States Bringing Bible and God’s Law Back Into Schools

In a growing sign of pushback against anti-Christian indoctrination of children funded by coercive taxation imposed on Christians, multiple states are moving to restore biblical truth and the Ten Commandments to their once-central role in education.  The godless, the pagans, and even some Christians, however, are up in arms.

For centuries, the Bible was the primary textbook for Americans.  Education without the Bible would have been inconceivable, if not an oxymoron, to most of the population. Even the primers that young Americans used to learn how to read for hundreds of years were saturated with biblical wisdom and theology.

However, following several generations of government “education,” the U.S. Supreme Court banished prayer and God’s Word from classrooms in 1962 and 1963.  “Refusal to permit religious exercises thus is seen, not as the realization of state neutrality, but rather as the establishment of a religion of secularism,” wrote Justice Potter Stewart in his dissent.

The fruit of that establishment of “secularism” (or humanism) via judicial fiat is now clear to see: rampant immorality, crime, fornication, gender confusion, crumbling families, hatred, division, abortion, drug addiction, cities that look like Third World wastelands, surging suicide rates among children, gang violence, and more.

But it appears the nation’s tolerance for it is finally coming to an end.  In June, lawmakers in Louisiana approved a law that requires all government-school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” starting next year.  The statute says they are “foundational documents of our state and national government.”

“When the Supreme Court meets, the doors of the Supreme Court on the backside have the Ten Commandments,” explained Louisiana Governor Jeff (R) Landry, in responding to backlash and hate from the far left.  “Moses faces the U.S. Speaker of the House in the House chamber.  He is the original giver of law.”  Governor Landry noted that the legal system in the United States and the Western world is based on the Bible and the Ten Commandments given by God.  As such, he said it was hard to understand why anti-Christian groups were so upset at the prospect of giving children an opportunity to learn basic morals that are at the foundation of Western civilization.

Following in Louisiana’s footsteps, Oklahoma recently mandated instruction on the Bible in all government schools across the state.  “Every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom,” explained State Superintendent Ryan Walters in a statement.  In a memo, Walters said the state expected “immediate and strict compliance” with the new directive, which builds on state standards requiring basic Bible knowledge.  The goal, he said, will be “to ensure that this historical understanding is there for every student in the state of Oklahoma.”

President Donald Trump weighed in on the controversy in remarks at the Faith and Freedom as well as in a post on Truth Social, calling it a potential first step in a “revival of religion” in America.  “I love the Ten Commandments in public schools, private schools, and many other places for that matter,” he said.  “Read it.  How can we as a nation go wrong?”  Citing some of the commandments such as “thou shalt not steal,” Trump called the divine laws “incredible stuff.  Urging Christians to go vote in November, the Republican contender blasted those who sought to suppress God’s moral laws and keep them out of public places.  “It’s a crazy world,” he said.

As expected, an array of anti-Christian organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation vowed to file lawsuits.  “The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional,” the groups said in a joint statement.  “The First Amendment promises that we all get to decide for ourselves what religious beliefs, if any, to hold and practice, without pressure from the government,” the statement continued without explaining how the Ten Commandments in classrooms would violate the First Amendment.  “Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools.”

Officials suggested the far-left anti-Christian groups were falling right into the trap, hoping that the case will end up at the Supreme Court and it will reverse its previous unconstitutional rulings.  “I can’t wait to be sued,” said Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry before signing the bill.  Walters in Oklahoma also sounded enthusiastic about a legal battle.  “If we get sued and we get challenged, we will be victorious, because the Supreme Court justices [Trump] appointed actually are originalists that look at the Constitution and not what some left-wing professor said about the Constitution,” he said. “The separation of church and state appears nowhere in the Declaration of Independence or Constitution.”

As The Newman Report has documented extensively over a period of many years, every false religion imaginable is welcomed with open arms into the government schools.  In California, the state board of education even voted unanimously for an “ethnic studies model curriculum” forcing children to chant to the Aztec deities of cannibalism and war.

Bills like those in Louisiana and Oklahoma have been introduced in dozens of states. And across the country, efforts to bring biblical truth, prayer, and true morality back into tax-funded schools are proliferating.  However, for the most part, the Bible lessons treat the text as merely historical or of literary value rather than the inspired Word of God.

While the news out of Oklahoma and Louisiana may be an encouraging sign for some Christians, parents should understand that government schools are still not a safe place. In fact, the anti-Christian worldview still reigns supreme in government “education” — even in both states that recently brought some truth back.  Nowhere does God delegate authority over education to civil government.  Adding a Ten Commandments poster or a few lessons on the Bible to unbiblical and even pagan institutions will not fix them.  It may be a small step in the right direction.  But ultimately, the only biblical solution is a total separation of school and state.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Global Outrage after Olympics Blaspheme Jesus and the Last Supper

The opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics mocked the sacred Last Supper of Jesus Christ with a blasphemous drag queen presentation, fueling global outrage that finally forced Olympics organizers to issue a partial apology.  

Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps claimed, “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group ... If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry.”

