The Family Beacon

Pro-Abortion Lawmakers are Fast-Tracking Abortion Extremism

Guest User

With the legislative session only in its second week, pro-abortion lawmakers are working to fast-track abortion extremism with two bills that would establish a “right” to abortion in Minnesota law and remove all existing restrictions on abortion in our state.

HF 1, known as the “Protect Reproductive Options” (PRO) Act establishes a “fundamental right” to end the life of an unborn child for any reason up until birth. HF 91 builds on this horrifying disregard for human life by applying HF 1’s broad expansion of abortion to specific policies and repealing Minnesota’s existing abortion restrictions. The bill would gut health and safety restrictions on abortion and repeal the Women’s Right to Know Act which requires informed consent prior to abortion. It would also remove parental notification requirements when a minor seeks an abortion — a requirement that plays a vital role in protecting young girls who have suffered coercion, abuse, and even trafficking from further exploitation.

These bills would both be disastrous for preborn children in Minnesota, would harm women and girls by taking away informed consent and basic health and safety requirements, and would make Minnesota one of the most radically pro-abortion states in the U.S.  

The Years Without Thanksgiving

John Helmberger

Do you know about the "years without Thanksgiving?" Last year we celebrated the 400th anniversary of the First Thanksgiving in 1621. As you know, Thanksgiving has been celebrated in one form or another ever since. You probably also know that Presidents Washington and Lincoln issued famous Thanksgiving Proclamations, in 1789 and 1863 respectively.

But you may not be aware of the "years without Thanksgiving," during which our national leaders refused to publicly acknowledge the gifts of God in the way that both the Pilgrims and George Washington had done. The History Channel explains:

Thomas Jefferson, the third president, felt that public demonstrations of piety to a higher power, like that celebrated at Thanksgiving, were inappropriate in a nation based in part on the separation of church and state. Subsequent presidents agreed with him. In fact, no official Thanksgiving proclamation was issued by any president between 1815 and the day Lincoln took the opportunity to thank the Union Army and God for a shift in the country’s fortunes on this day in 1863.

(It's a little ironic to describe the nation as being "based...on the separation of church and state" while discussing Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson coined the phrase, but he would have known - as do you and I - that this phrase appears nowhere in our founding documents). 

There was a time period of almost fifty years, then, in which our presidents refused to publicly give thanks. We know that refusing to give thanks is sin (Romas 1:20-22), and it's sad to think that our nation was once unable to do this officially, although of course many individual American families did give thanks every day for their blessings.

Thankfully, Thanksgiving didn't remain in the wilderness forever. You've probably read President Lincoln's famous declaration (actually written by Secretary of State William Seward), which reads in part:

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States...to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that... they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience...fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

 Oh, how I wish that our modern-day presidents would acknowledge and repent of our "national perverseness and disobedience" instead of the bland and inoffensive pronouncements that they reheat and reissue year after year! Because it seems to be that we, like President Lincoln, are living through a time when understanding and repenting of our sins as a nation will bring great blessings. 

We are also, sadly, living under leaders who, like President Jefferson, do not see the true value of thanksgiving - certainly not Thanksgiving with repentance.

I pray you and your family enjoy a blessed, peaceful, ample Thanksgiving. I hope you take time to give thanks not just for the blessings you enjoy personally, but for the blessings God has poured out on the great state of Minnesota, and on this great nation.

Moreover, I hope you will pray with me that the "years without Thanksgiving" would come to an end again - that God would give us better leaders than we deserve, leaders who would lead us not in hubris but in repentance, and not in pride but in...Thanksgiving.

To Those Who Serve - Thank You

John Helmberger

This Veteran’s Day, we at Minnesota Family Council want to express our sincerest gratitude and honor to those currently serving, and those who have served, our great nation.

These heroic men and women wear their uniforms every day with both the honest pride of joining the ranks of those who came before them as well as the humility of the great burden they carry--protecting us and all the freedoms we cherish.

Pro-Lifers Notch Up Wins, See Setbacks

Moses Bratrud

This week, pro-life candidates for Governor and Attorney General of Minnesota lost their races, and pro-life Senators lost the majority in the Minnesota Senate. At the same time, pro-lifers may have taken control of the US House and notched up other victories around the country. Overall, however, the first post-Dobbs election was not a landslide win for the cause of life. On the surface, then, it’s a funny time to be talking about future pro-life victories.

