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 

Fashionable Christians

REPRINT OF OCTOBER 28, 2022

In today’s world many spend time looking at, trying on, and deciding what to wear (shopping). Each outfit is examined for what its appropriateness is according to what its purpose will be. Will this be for work or school, for digging in the garden, vacationing at the beach, or a mountaintop, etc.?

In the same way God has given us many pieces of clothing to wear as Christians as we prepare for each day.  In Ephesians 4 we are told to put off the old self in order to put on the new self (e. g., put off falsehood and put on truthfulness, vs. 25).  We can think of this as taking off the “grave clothes” of sin and putting on the “grace clothes” of righteousness.

There is a particular outfit of clothing that we have been given to wear for other specific occasions.  Ephesians 6 calls it the Armor of God (vs. 10-19).  The problem with these clothes is that they just are not as comfortable as some of the others.  Yet, we should have them ready to wear at the drop of a hat and feel very comfortable in their use.  

Think in terms of a fire-fighting squad.  Each fire-fighter does not wear the full armor all day. But when the bell rings and the call comes in, they are each practiced and ready to jump into all the pieces and be ready in alarming time.  They each well know that without the proper armor, fighting a fire or accomplishing a rescue could turn disastrous.  

Perhaps inexperience is a picture of why we lose so many of our young people from the church or why our adults rarely take up the stand for Christ in conversations in which they find themselves.  Some may even miss the opportunity to lead a family member or friend to Christ.

How comfortable are you in God’s Full Armor?  How ready are your church’s children and adults to don the armor and effectively combat the forces around them?  Each family, each teacher, each church, and each pastoral staff member should be providing the training necessary for facing the foe.  Do you remember the various pieces that make up the full armor?

The Belt of Truth (verse 14).  Are we clear in our minds and hearts with truth, not given to falsehood and deception?

The Breastplate of Righteousness (verse 14).  Our inner-most parts protected by blamelessness in our behavior.

Feet Shod with the Readiness of the Gospel of Peace (verse 15).  Each one ready to lead another to Christ, having been assured of our own salvation in Christ, secured by His death, burial, and resurrection.

The Shield of Faith (verse 16) at the ready position to deflect the lies of Satan and this world.

The Helmet of Salvation and Sword of the Spirit (verse 17) which is the Word of God. Understanding science, philosophy, social sciences and all the rest is good.  But they should always be in line with God’s Word—the Holy Bible—first and foremost.  After all and through all, be sure that you and those God has placed in your care are real prayer warriors - as we move forward.

The battle is seriously heating up.  But the battle belongs to the Lord.  Are we ready? “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the battle belongs to the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

‘MOLDY’ CHRISTIANS

REPRINT OF APRIL 6, 2022

Definition of Mold:

#1. Cavity used to shape a substance.

#2. A fungus that grows on decaying material.  Intransitive verb: to become moldy.

Either definition can be used to describe some Christians and churches today.  Some have been “pushed” into the world’s way of thinking by outside forces (parents, professors/teachers, movies, T.V., music, etc.).  Without a solid pattern of Christ in their lives, these people easily conform to faulty thinking and behavior for simply “not knowing any better.”

Others have allowed a decaying of their Christianity to occur from living unhealthy spiritual lives.  Lack of consistent study in the Bible and of a prayer life, unhealthy relationships all shut off the Holy Spirit’s teaching, directing, and empowering them to build and grow in Christ. Hence, their inner structures are vulnerable to rot, decay, and the moldiness of the world’s philosophies.

1 Timothy 3:16 assures us that, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  Without these as constants in our lives we may miss the errors of our ways.  Our wrong thinking, believing, behaving will continue without the aid of rebuke, or correction— much less the on-going training needed.

Have you wondered why many Christians are so accepting of worldliness? or so easily caught up in sexual immorality, liberal philosophy, materialism, and the like?  They have probably become “moldy” in their Christian lives.  If they do not understand their faith in Christ, then they have no means for standing against the “fiery trials” (1 Peter 4:12) or the “wily schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).

Are we prepared to be serious in the war against the mold that is creeping into and growing in the lives of our young and old alike?  Are we giving them the knowledge and tools to break the ungodly molds of this world to break free and be transformed in Christ? Only then will we see the spiritual resolve to resist, to stand firm, and to inform our lost and dying world with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Without this our churches will continue to be lukewarm and feeble, and our nation will continue to fail.