Christians around the world were stunned by the disturbing image of seeing a sexualized recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous “The Last Supper” painting.  From the Speaker of the House to billionaire Elon Musk to evangelist Franklin Graham, condemnation was swift and severe.  Graham warned, “Even more than being disrespectful to Christians, I would be concerned about being disrespectful to God.  His Word tells us, ‘Be not deceived, God is not mocked’ (Galatians 6:7).  Whether you’re Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, or Protestant, it is offensive.”  SpaceX, Tesla and X owner Musk called it “extremely disrespectful to Christians.” House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-R) posted, “Last night’s mockery of the Last Supper was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world who watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.  The war on our faith and traditional values knows no bounds today.  But we know that truth and virtue will always prevail.  ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’ (John 1:5).”  Even Christian Actress Candace Cameron Bure felt compelled to comment on the monumental mockery of the faith. “I didn’t really want to weigh in on the Olympics opening ceremony publicly because I always risk becoming a headline,” she said in an Instagram post.  “But it felt too important not to.”  “The Olympic Games have always brought me so much joy.  It’s the best of the best athletes in the world competing for the title,” she said.  “So to watch such an incredible and wonderful event that’s going to take place over the next two weeks and see the opening ceremonies completely blaspheme and mock the Christian faith with their interpretations of the Last Supper was disgusting.  And it made me so sad.”  But she went on to add a positive twist, sharing, “God loves each and every one of you and His desire is for you to know Him.  I won’t stop praying and calling on Jesus’ name.  Share the Gospel message.  Let this be an encouragement to be bold in your faith.  Let us rend our hearts back to God, father of Abraham.  Let us pray.  And pray for the Christian athletes to shine their light for the glory of God.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

A New ‘Jesus Revolution’ Event

Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in CA is celebrating another massive baptism turnout at Pirates Cove.  It’s the latest sign that the nationwide move of God that kicked into high gear with the Asbury awakening of 2023 isn’t over yet.  This latest Pirates Cove baptism comes on the heels of the annual Harvest Crusade held by Pastor Laurie at a fully packed Angel Stadium in Anaheim.  The stadium was at capacity with 50,000 souls while more people gathered in the parking lot and online to participate. Pastor Laurie spoke about “The Sinner’s Prayer,” and 3,500 people walked down on the field to give their lives to Christ.  He says the fire marshal wouldn’t allow any additional people to go down to the field, so hundreds more people were backed up into the aisles. He reports another 1,500 people prayed to receive Christ online.  As a result of those 5,000+ salvations at the Harvest event, 2,000 people showed up to get baptized over the weekend at Pirates Cove in Orange County.

Last year, Pirates Cove was the site where 4,500 people were baptized by Laurie and his team in a single day.  “In twelve months, we baptized 6,500 people,” Laurie exclaimed while telling the testimony during his Sunday sermon this past weekend.  “I see that God is working. As you know the last great spiritual awakening, the Jesus Movement, happened in California, and we’re praying, ‘Lord, do it again,’” he said.  He also explained the historical significance of the baptism site as well.  “This is where we used to baptize people during the Jesus Movement days.  Cathe and I were baptized there too.  This is where we also shot the scenes for the Jesus Revolution film,” he posted.  

Last year’s epic baptism of 4,500 was just one of several stunning baptism events in California, which have been seen as more evidence that the U.S. is experiencing a revival movement or spiritual awakening.  And that awakening has continued this year with thousands making history in May by joining the Baptize California movement at beaches and church sites around the state.  Roughly 12,000 people took the plunge in the largest baptism in U.S. history in a coordinated event of biblical proportions.  “I baptized one family that had 17 people, between kids, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles – everyone getting baptized – crying, hugging.  I mean it felt like a book of Acts page,” Pastor Mark Francey told CBN.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Documents Show Rochester MN Schools Inculcate Staff

Scores of documents obtained by a parents’ rights organization show that staff of Rochester Public Schools (MN) have undergone indoctrination in gender and social justice ideology and imply that some teachers have been trained to keep gender transitions hidden from parents.

Parents Defending Education (PDE) filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and obtained numerous documents, including presentations from staff trainings on LGBTQ issues.

One presentation from December 10, 2020, featured a school’s “Equity Team,” which describes the “district’s strategic plan to ‘increase all students’ access to effective, culturally responsive educators,’” and includes the rainbow flag and “COEXIST” imagery. Another presentation from November 22, 2023, included a land acknowledgement featuring a video of Native Americans using one word descriptions such as “lies, colonization, horror,” and “massacre” to describe Thanksgiving.

Other presentations given to staff included one from the AMAZEworks organization which offers “Pride resources.”  Along with a “Land and Labor Acknowledgement,” the presentation included an activity called the “Social Justice Stretch.”  The exercise directs participants to “reach down to get power from the grassroots” and to “reach up to the sky, to the ancestors for inspiration.”  The exercise then directs stretchers to “shake off dominant western culture expectations of individualism, productivity, and perfectionism, move with the winds of change,” and “shine your superpowers into the world.”

Another training was focused on the topic of “exploring microaggressions,” which included discussion of “microassaults,” “microinvalidation,” and “microinsults.”

