First up from the God machine this week is a controversial video that’s been making the rounds — and sparking complaints — of an evangelistic ministry in Washington, featuring several military officials, in uniform. As Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin can attest, that’s a real no-no.
A military watchdog group is asking the Defense Department to investigate whether seven Army and Air Force officers violated regulations by appearing in uniform in a promotional video for an evangelical Christian organization.
In the video, much of which was filmed inside the Pentagon, four generals and three colonels praise the Christian Embassy, a group that evangelizes among military leaders, politicians and diplomats in Washington. Some of the officers describe their efforts to spread their faith within the military.
“I found a wonderful opportunity as a director on the joint staff, as I meet the people that come into my directorate,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Jack J. Catton Jr. says in the video. “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 share my faith because it describes who I am.”
Just to be clear, if Christian Embassy wants to do ministerial work with officials in Washington, that’s fine. If officials want to rely on the ministry for spiritual aid, that’s fine. There are two problems here, however.
First, as noted in a complaint filed by former Reagan White House attorney Michael Weinstein, Defense Department regulations prohibit military personnel from appearing in uniform in “speeches, interviews, picket lines, marches, rallies or any public demonstration . . . which may imply Service sanction of the cause for which the demonstration or activity is conducted.” This incident appears to have crossed the line.
Second, the video is filled with testimonials about military officers using the ministry to proselytize to others through the course of their work. As Weinstein said, “This video contains some of the most blatant and egregious violations of both the Constitution and military regulations I have ever seen. It is truly astonishing that senior military officials have the impudence to appear in their official capacity discussing their desire to proselytize Christianity to fellow military personnel during the duty day and in the offices of the Pentagon itself.”
Excerpts of the video are on YouTube and C&L.
Next up is a story mixing two of America’s favorite interests: religion and television.
And the winner of the most “anti-religious” network goes to…
Thanks to the godless triple threat of Family Guy, The Simpsons and House, Fox has unseated NBC as the “most anti-religious network” in America according to the Parent’s Television Council. Way to go, Fox. UPN came in second with ABC picking up the bronze. This announcement came along with the Council’s release of Faith in a Box 2005-2006, an annual report on how religion is portrayed in primetime.
As you might imagine, it’s not a pretty picture in the Council’s eyes. Religious themes are coming up less often, and when they do, they’re given a negative spin. PTC president Brent Bozell had this to say: “After Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of the Christ, there was a lot of talk that Hollywood finally had found religion. But with television, sadly, this wasn’t true. In fact, it was the opposite.”
For what it’s worth, the TVC report, the methodology of which I have not seen, also found that “simple expressions of faith” were depicted positively on television 70% of the time.
And finally this week, Atrios raised a religion-related point last night that bears repeating.
CNN has taken to referring to Rick Warren as “America’s Pastor.” Well, they put quotes around it so maybe they just mean that someone somewhere has called him that. Look, I know it’s assholes like me who are always accused of being hostile to religious people, but that kind of thing from a major news network should be deeply hostile to people with or without faith. America does not have a pastor. America does not have a single religion. America does not have a single faith. America does not need CNN anointing a pope or choosing the county’s religious leader.
Well said. Warren is a conservative, evangelical Christian. His popularity with those in his own faith tradition, which is hardly universal, has no bearing to those of different beliefs. When was the last time someone referred to “America’s Rabbi”? Or “America’s Imam”?
The United States is the most spiritually diverse nation on earth, a fact which CNN is no doubt aware. By labeling one Christian minister “America’s Pastor,” it’s a subtle suggestion that Warren’s beliefs are the beliefs. His faith is the faith.
It’s entirely antithetical to the U.S. tradition. CNN ought to know better.