In the structure of a house, mold and mildew (fungus) must be removed, cleaned out and eliminated or the structure will soon collapse.  

It is time to begin anew.  It is time to fight back with God’s truth.  It is time to begin a new and strong plan for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.  Start in the nursery and work it through all ages.  Do not bypass anyone.  Make your church the neighborhood Bible school and seminary for teaching and training— to instruct for change and real Christlikeness.  Measure all teaching by God’s Word, and none other.  It must be the standard.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Which Side?

REPRINT OF JUNE 22, 2022

Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, said— “We must always take sides.  Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.  Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

Motivational speaker and artist, DJ Kyos, said— “Don’t be eager in believing lies by ignoring the truth.  Don’t fall for lies when you know the truth, because of your loyalty and support to the person who is telling the lies.”

It seems amazing that many people can ignore the truth that is so vividly set before them in order to follow and support obvious lies— simply because of loyalty to a person in one’s life or a political party that one’s family and friends are a part of.  Yet, we often witness these phenomena around us.  Our lives, our culture is packed with examples all around.  No matter how much real science shows the fact of life beginning at conception, or how much evidence shows a political scam or lie, people keep voting for what they know is wrong, even sinful. Perhaps it is good to remind ourselves what side we are on when we take our stand in life. Compare your choices against the names of the ultimate leaders of the two most basic sides you can choose to take.

Names of Satan: Accuser of the brethren, Adversary, Angel of the bottomless pit, Apollyon, Belial, the Devil, Enemy, Evil Spirit, Father of Lies, Great Red Dragon, Lucifer, Old Serpent, Power of Darkness, Prince of devils, Tempter, Unclean Spirit, Wicked One, Murder, Spirit that works in children of disobedience … on and on.

Names of God: Holy One, Abba, Alpha and Omega, Ancient of Days, Anointed One, El Chuwl (Birth Giver), God of Knowledge, Most High, Everlasting, the God Who Sees, Almighty, Creator, Self-Existent, Lord Creator, Our Provider, Our Banner, Our Healer, Shepherd, Lord of Hosts, Peace, The Lord is There, Our Righteousness, I Am, God of Recompence, Mighty to Save, Perfector of our Faith, Bread of Life, Comforter, Cornerstone, Day Spring, Emmanuel, Fountain, Living Water, Guide, King of Kings, Passover Lamb, Rock, Rose of Sharon, Truth, Teacher, Way, Wonderful Counselor, Word, Vine … and so on.

Seriously, compare your choices against these descriptors.  Which side do your choices fall on?

Consider any and all of the topics we have before us these days: Pro-life/Pro-choice, Freedom of Speech/Censorship, Creation/Evolution, Male-Female/Personal Identity, Constitutional Republic/Socialism and Communism.  Though some of the lines we draw can become wide, gray areas, yet the sides can be drawn.

In Hebrews 4:12-16 we find these descriptive thoughts on making judgments and choosing sides, especially when it is difficult, “For the Word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword (scalpel).  It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.  Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess … Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.”

We can discern and find truth when we challenge each other to truly search for it where truth lives.  “Choose you this day whom you will serve … As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

POWER

REPRINT OF FEBRUARY 1, 2023

What gives people feelings of power?

For some it is money.

For a few more it is status.

For many more it is being the Line Leader in Kindergarten.

Kind of humorous?  Yes.  Yet there is probably some real truth in it.  Ask any teacher of young children.  But the discussion should not end there.  In fact, this simply sets the stage for the really important things relating to power.

Plato stated things this way: “The measure of a man is what he does with power.”

Power always brings with it responsibility and therefore the need of utilizing that power in godly ways and for God glorifying results.  What do God glorifying results look like?  Job 36:22, “God is exulted in His power.  Who is a teacher like Him?”  So, God glorifying may very well have the result of teaching others what God is like.  

Proverbs 3:27, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it.”  Incidentally, the word ‘deserve,’ does not only indicate having earned something.  When you perceive that someone deserves it, for whatever reason, give to that person what God has blessed you to give. When someone is ailing (physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually) be free with your gifts of healing.  God will direct you in giving good words, praise, providing a way, sharing your testimony, extolling reward or simply to give a good hug and to cry with them.  