Beyond staff exercises, which also included helping “staff understand the concept of implicit and explicit bias,” other presentations outlined actions to be taken on gender identity.  One presentation specifically instructed teachers that “someone’s gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation are not behaviors [for] you to ‘report’ to other staff or parents.”

Additionally, the presentation advised teachers that when “contacting parents of a trans student make sure to use the student’s name and pronouns as it is displayed in Skyward,” unless “the student has expressed to you that it is okay to use their preferred name and pronoun with their parents or guardians” or if the “parent is using the student’s preferred pronoun and name in communication with you.”

Alpha News reached out to Rochester Public Schools for comment on the nature of the documents, as well as the $15,000 charged for the public records request.  Mamisoa Knutson, director of communications, replied that “all the examples of presentations Parents Defending Education published today were of staff training sessions, decided on at a school level.” 

“The fee we charged is allowed under Minnesota law and was applied because fulfilling this was a diversion of staff time from teaching and learning to complete a complex data request. The data request was not a simple keyword search; dozens of staff at the district and school levels had to look through multiple years of their materials to find items that fell within the themes Parents Defending Education requested,” Knutson added.

The emergence of this information comes as the school board prepares to vote on a controversial policy on gender issues.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Life Is Not a ‘State’ Issue

Regarding the Atlantic slave trade, from approximately 1526 to 1867, it has been estimated that some 12.5 million captured men, women, and children were put on ships in Africa, and that approximately 10.7 million arrived in the United States of America.  At this time, the Atlantic slave trade was easily the costliest, in terms of human life, of all the global migrations businesses.

In 1800s America, slavery was legal and fully and boldly embraced by the southern states. While slavery existed in the North and the South, by 1860, it has been estimated that 95% of Black Americans lived (primarily as slaves) in the southern states.  Clearly, slavery had become a “state” issue.

In the South, slavery put food on the table, built banks, governments, businesses, homes, and cities.  Slavery was easily the leading and most financially profitable economic model of its time.  And by the time the Civil War started between the North and South in 1860, there was no doubt that slavery was a “state” issue.

Frederick Douglass, a Republican who publicly and boldly expressed his hatred of slavery, did not make excuses for Abraham Lincoln, the Republican Party’s presidential nominee at the time.  In Frederick Douglass’ mind, Abraham Lincoln was not anti-slavery enough.  However, because it was a choice between Abraham Lincoln and radically pro-slavery candidates, Douglass voted for Abraham Lincoln.  Nevertheless, he maintained his moral convictions and ultimately pushed Abraham Lincoln towards his biblically-based and biblically-clear objections to slavery.  Still, in 1864, Frederick Douglass voted for Civil War General John C. Fremont, who was nominated by the Republicans.

While Fremont and many prominent abolitionists were highly and rightfully critical of Abraham Lincoln and his failure to fully embrace the aims of the anti-slavery abolitionists, Fremont eventually had to drop out of the race for the Republican Party’s nomination for president.  As such, Douglass threw his support, however reluctantly, behind Abraham Lincoln.

Is this piece of history ringing any bells?

Douglass never stopped publicly speaking, and unapologetically so, about the evils of slavery and the need for the leader of the Republican Party to embrace the preamble to the United States’ Declaration of Independence, which states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In 1865, the Civil War was won by the northern states and the 13th Amendment (1865), which ended slavery in the U.S., the 14th Amendment (1868), which says no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, and the 15thAmendment (1870), which gives every U.S. citizen the right to vote, are now a part of the Constitution of the United States.

As such, in the United States of America, by way of the Constitution:

Slavery is no longer a state issue.

“Life and Liberty” are no longer state issues.

Voting is no longer a state issue.

The Constitution of the United States makes it clear that:

No human being can be a slave.

No human being can be put to death without due process of law.

Only citizens of the United States have the right to vote.

The idiom “history repeats itself” is especially applicable here, after the Republican National Committee (RNC) removed the Human Life Amendment from its party platform, claiming that abortion is now a “state” issue.  However, just like slavery is no longer a state issue, neither is the right to life and liberty a state issue.

As such, the RNC’s decision to remove the Human Life Amendment from its 2024 party platform, because they claim abortion is now a state issue, is no different from the efforts of the southern states to keep slavery a state issue.

The Republican Party Platform has taken a giant step in the wrong direction.

As American citizens, we must fully embrace the Constitution and what it stands for.  The 14th Amendment of the Constitution is clear.  In America, every human being is endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and at every stage of our humanity — in the womb or out of the womb — every human being has an unalienable right to life and liberty.

I believe we all must work hard — as hard as we can — wherever God has placed us, to restore this language from the 2016 and 2020 Republican Party Platforms to the current Republican Party platform.  It should read: “We support a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and endorse legislation to make it clear that the 14th Amendment’s protections apply to all human beings inside or outside the womb of their mothers.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Leftist Media and Plot to Demonize Christians in Politics

Two weeks ago, we witnessed the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.  The attempted assassination didn’t necessarily come as any surprise considering the radical left have been demonizing Trump for some time.  However, it is still shocking to see rhetoric turn into violent action.  There remain many unanswered questions regarding the event, and we will watch with interest to see if they are fully investigated.

