Month: July 2009

al Jazeera Revisits US Military and Christianity

Near the end of June, al Jazeera aired a program called “Fault Lines” that again brought up the issue of religion in the US military (see prior discussion).  The episode was hosted by Josh Rushing, a former US Marine turned al Jazeera reporter.

The “Fault Lines” program can be viewed as Part I and Part II. The program begins with a pan out from a US church with Rushing saying

Many on the Christian right describe the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, well, in similar terms as the Taliban and al Qaeda: as spiritual wars of the highest magnitude.

The prejudicial statement, which describes a minority view as if it was a commonly accepted American perspective, Read more

Unique Audio Bibles Bound for the Middle East

As noted at the ChristianPost, an organization called Faith Comes By Hearing and Campus Crusade for Christ’s Military Ministry have joined forces to make an innovative tool available for Christians in the military: a “military BibleStick.”  The device is a small mp3 player that comes pre-loaded with an “audio drama New Testament.”

As with Bibles and other religious material provided by private organizations to contacts within the military Read more

Rick Warren to Address Muslim Group

Pastor Rick Warren is being criticized for his decision to speak at the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) over the fourth of July weekend.  The ISNA was an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a terror trial in 2007.  The trial ultimately resulted in the conviction of the Holy Land Foundation and its leaders for funneling funds to Hamas.

The convention is expected to draw 30,000 people, and is apparently still holding out hope that President Obama will make an appearance.  ISNA leader Sayyid Syeed participated in Warren’s Saddleback Civil Forum on Public Health last December.

There have been reports that the ISNA has replaced CAIR, another unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial, as the FBI’s primary contact with the Islamic community.

The ISNA remains one of the few Islamic endorsing agencies for US military Chaplains.

Book Review: Never Surrender

LtGen Jerry Boykin
Faith Words, 2008.
Topic: Military/Christian Experience

Never Surrender is the memoir of Lt Gen (Ret) William G. “Jerry” Boykin, a name familiar to many even outside of military circles. It documents his military career and much of his personal life, in his “journey to the crossroads of faith and freedom.”

In a career that spanned more than three decades, General Boykin was predominantly a member of Special Operations units, including being one of the initial cadre (and ultimately a commander) of the Army’s elite Delta Force. He was involved in virtually every combat action since the early 1980s, from the aborted rescue attempt of the Americans held hostage in Iran to the hunting of war criminals in the Balkans.

According to the book, Read more

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