships with Babylon Bee.  As one left-leaning article on the public political battle put it:

“In February, the relationship between Trumpworld and the Bee soured when…Laura Loomer noticed a $21,500 payment from the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC to the Bee made during the governor’s race and tweeted that Seth Dillon — owner of The Babylon Bee — had claimed to her that the money was for ‘joke/speechwriting.’ ”

Some members of the political right interpreted this as an attempt by DeSantis to use the Babylon Bee’s witty writers to combat former President Trump’s bombastic speaking style.

The satirical website survived this spat, as well as other instances of negative publicity because their leadership has refused to cave to the temptations of the hustle culture behind secular business and politics.  They have taken seriously their role as agents of the Lord’s Kingdom and maintained their integrity as the salt and light of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16).

By opening ourselves up to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, Christian businesses are enabled to walk through the temptations of American hustle culture and fulfill the command of 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do [including satire], do it all for the glory of God.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Woke or Awake?

“Woke,” according to the Oxford Language Dictionary, means, “…a political term [and] refers to a perceived awareness of issues that concern social justice and racial justice.”  This doesn’t sound so bad on the surface.  Using the word “justice” coupled with the terms social and racial, we get a positive leaning in our minds.  However, did you notice the word “perceived?”  This word throws the statement into a different light.  Concepts hidden in darkness change their shape and colors (meanings) when seen in the real light – the light of God’s Word, the light of Christ.  Social justice and racial justice are terms that are too often used to hide actual meaning in the shadows of darkness, their definitions obscured from reality.  In these types of false understandings, there is some truth folded into the mix of definitions.  Enough truth to pique one’s interest, enough false to be turned away from God.

It is easy to see how confusing it can get to separate the truth from the lies, good from evil. We should not just “throw the baby out with the bathwater,” but, it would certainly be better for the baby to have clean water for the next bath.  The “woke” way of thinking only muddies the water further, rather than clearing anything up.

As Christians, we are “called out of darkness into His wonderful light” (I Peter 2:9). Further, we are to be lamps of God’s light to shine in this dark world (Psalm 18:28; 112:4).  God has chosen us to declare His truth and shine His light, enabling others to see clearly.  Avoid being entangled in the murky philosophies of this world where evil is called good and good is called evil (Isaiah 5:20; Romans 1:24-25).  Work hard to separate the truth from the errors to guide others into God’s way.  Do not settle for being “woke” and receiving the world’s praise.  “Wake up and shout for joy” (Isaiah 26:19).

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you.  Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Isaiah 60:1-3).

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Stop hiding this light under a bushel, rather bring it out and let it shine!

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Childish Adults or Adult Children of God?

Some time ago, in a study presented in the Norwegian journal Science, researchers found that there are some commonalities between 10-year-olds and adults who expect government entitlements to supply their needs.  The differences between these groups and other groups lie in their views regarding equal and unequal rewards received by people.  On the one hand, 10-year-olds tend to believe that everyone should receive equal rewards regardless of achievements.  This seems to be much like the “participation ribbon or trophy” where there are no real winners and losers.  On the other hand, adults who were generally politically conservative believed that people deserved unequal rewards based on their individual and unequal achievements.

In this study, they found that the, “…meritocratic views (get what you earn) increases as the cognitive abilities of the children mature.  In other words: kids outgrow socialism.”  Also quoted in this article are the findings of the University of Virginia’s moral psychologist, Jonathan Haidt. Haidt finds that “liberals focus on one kind of fairness, where everyone’s needs are met to some degree.  Conservatives…see fairness when people are rewarded for their efforts…”

This exemplifies the need to mature as whole individuals.  We all have the need to be changing, growing, and reaching maturity in all aspects of life.  This includes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual growth.  If any of these are allowed to become stagnant, then imbalances occur.  In the example above, when young people are not taught to push past the thoughts and understanding of children, then the foundation is set for expecting entitlements. Conversely, when we train our children to mature in their thinking and emotions, then strong principles of morality and more conservative thought form their foundations.

In God’s Word, we see many examples of the need for growing and maturing (Zechariah, Luke 1:80; Jesus, Luke 2:52; 2 Peter 3:18; Colossians 1:10).  We are not expected to remain stuck in our childish ways, but rather, to grow, mature and understand God’s ways.  We are admonished in 2 Timothy 2:15 to, “Study to present yourself to God as one approved…” (see also: 2 Peter 3:18 and 1 Thessalonians 2:4-5).