In the meantime, what was also predictable was the response by the leftist media who claim that Christian nationalism will become a worsening problem between now and the US election.  Soon after the attempt on Trump’s life, USA Today ran with the headline: “Failed Trump assassination attempt may embolden supporters who see him as chosen by God.”  In the article itself, one paragraph read: “The messaging could embolden Christian nationalist discourse that the former president and his allies have used to portray Trump as a Messiah-like figure on the campaign trail.”  Later in the same article, Dennis Jacobson, founding pastor of Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope said that privileging Christianity would “destroy our multicultural democracy and kill the dream of a beloved community for which so many people are striving.”  He further said, “If white Christian nationalism prevails, you may soon know what it’s like to live in an authoritarian society.”

For years, what we have seen throughout Western nations, and their media conglomerates, is the use of language to introduce a three-step program to demonize, mobilize, and marginalize.  They demonize Christianity to mobilize opponents to it in the hopes of marginalizing those who are the salt and light of the nations in which they live, therefore diminishing their impact throughout their communities.  Although you may be tempted to believe this is a recent strategy, it is taken from the Communist playbook.  In 1943, Communist party headquarters sent a directive to their American followers which read this: “When certain obstructionists become too irritating, label them after suitable buildups as fascist or Nazi or anti-Semitic and use the prestige of anti-fascist and tolerance organizations to discredit them.  In the public mind, constantly associate those who oppose us with those names which already have a bad smell.  The association will after enough repetition become fact in the public mind.”

You see, the salt and light of Christianity has stung the darkened eyes of the Communists, the Marxists, the atheists and the secular humanists and they are doing whatever they can to rinse it out— even using fabrication and violence to do it.  One commentator claimed that Christian nationalism was the “gasping, dying breath of the older generation in America that is afraid that Christians are going to be replaced.”

The hope amongst politicians and the media is that by equating Christians with fanatics and conspiracy theorists, Christians will be sidelined from participating in the political process in their respective nations.  So, by utilizing the term “Christian nationalism,” they want to imply that Christian political engagement is somehow nefarious, subversive, and violent.  As a result of this strategy, many Christians then shrink back from their faith or, worse, soften their convictions and beliefs to appear non-threatening. 

Now more than ever, we need to be speaking the truth in love.  Because let me remind you that the State is not there to shape our understanding of who we are or how we are to behave in this world— we have the Word of God and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to do that for us.  In many ways, what the wicked in our society are doing is trying to push Christianity out of the public square to protect the new religion which has been established in Western nations— a religion based on secular humanism.

You see, Christians have been fooled into believing the lie that there should be neutrality in the public square.  That is simply a tactic to keep believers out of it.  But, despite the views of the secular world, it is not wrong to stand for Christian truth in public.  Yet, many believers have simply accepted it as wrong because the government has told us so.

As Fulton J Sheen once rightly remarked: “A religion that doesn’t interfere with the secular order will soon discover that the secular order will not refrain from interfering with it.”  The State has been extremely adept at seemingly protecting religious liberty while simultaneously undermining our faith with its army of social power, most often unleashed through the power of media (particularly social media).  In fact, the State’s claim that it must uphold diversity and neutrality provides perfect cover for its insidious goal to undermine and control the mind and activities of Christians.  In so doing, what the State really demands is that Christians operating in civil life must adopt either a secularist or non-threatening religious posture.  Because what the State wants is to ensure that Christianity is either rendered harmless to it or that it can be harnessed by it to be helpful to the State’s goals.

Socialists and globalists are leveraging bitterness towards patriotism and nationalism to advance their own agenda by convincing the secular world that Christianity is intolerant of global ideas.  They have turned our principles of love for God and respect for country into something that is shameful, wrong, and dangerous— all so that they are able to convince the population that the globalist/socialist agenda is the right way forward and that Christian principles have no place in ruling government.

Western nations are moving into a dangerous and unstable phase.  In the days, weeks and months ahead, believers must be fervent in prayer, zealous for God’s truth, and steadfast in faith.  1 Corinthians 16:13 is an appropriate closing exhortation: “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.  Let all that you do be done with love.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

You’ve Heard It Said: More People Are Killed in the Name of God. Really?

Almost anyone who has graduated from college in the last 50 years has repeatedly heard the statement, “More people have been killed in the name of God than in the name of anything else.”  And most of them believe it.

If those making this statement are referring to the God of the Bible, and therefore to Christians, the statement is simply not true.

Yes, Christians killed Jews (though it was never official church doctrine to do so).  For example, whole communities of Jews were slaughtered by Christians on their way to fight in the Crusades.  And tens of millions of indigenous people in the Americas were killed as a result of Christian invasion and settlement— though most of those deaths were caused by European diseases to which people in the Americas had no immunity. And Christians killed fellow Christians who had a different theology.  Between 1618 and 1648, in what became known as the Thirty Years’ War— a war between Europe’s Catholics and Protestants— somewhere between five and eight million people were killed.

But there are few other examples of largescale killings by Christians as Christians (as opposed to people who happened to be Christian killing people, as in the two world wars). For example, during one of the most widely cited examples of Christian killing, the Inquisition, no more than 5,000 people were killed— a number both Jewish and non-Jewish historians agree upon.

