EVANGELICALS & THE AMERICAN MILITARY
video produced by the Christian Embassy can still be found at:
http://www.therightreverendrabbijudah.com/
Monday, December 11, 2006
AND FROM HIS WEBSITE HE IRREVENTLY COMMENTS IN HIS LATEST ARTICLE: "Catch A Whiff "
The Right Reverend Rabbi Judah
Friends, some of you might be comforted to learn that, according to this Washington Post article, the top brass of the United States Armed Forces spend as much time war-gaming the Battle of Armageddon as they do the Battle of Baghdad. Me, I'm not so sure I want the Pentagon taking their marching orders from Jesus. I mean, let's face it, the Lord & Savior had plenty of talents, but a top-notch military strategist He wasn't. After all, any ten year-old kid with a few games of Risk under his belt knows that you're not going to get very far against the Armies of Caesar when your idea of a cavalry unit is twelve Jewish fishermen and a donkey.
Here's the video mentioned in the article. It's produced by Christian Embassy, an evangelical group ministering to the folks who navigate Washington, D.C.'s corridors of power. It's worth a watch, if only to hear a Brigadier General of the U.S. Army refer to himself and the members of his Flag Fellowship groups as "...the aroma of Jesus Christ." Hmmm. And here I thought that was the smell of napalm in the morning.
Update: It seems the folks at Christian Embassy have gotten cold feet about proclaiming their faith in the Lord & Savior, because since this story broke, they removed this video from their website, put it back up with a disclaimer, then removed it again. They also, through their parent group, Campus Crusade for Christ, had YouTube remove it from my account. I've uploaded it to the site because the Lord & Savior wasn't afraid of a few lawsuits, so I don't see why Christian Embassy ought to be. For that matter, neither am I, since this use of copyrighted material is very clearly covered by Section 107, the Fair Use clause, of U.S. copyright law.
The Right Reverend Rabbi Judah
(FROM GORD.)
CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST CANADA
Anyway the Christian Evangelical Religious Right have been “ outed ” working not so stealthily at the Pentagon & elsewhere in Washington to influence the decision making & policies of the United States government to ensure that their “ religious & political ideology & agenda ”are the most prominent & influential in order to eventually turn America into a Christian Evangelical Theocracy to defeat what they view as the pernicious influences of “Secular Humanists ” & “ Liberalism” and such wrongheaded notions as “ pluralism” & “ religious tolerance” which they believe are destroying American society & turning it away from its God ordained destiny as “ God’s Chosen Nation ”.
So often the Radical Religious Right in America has been seen as growing in influence & then seems to fade into the background of American politics & discourse only to once more rise again leaving many commentators pundits journalists etc. scratching their heads . What they don’t seem to understand is that the Radical Religious Right is involved in this battle or war with “liberalism ”or what they refer to as “ Secular Humanism ” not just to win the odd “symbolic battle” in the short term but they are dedicated to fighting a long war which they intend to win not necessarily tomorrow but maybe in the next ten or twenty years . One can see most aptly in the film “ JESUS CAMP ” in which the spokespersons for the Religious Right talk about training
large numbers of youth to become America’s policy makers in the future.
The Christian Embassy is just part of a larger network of evangelical organizations whose aims are to radically change America’s institutions from the Public Schools to the Military & the Government .
Here is how The Christian Embassy describes their role :
Christian Embassy
http://www.christianembassy.com/
“We believe that the workplace offers endless opportunities for people to explore and apply what they believe to what they do for a living. We provide safe places and practical resources to help national and international leaders working in D.C., their spouses and staffs integrate their faith and their work.
We are a non-political, multi-denominational ministry that has been caring for, encouraging and equipping our country’s leaders and decision-makers for nearly 30 years. We were founded by Washington officials, concerned business leaders and Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ International.
"Christian Embassy seeks to help diplomats, government leaders and military officers find real and lasting purpose through faith and encouragement.
Out of respect for those we serve, we have removed the promotional video from our website until further notice."
And here is their “Statement of Faith ” found on their website:
“Christian Embassy is a part of Campus Crusade for Christ International. The following is the organization's statement of faith.
The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, God's infallible written Word, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that it was uniquely, verbally and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it was written without error (inerrant) in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and final authority in all matters on which it speaks.”
And that they accept certain articles of faith such as :
“ Man was originally created in the image of God. He sinned by disobeying God; thus, he was alienated from his Creator. That historic fall brought all mankind under divine condemnation.
Man's nature is corrupted, and he is thus totally unable to please God. Every man is in need of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
The salvation of man is wholly a work of God's free grace and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness or religious ceremony. God imputes His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justified them in His sight.
It is the privilege of all who are born again of the Spirit to be assured of their salvation from the very moment in which they trust Christ as their Savior. This assurance is not based upon any kind of human merit, but is produced by the witness of the Holy Spirit, who confirms in the believer the testimony of God in His written word.”
AND:
“ The Lord Jesus Christ commanded all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to disciple men of every nation. The fulfillment of that Great Commission requires that all worldly and personal ambitions be subordinated to a total commitment to "Him who loved us and gave Himself for us." ’
And testimonials from members :
What Others Are Saying
"(Upon moving to Washington, D.C.) One thing that significantly helped was immediately being befriended by people from Christian Embassy, whose only interest was in helping our family.”
