Chaplains May Be In Jeopardy

What would you do if you had to choose between keeping God's Word and keeping your job? What if God called you to perform a job, but to complete that job the way you think God wants you to carry it out meant that you would lose that job?

That is the choice many chaplains in the United States military will face if the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy is found unconstitutional and homosexuals are allowed to serve openly in the military.

Many of the current chaplains serving in the military believe in the authority of scripture. They echo the words of King David written in Psalm 19:7-11.

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward."

Jewish and Muslim chaplains will also find themselves in the same dilemma; follow military regulations and ignore scriptural commands, or minister according to scriptural truth and become insubordinate to a superior officer.

This is already happening in other aspects of chaplaincy service. Many chaplains are now required to submit their prayers in writing to JAG officers for their approval. Some chaplains have even been disciplined by the military for being obedient to scripture causing them to be disobedient to the military command structure.

Many say the solution is to only employ chaplains that will ignore scriptural commands that are in conflict with military policy. But what kind of faith is that? What soldier would trust a chaplain who chose to obey man made laws and ignore God's law? And wouldn't this policy, in effect, be establishing a government sanctioned religion?

The policy makers and media moguls would have you to believe that striking down "Don't ask, don't tell" is a civil rights issue; a sexual orientation issue. In reality, it will be a 1^st Amendment issue. It will be a freedom of religious expression issue. It will be a freedom of speech issue.

Repealing "Don't ask, don't tell" will establish an officially sanctioned, government approved belief system. That establishment will destroy the protections found in the 1^st Amendment and impact us personally, whether we serve in the military or not..

What will chaplains do? They will have to make the hard decision between keeping God's Word and keeping their job. What will we do? If "Don't ask, don't tell" is repealed, we will have to decide if we will allow the 1^st Amendment to be ignored, dissolved, and discarded. We can submit to the Church and State becoming institutionally joined, or we can follow the example of patriots and men of faith who fought for their freedom and ours.

We can follow the example of founders like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Fisher Ames, and Benjamin Rush. We can follow the example of George Washington who, in one of his first actions as President, established the practice of employing chaplains in military service.

Will we continue the fight for religious freedom and freedom of speech? The choice is ours. Choose well.

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On Divisions In The Church

Courier-Times Christian Perspectives Article for 11/14/09

Three weeks ago a brother in Christ took issue with these words that I wrote the week previous: "The Bible speaks very clearly about the sanctity of life; about our responsibility to the poor, the orphaned and the widow; about God's view of homosexual behavior."

I try to follow the guidance of C.S. Lewis, who stated in Mere Christianity, "Our divisions should never be discussed except in the presence of those who have already come to believe that there is one God and that Jesus Christ is His only Son." But I would like to take this opportunity to discuss WHY there are divisions in the church, and divisions with peoples of other faith systems.

A friend of mine, and national speaker for women and youth events, Lori Salierno, says that there are three general areas of belief in the church: standards, convictions, and preferences. For example, divisions in the church about the style of worship are preference differences. Scripture does not speak directly to these issues.

Divisions among believers about the day for worship, the appropriate age for baptism, the manner of baptism (i.e. sprinkling or dunking), and women in ministry are based on conviction. In other words, we believe the Spirit of God has convicted us that "this" way is the way God wants "us" to behave. We don't deny that other Christians have a different understanding. We don't call them non-Christian, or believe that they are sinning. However, if we act in a way, different than the way that God has convicted us to follow, we would be committing an act of sin.

Finally, standards are truths that scripture declares are true for all people, for all times. If someone opposes a standard, the bible calls those actions "sin". The church doesn't label it a sin; individuals don't label it a sin; it is the bible that labels those actions as sins.

While there are some Christ-followers that will identify as standards, the things that I identify as preferences and convictions, most believers will acknowledge these three general areas of belief in the church.

In the late 1960's, intellectuals began toying with an idea called "deconstruction". This idea states that you cannot know what a writer "actually" meant, so you, the reader, must deconstruct what is written and decide for yourself what you think the author meant. In other words, you re-construct what is written in the way that you think it should be read. Actually, the first deconstrucionalist was the serpent in the garden, "That's not what God really meant; you won't surely die."

Armed with this new tool, people have been deconstructing documents for over 40 years and re-constructing them according to their own preference.

They deconstructed the First Amendment to the Constitution which reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. "Surely freedom of speech doesn't mean ALL forms for speech." As a result we have a new type of crime: Hate speech. Additionally, religious expression is being restrained by public law on several fronts.

They deconstructed the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. "Surely they didn't understand that we would need National Health Care." As a result, we are well on our way to a government-run health care system; a power that was not enumerated in the Constitution.