The number of people killed by Christians in the 2,000-year history of Christianity is far exceeded by the number of people killed in the Mongol invasions of Europe and China in the 13th century alone— approximately 40 million and 60 million respectively.

It is also dwarfed by the number of people killed by Muslims, mostly Arabs, from the advent of Islam in the seventh century.  During the thousand-year Muslim rule in India alone, at least a hundred million Hindus were killed.  (The Indian government rarely speaks of this for fear of introducing civil strife between its Hindu and Muslim populations.)  With regard to the staggering number of Hindus killed by Muslims, historian Will Durant, in his magisterial 11-volume The Story of Civilization (co-authored with Ariel Durant), wrote: “The Mohammedan conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history.”

Given that those who say, “More people have been killed in the name of God than in the name of anything else,” are referring to Christians, it is not intellectually honest to include the Muslim murder of Hindus as those who have killed “in the name of God” without specifying that most of that killing was done by Muslims.

Finally, and most importantly, there is something in whose name more people have been killed in the last century alone than in the name of anything (except Allah).  And that thing is “equality.”  Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and other communist tyrants killed at least 100 million noncombatants and enslaved a billion others.  All in the name of “equality.”

While “all men are created equal,” as the American Declaration of Independence put it, based upon the biblical, Judeo-Christian origins of the American Revolution, it is not possible to achieve equality without violence.  That is why the French Revolution, rooted in “equality,” led to the guillotine, while the American Revolution, which was not rooted in equality, led to the freest country ever created.

Note: This abbreviated posting is attributed to Dennis Prager— the co-founder of Prager University.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Should Christians Really Engage in the Pandemonium of Politics?

Why should Christians engage in politics? Shouldn’t we just stick with plain and simple evangelism?  Why must we get into the chaotic realm of politics?

It can be a confusing topic to navigate, especially when considering a verse like 1 Timothy 2:2, where Paul encourages us to “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” However, arguably, this verse isn’t meant to deter us from political engagement.  Rather, it’s a roadmap to how we are to behave.  Be it in the public square or in our private lives, we are constantly bearing witness to God’s truth, and we are called to do so in love.

But here’s the catch: Plain and simple, evangelism isn’t necessarily a walk in the park.  To share the gospel message with someone, emphasizing their sin and their need of saving, is inherently offensive.  We like to pretend it only gets dicey when we start talking about pro-life matters or LGBT ideology because they’re “too political.”  But really, these topics aren’t political.  They’re biblical.  Not to mention, they’re destined to come up in conversation with those who want to live in obedience of Scripture, as we’re called to do. The Bible says, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).  To glorify God, we abide in His Word.  And His Word is still sovereign in the political public square.

As guest host and former Congressman Jody Hice succinctly stated on an episode of “Washington Watch,” we live in a society of people who “don’t want the Bible in any shape, form, or fashion.”  The term “Christian nationalism” is heavily weaponized by the Left to scare believers into avoiding political engagement.  There are countless individuals who have dedicated their lives to pushing Christianity out of the public square.  But Matthew 12:43-45 talks about the return of an unclean spirit, which makes clear, “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person,” it comes back to a house found “swept” and “empty” with “seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first.”  Such is true of our political climate.

Like many believers, David Closson, who serves as Family Research Council’s director of the Center for Biblical Worldview, is a proponent of the separation of church and state. As it was originally intended, this separation keeps the government from meddling with the church — not the other way around.  Because as Closson told Hice, “the separation of morality and government” is simply not possible.  The parable of the unclean spirit proves something will fill a space left vacant.  As such, if truth is pulled from the public square, what else is there to fill it other than lies?

Closson emphasized, “[T]here is no such thing as a naked public square.”  Ultimately, “All legislation is imposing someone’s morality.”  Yes, Romans 13:1b states, “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” Certainly, in the final analysis, God is sovereign over all things.  And yet, we have a role to play, and that role involves not allowing the political house to be void of truth.

James 1:22 says to be “hearers only” of the Word is to deceive ourselves.  It’s an incomplete picture.  We aren’t called to be mere “hearers,” but we are to be “doers.”  As James went on to say, “The one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”  Did you catch that?  “A doer who acts.”  We are called to act, and the political arena, as messy as it may be, is no exception.  It, too, is in desperate need of the truth — the truth we possess in (and only in) Christ!

As church historian Robert Godfrey once said, “Love is always truthful, and truth is always loving.”  Which is exactly why Closson posed the question: “Can you really say you love your neighbor in a comprehensive way if you’re not engaged in the public square, where so many decisions are made that directly impact the welfare of your neighbor?”  We’re called to be stewards of our time, resources, and our vote.  Not to mention, Closson added, “There are all sorts of examples throughout the Bible where people are … engaging in government,” such as Jeremiah, Joseph, and Daniel. “Government is not something that’s inherently dirty.”  Really, the very fact that politics seem so dirty and grim is reason enough for Christians to stand boldly amid it, for we are called to be lights.

