{"id":81,"date":"2006-06-13T15:43:04","date_gmt":"2006-06-13T22:43:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/?p=81"},"modified":"2009-09-02T13:08:03","modified_gmt":"2009-09-02T17:08:03","slug":"christian-fighter-pilot-participation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/2006\/06\/13\/christian-fighter-pilot-participation\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Fighter Pilot Participation"},"content":{"rendered":"

What would God think?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ultimately, the degree to which a Christian chooses to participate in “traditional” fighter pilot activities must be based on several things.\u00a0 First of all, a Christian must consider God.\u00a0 This is essentially the “big brother” question that is asked every day in the Air Force.\u00a0 During a fighter pilot’s combat or training sorties he will be forced to consider what his leadership will think of his decisions and their potential outcomes.\u00a0 If he feels that his leadership would support him, perhaps even if he fails, then he’ll probably execute his decision.\u00a0 If he decides that he may not be able to “answer the mail” about his judgment, then he’ll probably forego it or choose to accept the potential negative consequences.\u00a0 The Christian’s leadership is God.\u00a0 Would God be pleased by the actions that a fighter pilot takes and the activities in which he participates?\u00a0 Do they glorify God?\u00a0 Are they edifying?\u00a0 In the now famous words of the Christian youth movement, what would Jesus do?
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\nWhile this sounds like a canned Sunday School question that prohibits virtually any fighter pilot activity, remember the New Testament:\u00a0 Jesus ate with prostitutes, traveled with fisherman, and contended with the religious elite\u2014all things that the religious authorities of the time (mistaken though they were) considered inconsistent with the character of God.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Matthew, chosen by Jesus to be his disciple, was a tax collector, a profession of outcasts and sinners that worked for the occupying Romans and extorted money from fellow Israelites (Luke 19:1-8).\u00a0 When Jesus called Matthew to follow him, he went to his house and ate; many of those that were with him were Matthew’s peer tax collectors and others who are described as sinners.\u00a0 In the Jewish culture, eating with people was to consider them friends.\u00a0 The Pharisees saw this and criticized Jesus for associating with sinners; in their eyes, Jesus’ own credibility, reputation, and “witness” were weakened by his associations.\u00a0 His response, though, was simple:<\/p>\n

It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.\u00a0 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners (Matthew 9:9-13).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jesus said that he had come for the sinners; they were his objective.\u00a0 While the Pharisees were hardly a righteous audience, there was still the perception that Jesus was participating in an unholy activity. \u00a0Jesus was willing to do this because by associating with the “outcasts” He reached the lost He hoped to save.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Therefore the question “Would God be pleased with my actions?” does not imply that Christians cannot attend any fighter pilot related activity, because it is not God’s desire that Christians refuse to associate with sinners.\u00a0 It is those very sinners to whom they are called; Christians cannot separate themselves so far from the fallen that they can’t even reach to help them up.\u00a0 To witness to the world Christians must sometimes meet them on their turf.\u00a0 The bigger question is participation.\u00a0 God may approve of attending an event, just as Jesus attended socially with sinners\u2014it may present the opportunity to interact and be a witness to others\u2014but would He necessarily approve of participation?\u00a0 While Jesus’ example shows that Christians can justifiably associate with “sinners,” it does not give them carte blanche approval to participate in immoral events\u2014Jesus ate with sinners, He didn’t join them in their sin.\u00a0 He spoke with prostitutes, but He didn’t patronize houses of prostitution.\u00a0 When choosing how much to participate in fighter pilot traditions, Christian fighter pilots must consider God.\u00a0 They must ask themselves if God would be pleased by their actions and the activities in which they participate.
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\nWhat about You?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Second, a Christian must consider himself when determining his participation.\u00a0 Each individual best knows his own character; by this I mean a person’s physical, emotional, and spiritual strengths and weaknesses.\u00a0 A Christian with a weakness for alcohol will have different criteria than one who can’t stand the thought of drinking.\u00a0 One who gets TV commercial jingles stuck in his head easily will need to decide if he wants to expose himself to pilot songs, while another may have the mental discipline and spiritual strength to withstand such an onslaught.\u00a0 A Christian who is influenced or succumbs to pressure easily may need to be very careful in calling his fellow fighter pilots friends\u2014harking back to every mother’s warning to “choose your friends wisely”\u2014while another may be equally sociable with pilots and acquaintances from church without concern.
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\nThis self-assessment is not unlike the decision process that a fighter pilot will go through on a mission.\u00a0 Fighter aircraft aren’t the simple engine, wings, and gun that they used to be.\u00a0 There are hundreds of integrated systems that must work together to create an effective weapons platform.\u00a0 It is not unusual to have minor malfunctions that degrade the capability of an individual system.\u00a0 After the engine is started and the systems are powered, a pilot may see that a system is malfunctioning and call maintenance to see if they can repair it.\u00a0 Such a request is called a “redball;” a pilot with a radar problem would radio “Redball, radar” and avionics specialists would join him at the jet to see if they could fix his problem.\u00a0 Ultimately, the pilot must make a decision to accept or reject the aircraft for his mission.\u00a0 Depending on the level of the threat and the mutual support he can call on, he may determine that it is unsafe to fly into combat, or he may decide that the degraded system is not all that important.\u00a0 During OIF I once rejected a jet with a munitions problem because it would have prevented me from expending ordnance even to defend myself.\u00a0 On the other hand, I also took a jet into combat that had an inoperable gun, because recent sorties had demonstrated that there was little chance I would use the gun anyway.\u00a0 The choices were made based on the capabilities of the aircraft and the anticipated environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fighter pilots must also assess the acceptable level of risk (ALR) associated with a mission.\u00a0 Sorties with a high ALR may demand that the target be destroyed\u2014even if there are significant friendly losses in the process.\u00a0 A mission with a low ALR may dictate that no friendly losses are acceptable, even if it means the target is not attacked.\u00a0 Similarly, there are levels of risk associated with a Christian exposing himself to his non-Christian environment.\u00a0 The level of risk that a fighter pilot is willing to accept should be proportional to his capabilities; that is, his personal strengths and weaknesses.\u00a0 A Christian fighter pilot must understand his level of spiritual growth and personal maturity and then make decisions consistent with his assessment.\u00a0 If he exceeds his limits, he risks not only his witness but the strength of his convictions\u2014the temptations of the world can be overwhelming.\u00a0 In the New Testament, Demas and Paul were “fellow workers,” but while Paul was able to continue his ministry, Demas “loved this world” and was lost (Philemon 24, 2 Timothy 4:10).\u00a0 While the exact details aren’t clear, Demas\u2014at one point teamed with one of Christianity’s greatest evangelists\u2014chose the world over Christ.\u00a0 It is wise for a fighter pilot to step out where he can reach the lost; it is unwise to expose himself unnecessarily to an area in which he knows he has a spiritual weakness.\u00a0 Thus a Christian fighter pilot needs to assess himself when determining his level of participation in fighter pilot events.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Objective<\/strong><\/p>\n

Third, when deciding how much to participate in fighter pilot activities, a Christian fighter pilot needs to consider his objective.\u00a0 The objective has two parts: motivation and target.\u00a0 First, what is the desired outcome of participating?\u00a0 Is the objective to build relationships with other pilots?\u00a0 Is the goal to appease the peer pressure to participate in the event?\u00a0 Is there a spiritual objective to reach a particular person or group?\u00a0 A Christian fighter pilot’s primary objective should be to spiritually impact the pilots around him. \u00a0As already mentioned, Jesus’ actions while he was on this earth were consistent with His objective\u2014He came to save the lost, which is why He associated with sinners to the chagrin of the religious leaders.\u00a0 The second “objective” is the target audience:\u00a0 to whom does the Christian fighter pilot want to be a witness?\u00a0 Who is it he’d like to influence?\u00a0 If his objective is to convert crusty old Colonels then his actions may be different than if his objective is to be a supportive Christian mentor to young Lieutenants barely out of pilot training.\u00a0 Either way, he must have a defined objective.\u00a0 If a Christian cannot answer to whom he is striving to be a witness then he is most likely a witness to no one.\u00a0 Knowing his objective is important; no mission can be successful without clearly defined objectives, and the same is true for those whose mission is to represent Christ to the world.\u00a0 A Christian’s motivation for his participation decision must be consistent with his spiritual goals, and he must know his target audience.\u00a0 With a clearly defined objective, he will be able to view his degrees of participation and attendance with the proper perspective and be assured that they are correctly motivated.
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\nThe Impact on the Christian Fighter Pilot Witness<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fourth, a Christian fighter pilot must assess whether his witness is helped or hindered by participation in a fighter pilot tradition.\u00a0 Participation may present or prevent an opportunity to witness to non-Christians.\u00a0 Importantly, however, a Christian is not a witness only to non-Christians; he also has a significant impact on his fellow Christian pilots.\u00a0 If a Christian fighter pilot chooses not to participate in morally questionable events, he risks distancing himself from the very pilots he hopes to evangelize, but he may lend significant spiritual support to his Christian audience, particularly those who are younger in their faith or who still hold tightly to a conservative and traditional Christian lifestyle.\u00a0 If he participates he may endear himself to non-Christian pilots and open doors for witness opportunities.\u00a0 Conversely, the most significant impact that a Christian pilot could have on a Christian audience would occur should he decide to participate in a questionable event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By participating he may communicate to other Christian pilots that there is nothing wrong with doing so, or even that they need to participate in those events to be successful as a pilot and military officer.\u00a0 If he doesn’t also convey the limitations he places on his participation, he may inadvertently lead other Christians into sin if they subsequently choose to participate.\u00a0 This could lead to considerable confusion in a young Christian pilot who still sees the inherent inconsistency in a moral Christian attending an event laced with immorality.\u00a0 This is one case where I believe that Christians may not have the “freedom” to participate even if they feel there is benefit from doing so.\u00a0 If a Christian’s actions could be misperceived by another Christian, particularly a younger one (in spiritual, not physical, maturity), then it is extremely important to talk to that Christian before he falters because of the example he sees.\u00a0 If a Christian fighter pilot’s actions cause another Christian to stumble, then he needs to prayerfully consider whether it is the right time and place to be engaging in those activities.\u00a0 It may not be appropriate for another Christian to participate in the same events that he does, even if what he is doing isn’t inherently wrong.\u00a0 The fourteenth chapter of Romans goes into great detail in describing how the relative strengths of faith can affect what Christians should allow themselves to do.\u00a0 In the end, Paul says that so long as it is not a question of sin, one Christian may be able to rightfully do what another cannot.\u00a0 The caveat is emphasized, though, in verses 20 and 21, when Paul says that it is wrong for a Christian to do something if it causes his brother to stumble or fall\u2014even if the act is not wrong itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finally, a Christian’s decision to attend could potentially weaken another Christian’s moral argument. \u00a0In one squadron, I chose not to participate in certain squadron events and based my decision on moral grounds; my actions in the squadron evidenced that and I was known as a moral pilot.\u00a0 An unfortunate detractor for me, though, was the activities of other pilots who were perceived as “moral.”\u00a0 Several fighter pilots in my squadron were members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, and to the rest of the squadron the Mormons were very moral.\u00a0 They didn’t use profanity or drink alcohol, and they went to religious services on Sunday.\u00a0 However, the Mormon pilots did participate in many of the squadron activities that I did not; their ability to claim a moral high ground while still attending questionably moral events weakened my argument in the eyes of other fighter pilots.\u00a0 The non-Christian pilots couldn’t see any difference between Mormons and me; as far as they were concerned, if other religious pilots could attend and still be moral, then I should be able to as well.\u00a0 Therefore, there was no moral reason for me not to attend those events.\u00a0 Regardless of whether the spoilers were Mormon, Catholic, or Baptist, the observations of the non-Christian pilots were unfortunately logical.\u00a0 One Christian’s actions can positively or negatively impact the witness of another Christian.\u00a0 Both Christians should understand (even if they do not agree with) the other’s position so they can support each other to non-Christians.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When assessing the impact on a Christian witness to the various audiences, it’s worth noting the importance of perception.\u00a0 When I was a cadet I struggled with people thinking things about me that I did not think were true.\u00a0 Over the course of my freshman year someone talked to me about it and I put a summary of their words on my bulletin board:\u00a0 “Perception equals reality.”\u00a0 People instantly generate opinions of a person regardless (or in spite) of actual events, in the great tradition of not letting facts get in the way of a good story. \u00a0Two people may draw completely different conclusions from the same situation.\u00a0 If non-Christian fighter pilots develop a perception that a Christian is “holier than thou,” or if Christian pilots develop the perception that another “Christian fighter pilot” is just a Sunday Christian, then the potential witness to those groups could be seriously harmed, regardless of whether or not the perceptions were accurate.\u00a0 Participation in fighter pilot events, therefore, needs to consider not only the factual aspects of the actions, but also the potential perceptions that the decision will generate. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Considering God, himself, his objective, and his witness are suggestions to help Christian fighter pilots decide if they should participate in certain events\u2014to help them figure out where their “line in the sand<\/a>” will be.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, what should the Christian’s criterion be on whether or not he will attend, and where is his line in the sand?\u00a0 There are some positive aspects to the event:\u00a0 in sharing in the story telling and listening to the tactical arguments, he’ll build comradery with the squadron pilots and perhaps even increase his tactical knowledge of his aircraft.\u00a0 If he attends but chooses not to participate in the singing of the fighter pilot songs, he could be a potential witness to those that are, particularly if they claim to be Christians; if they’re not Christians but notice his silence, it could be a “door” to a witnessing opportunity.\u00a0 On the other hand, there are significant negative aspects to the evening.\u00a0 The evening will be laced with profanity: becoming desensitized to profanity is one of the greatest threats a Christian fighter pilot faces.\u00a0 Even if the Christian doesn’t participate in the entire event, he risks his silent presence being perceived as approval.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What should the Christian fighter pilot do?\u00a0 Would God be glorified by his attendance?\u00a0 Is the Friday night event edifying?\u00a0 Is he spiritually strong enough to attend without being spiritually harmed?\u00a0 Would going to the event appease the peer pressure, or would it serve a spiritual objective?\u00a0 Who does he hope to influence by going?\u00a0 What will other Christians think?\u00a0 Will his witness be helped or harmed by going?\u00a0 There is no single correct answer.\u00a0 Each Christian fighter pilot must make his decision.\u00a0 Whatever decision he makes, God will be his witness.<\/p>\n

Return to<\/em> God and Country<\/a>.
\nGo to<\/em> ChristianFighterPilot.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What would God think? Ultimately, the degree to which a Christian chooses to participate in “traditional” fighter pilot activities must be based on several things.\u00a0 First of all, a Christian must consider God.\u00a0 This is essentially the “big brother” question that is asked every day in the Air Force.\u00a0 During a fighter pilot’s combat or training sorties he will be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,16],"tags":[2],"class_list":["post-81","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-living","category-fighter-pilot","tag-military"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}