There are also those who deconstruct scripture. Where scripture is clear but uncomfortable, some say, "That's not what God REALLY meant." Sadly, this is where some divisions among believers occur in the area of standards. In past generations this re-construction of scripture was called heresy. Now we timidly say, "That's your understanding of truth; not mine."

As to areas of agreement, my brother is correct in saying that what brings us together is far more important than the things that separate us. But that is also true of my Jewish and Muslim friends. These faith systems, as well as Christianity, all count the Hebrew Scriptures in the Old Testament as holy scripture. There are many areas in which we can all agree. But the areas that divide us are significant.

For example, the Jewish faith does not accept every scripture we accept (i.e. The New Testament). In the other instance, the Muslim faith accepts, as scripture, documents we cannot accept (i.e. The Koran). Interestingly, they are both battling attacks by those who wish to deconstruct their holy scriptures.

This week we celebrated the veterans that have served this country by fighting for and defending freedom in all of its forms. Many of them died for the truths that we find in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They didn't worry about what the Founders of this nation "really" thought. They clearly understood what was at stake and what the cost could be. They fought for freedom. All gave some; some gave all.

Deconstruction has done damage to the fabric of America and has resulted in the loss of some of the freedoms they fought and died for. Deconstruction has resulted in the creation of an expanded hate crimes law. Someday, we will be reading the report of an individual being charged under this new law for simply speaking his or her mind and defending biblical truth. It could be your pastor. It could be me. It could be you. We were warned and failed to do enough to defend the right to freedom of speech. Someday, someone will have to fight to win it back.

Deconstruction is doing damage to the unity of the church; the unity of all believers who claim to follow Christ. If we begin throwing out the passages of scripture that make us uncomfortable, soon we will have little left that we can call scripture; little left that unites us. Fortunately, scripture defends itself very well, if we have faith to believe what it says.

There is another truth that is clearly spelled out in Scripture. Faith in Christ means more that simply acknowledging that He exists; it means being obedient to His Word. Those who wish to debate this truth will have their opportunity one day, face-to-face with the Author of Truth. Personally, my debate with scripture is done; the Word won.

Questions or comments? Write curt@smdcog.org


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Freedom Of Speech No Longer Exists In America

Courier-Times Christian Perspectives Article for 10/17/09

Just four months ago I wrote these words: "The Bible speaks very clearly about the sanctity of life; about our responsibility to the poor, the orphaned and the widow; about God's view of homosexual behavior. The church needs to rediscover the authority found in the Word of God and stand on it. However, that kind of stance could become something more than politically incorrect, it could become illegal. The U.S. Senate is considering a Hate Crimes Bill (S.909) which could be used to prosecute ministers for declaring God's truth on homosexuality."

As I write this article, the President of the United States is set to sign the Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2010. Hidden in this bill, which will fund our troops around the world for the coming year, is an amendment which couldn't pass the House of Representatives on its own merit. A handful of legislators from the U.S. House and the Senate quietly included the Senate Hate Crimes Bill as an amendment to the Defense bill during the development of a conference report that was supposed to merge two different versions of the Defense bill, one from the House and one from the Senate.

When that merged bill is signed, it will establish restrictions in U.S. law preventing certain kinds of speech. At that point every Christ-follower, including and maybe especially pastors, priests, and ministers, will have to determine if they are willing to risk prosecution and jail time to proclaim the whole truth found in scripture.

Many will be tempted to ignore the topic of homosexuality and what the Bible has to say about it. If you don't talk about it you cannot be arrested and charged.

Others will be tempted to deny the authority of the Word of God so that they can pick and choose which verses they like and which verses they don't like.

You may be thinking, "Curt, you are crazy! It would never come to that!" Let me tell you what is happening around the world, where speech has been limited with recent hate crimes legislation.

In the Netherlands, film maker Geert Wilders will stand trial on January 20th, 2010 for true statements that he included in a film he produced that is offensive to Muslims.

In June 2001, A Canadian man was found guilty of hate speech, when he advertised bumper-stickers he was selling which depicted the outline of two men holding hands inside a red circle with a slash through it. Next to this image was an equal sign and four bible references: Romans 1, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. As a result of this court decision, the nation of Canada has found that these four scripture passages constitute hate speech, and to affirm them as true is to commit an act of hate speech, punishable by law.

In the United States we see other efforts to curb biblically-centered speech. Colleges and universities, long thought to be bastions of free thought and free expression, have increasingly established hate speech codes to protect students from racial, sexual, and other forms of harassment. In 2004 the Colorado Supreme Court upheld a ruling in a custody case which required Cheryl Clark to protect her daughter by making sure "that there is nothing in the religious upbringing or teaching that the minor child is exposed to that can be considered homophobic." This would include the first chapter of the book of Romans. A high school in the U.S., while approving the Day of Silence, which promotes a homosexual lifestyle, tried to deny the observance of the Day of Truth, which tried to counter the ideas promoted in the Day of Silence.

