Proselytizing and treason

My, my we've come a long way, baby.

From 2006: According to a story in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "nearly a dozen high-ranking military officers and Pentagon officials came under fire Monday for participating in a promotional video for an evangelical Christian organization, renewing an outcry over religious proselytizing within the ranks of the military. The video was posted on the Web site of the Christian Embassy and shows seven uniformed officers, including four generals, endorsing the group’s evangelical activities in the Pentagon and other government circles. Three civilian Pentagon officials, including former Fort Worth Congressman Pete Geren, now undersecretary of the Army, also are featured in the video."

From 2013: According to a story in the Washington Times, "soldiers who promote their faith can be prosecuted under military law, the Pentagon said in a brief statement released to the media. Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense,” the statement to Fox News stated. “Court martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis.” The statement comes on the heels of a Breitbart report about Pentagon officials who met with Mikey Weinstein, the head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, to shape policies that prevent active duty members from sharing faith. Mr. Weinstein has a no-tolerance view of Christianity in the military, Breitbart reported. One of his beliefs: Soldiers who share the gospel of Jesus Christ are guilty of “treason” — even chaplains, Breitbart found."

Seven years. From coming under fire to being prosecuted. The question becomes do the chaplains surrender to the edict of the Great Commission or do they surrender to the edict of the Pentagon?

It's a serious question. Freedom of speech truly doesn't exist in the military, and I understand that. So what is a good Christian chaplain to do?

It's the ultimate separation of church and state, I guess. But the fact remains, to me, that the only reason to be a chaplain in the first place is to offer comfort and hope to those who might die in battle that very day. If one can't offer Jesus, as a believer in Jesus, what exactly is the point?

Here's what I feel I know. Paranoia aside, it is becoming much, much harder to practice Christian religion. More than 50 percent of the nation apparently believes practicing the Christian faith is perfectly fine if one does it on Sunday morning from 11 a.m. to 12. Perhaps that's an exaggeration, but that's what some feel.

Jon Stewart, of the Late Show, says this in opposition, however: "I must say, as someone who is not a Christian, it's hard for me to believe Christians are persecuted people in America. God-willing, maybe one of you one day will rise up and get to be president of this country -- or maybe 44 in a row. But that's my point, is they've this idea of no establishment as persecution, because they feel entitled , not to equal status, but to greater status."

I would disagree, but this little blog has no capability of equal status to the greater status of The Late Show.

Look, as long as God allows all of us to turn HIM down, I will allow everyone to do the same. That's their right. But my right is to tell someone about what I perceive with all my heart turned my life around. I take no credit. It wasn't me. Therefore, I believe it, him, Jesus, can be given away. And I believe I'm told to do so.

If that gets me persecuted, so be it.

On the other hand, to be equal, Stephen Colbert on his own late night faux conservative show, said this: If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.”

We can proselytize, if that's what the Great Commission is calling us to do, only as far as we also serve. If that gets me persecuted, so be it.