The Air Force recently pubished an official article written by military spouse Aja Trotter, writing from Osan Air Base, South Korea, on homosexual pride, describing the “reality” of sexuality [emphasis added]:
Often, societal norms and expectations cloud our ideas of what gender, gender expression and sexuality should be, diminishing our ability to see what actually is and often leading to rude assumptions and insolence.
For example, some people want or expect all men to be masculine. Some want women to be sweet and submissive. Some want the spouse of a married person to be of the opposite sex. And some want young boys to only play with trucks and actions figures. In reality, there are so many variations between gender expression and sexual orientation that it is impossible to box these identities into our own narrow limitations of what someone is supposed to do, or should be. Some women are more tough than sweet. Some young boys prefer the color pink and flowers. And some men Read more
Dr. Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary:
This is a moment of decision, and every evangelical believer, congregation, denomination, and institution will have to answer. There will be no place to hide. The forces driving this revolution in morality will not allow evasion or equivocation. Every pastor, every church, and every Christian organization will soon be forced to declare an allegiance to the Scriptures and to the Bible’s teachings on marriage and sexual morality, or to affirm loyalty to the sexual revolution. That revolution did not start with same-sex marriage, and it will not end there. But marriage is the most urgent issue of the day, and the moment of decision has arrived.
In this season of testing, Christians committed to the gospel of Christ are called upon to muster the greatest display of compassion and conviction of our lives. But true compassion will never lead to an abandonment of biblical authority or a redefinition of the gospel of Jesus Christ…
No one, especially in a position of leadership, will be able to fly under the radar on this issue…
The issues before us are compelling and urgent. The Bible is clear. Are you ready to give an answer?
Read more.
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The Colorado Springs Gazette covered local Fort Carson Soldier Staff Sgt Peter/Patricia King, who was born biologically male but now presents himself as female. In one respect, this is becoming so common that it almost isn’t newsworthy. On the other, the media attention is understandable given the US military’s current “transition” on transgender issues.
What make’s King’s story notable, though, is his constant reference to his religious faith. As cited in the article [emphasis added]:
“Being transgender doesn’t make me a pervert. It doesn’t make me a fetishist. It doesn’t make me a bad person, a bad soldier, a bad parent, or a bad Christian.” – from Patricia King’s blog…
She’s a father, a soldier, a Christian…
The hardest part of King’s journey may have been balancing her gender with her beliefs. A church-going Christian, King worried that her internal conflict with manhood was also a conflict with God.
In faith, though, she found shelter. At Vista Grande Community Church, Read more
Update: The US Army has responded by explicitly stating that Chaplain McDougall’s infraction was an “oversight” that was easily corrected. This appears to be (yet another) a direct rebuttal to Mikey Weinstein’s call for court-martial. Via TheBlaze:
Amy spokesman LTC Ben Garrett sent TheBlaze the following response on Monday afternoon:
“U.S. Army Chaplain Capt. John McDougall has been made aware of military regulations that prohibit him from wearing a military uniform while promoting his book. His publishing company promptly removed the video from their website last week when the U.S. Army brought the oversight to their attention. A simple ‘on the spot correction’ and an explanation of the regulations was all that was need[ed] to resolve the issue and keep it from happening in the future. We are pleased with their compliance and understanding of Army regulations and requirements.”
Original story follows:
The US Army says Chaplain John McDougall violated regulations when he appeared in a video, in uniform, promoting his recently published book, Jesus was an Airborne Ranger. From the appropriately named Army spokeswoman, Tatjana Christian:
McDougall’s appearance in uniform endorsing a commercial or political venture violates military rules, said Tatjana Christian, an Army spokeswoman.
After they were contacted about the video by USA TODAY, the Army reached out to McDougall’s commanders to inform them about the rule, Christian said.
His comments were not part of his official duty, she said.
“Chaplains are authorized Read more
There does not appear to be a Biblical command for totally abstaining from alcohol. Some might successfully argue that the New Testament actually explicitly allows it. Personally, partaking in alcohol does not appear to be morally wrong.
However, fighter pilots have a tendency to drink excessively, almost as if alcohol is either “on” or “off.” If your behavior is unChristian when you drink, or worse, if you can’t remember what your behavior was, then you are participating in drunkenness, which is listed as a sin (1Cor 5:19-21). Additionally, even though drinking in and of itself is not morally wrong, if it is a stumbling block to another Christian then it is wrong for you to partake.
See the article on Christian Fighter Participation on the topic of the Christian witness.
Being a Christian and also being a firefighter, CEO, or grade school teacher all have challenges because Christians live “in” the world as strangers in a foreign land. The fighter pilot community is unique, however, because it has virtually institutionalized the very worldly vices Christians have been told to forsake. Profanity, sexuality, and immorality pervade the fighter pilot culture like few other “honorable” professions (thus the anonymous quote that being a fighter pilot is like being in a motorcycle gang, except that your mother is still proud of you).
An official Navy article documented a US military “gay pride” event at Patuxent River, Maryland, on June 2nd that was hosted by BrigGen Tammy Smith — the “first openly gay US general.” While some have said the concept of “gay pride” celebrates sexuality by its very nature, BrigGen Smith said it wasn’t about people’s personal lives [emphasis added]:
Pride is not about anyone’s personal life; it’s a celebration of authenticity. We celebrate pride because we value being a meritocracy, because we want to be an organization that attracts and retains the best talent…We celebrate pride because no one has the right to tell others who they should be or who they should not be.
Gen Smith did not elaborate, so it’s unclear how she views “lesbian, gay, and bisexual pride” correlating with the military’s emphasis on merit.
Her final sentence was somewhat ironic, because Read more