God and Country

In a significant but under-reported story, the Associated Press highlights the faith of the military family at home:

Faced with long periods of separation and worry over the next combat tour, a group of wives…are drawn together weekly to seek spiritual support to bolster the strength of their marriages…

“The military, because of the complexities of the deployment, can have more uncertainties,” she said. “The reason God is the answer is because scripture says that He has never changed. From the beginning of time to the end of time, He is unchanging.”

Mya Parker, wife of an Army aviator and a former Soldier herself, started the non-denominational “Lantern” Bible fellowship.  They meet in small Read more…

The rate of divorce in the US military was recently reported as 3.7%, with an increase in officer divorces accounting for an increase in the military as a whole.

The Air Force had the highest rate, at 3.9%.  Enlisted women had a nearly 10% divorce rate.

The general American population had divorce rate of 3.5% in 2009, the last year for which numbers are available.  (It’s unclear if these “population” numbers also included members of the military.)

While this may sound dire, it’s also worth noting it is difficult to Read more…

As noted previously, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has an enormous platform for Jesus Christ — one he maintains with a humble yet strong spirit.

That platform has resulted in (literal) worldwide attention. “Tebowing” even made Time Magazines Top 10 Memes, one of its 54 “Top Ten” lists for 2011.

What does Tebow think of the meme? The quarterback has said he is pleased that the internet fad, however fleeting, is encouraging people to pray.

How’s your Christian witness?

Via the ChristianPost.

The widow of US Air Force Capt Eric Ziegler, killed in June in a crash due to G-LOC, has demonstrated a calm reliance on her faith.  When asked about knowing the circumstances of her husband’s death, Sarah Ziegler said she found them “kind of irrelevant.”

“I’ve always believed, and still do, that everything happens for a reason and a purpose, and so I didn’t need a source or object to blame or anything like that,” she said.

While there is still grief, faith can help people deal with such loss.  Why?  Knowing there is an ultimate purpose, and the grief is temporary.  Sarah understands the fact that she and her husband had — and still have — a platform for Christ:  Read more…

The US Navy is reportedly investigating accusations of “pervasive cheating” among the members of the Navy’s nuclear corps.

After the cheating ring was discovered aboard the Groton-based submarine Memphis last November, the Navy fired the commanding officer and kicked off 10 percent of the crew. Navy officials said it reflected a rare lapse in integrity, but several former submarine officers told the AP for a story in August that it is not uncommon for sailors to receive answer keys or other hints before training exams.

The issue of competence has never been in question.  In fact, some have said the Read more…

We have much to be thankful for: Families that support us even when separated by duty, a country that recognizes our human liberty to worship as we desire, a military that serves and sacrifices daily, at their nation’s behest…

…and a Savior, Jesus Christ, who paid the final price.

Give thanks, this ThanksGiving, with a grateful heart.

The Rev. Billy Graham has a syndicated daily newspaper column called “My Answer.”  He recently addressed a question from a US servicemember in Afghanistan reconsidering their calling in life:

DEAR BILLY GRAHAM: Right now, I’m in the military deployed in Afghanistan, and I’ve really grown closer to God during my time here. Do you think God wants me to be a pastor or something like that when I get out? How can I know? — M. M.

Graham thanked the servicemember for their service and noted the Read more…

Addressing Regent University’s Robertson School of Government, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Richard Land told students God calls some into public service — with the express intent of influencing the culture.  Referencing Romans 13, Land said

God “does call some of us to be involved in government, because you cannot write laws that will protect you from bad application by evil people…We need for godly men and women to be willing to be open to the prospect that God’s will for your life may be to go into public service, to serve Read more…

The previous article began to answer the question Can a Christian Serve in the US Military? by addressing the common pacifist criticisms of military service by Christians.  This article asks the more direct question:  Does the Bible actually support military service by Christians?

Men of God, and War

Despite the sometime pacifist assumptions placed upon Christian belief, many Biblical men of old and renown have been soldiers and still been faithful men of God – and nowhere was their military service questioned. Abraham, whom God selected to bless as the father of His chosen nation, was one of the earliest “generals” (Genesis 14:14-15). Moses and Joshua both led the Israelites in countless battles. God Himself ordered the Israelites to battle, and commanded His own army, for that matter (2 Kings 6:17). David, a “man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14), said that God “trained his hands for battle” (Psalm 18:34). David not only fought in war but also participated in some of the most brutal acts of slaughter recorded in the Bible (for example, when he arbitrarily killed every two lengths of the defeated Moabites (2 Samuel 8 )). In the military tradition of “praise the Lord and pass the ammunition,” Nehemiah “prayed to…God and posted a guard,” and told the leaders of Jerusalem to “remember the Lord…, and fight” (4:9, 14).

Thus, to claim all war is evil is to say not only that God Read more…

Father George Zabelka was a Catholic Chaplain with the US Army Air Forces in 1945.  He was stationed on Tinian Island, and he was the Chaplain for the aircrew who dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

After leaving the military the next year, Zabelka ultimately became a pacifist.

In 1980, he gave an interview in which he described Read more…

Tullian Tchividjian, grandson of Billy Graham and current Pastor at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, has an interesting article with application to Christians in all walks of life, including the military:

You’re free to stay put.

In becoming a Christian, we don’t need to retreat from the vocational calling we already have-nor do we need to justify that calling, whatever it is, in terms of its “spiritual” value or evangelistic Read more…

Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. –Psalm 144:1

Can a Christian serve in combat?  Is war inconsistent with the commands of Jesus Christ?

Recent events have given new life to the age old discussion about whether “Christian” and “military” are mutually exclusive (never mind being a “Christian Fighter Pilot”).  Particularly for new Christians, or Christians who grew up in peaceful times and areas, the concepts of a “warring Christian” who is a child of the loving God can seem contradictory.

(There are also many non-Christians who try to find an apparent contradiction in military Christian service.  The intent here is to address those with a Christian worldview.)

There are many books and pamphlets written on this topic, and most categorize their analysis in two categories. The “anti-war” division centers on the ”pacifist teachings” of Jesus. The “pro-war” division centers on the Just War doctrine supported with Biblical citations. Well-researched books quote Augustine and Thomas Aquinas Read more…

It seems everybody wants to be a fighter pilot, or at least pretend to be one.  Many people seem to quote fighter pilot movies without knowing what they’re actually saying.  Some quotes are accurate (pilots do say “Fox 3″ when firing AMRAAMs and “Fox 2″ when firing Sidewinders, a la Will Smith in Independence Day); others, not so much (pretty much everything in Top Gun).  While most fighter pilot-sounding quotes may just sound cool, quite a bit of real fighter pilot lingo is laced with sexual innuendo through the use of “clever” linguistic games.

Are you sure you want to play?  Read more…

Being a Christian in the military sometimes creates challenges in situations civilians take for granted.  For example, how do you find a church?  The concept of a “home church” and steady lifelong attendance takes on a whole new meaning when you move every two to four years.

This is the third article in a series of suggestions and guidance on finding a church as you move about in your military career.  The first, Part 1: The Military Chapel, discussed the various perspectives and thoughts on attending services at the base/post military chapel.  The second, Part 2: Worshipping at Local Churches, addressed the topic of local/community churches a military Christian might choose to visit.  This final article discusses the sometimes controversial topic of “leaving” a church.

There used to be an old military Academy gripe that cadets were judged unfairly:  Read more…

Being a Christian in the military sometimes creates challenges in situations civilians take for granted.  For example, how do you find a church?  The concept of a “home church” and steady lifelong attendance takes on a whole new meaning when you move every two to four years.

This is the second article in a series of suggestions and guidance on finding a church as you move about in your military career.  The first, Part 1: The Military Chapel, discussed the various perspectives and thoughts on attending services at the base/post military chapel.  The topic of Part 2 is local/community churches a military Christian might choose to visit at a new or temporary assignment.

Attending a Local Church  Read more…