Militant Military Christians - fighting for Jesus

(Photo of Mikey Weinstein)

Mikey Weinstein has been in the forefront of a fight against fundamentalist Christians proselytizing in the U.S. military. He is the founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and author of the book, "With God On Our Side," which exposes "the systemic problem of religious intolerance throughout the United States Armed Forces."

Weinstein served 10 years in the U.S. Air Force, where he was a "JAG." He was legal counsel in the Reagan White House. He served as the first General Counsel to H. Ross Perot.

Today, he is working to counter the efforts of groups like Christian Embassy, the Officers' Christian Fellowship and Christian Military Fellowship, which he claims "are actively evangelizing among the various branches of US government and Armed Forces," and Weinstein "argues this is unconstitutional."

Weinstein was motivated to this effort by the fact that his sons were subject to harassment and anti-Semitic taunts while at the US Air Force Military Academy. When he sought to understand how this could happen, he discovered it wasn't just his sons who were involved. Christian evangelization and anti-Semitism were part of an endemic problem--fundamentalist Christians were imposing their views on the cadets with the blessing of those in charge. Weinstein further discovered that there was nothing he could do. The Academy leadership essentially told him to take a hike.


The Real News Network has an excellent article detailing the problem and what is being done to correct it.

Weinstein notes that about 30 percent of the military is comprised of fundamentalist Christians who take Jesus' so-called "Great Commission" in the 28th chapter of Matthew seriously, and who "believe that trumps any aspect of the Constitution, and basically that they have an illimitable right to push this biblical world view irrespective of federal law, constitutional law, irrespective of being regulated by time, place, or manner, to the exclusion of everybody else."

In a 2006 Christian Embassy Fundraising Video, the claim is made that "There are over 25,000 Department of Defense leaders working in the rings and corridors of the Pentagon. Through Bible studies, discipleship, prayer breakfasts, and outreach events, Christian Embassy is mustering these men and women into an intentional relationship with Jesus Christ."

Weinstein explains that there are almost 1,000 US military installations around the world, and "in every one of these installations, we have at least one, and some cases we have several dozen, chapters of a group called the Officers Christian Fellowship for the officers. For the enlisted folks it's called the Christian Military Fellowship.

"Their main purpose is to have Christian officers exercising biblical leadership to raise up a 'godly army'--their words, not mine. Their goal ... [is] to see a spiritually transformed United States military..."

Weinstein says their study guide describes how they are to counter the opposition--those on Satan's side who work "to prevent them from their mission of reclaiming territory in the US military for Christ."


A major, massive problem, as Weinstein points out, is that one cannot tell a military superior to "Go to hell" when he's trying to convert you to Jesus. Weinstein says some 8,000 military personnel have contacted his organization, the majority of which are Christians, complaining of this type of religious harassment and asking for help to counter this religious "persuasion" without creating a problem for themselves.

Back to the 2006 Christian Embassy Fundraising Video - It begins with Major General Jack Catton, US Air Force, speaking: "As I meet the people that come into my directorate, and I tell them right up front who Jack Catton is, and I start with the fact that I'm an old-fashioned American, and my first priority is my faith in God, then my family, and then country. I think it's a huge impact, because you have so many men and women who are seeking God's counsel and wisdom as we advise the chairman and the secretary of defense. Hallelujah."

Weinstein refers to a statement made by the number two Brigadier General in the Air Force chaplains corps, Cecil R. Richardson: "it is now Air Force policy to reserve its right to evangelize anyone we determine to be unchurched."

As Weinstein says, that remark violates the Constitutional mandate that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion.

Again, from the Christian Embassy 2006 Fundraising Video - Colonel Ralph Benson, Pentagon Chaplain speaking: "Christian Embassy is a blessing to the Washington area. It's a blessing to our capital. It's a blessing to our country, being able to share the message of Jesus Christ in a very, very important time in our world, as [part] of the worldwide war on terrorism. What more do we need that Christian people leading us and guiding us? So they're needed in this hour."


"Standing General Order Number One in the AOR, which is exactly how the Pentagon refers to Iraq and Afghanistan -- it stands for the Area of Responsibility -- is that there will be no proselytizing of our own troops, let alone the Iraqis. And yet we have sent untold numbers of audio, visual, and written documents in Arabic to our troops to help try to convert the Iraqis and the people in Afghanistan."

Weinstein believes the problem "is overwhelming ... astonishing ... surreal, and it's beyond dangerous." He mentions photographs of basic recruits at Fort Jackson holding weapons and Bibles. "How do you think that looks to the other side?"


This is an immense problem and could not have come about without the approval of those in the highest levels of our government. Once again, November looms large on the horizon!

Please go to the website of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation for much more information.