Some conservatives believe that the pro-life cause can never achieve victory under the current system, with conservative Harvard Law professor Adrian Vermeule tweeting that “It’s funny to see GOP types debating which candidates or issues would have made a difference, when the simplest hypothesis is that there is a critical mass of voters who will support left-liberalism…regardless of the conditions it produces.”

In the same vein, another conservative commentator writes that “the anti-abortion movement is dead in the water.” It’s sad to see these irresponsible reactions to what is simply an election setback - not the first, and not the last.

Vermeule and other commentators certainly have a point - we’re still waiting for a nationwide majority in favor of banning abortion, and Tuesday’s results in Minnesota and some other states suggest that we have a lot of work to do. But to focus on one tough election week would ignore the fact that almost every poll and survey, before and after Dobbs, shows that Americans almost everywhere (including in Minnesota) want abortion to be more limited than it was under Roe v. Wade, with wide support for a near-total ban on abortions after the first trimester.

Minnesota’s Academic Standards are “Among the Nation’s Worst”

Luke Mueller

A recent review by the Dr. Wilfred McClay for the Center for the American Experiment determined that Minnesota’s academic standards are “among the nation’s worst.” We’ve seen and addressed these social studies standards before at MFC, but Dr. McClay’s review deserves a closer look. McClay believes that not a single aspect of the new standards is worth adopting – and he’s right. Minnesota schoolchildren deserve better than what these new standards will offer.

According to Dr. McClay, our goal should be to create “a citizenry that will be competent for the sustaining of a free and self-governing people.” Basically, civic education should focus on teaching students the principles that founded this nation. Students should understand where our nation came from (celebrating the good without avoiding the bad), how our government works, and how to be a useful participant in all of it.

A civic education isn’t just learning how to vote in an election. As Dr. McClay points out, “it is about promoting a vivid and enduring sense of what we have in common, of our belonging to one of the greatest enterprises in human history: the astonishing, perilous, and immensely consequential story of our own country.” A civic education needs to imbue in students a deep understanding of what our nation means to them. It needs to encourage patriotism. It needs to promote the idea that our greatest strength comes from what we have in common.

Four Trends that Show Teacher Radicalism is Rising

Luke Mueller

I was home-educated, and I wish every student could have what I had: an education which emphasized academic ability and a search for the truth about the world. I was taught history, politics, and science from the perspective of the Bible – the source of ultimate truth. While more Minnesotans than ever are homeschooling or intentionally sending their kids to good schools, not all children have this advantage. In fact, many kids are receiving an education void of any academic excellence in favor of radical ideology. It’s a troubling trend. Radical teachers and teachers’ unions are sacrificing the interests of children and parents. We only have to look at the headlines to see this in action.

Headline 1: This Year’s MEA Workshops Bombard Teachers with LGBTQ Agenda. There is no more potent example of teacher radicalism than in the event topics at the teacher’s union MEA workshop. One exhibition includes training in “LGBTQ advocacy and support” for teachers. Another workshop promotes “Creating Gender Inclusivity Through Language, Curriculum and Sharing Stories.” These seminars are nothing more than propaganda. It says a lot both about the unions organizing these trainings, and the teachers attending them, who will return from MEA Weekend ready for LGBTQ indoctrination in the classroom. Children deserve better than what these radicalized teachers will provide.

Headline 2: Radical Union Requires White Teachers be Laid off First. The work of radicalization has extended beyond the classroom into the workforce itself. In August, the Minneapolis teacher’s union proposed laying off white teachers first in an attempt to “remedy the continuing effects of past discrimination.”

How Should Christians Respond to the Opioid Epidemic?

Luke Mueller

We live in a world full of bad news, both personal or public. This bad news, whether you like it or not, impacts how you treat yourself and others. This leads many into depression, wondering why the world is so gray and lifeless. It certainly has for me. But by the grace of God, I’m finding my way out. I know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and there is a purpose for my time on Earth.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the same outlook as I do. For so many lonely people out there, the only answer for their deep depression is something that seems to make the pain stop, at least for a while – namely the misuse of powerful pain medications.

