{"id":33990,"date":"2015-11-19T00:15:30","date_gmt":"2015-11-19T03:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/?p=33990"},"modified":"2016-11-24T22:28:23","modified_gmt":"2016-11-25T01:28:23","slug":"christians-in-camouflage-the-pc-minefield","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/2015\/11\/19\/christians-in-camouflage-the-pc-minefield\/","title":{"rendered":"Christians in Camouflage: The PC Minefield"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alan Dowd<\/a> at byFaith, a production of the Presbyterian Church in America, writes a fairly thorough and balanced article on the state of religious liberty in the US military entitled “Christians in Camouflage: Chaplains in a Political Correctness Minefield<\/a>.” After summarizing some of the more well-known “scandals” regarding military religious freedom, Dowd says [emphasis added]:<\/p>\n

While some contend that one man\u2019s evangelizing is another\u2019s proselytizing, there\u2019s more than a semantic difference here: Proselytizing carries a connotation of recruiting and pressuring, whereas evangelizing<\/strong> \u2014 rooted in the Greek for \u201cbringing good news\u201d \u2014 carries a connotation of sharing and inviting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Christians \u2014 whether on the battlefront or the homefront \u2014 are called to follow the example set by Jesus. And it was always the latter. To expect Christians in the military to do less than this is to ask them to disobey their Lord. But to allow them to do more than this \u2014 to cross that line separating evangelizing from proselytizing \u2014 presents other problems…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The government cannot demand that a person confess, renounce, or practice a certain faith in order to serve in the public sector, which, of course, includes the military. Americans don\u2019t want military personnel to feel that their service and\/or advancement are dependent on espousing certain religious beliefs<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

Of course, Americans don\u2019t want military personnel to be prohibited from espousing religious beliefs, either<\/strong>…Chaplain Brig. Gen. Douglas Lee (U.S. Army Reserve-Ret.)…is concerned that \u201ca culture of fear has come into the military since the changes made to \u2018don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell.\u2019 Christians in the military are not sure what they can say and when they can say it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not healthy. After all, our troops are human beings with consciences, beliefs, and opinions. We don\u2019t want them to be turned into unfeeling, unthinking automatons. While every American \u2014 civilian or military \u2014 has a right not to believe in this god or that god or any god, we do not have a right not to ever hear about this god or that god or any god<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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