Remember that His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Consider what powers God has entrusted to you that you are able to use as you bless others and glorify the Father.  Be watchful and ready to use them in His wisdom— not human wisdom— “… lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” ( 1 Corinthians 1:17).  “Guard what (and perhaps who) has been entrusted to your care.  Turn away from godless chatter …” (1Timothy 6:20).  As you adopt this way of life and this perspective of the use of power, you will be perceived by those around you as having been, “… clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49), simply because you have learned the power in giving and loving in Jesus’ name.

We are engaged in some fierce battles these days.  Spiritual battles, political battles, relational battles, and battles of the mind.  Satan seeks to divide and separate at every opportunity. Fight the good fight.  Be fearless in the battle before you.  Be skilled in the use of your weapons (Ephesians 6:11).  Bring healing to this world and to the individuals in your life (Luke 9:1).  Continue to testify to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and much grace will be upon you (Acts 4:33).

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light” (Colossians 1:10-12).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Don’t Be to Quick to Judge

REPRINT OF AUGUST 24, 2022

“Do not judge…”  What a difficult command!  How many times do we judge without realizing it— even reading the newspaper or watching the news.

The only exercise some people seem to get is jumping to conclusions.  One of the things I learned early-on was that the first report is almost always never complete or correct, and it pays to wait for more information before acting or deciding.  Consider this; it used to be that journalists wouldn’t take a story to their editor without two independent sources.  Those standards quickly disappeared when 24-7 cable news and the internet came along.

We have to be careful consumers of what’s reported— regardless of where the report comes from.  It’s especially dangerous to swallow something hook, line, and sinker because it’s something you’d like to think is true.  That’s called confirmation bias or the tendency to interpret new information as confirmation of something you already believe to be true.

Proverbs 18:13 tells us “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.”  To be wise in today’s information saturated society, you need both wisdom and discernment. That means you learn God’s wisdom from God’s Word and then apply it wisely.  Unfortunately, many Christians believe too much of what they hear or read on cable news, at the coffee shop, or from social media, rather than stopping to question and verify.

Proverbs 3:21 says, “Do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion.”  Without all of the information you need, jumping to conclusions can lead to bad relationships and false ideas.  It’s best to reserve judgment until you know all the facts and understand the whole story.  Instead, choose to “preserve sound judgment and discretion.”  Patience in making important judgments pays off.  Be as prudent as if the health of your relationships depends on it … because it can.

Proverbs 18:13 tells us, “What a shame— yes, how stupid! — to decide before knowing the facts!”  Don’t be quick to condemn or criticize.  Don’t immediately assume you know people’s motivation— because you may not.  Don’t decide before gathering all the facts from multiple sources.

When you wait for the whole story to unfold, you develop the compassion to love well and demonstrate the wisdom and discernment that comes from the Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Pick Up Your Cross—Don’t Hide Behind It

REPRINT FROM AUGUST 1, 2022

The Apostle Paul (one of the most persecuted Christians in history—2 Corinthians 11:23-30)—informs us:

“All who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).

So, it’s not a matter of if we as Christians will be persecuted, but rather when and how much.  As Jesus affirmed:

“If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

No one likes being verbally attacked, misportrayed, mocked, and made fun of; but in today’s increasingly anti-Biblical culture, this has become an all too common occurrence for those who are serious and public with their faith.

Perhaps at no time in American history has it become so unpopular, or personally cost so much, to be a Christian.  As a result, polling shows that many professing Christians have become more silent and private with their faith.  But God hasn’t called us to live our lives under the radar.  On the contrary, Jesus exhorts:

“You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Sadly, much of the culture is not content with just engaging in verbal and financial persecution, but a part of it is now physically assaulting those they disagree with.

No one likes to be uncomfortable; yet why should Christians expect to live without opposition? We should stand courageously and uncompromisingly.  And if adversity comes, we should meet it with grace, remembering Paul’s admonition:

“…always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15).

A fondness for comfort can lead to cowardice—a trait denounced throughout American history. As Samuel Adams reminded the fair-weather “patriots” of his day:

“If you love wealth better than liberty—the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom—go home from us in peace.  We ask not your counsels or your arms.  Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you.  May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”

In today’s growing anti-Biblical culture, if we are not experiencing some form of persecution, maybe it’s time to ask ourselves: Are we hiding behind our crosses, or picking them up and following Jesus?

Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Biden Administration Turns a Blind Eye to Religious Freedom in Nigeria

Religious freedom advocacy groups are criticizing the Biden Administration for leaving Nigeria off the U.S. State Department list of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom despite constant attacks and violence impacting Christian communities.

The U.S. State Department released its annual list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) last Thursday, a label assigned to nations that have “engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”  Nigeria was absent from the list for the third year in a row— although the Nigerian Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram was listed under the category of “Entities of Particular Concern.”

In 2020, Nigeria was added to the CPC list by the Trump Administration but was removed during the first year of the Biden Administration.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International’s Global Counsel for Religious Freedom Sean Nelson denounced the omission of Nigeria from the CPC list, saying in a statement that “More Christians are being killed in Nigeria for their faith than in all other countries combined.”  “We are disappointed and deeply concerned that the Biden Administration again has failed to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for its egregious violations of religious freedom,” said Nelson.  “The United States should increase pressure on Nigeria for the blatant violations of religious freedom occurring in the country.”  “Since it is clear that the State Department will not take significant action over the terrible religious freedom conditions in Nigeria, it is vital that Congress makes its voice heard.”

ADF International was one of several advocacy groups to sign on to a letter last month urging members of Congress to back a measure calling on the State Department to designate Nigeria a CPC and seeking the appointment of a special envoy for Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.  The letter elaborated on the violations of religious freedom engulfing the African nation, explicitly highlighting how “90 percent of all the Christians killed for their faith worldwide last year were killed in Nigeria.”  The letter cited statistics documenting how 100 Catholic priests had been kidnapped since the start of 2022, and 20 of them were murdered.  

Additional data included in the letter noted the torching of 17,000 Christian churches in Nigeria since 2009, many of which were burned with congregants inside.  In addition to highlighting the crimes committed against Christians in Nigeria, the letter condemned the government’s response to those crimes as indicative of “a problematic level of apathy” as it “routinely failed to investigate these attacks and prosecute those responsible.”

The advocacy organizations cited the frequent enforcement of blasphemy laws against Christians as an example of government-sanctioned persecution. “These laws have been accompanied by a routine grant of impunity for extrajudicial attacks against their perceived violators,” the letter stated.  “Last year, there was the unprosecuted mob killing of student Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu after she was accused of blasphemy and the unprosecuted serious death threats against the Sultan of Sokoto, Sokoto’s Catholic bishop, and Rhoda Jatau, a Christian woman, all three of whom were targeted for expressing disapproval of Yakubu’s murder.”

Two weeks after the letter was entered into the Congressional Record and a week before the State Department released its list of CPCs, more than160 Christians were massacred in coordinated attacks that began on the Saturday before Christmas and lasted through the holiday.  Hundreds of homes in predominantly Christian areas of Nigeria were burned as well.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also expressed outrage about Nigeria’s absence from the CPC list despite the organization’s 2023 Annual Report including Nigeria on its list of recommended CPCs.

In a statement published last Thursday, USCIRF Chair Abraham Cooper and USCIRF Vice Chair Frederick Davie called for a congressional hearing on “the failure of the State Department to follow our recommendations” concerning Nigeria.  The USCIRF leaders maintained that “there is no justification as to why the State Department did not designate Nigeria … as a Country of Particular Concern, despite its own reporting and statements.”  The USCIRF leaders cited the Christmas massacre as “the latest example of deadly violence against religious communities in Nigeria that even the State Department has condemned,” adding that “the majority of Commissioners have traveled to Nigeria and noted the threats to freedom of religion or belief and the deadly implications to religious communities.”

While the State Department took USCIRF’s recommendation to place Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan on the CPC list, it did not include the other five countries USCIRF recommended the designation for: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam.

The department acknowledged that “significant violations of religious freedom also occur in countries that are not designated.”  Regarding Afghanistan, the State Department listed the ruling Islamic terrorist group, the Taliban, as an Entity of Particular Concern.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Huckabee Tears into AOC over Jesus Misinformation

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) sent out a Christmas Eve message on her Instagram account, arguing that Jesus was Palestinian and that His birth mirrors that of Palestinian babies.  Mike Huckabee responded, thinking a good history lesson was in line.