Therefore, as Christians, we are to make concerted efforts to train those that God has given to us for instruction.  We cannot simply “hope for the best,” but work diligently to teach our families and congregations to study and understand what God’s ways are.  Ask the appropriate questions for our churches and families to discover whether we are accomplishing this.  Family devotions that train, ministries of study and training in our churches, including Sunday school, youth ministry, and Bible studies that teach the deep truths of doctrine and Christian life are crucial to move our children and others along to Christian maturity.  Then we are prepared to be positive influences in our culture as well.

Set a goal for yourself, your family, and your church to be able to say along with the Apostle Paul, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man (adult), I put childish ways behind me” (1 Corinthians 13:11).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Balance of Truth and Grace

We naturally want the liar to be brought down so that truth wins the day.  In fact, sin does bring with it certain consequences (I John 1:5-7).  But as Christians, we need to be careful not to get overly focused on the persons involved, rather than God’s glory when truth eventually prevails.

Recently, James Dobson had some strong commentary on the direction America has taken under the current administration.  He warned that “…the agenda pursued by President Biden and his Democratic Party could finish off America.”  Biden’s rhetoric includes false claims of success and false blame for politics of division.  Dobson went on to say that, “…it seems he (Biden) is willing to say anything to cram his radically left agenda down the throats of all Americans.”  Dobson then asks the question, “Are we (Christians) finally ready to stand up and let our voices be heard before it is forever too late?”

When we read Dobson’s words, it is easy to get our ire up and call for justice and a turnaround.  Well, we should be disgusted, we should stand up, and we should make our voices heard.  Be strong and courageous!  (Joshua 1:6).  But while doing this we should remember the balance God requires, which is found in Joshua 22:5, “…to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to obey His commands…”

So, let us pray to love, walk, and obey as our Lord God directs us in how to stand up and make our voices heard.  Take to heart the instructions of the Apostle Paul as he writes to the Colossian church:

• ·      Colossians 4:2— Pray, not to expose the sinner, but to shine the light and to display the truth in everything.  When a school wins a championship, its trophy case is not filled with all that the other teams did wrong.  It is focused on the successes of their own team and players.  It is the same with sin, as the truth is revealed, the facade of sin falls away.
• ·    Colossians 4:3— Keep the real message central.  The message/mystery of Christ and His Gospel will reign supreme.  Do not get side-tracked, bring it back to Christ and give God the glory.
• ·    Colossians 4:4— Speak clearly.  Do not beat around the bush.  Be sure your words are lovingly forthright.  In other words, do not confuse or hide the message.
• ·    Colossians 4:5-6— Use wisdom, make the most of every opportunity.  Be full of grace, seasoned with salt in your reply and instruction.
• ·    Colossians 4:10-11— Follow the three men mentioned here.  They were “paregoric”, like a soothing medicine of truth to bring healing.  Like many things, history is what it is.  It should remain real, and true.  Of course, accepting it in this way and learning from it requires grace – God’s grace.  Attempting to change history, or “fix” it, eliminates the need for God and His grace in the minds of some.

Let us never abandon our need of God’s grace in our dealing with history, the present day, or in the future.  As we pray, walk, and obey, may it always be in God’s way.  As the Apostle Paul said, “Grace be with you” (Colossians 4:18).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

A Christian Condemnation of the Victimhood Culture

God did not call Christians to be weak.  Male or female, we were called to “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9).  We were called to be willing to go happily to our deaths as martyrs like the Apostles.

There are some behaviors that are so petty that ink should never have been spilled to justify them.  One clear example of this phenomenon is the publication of an article by Janelle Davis of CNN which discusses the trials and tribulations of using the term “ma’am” to address women.  As the article states:

“Historically, female youth is connected to all kinds of privileged social attributes – beauty, fertility, and marriageability.  If these attributes represent a subjective peak of femininity, the less young a woman is, the less compelling her social standing.  When a woman is called ‘ma’am,’ even by a well-meaning stranger, it can send a specific and unwanted social message.”

While all of this may be true by degrees, it certainly does not paint the full picture.  The mistake in Davis’ article is not that it mentions this as a fact but that it takes pains to validate and justify women who take offense at the use of the term.

To be fair, Davis is not holding herself out as a representative of Christians.  However, she is representative of a widespread attitude being spread across America that views taking personal offense as the same as being attacked.

When are we as a culture going to be comfortable saying, “No, you don’t have a right to be offended?”

