Christianity in the Military: Truth with Feet

The following article uniquely addresses the spirit of “evangelism” promoted by many Christian military ministry organizations–the evangelism of life example.  Christian officers are encouraged to witness with “their feet”–the often silent witness of their everyday words, choices, and actions.  While there may be an appropriate time and place for cracking open a Bible and explaining the Gospel, far more often the Gospel is seen when Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines observe the lives of the military Christians in their midst.  Encouraging military Christians to live as models of Godly character–so that their example might influence others–is the heart of military ministry.

This article was written by Lieutenant Colonel Tom Schmidt, USA (Ret.), and is reprinted here in its entirety.

Truth with Feet

In his short, personal letter to Gaius, the apostle John commends his friend for walking in the truth. “It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth” (3 John v.3).

Truth has feet. More than information merely shoved into our heads, truth is meant to fill our hearts and spill into our entire lives. John expounds Read more

President Proclaims “Days of Prayer and Remembrance”

President Bush proclaimed September 5th through the 7th as the annual “National Days of Prayer and Remembrance.”  From the announcement:

We also pray for the safety and success of the members of our Armed Forces now serving freedom’s cause. We seek God’s grace on their families, and commit to Heaven’s care those brave men and women He has called home…As we defend our country against its enemies, we pray for help in protecting the gift of freedom from those who seek to destroy it, and we ask the Almighty to strengthen all those securing liberty on distant shores.

Military Christian Leadership Forum

Regent University and Officers’ Christian Fellowship are hosting a one day forum on military Christian leadership called Strength in Faith.  The form will occur in October and will include speakers from OCF as well as Regent, including a former Chief of Naval Operations (Navy Chief of Staff) and a former Commander of AF Special Operations Command.

Military Academies Among Top Schools

While frequently criticized for developing “whole” officers (including spiritual and moral aspects, as well as leadership and academic), the military academies have consistently demonstrated strength as educational institutions.  US News and World Report recently published their Best Colleges 2009.  The Air Force Academy was ranked #2 in the nation for aero/astronautical engineering, and was the #1 school in the western region, as also noted at AF.mil.  All three military academies (Military, Naval, and Air Force) were in the top 10 nationally for engineering programs.

“Under Orders” Under Fire

Chaplain Bill McCoy, author of Under Orders, now finds himself backtracking from the publication of an endorsement by General Petraeus on the cover of his book.  According to various press reports, he now says the endorsement, as well as that of another General,

were intended for me personally rather than for the general public

Under Orders was reviewed here six months ago, and the Chaplain even responded to defend his book at the time.

In typical fashion, Michael Weinstein has said Read more

Jewish Chaplain Provides Spiritual Support in Iraq

A local Philadelphia newspaper covers the story of Rabbi Jon Cutler, a Jewish Navy Reserve Chaplain serving a 13-month tour in Iraq.  Cutler is the head Chaplain for 23 others.

Like many Chaplains, Cutler has the benefit of civilian religious counterparts to help fulfill troops’ spiritual needs:

When Cutler came to Iraq this winter, [he] set about creating a synagogue in the base’s chapel complex. Today, that synagogue — supplied with a Torah scroll brought over from the U.S. and the ark that holds it constructed by civilian contractors — has between 10 and 15 military personnel attending Friday night services. There is a steady crowd at Saturday Torah studies and weekly Jewish movie nights. Read more

Army Soldier Attempts IG Complaint

According to a Kansas paper, Army Specialist Jeremy Hall (who is currently suing the Defense Department for “religious proselytizing”), was rebuffed in a visit to the IG to complain about “violations of his religious freedoms.”  Weinstein said this “undermines” the DoJ’s move to dismiss, which cited Hall’s failure to use the in-place grievance systems.

According to the article, the visit occurred “earlier this month.”  That would make it appear to be a response to the DoJ motion, which was filed last month, and possibly an attempt to generate content for Hall’s response to the motion, which is due next month.  In addition, Weinstein (a former JAG) appears not to see a conflict of interest with the Army conducting an internal investigation about charges which are currently involved in, or related to, an ongoing federal lawsuit in which it is essentially a defendant.

According to the article, Weinstein also plans to bring up the fact that someone posted a mock Soldier’s creed (that ridiculed soldiers with medical duty waivers) in Hall’s platoon area.  The article lists a previously unknown medical restriction for Hall.  How Weinstein plans to integrate the faux creed about physical fitness into a lawsuit about religion is unclear. The sarcastic modification of military mantras is a fairly common brand of critical cynicism in the military, and is limited neither to the Army’s creed nor physical conditions.

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