On her Instagram account, AOC wrote: “In the story of Christmas, Christ was born in modern-day Palestine under the threat of a government engaged in a massacre of innocents” – clearly comparing the plight of the infant Jesus with that of Palestinian children.  She continued: “Mary and Joseph, displaced by violence and forced to flee, became refugees in Egypt with a newborn waiting to one day return home.  Thousands of years later, right-wing forces are violently occupying Bethlehem” – which, she argued, caused the Christian community there to cancel Christmas Eve celebrations.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist pastor, was having none of it.  “Is she not aware that the whole term ‘Palestinian’ meant ‘Jewish people’ until 1962, when Yasser Arafat coopted the term and created a nation and made up a people and called them the Palestinians, who previously were Jordanian?”

He noted that Bethlehem used to be majority Christian – but now is run by radicalized Muslims.  “The Christians were pretty much burned out and shut down by the radical Muslims who took it over back during the intifada,” said Huckabee.

In the same social media post, AOC also stated: “The entire story of Christmas and Christ himself is about standing with the poor and powerless, the marginalized and maligned, the refugees and immigrants, the outcast and misunderstood, without exception.”

Huckabee says the New York Democrat should stick to something she knows – “like bartending. Because for gosh sake, she has no clue about the history of the Middle East.  Nor, clearly, the purpose for which Christ was born that night.”

Amen! and Amen!

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Christian Universities Under Attack by US Government

The Biden Administration, which has already shown its penchant for using government resources to attack opposing viewpoints, has now set its sights on Christian higher education, says the president of Grand Canyon University (GCU).

The Phoenix, AZ-based GCU, which has the largest enrollment of U.S. Christian universities, was the subject of a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) two days after Christmas.  The FTC alleges that GCU has engaged in deceptive advertising and illegal telemarketing.  It’s the second federal action against GCU in a month and a half.  In mid-November, the school was fined a record $37.7 million over allegations that it has misled students about the cost of its programs.  And for those alleged crimes – strongly denied by GCU president Brian Mueller – GCU was fined roughly $33 million more than Penn State was fined for failing to report multiple acts of pedophilia by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, and more than Michigan State University was fined for refusing to address sexual assault crimes by former team doctor Larry Nassar.

GCU has gone from near-bankruptcy in 2008 to a combined enrollment of almost 120,000 with 26,000 students on campus and another 92,000 online, Mueller told Fox News last Friday.

Targeting faith-based institutions Mueller says not only GCU is being targeted, but any faith-based institution.  “I was meeting with the Liberty University president yesterday.  They’re going to get fined a huge amount as well.  We happen to be the two largest Christian universities in the country.  Nothing about this makes any sense, so you have to think there’s something from the Biden Administration’s perspective that they don’t like what’s happening here.  They’re going after the two largest Christian universities in the country,” Mueller said.

Officials at Liberty University (LU), founded by Jerry Falwell in Lynchburg, Virginia, have said the school has been threatened with a fine of $37.5 million for alleged violations of the Clery Act, 1990 federal legislation that requires colleges and universities to maintain and disclose certain crime statistics and campus security information.  LU told Fox News that a preliminary Department of Education (DOE) report that included the allegations was leaked to the media in an attempt to “poison the well” as the school continues talks with the DOE.

Mueller suspects the “tremendous amount of success” of both GCU and Liberty are experiencing might be sticking in the craw of the education establishment. “What we offer is in huge demand in this country.  Things have never been better for us.  There’s never been greater interest in what we do than right now. Kids are coming from all over the country wanting to attend Grand Canyon University,” said Mueller.  “We can’t build fast enough for all the kids who come here, and so there is something ideological that’s going on here to create all these investigations and this minutia.”

Gitnux, a goods and services data website for consumers, found that faith remains significant in the lives of most college students at both Christian and secular schools.  Their 2023 report shows:

- 57% of college students say religious beliefs provide them with strength and guidance.

- 71% identify with a religious affiliation.

- 40% attend services at least once a month.

- 38% report that they pray daily.

- 59% say their religiosity has increased during their college years.