Christians have a tendency to be nice, but this cultural trajectory is unsustainable.  This is not about the over-used saying, “speaking the truth in love,” this is about the fact that we are not taught by the Bible to adopt an attitude of victimhood.

Researchers have found that harmful attitudes toward victimhood usually appear in instances where a person shows signs of (a) constantly seeking recognition for one’s victimhood, (b) moral elitism, (c) lack of empathy for the pain and suffering of others, and (d) frequently ruminating about past victimization.

Unfortunately, the tone of articles like the one written by Davis applauds those who want to be seen as victimized by the word ‘ma’am.’  They portray the person claiming victimhood as morally superior, assign bad intentions to the people using the word ‘ma’am,’ and encourage other women to feel victimized by the word.

Victimhood is not a philosophy for life, nor is it compatible with a Christian sense of our higher purpose on this planet.  We are not here to serve our own comforts but to honor God’s plan for our lives, no matter where that takes us.

This life is not what matters; our discomfort and unhappiness are fleeting.  What matters most is fixing our eyes on God.  This is not only good advice for Christians but for the whole of humanity.  As Matthew 10:28 reminds us, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”

Whatever minor offenses we experience, we must always remember to put it into the perspective of the Kingdom— and to be strong and courageous in the name of God.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Fear Not

Luke 2:10 is one of the most quoted Bible verses, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings and great joy, which shall be to all people.”  We know the verse and we have quoted it, but do we listen to it and obey it?

Fear is one of the seven universal emotions experienced by everyone around the world. Fear arises with the threat of harm— either physical, emotional, or psychological, real or imagined.  We are afraid of darkness, heights, spiders, social situations, and dying.  Today, we may fear the return of COVID.

Fear can be a good thing.  Fear keeps us from putting ourselves in danger.  Fear encourages us to resolve problems so that we are in less danger.  Fear encourages us to grow in areas.

When the angel appeared with the message of “fear not” many of us will believe it to be “don’t fear the angel and the host of angels.”  Understandably, the heavenly spectacle would have caused fear in those who were present, but was there more to the message?

The angel’s command of “fear not” was not new.  There are between 365 and 500 “fear nots” or “do not be afraid” in the scriptures.  Jesus often said, “do not be afraid.”  When he walked on the water to the disciples Jesus said “Take courage, it is I.  Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27).  The book of Luke has many accounts of Jesus’ encouraging words to not be afraid.  Fitting, then, is the return of an angel proclamation in Matthew 28, “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.’”

How, then, do we react to this command to not fear?  People respond in various ways to fear. Some dispel fear with knowledge, while others with avoidance.  Fear, in part, is a lack of faith. From trusting a chair to hold your weight to trusting the airplane mechanic, there is a measure of faith involved.  

When the Bible is so prolific with the message of not fearing, why do we spend energy on unqualified fear?  Are we leaning on our own understanding of things that cannot be understood?  Are we avoiding the reality that we need God and a relationship with His Son? Can we practice releasing fear so that Jesus can shine through us to a fearful world?  

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Remember: “Fear not” is followed by “great joy.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Go Out Among the Poor

Although the comparison is overused, it is not inaccurate to compare Jesus Christ to a modern-day street preacher.  Jesus was viewed as a radical and a troublemaker by many members of the Jewish and Roman community.  It is often said that Jesus was willing to go out among the immoral (the adulteress described in John 8:1-11), to care for the poor (sell your belongings to give to the poor Mark 10:21-22), and to see the good in the outcasts (the story of the good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37).

These exhortations are often read considering America’s growing homelessness problem and the epidemic of drug addiction that has swept the nation.  However, these passages from scripture should not be read in a reductive way that is often portrayed as a means of shaming Christians who “fail” to give money to beggars on the street or support favored political causes.  The reality is that homelessness is not solved by the well-intentioned who inadvertently give cash that enables the drug-seeking behavior of those who are suffering the throes of drug addiction.

Jesus’s concern for those in need, whether spiritual, physical, or social, is far more holistic and expansive than simply following contemporary altruistic trends or political causes.  Instead, Christian love is a compassionate agape love that is placed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. 

This is a love that comes only from the mercy of the Almighty and the Holy Spirit, who grants us gifts like wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude (might), knowledge, piety (devotion that delights in the Lord), and fear of the Lord that enable us to bless the world (Isaiah 11:1-3).