As lights, we strive to make an impact and defend what’s right according to God’s standard. We use our voices in the public square, because while “we do evangelism first and foremost,” Closson stated, “we also engage this political process because we love our neighbors, and we love our friends.”  We engage, Hice added, “because God instituted politics and government. … God created the family, He created the church, and He created government.  And for us to say we’re [only] going to engage two out of three … is missing the mark that God has laid out for us.”

The Bible may not directly address everything, but it certainly lays out a roadmap of principals for practically everything.  We find in the Bible instances where it says “thus sayeth the Lord,” Closson noted, and we use that as our foundation for all that we do. “[U]nless Jesus Christ is on the ballot, we’re always choosing between the lesser of two evils whether we’re voting for president or county dogcatcher.”  But we aren’t trying to transform an imperfect government into a perfect one.  No, in this imperfect system, we are pointing to a perfect and mighty Savior— a gracious and sovereign Lord.

As believers, Closson concluded, we need to navigate “these issues together and try to think as faithfully and biblically as possible.”  Because if we don’t fight for the sanctity of life as laid out by biology and Scripture, then we only strengthen the side that wants abortion available even after birth.  If we don’t uphold the sanctity of marriage, then we’re only paving the way for the destruction of the family unit.  If we don’t uphold that we’re all made in the image of God and born exactly the way we were intended to be born, then we are sitting idle as people destroy their lives through body mutilation.

These are all critical battles that Christians have countless biblical reasons to engage in. But perhaps most importantly, if Christians, who represent God’s own kingdom, aren’t willing to proclaim that Christ is King and His truth prevails in the political field, who will?

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Trump’s Survival Proves ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ Really Do Matter

Thankfully, the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday, July 13, has evoked a different response to the power of the Almighty.  “Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening,” Trump posted on Truth Social hours after the attack. The president then spurred on his followers by quoting one of the most common statements in the Bible. “We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness,” he said on Sunday morning.  “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win.”

The shooting understandably caused the president to reflect on his survival, as the bullet missed him by tenths of an inch.  Trump said he survived “by luck or by God,” with later statements pointing clearly to his belief in God’s protection.  Trump said that while looking at a graphic of the record-breaking number of illegal immigrant encounters during the Biden Administration, he turned his head slightly.  Had he been looking straight ahead, the AR-15 round that grazed his ear would have penetrated his brain.  Had he not turned as sharply as he did, the bullet may have hit a different part of his head.  In either instance, he almost certainly would have died instantly.

“The fact that this is about milliseconds and millimeters, that changes it from being an attempt at an assassination — should really talk about divine intervention that has occurred here,” Rep. Cory Mills (FL-R) told Laura Ingraham on Fox News Monday.

The odds of his death were not lost on President Trump.  “The most incredible thing was that I happened to not only turn but to turn at the exact right time and in just the right amount,” he told a Washington Examiner reporter.  “If I only half-turn, it hits the back of the brain.  The other way goes right through [the skull].  And because the sign was high, I’m looking up.  The chances of my making a perfect turn are probably one-tenth of 1%.”

The all-but-impossible coincidence of the shot and Trump’s need to see the Jumbotron “did have a lot of impact” on his outlook, Trump told The Washington Examiner.  That impact seemed clear on Monday night, as the former president made a surprise visit to the Republican National Convention, sometimes tearing up and always with an overwhelming sentiment of gratitude.

The president’s emergence relatively unscathed has already uplifted rhetoric at the RNC. “If you didn’t believe in miracles before Saturday, you’d better be believing now!” said Senator Tim Scott (SC-R) during his RNC speech Monday night.  “On Saturday, the devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle.  But an American lion got back on his feet, and he roared!”

Entertainer Lee Greenwood, who sang “God Bless the USA” as President Trump entered the convention, said he wanted “this nation based on faith” to know that “prayer works.”

President Trump said he tore up the first draft of his nominating speech and replaced it with an address calling for greater national unity.  

Unfortunately, his opponents have not relented from engaging in hyper-polarizing rhetoric about the 45th president’s supposedly existential threat to democracy.  That’s a shame. Now, more than ever, the nation needs a steady hand to quell political violence, erase the enmity between Americans, and heal our politically fractured families and friendships.

That makes us even more grateful that President Trump’s exhortation for his followers to have courage and take a stand is both deeply biblical and a perfectly tailored response to potential acts of terrorism.  Terrorists hope to convince their opponents that running for office on a certain platform, or even attending a rally to see someone who holds those values, will result in violent consequences for themselves and their families.

The Bible declares that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).  For us, “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). We recognize that “the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,” and “Like the rivers of water, He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1).  Mere human thoughts are not helpful when directed at themselves or others.  When those thoughts turn to God, they fulfill the divine commandment to pray “for kings and all who are in authority” (1 Timothy 2:2) and surround the recipient with divine protection.  We always pray that God will turn His mercy upon the individual to do all things that are best for his or her salvation.

Prayerful Christians saw their thoughts and prayers for President Trump’s temporal well-being fulfilled on Saturday.  May the Lord use its deep impact to lead him and all people to His everlasting blessedness.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Can A Nation Stand When Its Spiritual Foundation Is Broken Down?

