“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
This verse isn’t addressing war on the battlefields with guns, bombs, and bayonets but the spiritual battles we fight in daily life.
Soldiering does, of course, include the military place. Right now spiritual warfare is being fought behind closed doors and as those in power are making secretive decisions which have the potential to undermine the U.S. military and national security.
Note this prophetic quote of warning from yesteryear from Christian leader Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family:
“Bloody battles are being fought on a thousand fronts, both inside and outside of government. Open any daily newspaper and you’ll find accounts of the latest Gettysburg, Waterloo, Normandy, or Stalingrad.
Instead of fighting for territory or military conquest, however, the struggle now is for the hearts and minds of the people. It is a war over ideas. And someday soon, I believe, a winner will emerge and the loser will fade from memory. For now, the outcome is very much in doubt. …” Dr. James Dobson wrote these words in 1990 in a book with Gary Bauer entitled “Children at Risk.”
This war is one that significantly targets the heart and soul of the U.S. military and, congruently, each and every one of us.
There is a concerted attack upon Christianity in our armed forces. It isn’t coming by chance. Remember the concerns trumpeted by Christian organizations and individuals recently regarding the nominations of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense, John Brennan as Head of the CIA and John Kerry as Secretary of State? Each of these men are secularists.
Each are ready instruments of this administration to further degrade the military from within.
Lt. General (Ret) Jerry Boykin, Vice-President of Family Research Council had this to say:
“There has not been enough courage demonstrated by the senior leaders. I’d like to see the senior leaders in our military show some leadership, show some courage on this kind of issue.”
Quoting from World Net Daily,
Last month, Pentagon officials met with an activist committed to removing Christianity from the U.S. military.
Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, the head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, has called the practice of Christians in the service sharing their faith “spiritual rape.” He has also led efforts to remove Bibles from lodging affiliated with the U.S. Air Force Academy and successfully pursued a policy that forbids guests from bringing Bibles to patients at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.(Walter Reed admitted their mistake, apologized and rescinded the policy soon after)
Now Weinstein’s wants the Pentagon to vigorously enforce an existing policy against proselytizing in the military. The Pentagon’s responded by issuing this written statement:
“Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense,” the Pentagon statement read in part. “Court-martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis.”
A firestorm then erupted amid fears of court-martials for service members who share their Christian faith, and the Pentagon was forced to backtrack in an effort to quiet the protests.
“Service members can share their faith (evangelize), but must not force unwanted, intrusive attempts to convert others of any faith or no faith to one’s beliefs (proselytization),” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen said in a written statement.
That’s not good enough for retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, who is now executive vice president at the Family Research Council.
“We’d like to get a statement saying exactly what assurances Mikey Weinstein did get from the Air Force,” Boykin told WND. “So we’ll be satisfied as soon as they tell us either that Mikey Weinstein is lying or give us an account of what those assurances were so that we understand the depth of the issue and the depth of the problem.
Activists like Weinstein argue any Christian witnessing should be off limits, while others say it should only mean service members cannot pressure or coerce others to convert.
Boykin said the FRC strongly agrees that there should be no coercion of anyone to convert to any faith, but he believes there are critical questions still unanswered and he’s seeking a meeting of his own with Pentagon officials.
“If they will tell us that and give us the assurance that living their faith and sharing their faith is a protected right then we’ll be satisfied,” said Boykin.
The general said the concern over an erosion on religious freedom in the military is legitimate because “open hostility” against Christians is well documented and getting worse in the Armed Forces.
Boykin claimed “the administration would be very happy” if the vestiges of Christianity” were removed from the military.
One of Boykin’s greatest disappointments is the absence of high-ranking military officers willing to stand up for their forces and their rights.
“There has not been enough courage demonstrated by the senior leaders. I’d like to see the senior leaders in our military show some leadership, show some courage on this kind of issue.”
If the pattern of religious hostility persists, Boykin says young people and their families will simply decide military service is not worth the assault on their values.
“They will see this as an anti-Christian environment and they will see it as a suppression of the faith of their sons and daughters,” said Boykin
Action points:
1. Watch the following 14 minute video clip entitled; “Admiral: I’m not Backing Down” .. In this speech given by Coast Guard Rear Admiral William Lee at the national Day of Prayer Service on Capitol Hill, . The Admiral boldly declared that he had disregarded the rules and gave a Bible to a service member who had attempted suicide. He went further and pledged not to abide by the restrictive regulations. To a standing ovation, Admiral Lee promised not to back down from "my right under the Constitution to tell a young man that there is hope." …
[Taken from Tony Perkins, Washington Update, May 7, 2013 http://bit.ly/15CD532]
2. Lieutenant General (Ret) Jerry Boykin: Come and hear one of the nation’s spiritual leaders in our day. Thursday, June 6 – 7 PM at Matthews Auditorium, Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, 3000 Leonard N.E. Grand Rapids
Also: Lieutenant General (Ret.) Jerry Boykin – Friday, June 7 – 7:30 PM at First Assembly of God, 5650 S. Telegraph Rd.,Dearborn Heights, MI 48125
3. Pray without ceasing. I Thessalonians 5:17
4. Register for ADA’s summer conference (July 26 at Sunshine Church, Grand Rapids, MI – 6:30 – 9:30 P.M. with American patriots Gary Bauer and Frank Gaffney: see: http:www.americandecency.org
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