Are Michael Weinstein’s predictions of a fundamentalist Christian coup in America coming to fruition?
Newly-promoted Chaplain (MajGen) Howard Stendahl was recently appointed Chief of Air Force Chaplains, making him the senior ranking chaplain in the US Air Force. His promotion was one of the first major acts for the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen Mark Welsh: Read more
In July, US Army Chaplain (Capt) Somya Malasri was recently hosted a “Buddhist meditation and yoga workshop,” sponsored by the Cannon Air Force Base chapel.
Generally, chapel services aren’t newsworthy events, and except for a few photos, this event was similar. What makes this significant (though not unique), of course, is Read more
The Air Force assignments in Korea are generally one-year remotes, meaning Airmen are stationed in Korea for a year while their family waits back home. That doesn’t mean the Air Force stops supporting their families and helping them strengthen their marriages. In fact, the opposite is true:
A Marriage Care Retreat hosted by the Kunsan AB Chapel from Aug. 8-10 here gave them and 20 other couples the chance to work on their relationships.
The Kunsan Chapel intended the Marriage Care Retreat to be a means for those “physically separated from their spouses to still connect with them,” though it also Read more
Newly-retired General Norton Schwartz’s parting gift to the Air Force was Air Force Instruction 1-1, a newly formed regulation (dated 7 Aug 2012, three days before his retirement) simply entitled “Air Force Standards” (implementing AFPD1).
Unlike other standalone AFIs, the new 1-1 is essentially a collection of the high points from multiple other regulations, or citations with a Chief of Staff tweak. For example, there are paragraphs on professional relationships, drug use, and paying one’s bills. Airmen are prohibited from ever burning an American flag (except for its reverent disposition), and Airmen can travel in any uniform — except the flight suit. While some people have mocked the fact bullying and hazing are allowed in this AFI if they are part of an approved training program, certain specialized programs do exist that would likely fall under some definitions of “hazing,” despite their essential contribution to the Air Force mission.
There are, however, two notable “new” subjects.
First, General Schwartz included a paragraph from his 2011 memo on “religious neutrality.” The same memo over which Michael Weinstein berated USAFA Superintendent General Mike Gould for not distributing to all Airmen is now Read more
Two recent articles provided insight into the social treatment of Christianity in the United States. The first, an editorial in the Colorado Springs Gazette — home of the US Air Force Academy — was aptly titled “Don’t Look, there’s a Christian chapel:”
We often hear from militant atheists, who make up a small fraction of nonbelievers, about a perceived theocratic stronghold in the United States. Christians will take over government, they tell us, and must be stopped if we are to remain free from compulsory religion.
There is an appropriate acknowledgement that not all atheists are represented by the vocal — and vitriolic — minority. There’s also a description that’s right up Michael Weinstein’s conspiracy theory alley: Read more
An Army article entitled “For God and country, chaplains provide soldiers peace-of-mind, place to worship,” details the service of Chaplain (1Lt) Julio Vargas and his assistant Spc. Justinet Oquendo as they serve the soldiers training in exercises in California: Read more
Jason Torpy of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers is currently engaged in his annual campaign on atheism at the US military academies, which coincides with basic training at each service academy. The Christian Post picked up on his discussion, and noted that some version of non-sectarian offering was available during basic training to new cadets.
Chaplain Ron Crews of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty acknowledges that those who choose to have no religious faith also have rights — but questions their desire to mimic religious institutions and have chaplains: Read more
The endorsing agent for Southern Baptist chaplains in the US military recently reiterated its stance against recognition of homosexual unions. The impetus was the AP article on the McGuire AFB “civil union” event attended by Southern Baptist Chaplain (Col) Timothy Wagoner.
Retired US Army Chaplain (MajGen) Douglas Carver — former chief of all Army chaplains — is the executive director of the North American Mission Board, which endorses Southern Baptist chaplains in the US military:
“When the AP story first came out, we contacted Chaplain Wagoner and he assured us he was either misinterpreted or quoted out of context in the story,” Carver said.
Chaplain Wagoner “strongly refutes” the story that implies Read more