If this love and these gifts are manifested in our lives, we should not turn away the cries of our fallen world.  We should not ignore those who are destitute.  We should not seal ourselves away from God’s wounded creation.

Unfortunately, sealing ourselves away is all too easy to do, especially given our tendency to avoid the distasteful and the unpleasant.  As one recent Atlantic author highlighted:

“Across the country…[people who] decry the U.S. Supreme Court for ending affirmative action, sleep every night in exclusive suburbs that socially engineer economic (and thereby racial) segregation by government edict.  The huge inequalities between upscale municipalities and their poorer neighbors didn’t just happen; they are, in large measure, the product of laws that are hard to square with the inclusive In This House, We Believe signs on lawns in many highly educated, deep-blue suburbs.”

One could easily take this article to decry liberal hypocrisy for simultaneously supporting regulations that create segregated communities and claiming to champion the oppressed. However, this is not about liberal or conservative; this research serves as a metaphor for our broader tendency to isolate ourselves from those we deem “impure.” No one is immune from this tendency, not even Christians.

While we are empowered to love through the Holy Spirit, each of us must still choose to act upon its whispers in our hearts.  It is for that reason that we are constantly reminded in the Lord’s Prayer that it is God’s “will be done” (Matthew 6), not our own.  We are called to freely choose to follow God’s will, whether that be in our care for the morally afflicted, the impoverished, or, yes, even the outcasts by going out among them.  While this may not take the form of giving money to those begging at the intersection, it can take the form of mentoring youth in foster care or providing physical and emotional support to unwed mothers.  While these acts may feel uncomfortable or inconvenient, they align with the calling of Christ to care for those in need.  We must have faith that we will be empowered to accomplish this calling through the Holy Spirit.

As even Jesus Himself prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42), “[Father,] yet not My will, but Your will be done.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Blessings Or Curses

Some of you may remember the TV show entitled “What’s My Line?” (1950–1967). Three contestants all feigned the identity of one person.  One was the real person and the other two were pretending.  Three celebrity judges would then question them in an attempt to discover the truth.  The contestants won if the judges could not determine the truth and the contestants received a prize (a blessing).  The judges won by figuring out who the real person was and who was lying.  Then there was no prize (a curse).  The irony of this show was that the blessing went to the contestants who successfully deceived the judges.

In everyday life, it is really the exact opposite.  We each must decide every day whether we will live according to God’s Laws, which are always based on truth, or the ways that lead to falsehoods.  Which we choose determines whether our lives will be filled with God’s blessings or not.  Therefore, seek out the truth!  As you read, hear, and study, many factors can come into play as to whether you are receiving truthful or deceptive information.  Even when someone simply leaves out some of the truth, the information might therefore intentionally mislead and really become a falsehood.

Take as an example the struggle in Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) service.  Governor Katie Hobbs recently released a “report” that conveniently supports her argument against educational choice and in favor of a public-school-only option.  In this article, Heritage Foundation’s Matthew Ladner takes her arguments apart, piece by piece, utilizing the truth in whole rather than in part.  In another example, tennis great Martina Navratilova was embroiled in a spirited debate over the language used to describe transgender individuals.  Her opponent was trans-identifying activist India Willoughby who was complaining that Navratilova was using hurtful language by using the term, “trans-identifying male.”  Navratilova, however, stood her ground, stating unequivocally that Willoughby was never and would never be a female.  One is speaking from the point of view of truth, the other from falsehood – for they cannot both be correct.

When considering these types of issues, be sure that you are studying with due diligence to sort out the truth from lies.  Think deeply, consider the whole counsel of God’s Word, and do your best to understand both sides before sharing with others.  With modern-day technology and Artificial Intelligence, it is becoming easier to take the truth and nullify it. In a recent advertisement for the Porsche 911 being filmed in Lisbon, Portugal, the Porsche is shown near the 25th Abril Bridge ... And, to the shock of millions, the company digitally erased a famous, Christian landmark— a statue of Christ.  Why not ask, Why?  Why not ask, Who?  It is up to you to decide what questions to ask, and which answers are true.

Remember the words of Deuteronomy 11: 26-30— “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse – the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command today by following other gods, which you have not known.  When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Anything But Marriage

If you believe in God Almighty and in the absolute truth of His Holy Word, the Bible, then you know that marriage and family are the foundations of a healthy society.  Solid families, held together by good and strong marriages are essential for good and beneficial societies.  The Biblical standard is given as one woman and one man for life. This forms the structure to build a family around.  For here the basics are laid out for blessings and consequences, order and leadership, training, and discipline.  Included, of course, is the overlaying of love as a key motive for the relationships to grow and flourish.

