Boys Become Kings, Girls Will Be Queens
These could be our daughters and our sons…
American Bible Society Celebrates 200 Years of Military Ministry
The American Bible Society is celebrating its 200th anniversary, noting that among its earliest leaders were members of the Founding Fathers and that it has a nearly two-century history of providing Bibles to the US military:
The first president of the American Bible Society, Elias Boudinot, was also the first president of the Continental Congress, and its second president was John Jay, the first chief justice of the Supreme Court.
Its distribution of millions of Scriptures to American forces dates to the Mexican War of the 1840s, when Mexican civilians were also provided with Bibles. At one point two decades later, during the Civil War, ABS representatives were able to reach both sides simultaneously.
The ABS has provided Bibles in “military themes” and colors for Read more
Sites Highlight Nomination of Jewish General as Chief of Staff
A wide variety of sites, most connected in some fashion specifically to Jewish news, have highlighted the fact President Obama has nominated a Jewish General, General David Goldfein, to be the Chief of Staff of the US Air Force:
Gen. David Goldfein will become the second Jew to command the U.S. Air Force…
Goldfein, who has been the vice chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force since August, will be the first Jewish combat pilot to hold the top position, and will be the second Read more
Petraeus: Anti-Muslim bigotry aids Islamist terrorists
In a column at the Washington Post, former US Army General and CIA Director David Petraeus rails against “inflammatory political discourse…against Muslims and Islam:”
Those who flirt with hate speech against Muslims should realize they are playing directly into the hands of al-Qaida and the Islamic State.
The terrorists’ explicit hope has been to try to provoke a clash of civilizations — telling Muslims that the United States is at war with them and their religion. When Western politicians propose blanket discrimination against Islam, they bolster the terrorists’ propaganda.
Petraeus doesn’t say what Americans should do about this objection to Read more
Army Chaplain Reportedly Resigns over War Policies
US Army Reserve Chaplain Christopher Antal submitted his resignation “in protest” in April due, according to Antal, to the American policies regarding drones, nuclear weapons, and “preventive war, permanent military supremacy and global power projection.”
Antal publicly submitted his letter directly to his Commander-in-Chief, President Obama.
Reached for comment, the Army somewhat subtly said Antal had submitted his resignation, but Read more
Christian Fighter Pilot, Astronaut Shares the Gospel
Retired USAF Col James Dutton was an F-15 fighter pilot and pilot of STS-131 Discovery in 2010. He’s now joined the board of directors of Faith Comes by Hearing, a group whose goal is to create audio Bibles for the world:
“The greatest experience in my life has not been flying in space,” he says. “It’s when I came to faith in Jesus Christ…What I want to do with the second half of my life is help other people to understand who he is and to grapple with the truths of the Bible…”
Col Dutton spoke at an Eglin AFB prayer breakfast in 2012 and Read more
Atheist Sues Congressional Chaplains over Prayer
Dan Barker, co-president with his wife of their self-founded Freedom From Religion Foundation, has filed a lawsuit against the Chaplain of the US House of Representatives, Patrick J. Conroy, because Barker was denied the opportunity to provide an atheistic “invocation.”
So, to be clear, a person who doesn’t play soccer is suing the soccer coach because he wants to be in the soccer game — but not play soccer.
Makes sense. Read more
The Citadel Denies Uniform Exception for Hijab
Update: New articles identify the student as Sana Hamze.
Update: Norwich University in Vermont has reportedly granted the same unnamed applicant the right to wear a hijab in her uniform. CAIR implies the student may yet take legal action against the Citadel. Alumni from Norwich reacted similarly to those at the Citadel, with at least one noting Norwich has a civilian program for those who do not wish to adhere to the rules of the military corps of cadets.
The Citadel, “The Military College of South Carolina,” has denied a request for a waiver from an incoming cadet to wear a hijab with her cadet uniform, among other exceptions. From the President of The Citadel, retired LtGen John Rosa:
The Citadel has relied upon a highly effective educational model requiring all cadets to adopt a common uniform. Uniformity is the cornerstone of this four-year leader development model. The standardization of cadets in apparel, overall appearance, actions and privileges is essential to the learning goals and objectives of the college. This process reflects an initial relinquishing of self during which cadets learn the value of teamwork to function as a single unit…
The Citadel recognizes the importance of a cadet’s spiritual and religious beliefs, providing services for specific needs whenever possible…
The prospective cadet, who had already Read more