{"id":97,"date":"2006-06-13T10:52:13","date_gmt":"2006-06-13T14:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/?p=97"},"modified":"2009-09-11T10:03:43","modified_gmt":"2009-09-11T14:03:43","slug":"the-line-in-the-sand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/2006\/06\/13\/the-line-in-the-sand\/","title":{"rendered":"The Line in the Sand"},"content":{"rendered":"

Considering God, himself, his objective, and his witness are suggestions to help Christian fighter pilots decide if they should participate<\/a> in certain events\u2014to help them figure out where their “line in the sand” will be.\u00a0 Potential decisions in every situation may be different even among Christians because people are different.\u00a0 There are Christians with the spiritual strength to be deeply in the world and yet not be phased by it; there are also Christians in the world who struggle just keeping themselves from becoming part of the world.\u00a0 There are Christian fighter pilots that are called to be a light to the other non-Christian pilots, and there are those that are called to disciple the younger Christian ones.\u00a0 There are a multitude of degrees of attendance and participation when it comes to the events and occasions of a fighter pilot life.\u00a0 Fighter pilot events themselves range from the harmless and fun to the vulgar and evil.\u00a0 There is no single cookie-cutter answer that will fit every person, personality, place, and party.\u00a0\u00a0Each Christian fighter pilot must make his decision based on prayer, discernment, discretion, prudence, common sense, and wisdom.\u00a0 Is it likely that a Christian pilot will be criticized by other fighter pilots for not participating in certain fighter pilot traditions?\u00a0 Definitely.\u00a0 On the other extreme, is it possible that some religious and moral people may furrow their brows at a Christian’s actions as a fighter pilot, just as the Pharisees did at Jesus?\u00a0 Most certainly.\u00a0 The concerns of non-Christians have already been addressed.\u00a0 With respect to religious criticisms, if a Christian is right with God in all he chooses to do\u2014which includes the perceptions that younger Christians may develop because of his actions\u2014then their discontent may not be his concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Christian’s line in the sand may depend on the situation, but he needs to decide what that line is ahead of time, be prepared to defend it (in theological or secular terms, as appropriate), and stick by it.\u00a0 The reason is simple.\u00a0 Beyond the internal struggle of deciding good and evil, a Christian fighter pilot faces a more basic challenge to making the right choice: peer pressure.\u00a0 The stereotypical fighter pilot is the break-all-the-rules maverick who pushes the boundaries, goes it alone, and uses his “I know better than they do” attitude to win the war (and the girl).\u00a0 Reality is a slightly different story.\u00a0 Air Force fighter pilots have a host of regulations they are required to follow both in flight and in their professional lives.\u00a0 As a whole, the Air Force prefers to err on the conservative side, so a saying has developed that “if the regs don’t say you can do it, then you can’t.”\u00a0 (The Navy, which has a slightly more liberal reputation, has the saying that “if the regs don’t say you can’t do it\u2026.”)\u00a0 Where the rules stop, the pressure of fellow fighter pilots steps in.\u00a0 Whether good, bad, or indifferent, fighter pilots face pressure from their peers to act a certain way.\u00a0 The result is that a fighter pilot isn’t the stereotypical individualist or nonconformist\u2014rules, regulations, and ridicule cause him to act in a manner that is consistent with the rest of the group.\u00a0 Whether it is “safety in numbers” or “mob mentality” (either of which could accurately convey a fighter pilot perspective), fighter pilots tend to act like a herd.\u00a0 When one fighter pilot is different, he sticks out from the pack, and the pressure to conform is immense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The best way a Christian fighter pilot can make Godly choices in the face of this pressure is to have made up his mind ahead of time.\u00a0 In that sense, participating in fighter pilot events is much like dating:\u00a0 a person must decide ahead of time how he will conduct himself, because once he’s “out there” he will face immense pressure and temptation.\u00a0 The strength of his Christ-centered convictions\u2014firmly decided ahead of time\u2014will be his guide.\u00a0 The location of a Christian fighter pilot’s line in the sand should be governed by a balance of himself, his fellow Christians, and his non-Christian peers.\u00a0 Some lines may be necessary to protect the Christian himself: “I can’t cross this line because I’ll sin or dishonor God.”\u00a0 Some lines may be drawn with other Christians in mind:\u00a0 “I know I can go further than this, but if that young Christian pilot sees me, he may not understand and may stumble as a result.”\u00a0 Other lines may be drawn with the objective of reaching the lost:\u00a0 “This line is a little out of my comfort zone, but it’s not wrong, and I’ll be able to reach that non-Christian pilot I’ve noticed.”\u00a0 Whatever the logic and reason, a Christian fighter pilot must define the limits of what he is and is not willing to do in the fighter pilot world.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

For example, I have come to the personal conclusion that while I do not believe alcohol is morally wrong, I have never seen any good come out of it.\u00a0 In the fighter pilot culture, there is rarely such a thing as “a” drink.\u00a0 When the social opportunity presents itself, many fighter pilots imbibe until they are literally falling down drunk.\u00a0 In my opinion, such excess, which occurs because alcohol is essentially “on” or “off,” is a definitive example of immaturity\u2014and a dangerous example at that, given the “liberating” effects of alcohol.\u00a0 I once heard a successful general officer give a speech in which he said he had never done anything of which he was ashamed; nothing he wouldn’t tell his wife, his boss, or his pastor\u2014except, that is, when he had been drunk.\u00a0 When filled with liquid courage he had broken things, stolen things, and done things of which he was ashamed\u2014and would never relate to those important to him.\u00a0 Unfortunately, I don’t believe his speech had the “sobering” effect he intended on the audience.\u00a0 In the adult fighter pilot world, getting drunk is just not that big of a deal, and the buffoonery that goes on while drunk is often seen as part of the “game.”\u00a0 For those reasons and others, I do not drink.\u00a0 That “line in the sand” is easy, but the decision is always more complex. \u00a0Many people\u2014both Christian and non-Christian\u2014think that non-drinking is religiously related, and I must consider how my choice impacts my relationships with them.\u00a0 Will I go to social events at which alcohol is served?\u00a0 Yes, I will; I feel that the chance of a negative perception from non-drinking Christians is minimal, and the chance of a positive impact in my interaction with those around me is greater.\u00a0 However, in that same social event I would not hold someone’s drink, nor would I purchase alcohol for someone else.\u00a0 In my opinion, the potential damage to my witness because of a negative perception outweighs any possible benefit.\u00a0 By deciding that line in the sand ahead of time, I’m not forced to spontaneously generate and defend an answer; I’m equipped to communicate my spiritual and secular reasons to those who ask, and it may even present a witness opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another line in the sand that was more difficult for me to draw was at my Naming, which can be read here.\u00a0 A similar event on a much smaller scale occurs at the fighter pilot Friday night event.\u00a0 I saw the beginnings of this when the members of my pilot training class gambled and drank in the flight rooms on Friday after work.\u00a0 At IFF, the members of my class “pushed it up” every Friday night.\u00a0 In aviation, “pushing it up” refers to increasing the throttle setting; e.g., pushing the throttle up.\u00a0 In the fighter pilot culture, the phrase refers to a night of partying and heavy drinking.\u00a0 Because I knew vaguely what the group was doing I abstained from their escapades and the peer pressure to attend was light.\u00a0 Early the next week I would hear portions of their Friday night exploits as they recounted their legends at work; most involved a great deal of inebriation, someone vomiting on the hood of a car, and escapades with the employees of the local strip clubs.\u00a0 Because of their unique training environment, the pilot training and IFF events were somewhat different than those of the operational fighter community.\u00a0 In an operational squadron on a Friday night, the pilots gather at the squadron bar (every fighter squadron has one) to tell funny stories about each other and regale others with tales of other pilots’ missteps throughout the week.\u00a0 Some of the more experienced pilots will relate their war stories and argue tactics.\u00a0 There will be a significant amount of drinking, profanity, and the singing of fighter pilot songs.\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":"

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” will be.\u00a0 Potential decisions in every situation may be different even among Christians because people are different.\u00a0 There are Christians with the spiritual strength to be deeply […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[2],"class_list":["post-97","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-living","tag-military"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97","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=97"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}