The misuse of opioid painkillers is not a new thing. In fact, the 1990s was the first time we saw a real increase in the use of these drugs for “recreational” purposes. Since that time, national overdose death rates have grown to over 107,000 per year, including more than 1,200 in Minnesota. Each of those deaths hides 5, 10, or even 20 close family members and friends whose lives will never be the same because of the death of their loved one. These numbers are tragic for everyone involved. Sadly, Minneapolis is a hotspot for these overdoses especially in recent years.

Preparing Gen Z to be Lights in a Dark World

Guest User

Pew Research recently released a report on an accelerating trend in the U.S. — adults who were raised in Christian homes and who formerly described themselves as Christian leaving the Christian faith and joining the growing number of religious “nones.” According to Pew, nearly a third of those raised Christian describe themselves as “nothing in particular” as adults. This trend is expected to continue in the next few decades. Combined with a decrease in “transference” — that is, children who were raised in Christian homes becoming Christians themselves — Pew’s research team predicts that between 2050 and 2070, the majority of Americans will not describe themselves as Christians.

This trend is sobering because it shows that a growing number of people are living their lives without the hope of the gospel. While some of the decline in Christianity in the U.S. is likely due to a shift in cultural attitudes toward Christianity leading to fewer people describing themselves as Christians without holding strong convictions, the rise of “deconstruction” has seen a not insignificant number of young people who once expressed zeal for their faith now rejecting Christianity.

Pew’s prediction is that this shift won’t see its full effect until 30 to 50 years from now. However, their research and research from other groups show that America’s teens and young adults are already experiencing this shift. Atheism is more widespread among Generation Z than any previous generation in the U.S. Just over half of America’s teenagers are Christians, and a little less than half of adults in their 20s.

Communicate Your Pro-Life Position

John Helmberger

A Message to Pro-Life Candidates

As you know, both pro-life and pro-abortion voters are extremely invested in the life issue, and in the outcome of this fall’s election. That makes it more important than ever to address this sensitive issue with truth and compassion, communicating your position respectfully and clearly to voters on all sides of this issue.

Every candidate should remember that pro-life Minnesotans make up a large portion of the electorate in every district. They want to see and hear your clear leadership on the life issue. Many of them will be dismayed if you ignore the abortion issue rather than clearly and respectfully communicating your position, and could even decide to stay home in November.

Remember, the best recent polls (here and here) indicate that a supermajority of Minnesotans do NOT support Minnesota’s current extreme abortion laws permitting abortion any time for any reason up to the moment of birth. Fully 68.2% of Minnesotans support at least limits on abortion if not an outright ban in most cases (41.4%). Only 30.1% of Minnesotans want abortion to be legal without any limitations. And yet, almost no pro-abortion candidates in Minnesota support any limitations on abortion, making theirs the real extreme position.

Proposed Social Studies Standards: Minnesota Students and Families Deserve Better

Guest User

Under state law, Minnesota’s social study standards are updated every ten years, going through a process of drafting, public comment, and review before being implemented in schools. The first draft of proposed updates to Minnesota’s social studies standards was released in late 2020 and immediately drew public response for its glaring omissions of key moments in U.S., Minnesota, and world history. Subsequent drafts have shown slight improvement in standards for history — for instance, including the Holocaust, which was completely omitted from the first draft — but have continued to add benchmarks that introduce critical race theory to Minnesota’s classrooms through the addition of “Ethnic studies” requirements.

These standards are part of a broader effort from the Walz administration to push critical theory on Minnesota’s students. Earlier this year, the administration attempted to mandate ethnic studies in all schools, including private schools and home schools.

Currently the Minnesota Department of Education is reviewing public comments on the proposed final version of the social studies standards and is drafting a Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR) which will be made available to the public. At that point there will be opportunity for public comment before the standards are reviewed and adopted.

California Governor Touts $10 Million Pro-Abortion Ad Campaign

Luke Mueller

Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, pro-abortion activists have stepped up digital and billboard campaigns to normalize abortion. In Minnesota, billboards plaster highways with messages like “abortion is still legal in Minnesota” and “it is still your right” (although, actually, it never has been). In other states, billboards claim that “Texas doesn’t own your body.” They invite vulnerable women to travel to other states to have an abortion. California’s state government is the primary culprit, using taxpayer dollars to advertise the fact that their state is a safe haven for abortionists.

Earlier this week, California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed that his campaign has spent $10 million on pro-abortion billboards in certain pro-life states. The targeted states included Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Mississippi, Ohio, and Oklahoma. Each of these states has banned abortion following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Indiana, which has also been a target of these advertisements, banned abortion just last week.

These pro-abortion campaigns promote the murder of innocent children. They are disgraceful attempts to put a false message in front of vulnerable women.

Under the Newsom administration, Californian taxpayers are also obligated to pay for a website advertising abortion. In May, Governor Newsom announced a “Reproductive Health Package” aimed at promoting abortion in California and elsewhere. In this package, which budgeted about $200 million for abortion purposes, Newsom touted a Comprehensive Reproductive Rights website and increased infrastructure for abortion businesses.

Minnesota MOMS Seek to Defend Parental Rights Among Other State Laws

Renee Carlson


Pictured above, Renee Carlson, General Counsel of True North Legal, emcees a press conference on behalf of MOMS, Mothers Offering Maternal Support, where a group of over 50 MOMS is seeking to intervene in a significant case about abortion in Minnesota.

Constitutional expert and lawyer, Teresa Collett is serving as lead counsel in this case. Just this past summer, Ramsey County District Court Judge Thomas Gilligan, struck down nearly all abortion regulations, even laws that included bipartisan legislative support. As it stands, this decision makes Minnesota one of the most radical abortion states in the entire coutry.

If it remains law, women will no longer be provided critical information about a medical decision as significant as abortion; people other than doctors will be able to perform abortions; there will be no waiting periods required for adults or minors girls; and most significantly, the law will separate daughters from their parents at a time when she needs them most, taking away their right to be infomed of critical medical decisions like abortion -- threatening our daughters' health and safety, making them vulnerable to coercion, and also enabling sex traffickers and sexual predators to prey on our young daughters. MOMS intervention is critical, as Renee Carlson stated, "the Attorney General of Minnesota has stepped aside, so Minnesota MOMS are stepping in."

Alpha News provided comprehensive coverage of the press conference. You can watch the video and read the article here.

(Dis)respect for Marriage Act Could Gut Religious Freedom

Luke Mueller

In a recent op-ed for The Washington Post, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) advocated for the so-called Respect for Marriage Act (RMA), a bill that would cement same-sex marriage in federal law. RMA has already passed the House with bipartisan support and could receive its final vote in the Senate as soon as Monday. Despite the high-sounding language of “respect,” in fact this bill would threaten the religious freedom of millions across the country.

Today’s RMA legislation is a response to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s comments on whether the landmark Obergefell case would be overturned in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson. While that remains very unlikely, those who support same-sex marriage are worried - worried enough to take reckless actions that could irreversibly harm religious freedom.

Supreme Court Justice Alito pointed out in his dissent on Obergefell (a landmark same-sex marriage case) that policies like RMA would “vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy.” Certainly, we cannot allow a bill that will persecute and demonize those who maintain deep religious convictions.

The Respect for Marriage Act aims at repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. In effect, DOMA blocked same-sex couples from receiving marriage benefits from federal and state governments. Throughout its lifespan, DOMA has been mostly nullified by Supreme Court cases such as Windsor and Obergefell. Today, activists bent on eradicating biblical sexual morès from law want to completely repeal DOMA and codify same-sex marriage in federal law.

Religious freedom is on the line. While supporters of this bill might argue otherwise, the so-called Respect for Marriage Act will become a weapon used against those with deeply-held beliefs in favor of traditional marriage. Many Americans could find themselves in a similar position to Jack Phillips, the heroic cake baker from Colorado who has been sued multiple times for breaking a “non-discrimination” ordinance for only baking cakes for traditional marriage ceremonies.

As Justice Alito wrote in his Obergefell dissent “I assume that those who cling to old beliefs will be able to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes, but if they repeat those views in public, they will risk being labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers, and schools.” Here as so often, Justice Alito is right. There’s a volume of evidence—such as the persecution of Jack Phillips and Baronelle Stutzman—that points to this fact. The so-called Respect for Marriage Act will not protect religious freedom.

While many Republicans voted in favor of this bill in the U.S. House, including Minnesota’s Rep. Tom Emmer, true conservatives should understand what the RMA is capable of. A bill that threatens the religious freedom of Americans with sincere religious beliefs does not belong in the United States. People of faith across the country are worried – and they have reason to be. Minnesota Family Council and other organizations continue to sound the alarm on this bill. Yet as Christians, we know that this perversion of God’s design will not flourish. As Psalm 28:5 states, “because they do not regard the works of the Lord nor the deeds of His hands, He will tear them down and not build them up.” What a beautiful assurance it is to be on the only side that matters—God’s side.

Governor Walz Claims Minnesota is Among 5 Safest States – Actually, We’re No. 27

Luke Mueller

Anyone paying attention should realize that violent and non-violent crime has seen a massive spike in our state over the last few years. This rise in crime has become a big election issue in this year’s gubernatorial race, but the incumbent governor would have you believe that it’s not that bad after all. In fact, Gov. Walz believes that Minnesota is one of the safest states in the country. Sadly for us, that’s no longer true.

In an interview with Esme Murphy of WCCO at the Minnesota State Fair, Gov. Tim Walz claimed that “there are 45 states with higher crime rates than Minnesota.” That would put Minnesota among states like New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, which are some of the safest places in the country. If this were true, there would be no need for Governor Walz to worry about spiking crime ahead of the November election—and yet pesky voters are still making it an issue! What’s the deal?

According to David Zimmer of the Center for the American Experiment, Gov. Walz’ claim is stretching the truth more than a little bit. “No matter how you manipulate the statistics, you can’t get Minnesota into the top five or even top ten states when it comes to protecting citizens from crime,” Zimmer said in a statement.

U of M Medical Students Pledge to “Promote a Culture of Anti-Racism”

Luke Mueller

Last month, medical students at the University of Minnesota pledged to “promote a culture of anti-racism” in their inaugural white coat ceremony. In an oath written by the students and overseen by staff, the students committed to “uprooting the legacy and perpetuation of structural violence deeply embedded within the health care system.” Notably, the students did not point to any single example of racism or violence within Minnesota’s health care system.

Along with pledging to be anti-racist, the students also recognized the stolen Dakota land on which they stood. They recognized the inequities created by “colonialism and the gender binary” and pledged to “amplify voices for positive change.”

If you have been particularly good at avoiding nonsense jargon over the last few years, you may be puzzled by the term “anti-racism,” which certainly sounds like a good thing. It sounds like “non-racism,” which is a good thing. But how much difference is there between “non” and “anti!” Ibram X. Kendi, one of the leading exponents of anti-racism and Critical Race Theory, claims that being “not racist” is not enough. Instead, one had to be proactively “anti-racist,” or, as he later expounded, “the only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination.” In short, “anti-racism” is corrective racism, discriminating on the basis of race to somehow “make up” for past discrimination on the basis of race.

Minnesota Schools are Failing their Students. Change Is Needed Now.

Luke Mueller

Over the last few years, Minnesota school systems have failed students, shunned parents, and turned one of the best school systems in the country into a poorly-functioning bureaucratic nightmare, with notes of ideological indoctrination. It’s time for a change, to return the power to the parents, make schools safer, and provide real quality education. A new plan introduced this week aims to do just that.

Earlier this week, Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen revealed a ten-step plan to save Minnesota schools. In a speech at the Minnesota State Fair, Jensen claimed that schools across the state are failing their students and vowed to “stop thinking that dollars are always going to get us where we have to go.” With recent MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment) results hitting a catastrophic low, immediate reform is clearly necessary.

Governor Walz’s open-wallet approach to fixing this issue has done more harm than good. Walz has funded bad policies that promote CRT and transgender ideology for minors while ignoring plummeting math and reading scores. Worst of all, though, Minnesota schools remained closed much longer than necessary during the pandemic, giving the lie to Walz’s ridiculous claim that “80% of our kids missed less than 10 days of in-class learning.” Because of Walz’s actions and the relentless support of the teacher’s union, Minnesota schools have failed their students in three primary ways.

Minneapolis Teachers Union Advocates for Racial Discrimination

Luke Mueller

Last week, Alpha News uncovered blatantly racist employment policies in the Minneapolis school district. In a leaked contract voted on in March, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) proposed that white teachers should be laid off before teachers of color in order “to remedy the continuing effects of past discrimination.” That’s right: Minneapolis kids could have their teachers chosen by race rather than ability. Fortunately, parents and teachers alike have reacted strongly to this racist policy and are starting to fight back. Minneapolis schools must be held accountable for this policy, which is in flagrant violation of the Minnesota Constitution.

But MFT President Greta Callahan expressed her extreme pride in the decision to effectively discriminate against white teachers. In her opinion, racial discrimination is not “one of our concerns whatsoever.” Instead, she submits that retention of underrepresented teachers is far more important.

The Minneapolis policy was ratified by members of the Minneapolis Public School board, which receives taxpayer funding. This means that taxpayer dollars will be used to fund explicitly racist employment policies.

James Dickey, a senior trial counsel at Upper Midwest Law Center, said that the agreement “openly discriminates against white teachers based only on the color of their skin, and not their seniority or merit.” He encouraged teachers and taxpayers to stand up to this “state-sponsored racism” in the hope that a lawsuit would follow. Some Minnesotans have already heeded Dickey’s suggestion.

Allina Physician Encourages Kids to Seek Transgender Hormones without Parental Knowledge

Luke Mueller

The last few years have shown that just because someone has the letters “MD” after their name doesn’t mean they are automatically trustworthy. From disinformation about COVID-19 to gender theory, doctors with radical agendas have proven themselves to be not only wrong, but dangerous as well. Dr. Rose Marie Leslie, a family practitioner at Allina Health in Faribault and a TikTok influencer, serves as a disturbing example.

Using her substantial TikTok following, Dr. Leslie spreads dangerous lies about transgender surgeries and hormones. In one video, she stated that “giving gender-affirming care to transgender children is medically necessary and supports their health and well-being.” Dr. Leslie’s rhetoric and “advice” are dangerous for both children and adults. Her actions suggest that she is not a competent care provider for patients at Allina Health – and we urge that her employment there be reconsidered.

“Gender-affirming care” is a fictitious term that refers to giving puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and transition surgeries to impressionable children and uninformed young adults. It affirms no one and helps nobody. In fact, it should be called “reality-denying care.” In reality, God created people in two distinct sexes, male and female. Each has a different role, but the same value before God. Sadly, the world is a sinful place, where mankind is given over to our depraved desires (Romans 1:24). Transgender activists want to defy God’s wonderful created order by blurring the lines between men and women, and to some extent, they have succeeded, as Dr. Leslie’s popularity testifies.

What I Saw at LEAD 2022

Guest User

“Whatever you do, do it well.”
“That's how you glorify God in all things.”

These are the words of encouragement that Carl and Angel Larsen, two of our chapel speakers at LEAD 2022 shared with our students last month. The Larsens talked about tangible ways to become well-rounded adults who develop a variety of skills and explained how they pursue excellence as Christian film makers. They also talked about their stand for religious freedom here in Minnesota when they challenged a law that would have compelled Christian creative professionals to create messages that violate their beliefs.

I love seeing students immediately put what they learn into action, and that’s what I saw them do for the rest of the week as they pursued excellence while working on their bills. So much so that at the end of the week, the Chief Clerk of the House dropped by during our final debates and commented on how much he appreciates the LEAD program because the simulation is accurate enough that it’s a valuable training experience for his staff.

Becker Schools Take Steps Against Indoctrination

Luke Mueller

Stacey DeCorsey, the principal at the Excelsior Elementary School in the Minnetonka Public School District recently issued a rave review of a transgender affirming children’s book called “Jack (not Jackie).” She described this insidious book written for kids as young as five as a “heartwarming picture-book” and a “phenomenal read.” Schools across the nation have been following her pattern, denying the established fact that there are two immutable sexes to pacify a radical minority. Thankfully, some schools are fighting back – inspired in part by Florida’s courageous “Parental Rights in Education” bill. In the Becker, Minnesota public school district, new rules have been proposed that seek to remove materials that indoctrinate children from the classroom.

The Becker district’s resolution promotes the idea that “classrooms must be free of any personal bias or non-school materials favoring any particular group, political ideology, favored class or promoting controversial issues.” In other words, teachers and staff will no longer be permitted to force the talking points of the progressive agenda on students. The responsibility for helping kids navigate tough issues ultimately belongs to the parents, and this resolution goes some way towards that goal. Sadly, as the school board began discussing this issue, dozens of students began protesting, which led to the vote being tabled for an unknown future date. These protests only serve to show what is really going on here – a fight over reality.

Here's the reality: In the beginning, God created the world, and humankind with it. He created humanity in two distinct sexes, male and female. A person’s sex is determined by genetics, not ideology. Reality is defined by how God has created this world, not by how some folks interpret the current social climate.