Tag Archives: Church and State

Weinstein’s Crusade, or Tilting at Windmills

Mr. Michael Weinstein has said his “fight is far from over” in his self-described war against evangelical Christianity in the military, despite the recent dismissal of his lawsuit against the Air Force Academy.  According to his blog, Weinstein believes that the suit was dismissed on a “technicality;” once that technicality is overcome, the suit will be renewed.  Judge James Parker dismissed the suit because it contained only “vague allegations” and no evidence of harm from people who lacked standing—because they weren’t cadets.  Weinstein was unfazed and said:

“Religious bias and the outrageous violations of the separation of church and state continue to spread rampantly throughout our military” and that the “military is full of evangelizing fundamentalists.”

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Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too

As ChristianFighterPilot.com has noted before, the fight for Christian religious freedom will sometimes have consequences that not all Christians have fully considered.  In the previous article on Wiccans, we noted that if Christians (and Buddhists, and Eckankarians, and others) can have symbols on their VA-funded plaques, then Wiccans probably should, too.  This may create an uncomfortable position for some Christians, particularly those who sincerely believe that the US should ultimately be a Christian nation.  Feelings notwithstanding, when Constitutional protections are won for a Christian, they are also won for those with whom Christians may disagree.

In a recent article on this subject, the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State gleefully pointed out some apparent Christian hypocrisy.  Read more

The Constitution and Military Christianity

Christian fighter pilots face a unique challenge in their roles as “government officials” and religious individuals.  The struggle is ongoing in large part because the American public is confused or misinformed about the correct relationship between religion and society.  Weak Christian responses to these public misperceptions have failed to reverse the resulting rise of secularism in America.

Misunderstandings of the proper role of religion in American society have 200 years of history behind them and center on a few simple words in the US Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

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Religion and Military Policy

“Remember this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death.” James 5:20

While the fighter pilot environment causes a Christian to make reactive moral choices, what about a Christian fighter pilot who wants to exercise his faith? Can he actively witness to his fellow pilots? Can a Christian fighter pilot evangelize his fellow fighter pilots?

Prior to 2004 the Air Force had no official policy on most matters regarding religion other than prohibitions against discrimination. It was a vague but simple matter, then, for a Christian fighter pilot to live his life with wisdom, tact, and discretion. So long as he didn’t beat his fellow pilots about the head and shoulders with the Bible he would create no grounds for official complaints.

The religious culture in the Air Force has changed, however, Read more

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