Mueller is convinced the FTC took issue with the fact that the school identified itself as a nonprofit entity during an 18-month window after the nonprofit status had already been granted by other governing bodies.  “That transaction was blessed by the IRS, State of Arizona and our accrediting body [Higher Learning Commission], so of course we identified ourselves as a nonprofit because we were … and are,” Mueller said.  “The U.S. Department of Education waited 18 months after the transaction to announce it would not recognize our lawful nonprofit status for the purposes of Title IV funding and demanded at that time that, moving forward, GCU not identify itself as a nonprofit institution based on unsupported speculation that students would confuse GCU’s legal nonprofit status with the Department’s so-called ‘Title IV for-profit status.’  We disagreed with that opinion but cooperated as a good faith gesture.  For the FTC to say now, five years later, that identifying ourselves as a nonprofit institution during that 18-month window was somehow ‘deceptive advertising’ is meritless and the height of absurdity,” he told American Family News.

Mueller said the government’s accusations that GCU sought to raise money at the expense of its students are baseless.  “We believe in America’s free market system and the Christian worldview perspective – and both of them are foundational to what we do,” said the GCU president.  “So, all the problems that are plaguing higher education now – high tuition, big debt levels, programs not tied specifically enough – we’ve developed a model that’s addressed all those things.  We haven’t raised tuition in 15 years.  Our students take out less debt than the average state university student.  [And] our default rates are extremely low,” he offered.  “So, what they’ve done in order to try to stop us is conduct these investigations, ask for thousands of files, and … come up with this minutiae in order to fine us in an attempt to stop us.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Nearly 200 Christians Massacred in Nigerian

Nearly 200 Christians were massacred in Nigeria as graphic videos purportedly from the incident show men, women, and children who were murdered as extremist violence spreads throughout the world.

Amnesty International Nigeria said last Friday on X (formerly Twitter), that 194 people were murdered on Christmas Eve in Nigeria’s Plateau State, as the agency called on the country’s president, Bola Tinubu, to “do more than merely condemning these horrific attacks.”

Days before Amnesty’s post, Tinubu wrote on X that he condemns the “heinous and brutal attacks,” and he ordered security agencies to respond, called for culprits to be held accountable, and ordered relief be provided to the surviving victims.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, Muslim Fulani herdsmen have clashed frequently in the area with predominantly Christian farmers.

Maria Lozano, a representative for the Catholic relief group Aid to the Church in Need, told the Catholic News Agency that she believes the radicalized Islamic Fulani tribe is behind the attack, which marked one of the most violent times in the region’s history.  Local residents also blamed herders, according to Voice of America.  

“This is not a recent problem, it has been reoccurring over the years,” Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang said on X on Sunday.

A report from Aid to the Church in Need found last year that Christians are facing enough violence in Nigeria to constitute a genocide.  Since 2009, at least 52,250 Nigerian Christians have been killed, according to a report released in April by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, a Nigerian-based research group.

While some graphic videos have been incorrectly labeled online as being from the massacre of Nigerian Christians late last month, the origins of others are not so clear.  For example, one graphic video posted by PanAm Post columnist Mamela Fiallo Flor purports to show Christian men, women, children and infants murdered by Islamic militants in Nigeria.  Just the News could not independently verify said video.  Christian author and speaker Amir Tsarfati published a different graphic video to his Telegram channel Saturday, showing what he described as Christian worshipers who “were murdered in a church by Muslim terrorists.”  Photos from Agence France-Presse show mass graves and destroyed homes as a result of the clash.

Following Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 people, experts have been sounding the alarm about the threats of extremism across the world, including in the United States.  “When you have this many people coming across our southern border unvetted, it’s really a recipe for disaster,” Army Reserve Intelligence Officer and Arizona Republican congressional candidate Abe Hamadeh told the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show last month.  “That’s what I’m really concerned about, is the rise of radical Islamism plus the tensions in the Middle East that can possibly radicalize even some Americans here with homegrown threats.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Keep Calm and Carry On

Ecclesiastes 9:10 exhorts people to do everything to the best of their abilities— “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”

Philippians 2:14-15 echoes the value of hard work by teaching: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.”

Both of these verses exhort believers in the one true God to recognize the sacred nature of the work we are given to do on this earth.  We should do our work to the best of our abilities without complaint and without an expectation of reward since we are merely performing our God-given duties.

Unfortunately, this sentiment does not appear to be universally understood or shared.

By the end of 2020, 33% of Americans had contracted COVID-19 and as of September 2021, 80% of Americans had detectable antibodies to COVID-19 based on data from blood donor studies.  It is high time all of us kept calm and carried on.

As the Bible teaches, all of us have jobs to do and roles to play.  As we know from Romans 5:3-4, “we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

The pandemic is old news, so let’s get on with our lives!