- U.S. Senator Dan Coats
“The Christian Embassy exists to help (military leaders) plug into the source of real wisdom. The need for this divine strength and wisdom has never been greater, since decisions we make now will determine how ready we are for the next inevitable conflict our country faces.”
- Colonel Betty Price, USAF, (Ret)
And from an article by Jeff Sharlet “ Inside Christian Embassy ”
23 December 2006
http://www.therevealer.org/
An exclusive interview with the chief of staff of Christian Embassy, the behind-the-scenes ministry in the news for proselytizing in the Pentagon.
Christian Embassy believes that politicians, diplomats, and officers should not consider their personal faith separate from their politics and their official duties. McCullough offers as a role model President Bush: “…in terms of the way [Bush] talks, the way he believes, he doesn’t really say ‘Oh I’m going to do religious things now and do other things later.’”
McCullough on Christian Embassy’s Pentagon presence: “At the Pentagon, we have a flag officers groups. Your stars, basically, 1-4 stars. We also have a disciple group at the pentagon. And there’s a general Bible study that meets Wednesday morning where 70-120 come. Most of our groups that we organize and work with are at the officer level. Flags, a good percentage. We have about 40 that come or are involved with that.”
Those who work with Christian Embassy will typically meet in small groups, under the supervision of a counselor like McCullough, for an hour every week. Counselors typically select a scripture verse for discussion and attempt to draw out its “practical” implications, often through application to current events. Participants can and do call on Christian Embassy counselors for additional advice outside of their cell meetings. These counseling sessions typically take place in the officer’s or politician’s office. The most committed participants may travel overseas on behalf of Christian Embassy or arrange their official government travel to leave time for evangelizing work. This work may sometimes be “covert,” such as a evangelizing in countries where it’s against the law.
Participants may call on Christian Embassy for advice on specific issues. “'What does the Bible say about this?'” is a common question, according to McCullough. He says Christian Embassy will not give explicit policy advice, but as a counselor, he would tell a member of Congress or a military official that a particular position -- pro-choice politics, or pacifism, for instance -- is “contrary to scripture.”
On the question of the war in Iraq, McCullough counsels: “We have war all throughout the Bible. Man’s history is war. So what’s the right thing? Not necessarily [the] war in the Bible. But what are you looking for? Is peace possible?” McCullough answered his own question by laughing.
Christian Embassy’s theology, like that of Campus Crusade, might best be characterized as “ecumenical fundamentalism.” They’re not interested in denominational divides. Rather, they’re invested in a critique of culture that sees the United States as in a state of “decay” as a result of inadequate Bible study. They believe the Bible was once part of public life and that it must be restored to its central role in order to achieve “revival.” According to McCullough, separation of church and state has gone too far.
An elegant booklet that accompanied the DVD McCullough gave me is filled not just with the testimonies of generals and congressmen, but also with those of foreign diplomats declaring Washington a sort of holy city. “The most important thing since coming to Washington from my communist-dominated society is that I that I have discovered God,” writes a “European ambassador,” thanking Christian Embassy. Fijian Ambassador Pita Nacuva, reports the booklet, following his “years of spiritual training in Washington, D.C.” with Christian Embassy, reconfigured his country’s public schools’ “on the model of Jesus Christ” using an American Christian curriculum designed for developing nations, currently exported to around 40 countries.
also see:
Jeffrey Sharlet’s earlier article “ JESUS PLUS NOTHING ” ( Harper's Magazine, March 2003 ) detailing the Evangelical organization known as
“ THE FAMILY ”which attracts the rich & powerful not just from the United States but from around the world including some rather ruthless & brutal dictators who though “ born Again”continue in their oppression of their own people believing they are doing so as part of their service to JESUS.
From Washingtonpost.com
“Questionable Mission:
A Christian Embassy campaign at the Pentagon tests constitutional boundaries.”
Saturday, January 6, 2007; A16
and checkout the website : The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party
a public information project of the Center for Religion, Ethics, and Social Policy
at Cornell University
http://www.theocracywatch.org/index.html
And:
MILITARY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOUNDATION
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Chris Hedges: America’s Holy Warriors
http://www.mrff.blogspot.com/
AROMA OF JESUS [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
Evangelical Pentagon video to be investigated?
alternetrg
Christian Reconstructionism, Dominion Theology and Theonomy
http://doggo.tripod.com/doggchrisdomin.html
PUBLICEYE.org
http://www.publiceye.org/christian_right
Christian Right
And for more in depth look at the Radical Religious Right & Dominionism & Reconstructionism
Articles On the Rise of Dominionism in America
http://www.yuricareport.com
Dominionism Directory Rise Of Dominionism In America.
CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS & RESEARCH MINISTRY
http://www.carm.org/index.html
www.carm.org
and check out the website from the Middletown Bible Church
for more on dispensationalism & the literal truth of the Bible & Prophecy & the End Times the tribulation, the Rapture the Anti-Christ
http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/
Dispensationalism
A Return to Biblical Theology
or
Pseudo Christian Cult
http://users.frii.com/gosplow/disp2.html
and website:
http://www.theologicalstudies.org/
What is Dispensationalism?
By Michael J. Vlach, Ph.D.
Campus Crusade For Christ International
http://www.ccci.org/
(Note: check out the lists of their various organizations )
Campus Crusade For Christ Canada
http://www.crusade.org/
That's it for now,
GORD.
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