Through the decades of this experiment called the United States of America we have heard voices warning against limiting free expression and free speech. Political scientist Martin Gruberg said that we, "should confront offensive ideas by rebuttal, not by suppression." Ben Franklin stated “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech." And consider this statement from President Harry S. Truman: "When even one "American" -- who has done nothing wrong -- is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth, then all Americans are in peril."

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The idea that speech should be free from constraint is not universal. We see this in a response during the investigation into the Canadian ruling to outlaw the four offensive scripture passages. When asked, "What value do you give freedom of speech when you investigate one of these complaints?" Investigator Richard Steacy said, "Freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don't give it any value."

Actually it is a biblical value, the first chapter of the Old Testament Book of Isaiah contains these words: Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

Reasoning together requires freedom of thought and freedom of expression. These ideas, these truths, did not originate in a civil document authored by the founders of America. These ideas originated in the heart of God.

There are those who try to say that this bill will not be used to attack religious expression, and can only be activated if someone commits a felony and says that he or she was encouraged or enticed to commit the crime based on "hate speech" statements. These are the same people that assured us that abortion on demand would never happen in America and euthanasia (mercy killing or assisted suicide) could never be seriously considered in such a civilized society.

What can you do? Encourage your spiritual leaders to boldly preach the Word of God without fear or hesitation. Defend the authority of scripture. Pray for the church in America. Love and pray for those who disagree with the truth found in scripture. Support politicians who value freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Encourage the appointments of judges who value freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Prepare yourself to boldly face the consequences of the words you speak or write.

Someday, we will be reading the report of an individual being charged under this new law for simply speaking his or her mind and defending biblical truth. It could be your pastor. It could be me. It could be you. We were warned and failed to do enough to defend the right to freedom of speech. Someday, someone will have to fight to win it back.


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It's Time To Think . . .

Courier-Times Article for June 6th, 2009

It's time to think . . .

Earlier this year, a prominent U.S. politician said , "Our moral authority is derived from the fact that generations of our citizens have fought and bled to uphold these values, [life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness], in our nations and others. And that's why we can never sacrifice them for expedience's sake."

The statement sounds thoughtful and profound, but is it? It sounds like a truth that spans generations, but is it?

As Americans, we've gotten lazy. We don't like to think much. Just go with the flow; live and let live; my truth may not be your truth. Unfortunately, in many cases, the church has stopped thinking as well.

We used to be called people of the WORD, but now we spend much of our time debating whether that word is TRUE. Should churches ordain homosexuals or bless homosexual unions? After all, THOSE parts of the bible might not be true. Should we be more concerned about babies who were aborted or those chained by poverty? Let's pick one and ignore the other . . . That's the content of many of our discussions.

The Word of God is the Law that governed the Israelites, and the foundation that birthed the church. At some point, many in the church have become untethered from the Word of God and have now turned around and questioned its veracity. This behavior would have utterly confounded the Christ-followers in Berea.

Dr. Luke records that the believers in Berea, after listening to the preaching of Paul, examined the Scriptures every day to determine that what Paul said was true. To the Breans, scripture was the source of truth, the measuring stick to determine whether the greatest preacher of their time was speaking truth. Moral authority was found in holy scripture, not in the sacrifice of fellow citizens.

The Bible speaks very clearly about the sanctity of life; about our responsibility to the poor, the orphaned and the widow; about God's view of homosexual behavior. The church needs to rediscover the authority found in the Word of God and stand on it. However, that kind of stance could become something more than politically incorrect, it could become illegal.

The U.S. Senate is considering a Hate Crimes Bill (S.909) which could be used to prosecute ministers for declaring God's truth on homosexuality. Will the church "search the scriptures" to find the truth, or will we poll the people to find out what is acceptable?

If we fail to think through all of these issues, and instead follow "thoughtful and profound words" blindly, we will end up in places we never thought we would be. After all, if our moral authority lies in the sacrifices made by our fellow citizens, then both the Palestinians and the Israelis have moral authority. The Nazis and the Japanese had moral authority during World War II, just like the Allied Forces. If shedding blood is the only prerequisite for establishing moral authority then gangs like the Bloods, the Crips, the Mafioso, the MS-13, and the Yakuza each have the same moral authority as the fighting men and women of the U.S. military.

Moral authority can only be found in the author of morality. It's time to learn from the Christ-followers in Berea. It's time to search the Word of God for timeless and time tested truth. It's time to think. Don't ya' think?


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