Greg Laurie an evangelist, author, and the senior pastor of Harvest Riverside, CA, tells of his recent visit to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.  As I looked up at the monument’s faces of great American presidents, it was amazing to think about their contribution to our country.

“It’s amazing to think back at the roots and heritage of our country.  Mount Rushmore showcases 60-foot carvings of the founder of our country George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and finally, Abraham Lincoln.  All of these men believed in a God and that the Bible is the Word of God.  I can’t say whether they all had a personal relationship with the Lord, but they understood the importance of a Biblical foundation.”

Abraham Lincoln said of the Bible, “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man.  All the good of the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book.”

Thomas Jefferson, speaking of the Bible, said, “I have always said, and always will say, that the studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better fathers, better husbands.  The Bible makes the best people in the world.”

Theodore Roosevelt said of Scripture, “It is necessary for the welfare of the nation that men’s lives be based on the principles of the Bible.  No man educated or uneducated can afford to be ignorant of the Bible.”

Finally, George Washington, our first president, said, “To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.”

Greg went on to say, “In this day of political correctness, can you imagine a president saying that today?  Yet, that’s what our Founding Fathers said.  We’ve moved away from this.  Now, we don’t want to talk about the God of the Bible and we don’t want to talk about the Bible as the Scripture given to us from God Himself.  That’s the problem. America needs a spiritual restoration.”

The city of Philadelphia is where our Founding Fathers penned documents that gave freedoms to us as a nation.  We have the freedom of speech.  We have the freedom to speak our mind.  We have the freedom to preach the Gospel.

Greg believes, “There are troubles in our nation today, and I believe that these troubles are primarily due to a breakdown in our spiritual foundation.  What’s the solution?  I don’t think it’s political.  I believe that America needs to turn back to God.”

The Declaration of Independence, penned by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  The Declaration of Independence is clearly based on a Judeo-Christian worldview.

Is there any hope for America?  Are things going to just get worse?  Will our streets ever be safe again?  Will the family ever be strong again?  Will we ever see good prevail over evil, or are we simply doomed to failure?

The meltdown in our country might seem strange in some ways because so many profess to believe in God.  The statistics suggest that 94% of Americans believe in God, and 84% of Americans believe Jesus is God.  In that way, America’s big on spirituality. The reality is that the majority are “spiritual” only as long as it’s personalized, taking bits from various religions.  That doesn’t work!  God tells us how we are to believe. He gives us absolutes in His Word—the Bible.

Did you know that in America today, most children are born out of wedlock?  What once was scandalous is now the new norm.  63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.  71% of all High School dropouts again come from fatherless homes.  85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home.

Traditional marriage is under siege, divorce is rampant, and sexual immorality is everywhere.  We need help!  It’s been said a family can survive without a nation, but a nation cannot survive without the family.

America The Beautiful says, “America, America, God shed His grace on thee.”  That’s so true, but there’s trouble in our country right now.  It seems like things are upside down these days; right is declared wrong, and wrong is right.  The Bible says woe to those “that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).

Could America ever come back to God?  Greg says, “I believe we could if we follow the promises of 2 Chronicles 7:14.  In its original context, that promise is given to the nation of Israel, but principally, it applies to any nation.  God says, ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’”

Just because the historians engage in historic revisionism doesn’t mean that America was not founded on Judeo-Christian roots.  That is our foundation, and we need to get back to it.  We need to turn to the true and living God.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Federal Court Block’s Title IX Expansion

A district judge has granted Texas and Montana’s request for a preliminary injunction against the federal government’s attempt “to impose a sweeping new social policy” that allows for Title IX coverage for gender identity.

The ruling follows others in which federal judges have brought Title IX revisions to a halt.

In this most recent decision, Texas District Judge Jeremy Kernodle ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can’t force state health care providers to fund gender-affirming care by threatening them with the loss of federal funding.

In May 2024, HHS issued a press release on its Final Rule, which expanded the definition of Title IX protections in 2016 to include “discrimination based on the basis of gender identity” to fit in with Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Title IX was initially established in 1972 to protect women from discrimination in public education.

“When Congress enacted the ACA in 2010, no agency—or court—had ever interpreted ‘on the basis of sex’ to mean ‘on the basis of gender identity,’” Judge Kernodle wrote. “But in 2016, HHS began to do so, issuing a rule purporting to implement Section 1557 and prohibiting discrimination on the basis of ‘gender identity.’”

Texas and Montana, two states that exclude gender-affirming care procedures from their Medicaid programs and prohibit doctors from performing them on minors, sued HHS, arguing that the federal health department has no authority to mandate that the states adhere to these revisions.

HHS said in its press release that the regulations were updated to prevent “dehumanizing beliefs” surrounding medical treatments and conditions such as gender dysphoria.

“The Department will approach gender dysphoria as it would any other disorder or condition,” HHS said in its Final Rule.  “If a disorder or condition affects one or more body systems, it may be considered a physical or mental impairment.”

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said the Final Rule’s intent is to “strengthen protections” and ensure “equal access to this nation’s health care system and its social service programs for people with disabilities and their families.”