It should come as no surprise then that the world, under the influence of Satan, would be always working to destroy this foundational building block of a good society.  When societies begin to crumble, adherence to God’s laws begins to crumble also.  Excuses show up for not adhering to the Ten Commandments or anything else that God has established.  Whether the issue is with “obeying parents,” “misusing God’s name,” “murder,” “coveting,” or “theft,” the problem comes back to a selfish motivation of not wanting anyone telling us what to do or how to live.  The result is a society that promotes every sin as okay and with no consequences. So, the criminal serves no time in jail, a broken marriage is understood as common and often a good thing, sexual relations are promoted as healthy and affirming in any situation— in combination, and profanity is seen as a strong way of exerting influence.

Marriage is often receiving the brunt of the attacks from the Left.  They see marriage as the ultimate threat to the freedom of an individual, including children.  From their perspective, minors should not be forced into marriage, but given every freedom and opportunity to express themselves sexually.  Enter the nation of Peru and what they are dealing with at national levels.  On its official website, PROMSEX welcomed the eradication of minor marriage, describing the practice as an “extreme expression of gender inequality.”  But at the same time, they insist that these same adolescents have the right to have sexual relations, “to enjoy adequate sexual and reproductive health and, therefore, to live their sexuality in a safe and informed way, free to make the decisions they prefer.”

Of course, these also embrace the LGTBIQ+ rainbow flag, along with the variety of sexual orientations and acts that go with them— effectively pushing away all notions of a biblical perspective of marriage.  The gender feminists insist that the young have access to a wide array of contraceptives, the morning-after pill, and abortion.  They also say that young girls can even chemically or surgically “change” their sex.  That is, they can do everything except get married.

We have been given instructions on how to tell the world of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  It does not include ignoring God’s commands in our lives.  Rather, as Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Suffering Doesn’t Mean God Failed

After being tempted to forsake His purpose on earth, Jesus reminds the Devil in Matthew 4:7 of what is written in Deuteronomy 6:16, which says, “Do not put the LORD your God to the test as you did at Massah.”

While there are many lessons taught in this passage, the most important one is the need to accept God for what He is: God.  He is God who is above us and God who does not answer to the judgment of human beings.

Unfortunately, human beings are often tempted to put God up for judgment— especially when their expectations of Him are unmet.

This issue came up recently in an online forum after at least 115 people died when wildfires ripped through Maui in August of 2023.  Horrified citizens fled before the flames— with very little warning— and were forced to leave behind beloved belongings and irreplaceable memorabilia.

Those who experience or witness traumatic miscarriages, suffer agonizing diseases, or endure horrifying natural disasters like wildfires are often described as having their faith “tested” since horrors like these sometimes lead people to question their belief in God— regardless of whether they have been personally affected.

These people have an expectation that God should not allow such things to happen. This is especially true of natural disasters like wildfires since they occur on a magnitude so far beyond human control.  If one peruses the internet, one will see several posts on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit in which self-proclaimed atheists decry God because they’ve seen people die horribly in natural disasters like fires.

It is no secret that religiosity has been on a steep decline.  Although there is little definitive research on the issue, it’s clear that one of the main reasons people leave the church is because of God and the church’s perceived failure to respond to large-scale suffering.

Many leftists who write articles on this religious decline lay the blame solely at the feet of God and the church.  Pointing to shrinking attendance numbers as if God Himself failed. However, most things in life are rarely as simple as that.

As Christians, one must acknowledge that while the church is certainly partially responsible for people’s crisis of faith, this is also, in part, a fault of the parishioners themselves because their expectations of God have become unreasonable.  We should all know from the Bible that to follow God is no guarantee that one will be protected from the horrors of a fallen world.  All but one of the apostles were martyred, and, in fact, Jesus is quoted in Matthew 10:21-23, “You will be hated by everyone because of Me.”

This is not to say that we should not respond with compassion and kindness to those who are personally mourning the loss of their loved ones and homes as a result of the Maui fires.  If at this moment these people feel angry at God, they are in good company since even King David cried out to God in anger in 2 Samuel 6:8-17.

Nonetheless, we must all remember that God is not responsible for wildfires— we are. Humanity chose the apple in Genesis 2:4-3:24, and humanity chose the Fall.  All the human judgment in the world will not change that fact, and it is proof of the very problem. By putting ourselves in the judgment seat of God, we sin even more, sinking deeper into the trap of our sinful nature.  It is this sin that leads to the broken world in which we live— a world into which death has entered.

This is why scripture is such an important part of the Christian life— because it forces believers to confront the truth of what it means to follow Christ.

It does not mean one never feels anger toward God.  But we should not walk away from God over suffering.  He never said we wouldn’t suffer.  For those who choose God, their souls are saved.  But even so, we all know that our earthly bodies will be subject to death and decay until we receive our glorified bodies at the resurrection. 

We know from scripture that God’s plan will not fail.  As we are told in Joshua 21:45, “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

School Choice: An Inalienable Right

Throughout the book of Proverbs, we are reminded of God’s view and purpose of education:

“Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,

Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

Train up a child in the way he should go,

Even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 9:9, 22:6 NASB).

For decades after our country’s founding, public education was virtually Judeo-Christian. With few exceptions, America’s earliest universities were closely associated with a faith group and were typically run by ministers from that denomination.  In fact, by 1860, 262 out of 288 college presidents were ministers of the Gospel— as were more than a third of all university faculty members.  Only seventeen colleges and universities at that time were state institutions. But even the state schools were not secular ... and others had self-declared purposes of Christian education and the inculcation of Christian character— over 90 percent conducted chapel services; at half of them, chapel attendance was compulsory; and a quarter of them even required regular church attendance in addition to chapel attendance.

But now as our country has sought to secularize education, parents are being removed from the decision process and children are being delegated to schools by zip code.  This secularization of education is, in the words of the late Billy Graham, “stumbling and floundering.”

Remembered as the “Father of Public Schools Under the Constitution,” Benjamin Rush observed:

“There is the most knowledge in those countries where there is the most Christianity … The only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government is the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by means of the Bible.”

While returning our public education to Judeo-Christian values may be a foregone conclusion, the opportunity for families to choose their own form of education is not.  

Therefore, let us “bring [children] up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4 NASB).  As God commanded through Moses:

“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NASB).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Perfection

Perfection is defined as a state or quality of being of the highest degree of skill or excellence. It demands proficiency.  Yet, few people who use the word employ it with this definition in mind.  When there is an order screamed into a drive-up box connected to the headphones of a busy teenager, her response is likely “perfect.”  What about the coffee order that makes it perfect?  Is it the skill in which it was pontificated, or the decisiveness based on bodily need? Perfect has become yet another word highly overused and with very little regard for its true meaning.

Matthew 5:48 reads, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  The word “perfect” here has also been translated as complete.  In either case, the challenge to succeed in being truly anywhere near equal to the perfection or completeness of God is daunting.  God the Father is the highest degree of excellence.  As His children, Christians strive to follow the Father, to emulate Him.  When fully grasping the enormity of that level of perfection it appears impossible.  What does it take to reach perfection?

Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time, winning 28 medals.  He holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals.  In training, he “swam 13 kilometers a day, six or seven days a week— at least 80,000 meters every week.”  Thomas Edison experimented with over 6,000 vegetables to create filament material for his light bulb. He had over 1,000 unsuccessful light bulbs before he succeeded.  Charles Babbage, a mathematical genius, in the early 1820s, conceived the Analytical Engine and wrote over 5,000 pages of intricate mathematics to construct the machine that would now be called a computer.

Countless others have spent lifetimes chasing perfection.  Perfection of art, business, music, athletics, invention, science, and so much more.  The pursuit of perfection of the Father in Heaven would be found in people such as Rev. Billy Graham.  Over 58 years of ministry, Billy Graham conducted 417 crusades in 185 countries reaching more than 210 million people for Christ.  J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was a poet, professor and who wrote The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and the Silmarillion.  Mother Teresa (1910-1997) ministered for over 45 years to the poor, sick, and orphaned in India.  The list goes on and on.

On the pursuit of man’s perfection, J.R.R. Tolkien is quoted, “We have come from God … the eternal truth that is with God.  Indeed, only by mythmaking, only by becoming ‘sub-creator’ and inventing stories, can Man aspire to the state of perfection that he knew before the Fall.”  Michael Phelps, Billy Graham, and Thomas Edison created stories. They sought perfection in themselves through hard work and perseverance and, from God.  Perfect is not the coffee order, perfect is the pursuit of God in the creation of who God has meant you to be.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel