Tag Archives: gospel

Gospel Competency: An Imperative For Military Chaplains

by Sonny Hernandez

As a military chaplain, I have been privileged and blessed to serve the nation’s finest men and women who have endured laboriously for the defense of freedom. There is an exponential amount of men and women from around the world who have coalesced to serve selflessly and honorably against all enemies foreign and domestic. The sacrifice of family separation, elongated deployments, and all of the cataclysmic experiences of spiritual warfare can lead to many adversarial effects. Some of those aggravated effects are: depression, anger, sadness, hopelessness, family troubles, divorce, drunkenness, sexual immorality (bestiality, adultery, fornication, and homosexuality), attempted suicide and even death. This is why competent, Bible-believing military chaplains are imperative to provide Gospel-centered preaching and counseling to those who serve in the Armed Forces.

There are always going to be incursions on military chaplains who believe Read more

The Top 3 Military Chaplain Fallacies

by Sonny Hernandez

Serving in the United States Military Chaplaincy is a solemn responsibility of servility and intrepidity. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is an indicative that subjugates Christian believers to willfully evangelize and make disciples. A military chaplain must have a true affinity for the lost (unconverted), and possess a love that is implacable for the Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen that they serve. A military chaplain must exercise their constitutional right to faithfully and expositionally teach and preach the whole counsel of God’s special and propositional revelation. Why? Military chaplains that never evangelizes, soft-peddles truth, willfully omits the name of Christ in prayer out of fear of offending others instead of God, substitutes Scripture with psycho-therapy, and cares more about their career than Christ are not examples of holiness and Christ-centeredness; they are examples of hypocrisy and childish-conceits.

A military chaplain must also be willing to persevere and remain steadfast when the culture has increasingly become execrable against God. There will always be impediments against military chaplaincy. In fact, there are exponential stumbling blocks that will attempt to thwart a chaplain’s ministerial fidelity. If a military chaplain prays in the name of Christ a complaint may eventually arise. If a military chaplain does not embrace Read more

Faithfully Responding to a Michael (Mikey) Weinstein Attack

by Sonny Hernandez

When conservative Bible-believing Christians in the Armed Forces are vilified because of their constitutional right to exercise the tenets of their faith, it is impossible to mitigate the issue. Michael (Mikey) Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) is importunate when making denigrating rhetoric against anyone in the Armed Forces who will not concur with his beloved self-conception or obscured beliefs. It can easily be deduced that the MRFF is not amicable towards religious liberty for conservative Bible-believers who are not ashamed of Christ and His Gospel. Nevertheless, Christ will be proclaimed! This is why Bible-believing Christians must know how to respond as this article will now cogently explain:

I. Comprehend Your Audience

Michael Weinstein of the MRFF masquerades as a defender of religious freedom for Read more

Mikey Weinstein Fails to Intimidate Air Force Chaplain (Video)

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein continues his self-declared “war” on Christians in the US military, but he is finding it increasingly difficult to coerce US troops to accept his demands.  Much of the military has discovered the best response is simply to stand up to him. Weinstein’s only tool is intimidation, and when it fails, he is toothless.

In an apparent effort to play to the July US Supreme Court decision on homosexuality, Weinstein recently claimed in a blog and subsequent interview that he would “prosecute” chaplains if they preached something that did not pass his muster [formatting original]:

If chaplains believe that they MUST publicly and visibly preach to their troops a message that their LGB comrades are sexual-deviant “sinners” because of their “choice” to be gay, then these views are fatally noxious and totally destructive to unit cohesion, good order, morale, and discipline in the armed forces.

Despite Weinstein’s attempts to restrict the free exercise of US troops, chaplains are free to preach the tenets of their faith — and they have continued to do so.

In fact, just a few days prior to Weinstein’s ultimatum, Air Force Chaplain (Capt) Sonny Hernandez spoke eloquently and forcefully on the Gospel during Read more

Chaplains Visit Billy Graham Library, Refocus Ministry

Seven chaplains from Fort Bragg recently visited the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC, helping them “refocus” their ministry:

“Praise God we’ve got to go through the cross to get in there,” Capt. Mike Krog said, referring to the cross-shaped glass entrance to the Library…

The men–all paratroopers who have served overseas–were eager to take the Library’s Journey of Faith tour which documents how God used Billy Graham, the son of a dairy farmer, to reach millions around the world with the Gospel.

The military is a “rigorous mission field,” and the chaplains Read more

Can You be Both Gay and Christian?

Update: Dr. Mohler’s column was actually part of a Southern Baptist Theological Seminary e-book published the same day as, and as a response to, Vines’ book.  The 100-page SBTS e-book is available for free here (PDF).

The other contributors are: James M. Hamilton Jr., professor of biblical theology; Denny Burk, professor of biblical studies; Owen Strachan, assistant professor of Christian theology and church history; and Heath Lambert, assistant professor of biblical counseling.

Mohler’s chapter provides an overview critique of Vines’ argument, while Hamilton primarily addresses Old Testament claims, Burk deals with New Testament claims, Strachan looks at the church history assertions and Lambert answers the question whether there is such a thing as a “gay Christian.”

As human sexuality has become a more commonplace topic in the recent few years, a substantial part of the conversation has covered the nexus between Christianity and homosexuality.

At its root, Can one be a homosexual and a Christian?

Jars of Clay lead singer Dan Haseltine caused a firestorm when he tweeted statements that were interpreted as either ambivalent about or supportive of homosexual marriage. The topic gained more steam with the recent publication of a book by self-described homosexual Christian Matthew Vines.

Dr. Al Mohler of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary responded, noting foremost that there are many who describe themselves as Christians who are yearning for a way to rationalize their faith and an endorsement of homosexuality:  Read more

Boykin: Pray For Mikey Weinstein

In an interesting commentary during the Family Research Council’s Washington Watch, retired LtGen Jerry Boykin and Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention spoke on recent issues of religious freedom in the military. Boykin reminded Christians there’s a correct response to Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, one of the loudest (and most vitriolic) critics of Christianity: Read more

Seminary President: Celebration of Immorality is “Ominous”

Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, recently said immorality itself is not a “final step” in a failing society; that final step is the celebration of and support for immorality — which he believes is happening now in the United States:

“The final act of an unraveling society isn’t immoral behavior; it’s canonizing immoral behavior as a ‘new normal’ and celebrating it as a ‘moral victory.'”

Importantly, however, Iorg noted that Christians should not oppose immoral behavior for behavior’s sake.  Behavior is an outward expression of the condition of the heart — and the heart needs Jesus: Read more