{"id":40660,"date":"2017-05-02T00:30:59","date_gmt":"2017-05-02T03:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/?p=40660"},"modified":"2017-06-30T00:37:17","modified_gmt":"2017-06-30T03:37:17","slug":"yes-you-are-a-government-paid-missionary-in-uniform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/02\/yes-you-are-a-government-paid-missionary-in-uniform\/","title":{"rendered":"Yes, You Are a Government-Paid Missionary in Uniform"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"David Plummer, a chaplain-endorser with the liberal leaning Coalition of Spirit-Filled Churches<\/a>, responded to the DoD’s decision to publish a new<\/a> “Faith and Belief” list by making an aside<\/a> that the<\/p>\n

military chaplaincy is NOT about being a \u201cgovernment-paid pastor or missionary in uniform.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Plummer is making a reference to a phrase made famous by Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s MRFF, which copied<\/a> (and slightly edited) a video from a 2004 chapel assembly<\/a> at Dallas Theological Seminary by US Army Chaplain (Maj) Douglas Duerksen*<\/strong><\/span>. Chaplain Duerksen described the military society as “amoral” and “unchurched” — making it a “magnificent mission field.” He followed that by saying<\/p>\n

…and its great to be a government paid missionary.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you don’t view such a statement through a lens of cynicism or prejudice — or outright bigotry — it’s common sense. Christian men and women are missionaries wherever<\/em> God sends them, whether He has them be a WalMart greeter, CEO, or US Army Soldier. (See the prior discussions on R.G. LeTourneau<\/a> and Tim Tebow<\/a> and the words of Mike Huckabee<\/a>.) Since US troops are paid by the government, they are, indeed, government-paid missionaries.<\/p>\n

In point of fact, all<\/em> US troops are missionaries for their ideologies, whether they want to be or not — and whether they’re “good” missionaries or not. They may turn people off — or they may draw them to their cause —\u00a0but they are missionaries one way or the other.<\/p>\n

\"\"David Plummer could have made a more realistic point if he’d been a bit more judicious. It is true that it is not the sole job of a US troop or chaplain to try to convert fellow troops — but no one has ever claimed that to be true. Plummer is rejecting a strawman, one created by Mikey Weinstein and Chris Rodda, apparently because reality isn’t shocking enough to encourage people to restrict the\u00a0religious freedom of US troops who have beliefs they don’t like.<\/p>\n

A Christian Soldier could lead a fellow Soldier to Christ by talking to him about salvation, and he would be a missionary for Jesus Christ.\u00a0 A Christian Airman could work his entire deployment to Afghanistan “as to God, not men,” and never once try to evangelize his peers — even so, he is still a missionary for Christ. Both are also still paid by the government. Perhaps Plummer doesn’t like the way it sounds<\/em>, but it makes it no less true.<\/p>\n

Mikey Weinstein turned the soundbite into a rallying cry — the lack of truth behind it notwithstanding. He and Chris Rodda did much the same with the more benign phrase “ambassadors for Christ in uniform<\/a>” (a phrase OCF still uses<\/a>).\u00a0The reason Mikey Weinstein has attacked the Christian faith of US troops isn’t because they use the word “missionary” or “ambassador,” but because they have the Christian faith.<\/p>\n

This is ultimately a call to restrict religious liberty.\u00a0 If you’re lucky, Mikey Weinstein and Chris Rodda will say it’s ok for you to have your faith — if you keep it within the four walls of your military chapel.<\/p>\n

But if they\u00a0don’t like your religious beliefs, Mikey Weinstein<\/a> and Chris Rodda<\/a> will even attack your religious church services — all the while claiming they’re defending your military religious freedom.<\/p>\n

Their anti-Christian rallying cry begins with the simple –and false — accusation that you cannot live your faith in uniform.<\/p>\n

That David Plummer — a chaplain endorser — would join in on Mikey Weinstein’s rallying cry is perhaps the most disappointing of all. Perhaps it was ignorance.<\/p>\n

Perhaps not.<\/p>\n

\n

*<\/strong><\/span>Tragically, Chaplain Duerksen’s daughter died in Iraq<\/a> two years later, a detail Mikey Weinstein has ignored as he’s tried to raise money using her father’s words.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

ADVERTISEMENT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n