{"id":83,"date":"2006-06-13T15:49:26","date_gmt":"2006-06-13T22:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/?p=83"},"modified":"2010-06-03T20:43:14","modified_gmt":"2010-06-04T02:43:14","slug":"persecution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/2006\/06\/13\/persecution\/","title":{"rendered":"Persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is possible that a Christian who adheres to Christian priorities<\/a> may be persecuted as a result, though in the modern Air Force blatant personal persecution is rare; I have never experienced it in my short career.\u00a0 What is a Christian fighter pilot to do in the face of persecution?<\/p>\n

Don’t Seek It<\/strong><\/p>\n

First, Christians should not seek it.\u00a0 Christian fighter pilots should not make decisions with the intent of inflicting self-suffering and intentionally drawing persecution, even as a “confirmation” of their spirituality.\u00a0 The attitudes of “look how much I’m suffering for my faith” and “look how humble I am” may give a degree of self-satisfaction, but they produce little positive results.\u00a0 The Christian must live a stand-out life, but he should do so to prick the conscience of the non-Christians around him, not be a thorn in their sides.\u00a0 A Christian does not need to be contrary, disloyal, or argumentative.\u00a0 He should never compromise his faith, but when his Christian values allow choices that are amenable to a greater number of people there is nothing wrong with making a less controversial decision. \u00a0Some decisions a Christian fighter pilot will make will have nothing to do with morality\u2014if he insists on making unpopular amoral ones then he may only increase the discord he has with non-Christians.\u00a0 A Christian that makes a choice that is unpleasant to himself but unrelated to a moral right or wrong will make the fewest waves among his fellow pilots.<\/p>\n

By choosing not to “rock the boat” unnecessarily he can minimize the secular strife he experiences.\u00a0 Such decisions will lay the foundation for an amiable relationship that will aid his ability to be a strong Christian witness.\u00a0 Avoiding being constantly contrary also strengthens his credibility when his morals do dictate that he go against the flow.\u00a0 I will return to the example of alcohol.\u00a0 Aside from those that believe associating with alcohol in any form is forbidden, most Christians would be open to discussion on what is permissible.\u00a0 If a Christian fighter pilot was inclined to shun alcohol in any form and avoided all functions at which it was present, he might risk “persecution” because alcohol permeates so much of the fighter pilot world\u2014he would probably never socially associate with his peers and be criticized as a result.\u00a0 On the other hand, if he at least allowed himself to attend events where alcohol was present\u2014arguably no less moral of a decision\u2014then he might gain favor with his comrades and reduce his potential exposure to “persecution.”\u00a0 Making a less contentious\u2014but no less moral\u2014choice can prevent unnecessary conflict.\u00a0 A Christian living in an unChristian world will have enough conflict without adding to it on his own.\u00a0 Obviously, this logic can be misconstrued:\u00a0 if going to events with alcohol is permissible and will reduce persecution, then surely having a drink with the other pilots is even better\u2014so getting drunk with them must be the best thing to do.\u00a0 The ability to have an acceptable “range” of decisions must be restricted to the bounds of absolute Christian values.<\/p>\n

Don’t Be Foolish<\/strong><\/p>\n

Second, if a Christian feels as though he is being persecuted, he should be sure that he is suffering for the sake of righteousness and is not being ostracized because he’s offensive, rude, foolish, or obnoxious.\u00a0 A Christian should not be quick to cry “persecution.”\u00a0 Conflict will happen; claiming religious discrimination every time it does will cause others to believe a Christian is a self-proclaimed martyr using religion as a crutch.\u00a0 Simply being a Christian and “mistreated” does not necessarily equal persecution.\u00a0 Many a street corner Bible thumper has proudly hailed their time in jail as suffering like Paul; they ignore the legal advice to obtain a permit so they can evangelize without punishment.\u00a0 If a Christian breaks the law or even merely violates common sense he will be justifiably rebuked by those around him, regardless of any religious affiliation the situation may have had.\u00a0 As an example, many Christians are familiar with the encouragement to “pray continuously,” and some Christians in the military may feel the need to do just that to make it through the day.\u00a0 A Christian should take that advice to heart, but qualify it in the workplace:\u00a0 if a fighter pilot is constantly ducking out to pray and his supervisor is consistently unable to find him, he’ll bear the wrath of a righteously angry boss (just as a smoker would for constantly being on a smoke break).\u00a0 The same is true if other “higher priorities” interfere with work, like spending time on a government phone with a spouse (supporting the “family priority”).<\/p>\n

While some might argue that such activities were permissible as long as the quality of work didn’t suffer, a Christian fighter pilot who spent such time on non-work related tasks could still generate the perception of neglecting his job.\u00a0 A supervisor can rightfully expect that his subordinates should work during duty hours\u2014and, perhaps more importantly, a Christian’s peers can rightfully expect that he shoulder his share of the load.\u00a0 There is a time and a place for everything, and sometimes it’s the time to work\u2014even if there is a desire to spend time on a “higher priority.”\u00a0 For a Christian to be asked to accomplish his duties is not religious persecution.\u00a0 Lt Col Terry Stokka, a retired Air Force navigator and Christian officer, recounted a story about a navigator who would read his Bible while his aircraft was passing through thunderstorms out over the ocean, rather than monitoring the storms and assisting in guiding the aircraft around them.\u00a0 When the members of his crew expressed their displeasure with his priorities (placing his religion above them), he felt that he was being persecuted for his faith.\u00a0 He didn’t understand that he was being “persecuted” for mistreating his crewmates.<\/p>\n

In early 2006, Navy Lieutenant (Chaplain) Gordon James Klingenschmitt attended a protest news conference in which the participants called on the President to sign an executive order allowing Chaplains to pray “in the name of Jesus Christ.”\u00a0 The protest was in response to increasingly restrictive regulations produced by the Air Force and Navy.\u00a0 A few weeks after the event, Chaplain Klingenschmitt received notice that he was going to be punished by the Navy for disobeying orders and wearing his uniform at a partisan political event.\u00a0 The Chaplain maintained that he was being punished for praying in uniform outside of a divine service, which violated the most recent change in Navy policy.\u00a0 To make his point, he turned down administrative punishment in favor of a court martial.\u00a0 The Chaplain’s grandstanding and claims of religious persecution when he was (by his own admission) violating non-sectarian regulations caused him to lose credibility in the eyes of even those who might sympathize with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In each circumstance that a Christian dishonors his superiors or his peers while using religious rationale he tends to harm Christ’s kingdom more than help it.\u00a0 Those that are “persecuting” him view him as foolish not for religious reasons but for secular ones; when he draws up a religious shield in response (i.e., plays the martyr), his peers see his Christianity with the same disdainful view.<\/p>\n

How to Respond<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally, the possibility exists that a Christian fighter pilot may be truly persecuted for his faith.\u00a0 Incidents of “religious friction”\u2014from slight offense to discrimination\u2014occur relatively frequently in the military, just as any other form of conflict in an organization with hundreds of thousands of members.\u00a0 The majority of occurrences are resolved at very low levels and are thus kept out of the public eye.\u00a0 Some instances could be classified as religious discrimination and would be considered illegal within the military justice system.\u00a0 The primary regulation regarding the military and religious accommodation is Department of Defense Directive (DoDD) 1300.17<\/a> (13 November 2003).\u00a0 In the Air Force, Chapter 8 of Air Force Instruction (AFI) 36-2706<\/a>, Military Equal Opportunity Program (29 July 2004) addresses religious accommodation.\u00a0 Both are relatively short and worth reading.\u00a0 If a military officer or action contravenes either of these two regulations then a wrong has occurred.\u00a0 While the regulations do contain a few specific examples, there is obviously significant room for interpretation. \u00a0A blatant example would be a pilot being patently told that he was passed over for a job because of his religion.\u00a0 Other instances of persecution might be more subtle or less defined; for example, a Christian refuses to go with the group to a strip club and is verbally derided and harassed about it for the next few weeks.<\/p>\n

A Christian fighter pilot’s initial response to personal persecution should be to “rise above it.”\u00a0 First, to yield is to bend to those who would harass him.\u00a0 Like the child or teenager that finally succumbs to peer pressure, a Christian who changes his behavior because of persecution will only admit defeat.\u00a0 Second, if he becomes overly defensive he implies that God is insufficient; otherwise he wouldn’t need to worry about the words (or even the sticks and stones) of those who would persecute him.\u00a0 I believe that “nothing” is an appropriate reaction for personally perceived persecution; however, more action is required if the persecution affects other Christians, if it exceeds the thresholds of what an individual can handle with no response, or if the discrimination is institutionalized.\u00a0 For persecution that affects other Christians or that can no longer be ignored, a Christian should prayerfully consider beginning at the lowest level and working his way up in an effort to correct the wrong.\u00a0 The persons responsible should be confronted not in an antagonistic way but in such a way that he knows the offense he has caused.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Realistically, few cases progress beyond this point of grievance reporting systems.\u00a0 Generally, an action is changed or an apology made long before any other action is required.\u00a0 If the offender refuses to hear the concern or continues in his path, the next step is to seek redress through the chain of command.\u00a0 In cases that cannot be solved with the chain of command (or when the offender is in the chain of command), the offended party can talk to the Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) office, which will begin an investigation to determine if the religious aspects of military regulations were violated.\u00a0 If those agencies do not adequately address the issue, a complaint can be made through the Inspector General’s (IG) office, which is essentially responsible for overall oversight within the military.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All of these avenues will take time to run their course, and the agencies involved should be given the opportunity to perform their assigned duties.\u00a0 If the IG is unable to resolve the issue, there is at least one higher level of official complaint.\u00a0 In what is known as a “congressional,” a military member can lodge a complaint directly with his Congressman.\u00a0 The Congressman’s staff then calls on the military commander (often the General or Colonel in charge of the base) to investigate and generate a report.\u00a0 If a Christian feels the need to take this route, he should first ensure he has exhausted all other means.\u00a0 In the past, well-meaning but na\u00efve airmen have immediately called their Congressman over inconsequential matters; the “bad press” that it provides the base, as well as the fact that the chain of command is entirely vaulted over, can cause hard feelings among those involved (even if they sympathize with the one making the complaint). \u00a0If the complaint is still not resolved, the offense may be systemic and channels outside the Air Force may need to be explored.\u00a0 For responses to these and other institutionalized religious issues, see the article on the Christian Response<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Continuing to live the Christian life in the face of persecution is difficult\u2014particularly if it is subtle, constant, harassing, and legal.\u00a0 Christians must depend on God’s strength and rest in the mutual support of Christian fellowship.<\/p>\n

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

It is possible that a Christian who adheres to Christian priorities may be persecuted as a result, though in the modern Air Force blatant personal persecution is rare; I have never experienced it in my short career.\u00a0 What is a Christian fighter pilot to do in the face of persecution?<\/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-83","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\/83","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=83"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}