“It is comprehensive in scope, advancing justice for people with disabilities and helping to ensure they are not discriminated against under any program or activity receiving funding from HHS just because they have a disability,” Mr. Becerra said.

Judge Kernodle wrote in his order that the Final Rule proposes an “absurd” policy in that health care entities are prohibited from limiting services exclusive to one sex, such as providing a prostate exam.

The Final Rule would also allow men who identify as females to be allowed in “female-exclusive facilities, including shared hospital rooms.”

The Final Rule also affects health insurance coverage like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Judge Kernodle wrote.  “As applied to state-sponsored insurance plans like Medicaid and CHIP [Children’s Health Insurance Program], the Final Rule has the effect of requiring states to pay for ‘transition’ and other ‘gender-affirming’ procedures,” he said.

As in other rulings on this issue, the primary reason for Judge Kernodle’s decision was that the states demonstrated that they would face irreparable financial harm by failing to comply with HHS’s rule.  Both states receive billions in federal funding, he wrote, which would “likely be withheld for violating the Final Rule,” he wrote.  “The loss of such funding for Medicaid and CHIP would devastate these programs and their beneficiaries,” he said.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC)—an LGBT advocacy organization—issued a press release criticizing the ruling.  “This ruling is not only morally wrong, it’s also bad policy,“ HRC Director Kelly Robinson said.  “Everyone deserves access to the medical care they need to be healthy and thrive.”  “This isn’t over,” she added.  “All LGBTQ+ people should receive the health care they deserve and be able to make informed decisions about our own bodies.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Republican Support for Same-Sex Marriage is Dropping

Support for same-sex marriage is on the decline among Republicans, while still trending high among the rest of the nation, according to a new survey.  

Gallup’s polling for May revealed that a majority (69%) of Americans support legalized same-sex marriage, but that support among Republicans has dropped sharply over the past two years.  In 2021 and 2022, 55% of Republicans approved of legalized same-sex marriage, but that number fell to 49% in 2023 and has fallen even lower to 46% as of last month.  Support for same-sex marriage is still high among Democrats (83%) and Independent voters (74%).

Meanwhile, the share of Republicans who see same-sex relations as “morally acceptable” has plummeted even further, from 56% in 2022 to a mere 40% as of last month.  Over 80% of Democrats and nearly 70% of Independents reported that they view same-sex relations as “morally acceptable.”  Between 2012 and 2022, Republicans’ support for same-sex marriage increased fairly steadily, rising from 22% and peaking at 55% in 2021 and 2022.  However, Republicans’ endorsement of same-sex relations as “morally acceptable” did not cross the majority threshold until 2020.  It fell from its 2022 peak to a low unrivaled since 2014.

As Gallup noted, barely a quarter (27%) of Americans supported legalized same-sex marriage when the organization began surveying the question in 1996, while over two-thirds (68%) of Americans opposed same-sex marriage.  In 2011, support finally broke above 50% and, just a few years later, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in the Obergefell v. Hodges decision.  Since 2016, general support has remained consistently above 60%, although 2024’s 69% represents a two-point drop even just since last year.

“There are a couple of important factors involved with the decline of GOP support for gay marriage.  First, Americans broadly embrace the concept of American liberty, and they will usually push back whenever their freedoms are threatened,” said former congressman and Family Research Council (FRC) Senior Vice President Jody Hice, in comments to The Washington Stand.  Hice noted that the LGBT agenda has become increasingly militant, insinuating itself into classrooms, hospitals, and all over.  He explained, “Instead of endearing people to the LGBT movement, this strategy has had the opposite effect. … This type of activity has resulted in many who now view the LGBT community as being harmful to existing families rather than a personal preference unto themselves.”

“Another reason for the decline of support is more deeply rooted and even more problematic for the Left.  It is founded within the principles of a worldview, specifically a biblical worldview,” Hice stated.  “Just as ‘freedom’ is cherished by many, even more so, deeply held religious beliefs will not be compromised by those who possess them.”

Joseph Backholm, FRC’s senior fellow for Biblical Worldview, also weighed in on that point.  “Obviously the trend in recent decades has been in the wrong direction on this issue, but a correction is inevitable for a couple reasons.  The whole premise of same-sex marriage is that there is no difference between men and women,” Backholm explained.  “Most of the people didn’t quite see it this way, but since then we’ve seen how the logic of genderlessness is playing out in the rest of culture.  At least a few are probably recognizing that the world is not better.”

“In addition to that, same-sex marriage was sold to the public as the tolerant choice, but what we’ve seen since then is that the political movement that brought us same-sex marriage is anything but tolerant,” Backholm continued.  “It has brought us lawsuits against churches and small businesses, pronoun laws, cancel culture, and general intolerance of those who still claim children should have both a mother and father or deny men can get pregnant. Everything about the campaign for same-sex marriage was a lie and every day since has, in its own way, helped make that clear for anyone interested in seeing it.”

“This may or may not be the beginning of a long-term correction on how the public sees this issue, but it is inevitable,” he concluded.  “Since there will always be a meaningful difference between men and women, the only possible, long-term outcome is lamenting the time in our lives we pretended there wasn’t.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

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

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel