Federal Judge Clears Facebook Head of Personal Liability in 25 Social Media Addiction Cases

A federal judge has ruled Meta Platforms, Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg will not face personal liability in 25 legal complaints alleging his social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, have harmed children.

Meta is facing dozens of separate legal complaints alleging the company failed to sufficiently warn adolescent users about the potentially addictive nature of their social media platforms. Those various complaints were consolidated into a multi-district litigation (MDL) currently being handled by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Twenty-five of the complaints sought to hold Mr. Zuckerberg personally liable for the harm allegedly caused by his social media platforms, but U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued a ruling last Monday granting his motion to dismiss the cases.

Plaintiffs in the cases had argued that Mr. Zuckerberg had a specific duty to disclose to users the potentially addictive nature of his platforms due to his public stature as the head of Meta and his public statements.  The plaintiffs asserted Mr. Zuckerberg repeated partial representations of Meta’s safety practices through numerous public appearances. The plaintiffs argued Mr. Zuckerberg’s alleged failure to make more fulsome public claims about his company made him liable for fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation by omission.

But Judge Rogers said the plaintiffs could not rely on Mr. Zuckerberg’s comparative knowledge about Meta’s products to establish he personally owed such a duty to each plaintiff.  Such a ruling, she said, would create “a duty to disclose for any individual recognizable to the public.”  “The Court will not countenance such a novel approach here,” she wrote.

Judge Rogers ultimately dismissed plaintiffs’ claims of fraudulent misrepresentation by omission or nondisclosure under Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin state laws.  She further dismissed plaintiffs’ claims of negligent misrepresentation by omission that was cited under the laws of Arizona, Connecticut, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Judge Rogers’ decision clears Mr. Zuckerberg of personal liability in these cases for the time being.  In her Monday decision, the federal judge granted the plaintiffs a limited opportunity to revise their claims against the billionaire social media mogul.  “Given the insufficient briefing, the Court cannot conclude that plaintiffs’ nascent theory of corporate officer liability is fatally flawed,” Judge Rogers wrote.  The federal judge said the plaintiffs in the 25 complaints that sought to hold Mr. Zuckerberg personally liable could file one consolidated addendum revising their existing allegations and laying out any additional allegations they may try to assert against Mr. Zuckerberg in his role as Meta CEO.

While Mr. Zuckerberg is currently clear of any personal liability in the MDL lawsuit, his company remains a defendant in the ongoing litigation.  In addition to naming Meta Platform’s Inc. as a defendant, the plaintiffs’ claims also seek to hold Meta’s payment processing wing Meta Payments Inc. liable.  WhatsApp, an instant messaging and calling application owned by Meta is also listed as a separate defendant in the case.

The sprawling litigation goes beyond Meta to target other apps that are not owned by Mr. Zuckerberg.  TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance are also listed as defendants, as are Alphabet (which operates the Google search engine and YouTube), Snap Inc. (which operates Snapchat), the Discord instant messaging and call service, and the online gaming platform Roblox.

The lawsuits say the children suffered physical, mental, and emotional harm from social media use, including anxiety, depression, and even suicide.  The various complaints seek damages and a halt to harmful practices allegedly adopted by the defendant technology companies.

 

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

SCOTUS Lets Idaho Enforce its Ban on Gender Treatments for Minors

The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) last Monday permitted Idaho to enforce a statewide ban on an array of gender-related treatments for minors while litigation proceeds through the lower courts.

Idaho’s ban imposes a maximum 10-year sentence to providers of myriad gender treatments, such as hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries, Reuters reported.  State Attorney General Raúl Labrador had asked the high court to narrow an injunction from a lower court that had kept the ban blocked.

Under the Monday decision, the state may now enforcement the ban on all relevant parties save for the specific plaintiffs challenging the measure.  

Including Idaho, twenty-four states have enacted bans on gender surgeries for minors, while 23 have further barred lesser gender-related treatments such as puberty blockers and/or hormones, according to the proLGBT Movement Advancement Project.  Several such laws, including Idaho’s, remain the subject of judicial scrutiny.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Court Tells Girls Their Rights Don’t Matter

Attorneys and athletes are speaking out against last week’s federal appeals court ruling that overturned West Virginia’s ban on males participating in female sports.  The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled 2-1 that the law cannot be applied to a 13-year-old boy who has been taking puberty blocking medication and publicly identified as a girl since third grade.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is considering all legal options to protect women’s sports, including appealing this decision that attorney Rachel Rouleau says strips West Virginia of its ability to protect fairness in women’s sports.  “Women and young girls deserve to compete on a level playing field,” she insists.  “The court’s decision undermines equal opportunities and contradicts both biological reality and common sense.”  Rouleau has pointed out that Title IX was designed to provide women with fair competition, and West Virginia’s women’s sports law does the same.  “Across the country, women and girls are unjustly losing medals, podium spots, public recognition, and the opportunity to compete when males take their places,” she says.  “While everyone knows that men competing against women creates huge disadvantages and safety concerns, the 4th Circuit fell prey to activists who are pushing an ideology over what is just for women and girls.”

Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines quickly responded to the ruling by saying, “Girls don’t want this.”  In her social media post, she included images of messages from West Virginia athletes “who have had to compete against this boy.”  “History will not look kindly on the ACLU or anyone who clearly sends a message to girls that their rights don’t matter,” added Gaines.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), however, applauds the ruling, calling it “a tremendous victory for our client, transgender West Virginians, and the freedom of all youth to play as who they are.”

The lawsuit was brought by the ACLU’s West Virginia chapter and LGBTQ interest group Lambda Legal.  They sued the state and county boards of education and their superintendents in 2021 after Governor Jim Justice (R) signed HB 3293 into law.

Along with the National Association of Intercollegiate Activities, West Virginia is among the 24 states that have taken steps to save women’s sports.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

2 of 3 Kids Will No Longer Identify as Trans by Adulthood

The vast majority of children who experience gender dysphoria will embrace their biological sex by adulthood, according to a sweeping national study that monitored children for 15 years.

Roughly two out of every three children who identify as transgender will embrace their birth sex by their mid-20s, the study found.  People most likely to continue to identify as transgender have low self-esteem and other mental health challenges, researchers found.

A study of children in the Netherlands tracked 2,772 adolescents from the age of 11 to 26, asking them to rate their mental and physical health every three years for 15 years. The Youth and Adult Self-Report (YSR) asked participants to assess how much they agree with the statement, “I wish to be of the opposite sex.”  A team of researchers then pored over the data from the Tracking Adolescent’s Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) to measure “gender non-contentedness.”

The vast majority (78%) of people never felt any feelings of gender dysphoria, researchers noted.  “In early adolescence, 11% of participants reported gender non-contentedness,” wrote researchers in the study, published in February in the peer-reviewed Archives of Sexual Behavior.  “The prevalence decreased with age and was 4% at the last follow-up (around age 26)” — a desistance rate of 64%.

Researchers also found that adolescents were 950% more likely to feel better about their sex than to feel worse: 19% of participants felt decreased “gender non-contentedness,” as compared with only 2% whose feelings deepened over time.  Participants whose gender confusion worsened over the years “more often were female,” researchers noted.

Feeling more severe gender dysphoria as an adult is also “associated with a lower [overall] self-worth, more behavioral and emotional problems, and a non-heterosexual sexual” preference.

“Gender non-contentedness, while being relatively common during early adolescence, in general decreases with age and appears to be associated with a poorer self-concept and mental health throughout development,” they concluded.

Experts felt vindicated by the latest research.  “This new study simply confirms what has been known for over a decade,” Jay Richards, Ph.D., told The Washington Stand (TWS). In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) “noted that most kids who experience distress with their sexed bodies resolve those feelings after they pass through natural puberty,” Richards — who serves as director of the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family at the Heritage Foundation — told TWS.

The Dutch study acknowledges it did not break new ground.  Although few studies follow the same cohort for such a long period of time, the analysts admitted their findings fell in line with the best available literature.  “The few longitudinal studies that have been conducted in a clinical setting found low persistence rates of early childhood gender dysphoric feelings into adolescence and adulthood,” wrote the researchers, linking to studies from 2016 and 2021. The latter found, “Boys clinic-referred for gender identity concerns in childhood had a high rate of desistance.”

Yet this and other studies reveal that “minors who are put on puberty blockers for the purposes of ‘gender affirmation’ are extremely likely to go on to take cross-hormones” such as estrogen and testosterone, Richards told TWS.  Studies show up to 93% of children who begin on puberty blockers will go on to receive cross-sex hormone injections.  Experts say the transgender industry’s early medical intervention actually deepens and prolongs feelings of gender dysphoria that would otherwise go away on their own.  “This is what makes ‘gender-affirming’ (that is, sex-denying) medical interventions on minors such a medical atrocity. These interventions fast track troubled kids onto a path to sterilization and lifelong medical problems,” explained Richards.

The harm goes beyond lost fertility.  “There is no research into long-term harms, but some evidence suggests decreased IQ and brittle bones.  Permanent sterility is guaranteed for minors who go through full hormonal “transition.”  Sexual dysfunction appears to be extremely common as well,” wrote Leor Sapir, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, at The Hill.  So-called “gender-affirming hormonal treatment” (GAHT) causes “permanent physical changes including excruciating genital growth, vaginal atrophy and tearing and much higher risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease.”

The authors of the new study said they hope their findings will “help adolescents to realize that it is normal to have some doubts about one’s identity and one’s gender identity during this age period and that this is also relatively common.”  It should “provide some perspective to clinicians primarily seeing individuals with intense gender dysphoric feelings.”

This study, and others like it, prove that “children need time, not gender-‘affirming’ medical mutilation,” said Sarah Parshall Perry of the Heritage Foundation.

A growing number of young people subjected to transgender ideology at pediatric gender clinics say they wish they had known how common, and fleeting, feelings of transgenderism can be.  “Young people, particularly young women, are very susceptible to social contagion. They are the most susceptible demographic,” Prisha Mosley, a detransitioner who now works with the Independent Women’s Forum, told Laura Ingraham Thursday evening.  “And as for the 1% who continues to feel that way, they deserve ethical and data-based mental health care.”

She noted how easily she received transgender injections and procedures, as compared to treatment for her bona fide mental health issues.  “I had actually been seeking mental health care and services for trauma and other mental illnesses that were diagnosed prior to my gender dysphoria diagnosis for several years.  But as soon as I heard about gender ideology online and expressed to my doctors that I felt I was born in the wrong body, I was immediately fast-tracked,” Mosley told Ingraham on Fox News.  She said it took her “almost 10 years after getting my diagnosis for Borderline Personality Disorder to find a dialectical behavioral therapist to treat it, but it was less than two years to go from hormones to a double mastectomy and transition.”

Mosley urged parents to guard their children against the predatory transgender industry, cautioning them to be cognizant of “the way people are manipulating and breaking down language” on the issue of gender.  “And then do your best to prepare your children for that. Maybe tell them that there are tricky people out there who will twist language and manipulate them, because unfortunately, it’s true.”

“Sometimes these predators — these people — they’ll wear pins that say, ‘You’re safe with me,’ and all of that, but that can oftentimes be a signal that you’re not safe,” warned Mosley.

“This new Dutch study reminds us that children are being subjected to experimental medical interventions to treat what, in most cases, is a temporary psychological state,” Richards told TWS.  “This is a grotesque perversion of the medical maxim to ‘first, do no harm.’”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

UK Lawyers Argue Employing Christians May Lead LGBT People To Suicide

The other week, the Christian Concern community has thrown its weight behind Christian social worker Felix Ngole.

Felix is a kind, Christian man; exactly the sort of person you would want as a Mental Health Support Worker.  Touchstone Support Leeds initially recognized this, offering Felix the role.  But the charity withdrew the offer after discovering his Christian beliefs about marriage and saying Felix must promise to embrace and promote ‘homosexual rights.’

Most people would immediately see that this is barefaced discrimination.  However, the charity’s lawyers are relying on a dangerous argument that, if accepted, might not just keep Felix out of a job.  It could spell disaster for the freedoms of Biblical Christians to hold jobs.

The organization’s lawyers argue that they can’t employ someone like Felix because his views on sex and gender might ‘damage’ the mental health of people identifying as LGBTQ+.  They take their argument to the extreme when they assert that those identifying as LGBTQ+ might kill themselves if they discover Felix is a Christian.

According to the argument, called Minority Stress Theory, people who define themselves as LGBTQ+ suffer more stress, anxiety, and depression than others because they are a minority. Anyone who holds views that disagree with their identity, like the Christian view on sex and gender, is considered a ‘risk’ to their mental health and worse, may lead to their suicide.

Because of this, the organization claims that it was right to discriminate against Felix.  It claims that if a service user discovered Felix’s views – perhaps from searching the internet – it would cause them distress and possible death.

You can see how, if the claims of Minority Stress Theory are accepted, it would be a green light for all kinds of employers to discriminate against Christians because of their beliefs.

Giving evidence last week, Felix reminded the panel of the story of the Good Samaritan and that Christians are to go out of their way to care for people who may not be exactly like them.

On the other side, one of the charity’s staff members claimed that John 3:16 or expressing the belief that there are only two genders could be triggering and potentially lead to death.

This is deeply manipulative.  It’s akin to the tactic used by trans campaign groups of asking parents of a young boy “would you prefer a dead son or a living daughter?”

It’s easy to see how this logic could be used against any Christian, with perfectly ordinary (true) beliefs, who encounters vulnerable members of the public.  If this argument can be used to deny Felix a job, it will likely be wielded against all sorts of other Christians.

In truth, one of the best things that someone identifying as LGBTQ+ could receive is a Christian – whom they know doesn’t agree with their actions – showing them love and compassion.

For so long, people have been brainwashed into thinking that the only reason people oppose LGBTQ+ ideology is because they are nasty, hateful bigots.  This is a slur used against Christians and others with conservative views to force ordinary people into supporting same-sex ‘marriage’, gay pride, and transgender ideology.  If you oppose these things, you are by definition a hateful person.

But Christians often say, “love the sinner, hate the sin.”  The phrase may be overused but it captures the reality succinctly: Christians act out of love when they refuse to compromise on sexuality and gender.  They hate the sin because they love the sinner.

The world increasingly has no concept of this.  Despite Christians making this clear for decades, there is little to no understanding in the public imagination.  It is only when people see the uncompromising but compassionate witness of Christians with their neighbors, family, and friends that this barrier can be overcome.

That’s why it’s so essential for Christians like Felix to be able to take roles like the one he applied for.  Felix could have led by example, demonstrating deep compassion for everyone he came across.  And if they found out his beliefs, they might just have come to realize that they are not hated by Bible-believing Christians.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

An Honest Agnostic Makes a Conclusion About Church Attendance

Writer Derek Thompson is a self-identified agnostic.  But his most recent article in the Atlantic lays bare the problems associated with the de-churching of America.

The latest research from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that more than one-quarter of Americans now identify as “religiously unaffiliated.”  In fact, “unaffiliated” is the only “religious” group seeing growth in the U.S., according to the PRRI.  Even worse: Tens of millions of Americans have stopped attending church over the past quarter-century.

With this data in hand, Thompson sought to answer not why this phenomenon is occurring, but what its cost is.  The benefits of religion organized religion, Thompson observed, provides people with infrastructure that is critical to cultivating meaning and a flourishing life.  He wrote:

Relationship with organized religion provided many things at once: not only a connection to the divine, but also a historical narrative of identity, a set of rituals to organize the week and year, and a community of families.  PRRI found that the most important feature of religion for the dwindling number of Americans who still attend services a few times a year included “experiencing religion in a community” and “instilling values in their children.”

The de-churching phenomenon has coincided with the “historically unprecedented decline in face-to-face socializing,” Thompson observed, and the rise of technology.  This presents a unique problem.  Not only are Americans socializing less with less community, but they have embraced “a new relationship with a technology that, in many ways, is the diabolical opposite of a religious ritual: the smartphone,” according to Thompson.  The smartphone has thus created a “digital life.”  Thompson explained, which is by its nature “disembodied, asynchronous, shallow, and solitary.”  

On the other hand, religious life — its community, rituals, and value systems — is inherently “embodied, synchronous, deep, and collective.”  Religious life, then, “works a bit like a retaining wall to hold back the destabilizing pressure of American hyper-individualism, which threatens to swell and spill over in its absence,” Thompson wrote.

If you read between the lines, it’s clear that Thompson understands religious life to be a net positive for our society and believes that America has not counted the cost of de-churching.  “I wonder if, in forgoing organized religion, an isolated country has discarded an old and proven source of ritual at a time when we most need it,” he wrote.  “It took decades for Americans to lose religion.  It might take decades to understand the entirety of what we lost.”

Thompson’s article is a great reminder of unintended consequences.  And it’s especially refreshing, perhaps even vindicating, in a culture that is increasingly hostile to people of faith.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

NY Offers ‘Safe Harbor’ for Floridians Seeking Abortions

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is giving new meaning to the word “disgraceful.”  Holding the top spot in a state that’s become a byword for out-of-control crime and a flood of illegal immigration should be bad enough for any politician – but inviting Florida residents north just so they can obtain an abortion in the Empire State takes matters to a whole new level.

Hochul drew the attention with a post on the social media platform X last Monday evening, where she reacted to a Florida Supreme Court ruling earlier in the day that upheld a Sunshine State law that banned abortions after 15 weeks gestation.  The ruling cleared the way for another, even more restrictive law to go into effect.

That law, signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in April 2023, bans abortions after six weeks of gestation, though it does contain exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape, incest, or human trafficking.

Hochul’s post called the Florida law “disgraceful and dangerous.”  “Let me be clear: If you need care, New York will be your safe harbor,” she wrote, apparently addressing Florida women.

As a policy indicator, it’s par for the course for a Democrat in all-abortion-all-the-time New York.  This is a state, after all, where the law allows abortion up to 24 weeks for any reason, but puts no restrictions on the procedure after that if it’s deemed “necessary to protect the patient’s life or health.”

Without a definition of “health,” that’s a license for abortion up to birth, for any reason, regardless of the baby’s viability outside the womb, and Democrats know it.

But as a public relations statement, from the governor of a state that’s hemorrhaging population — it was a disaster.  With more than 120k views as of late Tuesday morning, virtually all of its more than 1.8K responses were filled with contempt.  On and on the responses go in virtual unanimous condemnation of Hochul’s words.

Now, any American who follows the news understands that the abortion fight isn’t going anywhere.  The U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade was a momentous victory for the pro-life movement, but it also galvanized pro-abortion Democrats and was almost certainly one of the major reasons the 2022 midterms resulted in a closely divided House of Representatives when even Democrats were expecting a “red wave” of Republican victories.

It’s going to be a part of the November election in Florida — a state where DeSantis won re-election by an overwhelming margin in 2022, but where a constitutional amendment on abortion is going to be on the ballot this fall.  The amendment language states, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”  Like the New York law, it’s a license for unrestricted abortion.

Constitutional amendments need 60 percent approval to pass, so it’s a steep climb, but regardless of whether it passes, the amendment will draw Democrats out in droves — even if they understand what a disaster the Joe Biden presidency is.

Hochul called Florida’s law “disgraceful”?  She’s giving new meaning to the word.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Florida’s Heartbeat Law—A Pro-Life Win

Last week, the Florida Supreme Court handed a win to Governor Ron DeSantis and a win to the pro-life movement.  The Court cleared the way for the state to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant, while also giving voters a chance to remove restrictions in November.

The court, which was reshaped by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, ruled 6-1 to uphold the state’s ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, meaning a ban on six weeks could soon take effect.  But under a separate 4-3 ruling, the court allowed a ballot measure to go to voters that would enshrine abortion rights in Florida’s constitution.

The court’s decisions could be pivotal in the presidential race and congressional contests this year by driving abortion-rights supporters to the polls.  Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, voters in every state with an abortion-related ballot measure have favored the side backed by abortion rights supporters.

It’s true that the Democrats are salivating now.  Thanks in no small part to DeSantis and his leadership of the state, Democrats in Florida are an admitted joke, but because of this ruling, they think now is their moment to rise.  Many are making comparisons to the October 2023 elections in Ohio, where Issue 1, which sought to make abortion a part of the Ohio constitution, won resoundingly.  Florida Democrats and pro-abortionists are rooting for the Measure 4 ballot initiative, which if approved by voters, would enshrine the right to abortion in the Florida constitution.

Of course, they also see this pro-life battle driving the national war to make abortion federal again, by any means necessary, and gaslighting and misinforming is always part of the strategy.  Right on cue, California Governor Gavin Newsom, happily obliged.

Unlike other Republicans running for office, DeSantis has been consistent in his messaging, standing on his pro-life law and his stance on abortion.  The issue is not that Democrats want to use Florida to foment their movement nationally, the issue is will Republicans get their messaging straight and stand firm on their stance for Life?  As has been stated in the past, the best offense is a focus on creating a culture of life, and highlighting the states where this is being done through policies, programs, and initiatives.  

The difference between Ohio and Florida is that when DeSantis got the heartbeat bill signed he also went the extra mile and promoted a culture of life by making adoption easier, made baby supplies tax free and joined with charities to help mothers in crisis so they have no excuse to have an abortion.  All the reasons people claim they need an abortion have been taken care of in Florida.  

This is why we need to do more than just pass heartbeat bills.  You have to promote a culture that respects life and liberty.

DeSantis has done so much to cut the legs out from under the pro-abortion crowd in Florida.  Being able to effectively debunk and divest Democrat talking points with the stories and examples of babies, children, and mothers lives saved and thriving because of pro-life policies will be instrumental in silencing the drumbeat of the abortion narrative.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Will Biden’s Trans Celebration on Easter Hurt Him?

Joe Biden’s celebration of the trans lifestyle on the holiest Christian holiday will be a bridge too far for many voters when Election Day comes this November, says a conservative podcast voice.  Others, however, aren’t so sure.

The president received plenty of social media backlash for his proclamation on Good Friday declaring that March 31 – Easter Sunday – to be “Transgender Day of Visibility 2024” in the United States.

Christians who celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday reacted predictably with social media responses.  Some of those critical responses came from interesting sources – including one of the nation’s most famous transgenders, “Caitlyn” Jenner, the biological male who won gold in the Decathlon in the 1976 Montreal Olympics as Bruce Jenner.  “I am absolutely disgusted that Joe Biden has declared the most holy of Holy days – a self-proclaimed Catholic – as Transgender Day of Visibility. The only thing you should be declaring on this day is ‘He is Risen,’” Jenner wrote on X.

In a second post, Jenner responded to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre – who wrote of the “extraordinary courage” of transgenders – with this: “Hey there … it’s called Easter Sunday.  The Holiest Day in the Christian faith that BILLIONS of people practice worldwide.”

The DC Roman Catholic Archbishop, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, calls Biden a “cafeteria Catholic.” 

“There’s no coming back from yesterday politically for Biden and the rest of the Democrats,” wrote social media strategist and podcast host Joey Mannarino.  “I don’t care who you are, no one at all thinks it’s normal to prioritize a day of celebrating transgenders over the Easter holiday.  Not just Christians were disgusted – but everyone of all faiths, and even those without any faith.”

The Monday morning after Easter Sunday, in the give-and-take with a reporter, President Biden denied having declared Easter Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility.

Non-Christians were also offended by Trans Visibility Day.

Its impact remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt the Transgender Day of Visibility – more specifically its calendar placement – riled up voters and influencers.  Even those, as Mannarino points out, from non-Christian faiths.  

“Joe Biden declaring the most holy day for Christians as ‘Transgender Visibility Day’ is a slap in the face to every American, whatever their faith.  Now the White House is banning any religious symbolism on Easter eggs.  We’re in the middle of a war in this country – and take it from a Hindu – this isn’t a ‘Christian Nationalist’ talking point,” wrote Vivek Ramaswamy, the former GOP nomination contender.

Indeed, Easter eggs submitted for display at the White House as part of a ‘Celebrating National Guard Families’ event, must be free of “questionable content, religious symbols, overtly religious themes” and more according to the flyer describing submission guidelines.

The Left has been very effective at both diminishing traditional holidays, whether it’s Christmas or Easter or whatever, and then replacing them with secular alternatives.  There’s going to be major fallout with future generations if we do not engage now!

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Deceptive Ways

REPRINT OF MARCH 1, 2023

There is a saying that goes, “If something is a good thing, then no one should need to be forced into it.”  We might also add, “… or apply shifty and deceptive methods to coerce others.”

The LGBTQ crowd are mastering the art of “deceptive, furtive and subversive” methods to bring their lifestyle into the public … and into our children’s lives.

Some time ago, an article by Bob Unruh documented these methods being applied to a 10-year-old girl when she went to a school counselor/therapist for help with her anxiety issues. During the “counseling” process, she was removed from her parent’s supervision to keep them from realizing what was going on.  The counseling staffer “diagnosed” her with “gender dysphoria,” changed her name to a boy’s name, and also changed her pronouns and wardrobe.  Praise God, the parents were eventually able to rescue their daughter away and bring her back home.  They were successful in defeating the “therapist’s” goals of turning this child into a transgender.  

In the article we learn of the typical 5-step process that is used:

1. Exclude parents (isolate in hospital for six days to indoctrinate).

2. Leap to gender dysphoria diagnosis.  The therapist did not listen to the parents and their knowledge of their daughter.

3. Affirm cross-identity (new name, pronouns and wardrobe).

4. Address the patient by the opposite gender name.

5. Vilify anything that challenges the “trans” agenda.

It is interesting that sinful beliefs and lifestyles always work to discredit and change God’s design.  Satan is the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).  Beware of things done in secret, of those who are deceptive, of those who call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20; Psalm 90:7-8; Ephesians 5:11-14).  

Warn parents, educate the children in God’s truth, be diligent to protect those whom God has put under your care.  Shine His light so truth is known.

“Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God.  On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

OFFENSIVE WAYS

REPRINT OF FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Christians, we will be offended in this world!  There really is no getting around it.  We live, think, and believe in ways counter to our culture.  Therefore, others are going to not like us— even hate us for who we are.  Our ”woke” generation perceives a completely different world of normal.

Definitions of words have been reversed.  The result is that we all offend each other without realizing what we said that offended.  Listen to this definition by Jim Morgan of what we face:

“ ‘Woke’ is awaking from a supposed sleep induced by parents, preachers, youth group leaders, America’s founders, and anyone else with the audacity to tell people how to live their lives.  Once ‘enlightened’ to their true identity and nature, liberated from the arcane idea that mankind is sinful and needs a Savior, society begins its regression into the division, dependence, decadence, and decline that eventually demands a (secular) savior.  The social decay precipitated by shifting trust and truth from God to self, sets the stage for submission to the authorities and structures inevitably needed to salvage the sinking ship.”

When confronting the “woke” philosophy we have a couple of problems.  First, how do we deal with the offensive action or statement leveled against us (that a Biblical worldview is oppressive)?  Secondly, how do we refrain from being equally offensive in our responses, if at all possible?

Proverbs 17:9 says, “He who covers an offense promotes love…”  Perhaps another way of thinking would be to decide ahead of time not to let an offense affect you emotionally. Let it go, give it to the Lord to deal with.  When in an honest conversation, even a debate, stick with truth and facts rather than innuendos and all the gray areas of thought. Know the subject well that you are discussing or simply state that you are not prepared to discuss it at this time. Barging ahead can often lead to all the unintended offensive remarks that shut down the conversation.  Realize ahead of time that those who are opposed to Christianity will re-define the very concepts of Christianity and turn them against us.  When this happens ask for them to further define what they are meaning and accusing us of.  Then freely defend the Biblical perspectives of each.  Help them understand they are not arguing with you, but with God— with His Holy Word.  “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11).

Be open in your own short fallings in order to expose your sinfulness (Romans 3:23). We are not claiming to be perfect in ourselves, but only as we are redeemed in Christ. Eternal life is not something we made up for convenience sake, but it is a gift we accepted from God (Romans 6:23)— available to everyone (Romans 10:9-13).  Though we are indeed engaged in spiritual warfare, we do not need to utilize the same weapons as our enemies use.  See yourself, not as a soldier needing to kill and destroy.  Picture yourself, instead, as God’s vessel of love and grace seeking to save that which is lost (Luke 19:10).

Do not prepare with man’s weapons for war, but with God’s (Ephesians 6:11-18). Prepare, study, memorize, and pray that the Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance all that you will need (John 14:26).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Do it Anyway

REPRINT OF JANUARY 23, 2023

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

To Die For

REPRINT OF NOVEMBER 9, 2022

Persecution for the faith is not new to Christianity.  As in the early church, Christians stand in peril for their faith in many countries.  Steeped in pagan religion that requires citizens to participate without choice leaves the Christian in danger of losing their lives and the lives of their family.  Christianity is a choice of life or death.  They choose life in Christ, and many are martyred for it.

“To die for” are words used loosely for a favorite fashion to the face of a celebrity.  Used loosely but rarely seriously.  But some Christians live in fear of their lives for their faith every day.  The Worlds Watch List was recently reported by Open Doors.  Topping the list of Christians in danger are Islamic countries and communist countries.  Afghanistan and North Korea are at the top of the list.

Since their nation fell to the Taliban in August 2021, Afghan Christians who did not escape live in fear and isolation.  The Taliban goal is total elimination of Christianity.  The estimated 10,000-12,000 remaining Christians are converts from Islam and hated even more for that fact.  When they decide to choose Christianity, they and their families are in danger of losing their jobs, their freedom to attend Universities, and their lives.

North Korea once was considered “the Jerusalem of the East.”  In the early 1900s there were over 2,000 churches.  Now the communist-inspired dictatorship is founded upon Juche, which is a North Korean religious ideology requiring the worship of the Kim family. Those who are found with a Bible or an interest in Christ are tortured and subjected to work camps with horrendous conditions and brutality.  Entire families are subjected to the same sentence so that they can be made an example to others.  Children are raised in Korea to spy on family members and parents and to report to authorities if they find any insurrections.  There are an estimated 50,000-70,000 Christians imprisoned in these harsh prisons and labor camps.  There is an estimate of 400,000 Christians in North Korea that are underground and secretive. They are willing “to die for” their faith.

Much of Africa practices Islam.  To refuse Islam and embrace Christianity is considered a betrayal to the community and family.  Christians are highly targeted by al-Shabab.  A woman named “Fatuma” who lives in the Horn of Africa was arrested with her husband, for their faith. “The first time in court, they made us sign death certificates … they told us, ‘You have to deny Jesus right now,’ and we said, ‘No, we will not deny the Lord, but we will rather sign for our death.’ ”

In 2021, 1 in 7 believers around the world suffered persecution for their faith.  An average of 16 believers a day died for following Jesus.  An estimated 360 million Christians face significant trials for their faith. 

Christian, are you willing and prepared “to die for” your faith today?  Pray for those who are.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Being Critical of the “Critical”

REPRINT OF NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Many of us pursued higher education with the encouragement to always use “critical thinking” in your studies.  This admonition applies in all of life.  It is checking the definitions of words and phrases used when understanding other views of politics, theology, etc.  Take the example: Critical Race Theory (CRT).  What race?  In the human realm there is only one race— the human race.  Any sub-categories are not races, but simple ethnic/cultural differences.

It has been said that “The only ones interested in ‘racism’ are racists.  All the rest are interested in content of character” (Anon).  The idea of various races of humans is an idea that divides and far too often incites hate.  By its very nature it is unable to produce justice and equality or equity.  CRT skews truth and reality into a concocted lie that yields more confusion.

In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis declared, “Florida civics curriculum ... will expressly exclude unsanctioned narratives like critical race theories and unsubstantiated theories. Let me be clear: There’s no room in our classrooms for ... teaching kids to hate their country and to hate each other ... so we will invest in actual, solid, true curriculum.”  

History is history just as truth is truth.  To claim otherwise through re-writing and changing the truth for a lie does no one any good (Romans 1:25).  We learn from real history and correct our wrongs for the benefit of the present and the future.  Otherwise, it is akin to asking God for salvation without acknowledging that we have ever sinned (Romans 5).

You cannot cure racism with more racism.  Sin cannot be erased with more sin (1 John 1:10). History cannot be corrected by rewriting it.  All things must be understood for what they are.

Once we have established this, then we are in position for confessing our wrongs and making things right going forward.  The Pledge to the American Flag ends with these words— “... with liberty and justice for all.”  “For all” means that all are affected correctly all the time.  Though this may be very difficult, it certainly does not mean, “for some then and for a different group now, but never for everyone all the time.”  Similarly, erasing one’s sin does not happen by covering it over with more or different sin.  Sin can only be erased by the perfect sacrifice for sin by the One who is sinless Himself.

Do not make the mistake of getting involved with imperfect solutions that only cause more imperfection and problems.  “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.  Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God — I say this to your shame” (1 Corinthians 15:33-34).

So, think critically when studying God’s Word, when listening to the pundits of all types, and when considering your own heart and mind.  “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord” (Proverbs 16:2).  “For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all his paths.  The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.  He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly” (Proverbs 5: 21-23).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Biblical and Practical Basis of Morality

REPRINT OF DECEMBER 2, 2022

1 Timothy 3:2, a verse in one of the pastoral epistles, explains that certain high-ranking officials of the church must be “above reproach, faithful to [their] wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.”

This standard for Christian morality has been incorporated into the biblical understanding of promiscuity (and its sinfulness) for thousands of years.

“Promiscuity” is defined as “having many sexual partners.”  Given our culture’s endorsement of the so-called free-love movement, it is rarely discussed today. Unfortunately, people have not only become desensitized to it, but they have also begun to glorify promiscuity, even going so far as to write award-winning pop songs that are literally titled “Promiscuous.”

Although promiscuity refers to a particular kind of sexual immorality, it is related to many other forms of immoral sexual behavior.  Historically, the definition of “sexual immorality” was taken by the Catholic Church to cover a number of practices under its umbrella, (e.g., masturbation, fornication, pornography, homosexual practice, adultery, divorce, polygamy, and free union).

Although the Reformation has corrected the Catholic Church’s legalistic approach by re-introducing the Biblical foundations of these ideas, Protestantism has correctly maintained the biblical view on many of these practices.

Even as the Bible’s unchanging truths about sexual morality have remained fixed, the American culture has shifted to now condone the writing of articles like this one from the Huffington Post titled “5 Promiscuous Things Women Do That Are Actually Empowering.”

The kind of person who writes articles like this probably also rejects the notion of God-given morality as “superstitious.” Unfortunately for them, what they may not realize is that, while behaviors like promiscuity are immoral in the eyes of God, they also have damaging consequences in the earthly realm.

This has been no more evident than with the recent monkeypox outbreak. Unsurprisingly, the practical measures that have been introduced to curb the outbreak have included advising the general public against engaging in promiscuity.  This is one of the beautiful things about adhering to biblical morality: One need not wait on declarations from the Centers for Disease Control to know the most healthy and moral way to live their life.

In truth, the whole monkeypox outbreak could very well have been avoided in the first place if our culture had stronger norms against promiscuity.  This is not to say that contracting monkeypox is a punishment from God.  We should not ostracize or punish people simply for contracting the illness.

We know from the Bible that there are many cases in which innocent people suffered afflictions such as blindness without having done anything wrong (John 9:1-7).  It is possible for someone to contract monkeypox through no fault of their own, (e.g., because of non-sexual skin-to-skin contact or because their spouse was unfaithful to them).

Nonetheless, the point remains that biblical morality is most often one of the best safeguards against avoidable negative consequences, both in this life and the next.  Our bodies are not our own, they are a gift from God for our embodied soul.

As 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

 

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?

REPRINT OF SEPTEMBER 5, 2022

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

Jesus Wasn’t a Socialist, But a Savior

REPRINT OF NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Throughout the Bible physical realities are used to teach spiritual lessons and vice versa. In fact, Jesus (Himself) often reveals the way the heavenly world works through analogies to earthly things.  Believers can therefore draw practical and political guidance from the lessons of Christ’s ministry— but must always recall that these things are correctly interpreted only if they bring truth that sets people free (John 8:32) … which was Jesus’ ultimate objective.

Sadly, some today are trying to improperly politicize Christ’s life to justify their own political talking points through blatantly false misrepresentations.  For example, at the Democratic National Committee’s August 2019 meeting, Reverend William Barber claimed the Bible advocates socialism:

“When we embrace moral language, we must ask, Does our policy care for ‘the least of these’?— Does it lift up those who are most marginalized and dejected in our society? — Does it establish justice?  That is the moral question ... If someone calls it socialism, then we must compel them to acknowledge that the Bible must then promote socialism, because Jesus offered free health care to everyone, and he never charged a leper a co-pay.”

First of all, we would endlessly rejoice if God miraculously healed anyone—or everyone—who might be hurt, sick, or dying.  However, it seems ridiculously naïve for a pastor to suggest that we legislatively demand “Jesus-care” in accordance with a human sense of justice.  It also reveals a stunning ignorance of both history and Scripture to compare a failed economic system responsible for the death of millions throughout history to the loving acts of restoration performed by our Savior.

Jesus didn’t come to institute a free healthcare policy for the Roman Empire— but rather to use His miracles to reveal the more important purpose of healing the spiritual man.  As He affirmed:

“Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’?  But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”— He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home’” (Mark 2:9-11 NASB).

There were even times when, to demonstrate a higher purpose, Jesus refused to heal someone.  Just ask Lazarus.  He wasn’t healed from his sickness; He died from it— only to be raised from the dead specifically to reveal “the glory of God” (John 11:40).

There were also times when, even though there were people in need of physical help, Christ placed the emphasis of His ministry on other things, saying:

“Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for” (Mark 1:38 NASB).

Jesus’s “socialistic” heath care plan didn’t even carry coverage for His own physical crucifixion— nor was the apostle Paul spared from his thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-19).  Jesus clearly did not come to provide free healthcare without a co-pay for all.

Expanding further, Jesus routinely refused any kind of forced redistribution of wealth under the guise of charity.  For instance, when Judas lobbied to take Mary’s gift and redistribute it to the poor, Jesus rebuked him:

“Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.  For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me” (John 12:5-8 NASB).

Listen: Jesus wasn’t a socialist.  (See especially His teachings in Matthew 25 on the talents, and in Luke 19 about the minas.)  And we must never forget that the spiritual healing He provided for us was not free: He paid for it with His own life, and then made it available to us through our own individual repentance, not through equal redistribution.

As believers, we are certainly called to help the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40).  But that’s not socialism.  That’s Christian ministry by individuals.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

SEX and GENDER

REPRINT OF NOVEMBER 4, 2022

Just reading these words can set off many feelings and thoughts that are difficult to control or define.  Our culture has set us up to be confused.  We face confusion on the actual definitions of each.  We face confusion on how to deal with those that differ from our own understanding.  We might even get confused as to what we, as Christians, should believe.  Maybe we shrink back from expressing what we believe because we do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings.

Do you remember the Loony Toon cartoon characters known as Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog?  Typically, they would walk together to work each morning as friends.  When they arrived at “work” they would “punch in” with their timecards and proceed to become mortal enemies with each other.  At the end of their shift, they would punch out and proceed back home as good neighbors and friends once again (though beaten and battered).  Wolf and Sheepdog’s real roles in life were confusing to children.

Sex and gender may be much the same in our culture today— confusing, to say the least. How do we trek our way through all of this?  Can people really change back and forth?  Are these sacred and set?  Or are they as fluid as our culture wants us to believe?

The LGBTQ+ movement has worked its way into most every aspect of today’s culture. Everywhere one turns, there it is, bombarding us at work, at school, on TV, at the movies— everywhere.  A result is that our own children and grandchildren are believing it.  In the public schools their teachers are teaching it— from the lowest grades up.  Not every school is as bad as others, but they all seem to be heading in the same direction.  What do we do?  Where do we begin?  Can we really make a difference?  Or will we just get chewed up and spit out if we so much as try?

The Bible is clear in defining sex and gender.  “So God created man in His own image … male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).  According to Romans 1:18-32, God has made His design for mankind plain to understand, not confusing.  According to Deuteronomy 22:5 God detests anyone who cross-dresses.

In his article, “What the Bible Says About Gender and Sex,” in For the Bible, Costi Hinn writes, “… let’s lovingly push back against Satanic subterfuge and not roll over in fear.  If we are God’s people, then we do things and say things God’s way!”  In that same article he also gives several points of action we can take as we push back:

1. People don’t rule gender, God does.  Remember Genesis 1:26-27, “God said…”

2. You are God’s masterpiece, just the way you are.  Psalm 139:13-18. 3, Your gender matters when it comes to dating, courting, engaging, and marrying.

Let us not shrink away from speaking the truth— but be lovingly bold in setting the truth forth to our culture and our children.  Let God’s Holy Word— The Bible— do its work in all of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Power of “I Am”

REPRINT OF SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

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