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Character Over Comfort

Since the COVID-19 pandemic a few years ago, we have come to be taught the value of comfort and the distressing feeling of discomfort.  The discomfort barometer ranged from the lack of or delay in products to the fear of death … and everything in between.  It has raised the question: Is the Christian prepared to embrace the idea of discomfort as God building character in us?

We see many of God’s own in the throes of uncomfortable character-building.  

Noah, most likely, received unending criticism for his gigantic construction monstrosity.  He worked for years and years on an Ark and a promise.  He was 600 years old when the flood waters began (Genesis 7:6). That’s plenty of time for character building.  

Joseph was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.  Yet, “the Lord was with him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor” (Genesis 39: 21).  The Lord was with him.  Can you escape character-building if the Lord is with you? Was Joseph faced with discomfort?  I’m reasonably sure of it, based on what a prison of the day would be like. Would Joseph have become the leader he became if he had not faced the trials of being wrongly convicted and jailed? Yet, the Lord was with him through it all.

What did Christians learn during the restricted Covid years of discomfort?  What did we spend our time on?  Many of us did not have a daily commute to work. Did we eat our way through the shut down? Did we sleep more and watch television?  According to an American Time Use Survey, after sleeping, Americans spent most of their time watching television.  Was the Lord with us during those television hours?

Churchgoing was halted during the pandemic, with many churches going to online services.  Church leaders rallied to bring worship to at-home congregations.  A poll taken in April of 2020 reported “one-quarter of the U.S. adults overall, 24% say their faith had become stronger because of the coronavirus pandemic.”  Does that sound like a low percentage?  Should not all Christians be in a state of growing stronger daily in good times and in hardship? Proverbs 24:10 predicts “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”

How do we examine personal character building?  What test can we take to know if we have grown? James 1:2-4 speaks of trials as being a test that produces steadfastness.  Our reward is to be “lacking in nothing.”  That is the complete opposite of how we would consider pandemic life wherein we felt “lacking in much.”  Were we steadfast in our faith?  Did we take the Lord with us?  Did we develop character that will take us to great leadership as the world sheds the cocoon of the past the Covid years and begins to spread its wings? Those are the questions we can ask of ourselves and prayerfully consider our desire for growth in character over comfort.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

God’s Reality in A World of Confusion

In Matthew 24:6, it says, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.  Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”

While there is scholarly and denominational disagreement about how to interpret this “apocalyptic” Bible verse, one thing is agreed upon by almost everyone: This verse assures believers that, although trouble will come, God’s kingdom will eventually reign on earth.

Although every century has its own problems, the ones of the 21st century feel more acute because of the spread of cross-continental information and the 24-hour news cycle.  Even if this is just the result of magnification, it does not change the difficulty of the situation or the fact that action must be taken.

If there is one thing that can be said for our current socio-political climate it is this: Members of our society no longer look to shared sources of authority on news, science, religion, or politics.  We read different news websites, believe different scientific authorities, follow mutually exclusive belief systems (including atheism), and trust politically opposed leaders.

As one meta-analysis noted, studies using data tracing have found that social media users are prone to mainly see posts and content with which they agree. In other words, people experience a social media “echo chamber” that leads them to believe more people agree with their opinions than they actually do.

Who is to say which story is more true than false?  For an average person, being a moderate is no longer an option.  Sides have to be picked and lines drawn in the sand.

From a religious perspective, there is less religious commonality among believers, even as the number of atheistic “nones” grows in our society.

Although the faithful know from Psalm 19:1 that the truth of this religiosity is obvious (“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands”) even secular neurological research suggests that the human mind is hardwired to believe in religious experiences!

To top it all off, political polarization has reached new heights as the distance between Republican and Democrat perceptions of the issues continues to increase.

What is a Christian to make of this mess?  An answer is found in the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:43-45:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.  He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Our only hope is to act in good faith, praying for our “enemies”— lest our nation tear itself apart.  We know that our salvation is assured.  However, we also have a duty to reduce the suffering experienced by our society in the course of this life.

Salvation was made for all, not just the people we currently like.  If it is true that humanity is hardwired toward religion and faith, then we know that we at least share that point of commonality.

We can change our social media accounts, our news sources, our churches, our party affiliation, but we can never change the reality of God.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel