On October 22nd Pope Benedict XVI addressed military chaplains in Rome for a conference.
“The military life of a Christian must, in fact, be seen in the light of the first and greatest of the Commandments, that of love for God and for neighbor, because Christians in the military are called to create a fusion Read more
Dustin Chalker, an Army Sergeant and MRFF “client,” publicly announced that he started a petition on the whitehouse.gov “We the People” website calling for an “End [to] the Military’s Discrimination against Non-Religious Service Members.”
The petition wording reflects some of the sentiment behind Chalker’s failed lawsuit against the Army — a lawsuit that was tossed out because Chalker failed to use the internal grievance systems the Army has in place. The petition contains similarly vague claims of illegal conduct, which are (still) unsupported to date by any public facts: Read more
Senior Airman John Harris is a Messianic Jew who was deployed to the Middle East, but he still wanted to celebrate Sukkot. With the help of the deployed chaplains, including a Rabbi at a completely different base, he was able to get the support he needed.
“I spoke with the Chapel staff here and they put me in contact with a rabbi at (Joint Base Balad),” said Harris…
“It has been an unexpected joy for me to be able to Read more
As noted here last year, Georgia Pastor Donald Crosby protested the Warner Robins High School “Demons,” saying the mascot “sent the wrong message” to the teen students.
In a federal lawsuit, Crosby now claims his arrest for picketing without a permit violated his First Amendment rights.
After discovering that his freshman son would be a future “demon” at the school, [Crosby] began collecting signatures of protest and picketed along with more than 20 members of his congregation on the first day of school.
Officers arrested the pastor, however, Read more
US Army BrigGen Rhonda Cornum is the director of the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program. She also embodies the values of her own program:
The CSF program focuses on the ability to bounce back from stress or trauma, something she utilized after her experience in the Gulf War…
Cornum flew over the Iraqi desert with her crew in a Black Hawk helicopter Feb. 27, during the fourth day of the U.S. ground assault…
Her crew was responding to the downing of F-16 pilot Capt Bill Andrews, who was shot down over Iraq. Their helicopter took fire before getting there and crashed. Five of her crewmates were killed; she was wounded and taken 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 National Catholic Register ran a piece on military chaplains entitled “Profiles in Courage: Military Chaplains,” documenting the roles and experiences of Catholic chaplains in the US military. While it noted the typical shortage, it also highlighted a surge of new volunteers:
The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA reported a sharp jump this year in the number of seminarians interested in serving as military chaplains. As the 2011-2012 academic year begins, there are 31 military-affiliated seminarians nationwide, up from three just three years ago.
The article also profiled four military chaplains Read more
Members of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade paid a visit to the Gentle Hands Orphanage during a Marine exercise in the Philippines.
Gentle Hands, a Christian child and youth welfare agency, provides shelter and care to children ranging in ages from birth to high school.
The orphanage is currently home to 50 people.
The Marines helped with heavy lifting, moving Read more