Christians in the Armed Forces will have their faith tested on many occasions. This is important—since Christians are commanded to examine themselves (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5) to see if their professing Christianity is true, or false and vitiated.
True Christianity produces a love for God, a hunger for His Word, fervent prayer, devotion to a local, Bible-believing church, and not a military chapel. The imputed righteousness of Christ that is credited to those who come to Him by faith alone, will enable believers to hate the things that God hates, and love the things that God loves. This does not happen because merit and favor can be earned with God, but only because of the active and passive obedience of Christ.
Counterfeit Christians in the Armed forces will appeal to the Constitution, and not Christ, and they have no local church home—which means they have no accountability for their souls (Heb. 13:17). This is why so many professing Christian service members will say: “We ‘support everyone’s right’ to practice their faith regardless if they worship a god different from ours because the Constitution protects this right.”
Christian service members who openly profess and support the rights of Muslims, Buddhists, and all other anti-Christian worldviews to practice their religions—because the language in the Constitution permits—are grossly in error, and deceived. This article will explain a few reasons why:
First, where in the Bible do the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, or Christ Himself, support or accommodate anti-Christians to give adulation to their false gods or to yield and obey anyone except the One true and living God? There is no exegetical support, and no moral justification for any Christian service member to openly profess or support the alleged rights of anti-Christians. Christian service members must share the Gospel with unbelievers so they can be saved, not support unbelievers to worship their false gods that will lead them to hell.
Second, professing Christian service members must answer this important question: “Do you appeal to the Holy Scripture, or the US Constitution as an ultimate standard to measure your conduct?”
The answer to this question will determine how the service member will conduct themselves, and what is truly the authority for their faith and practice.
If a professing Christian service member appeals to the Bible, all their thoughts, words, and deeds are to be examined and resolved with the Holy Scripture that points to Christ—not the Constitution. Why is it wrong for a professing “Christian” service member to appeal to the Constitution for their faith and practice? If the professing Christian service member appeals to the Constitution and not the Holy Scripture as their ultimate standard—they have no business calling themselves a Christian—since they would have nothing to measure their Christianity upon without the Bible.
Also, appealing to anything except the Bible as an ultimate authority would not only be anti-Christian, it would also nullify their previous argument of professing to be a Christian—since an ultimate authority does not appeal to anything except itself. It is impossible to submit to both the Bible and the Constitution as an ultimate authority—because the Laws of Logic would prohibit this—since two propositions cannot both be right and wrong at the same time. Christ made this clear in Matthew 12:30.
Third, the First Amendment of the US Constitution states that the free-exercise of religion is for all Americans to practice their faith, but does that mean a Christian service member should accommodate or support things that are contrary to their faith? Absolutely not!
Also, is it wrong for a professing Christian service member to say, “I support the rights of all Americans to practice their faith since the Constitution protects their rights?” Absolutely!
— Sonny Hernandez, director for Reforming America Ministries, US Air Force Reserves Chaplain, Christian Service Members: Avoid Supporting or Accommodating Evil!
Note
Hernandez sports a doctorate from Tennessee Temple University — A Fundamentalist Baptist institution founded by the late Lee Roberson, pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 2015, Tennessee Temple University merged with Piedmont University.
Typical fundie blather:
“I and those few who believe precisely like me are the only “true” and authentic Christians left anywhere on Planet Earth. Everyone else on Earth but us, including the members of about 44,000 so-called Christian denominations around the world, are apostates and enemies of God who are going to burn in Hell forever and never be able to die. And I’m cool with all that because it makes me feel extra, extra, extra, extra, extra, extra, extra special.”
Maybe I should start my own denomination and make the same claim. Maybe all of us could. If I had a dime for every fellow Christian who claims that his church or denomination is the “one, true, and only church or denomination beloved by God, I could finally afford to buy the big popcorn and large Diet Coke at the movie theater.
Bruce? I do not understand? Why do some Christians take these exclusivist positions and what do they expect to get out of taking a position like this. Do people want a church that makes them feel more important than their neighbors? That does not sound very “Christian” to me. It sounds like pride, arrogance, and an extreme ego trip. Can you make like Ricky Ricardo and “splain” (what Lucy used to say) that to me and the other people who visit your blog?
If this guy wanted to serve god exclusively he should not have joined the military, period. Also most rights afforded by the constitution dont stop when you join the military either, something he refuses to understand or cant see especially when it comes to religion.
Wrong on so many levels. He seems to suggest that only Christians can be in the military, which I am sure is not the case. And such a requirement itself would be a violation of the Constitution. His views, if followed out to their logical conclusion, would lead to an outright theocracy that directly oppresses those who do not adhere to the official dogma.
The Air Force still has an evangelical problem…as in they still don’t see that the officer corps and chaplaincy are full of people like this. They say they’re working on it, but I question that.
This stuff scares me because I can easily see the Air Force morphing into something rather like the religious police in Saudi Arabia, Iran or Afghanistan. Yeah…I have a rather dim view of the situation…
I am all too familiar with the bile Chaplain Sonny Hernandez likes to spew. He, and the Dominionist traitors like him in the Air Force have also infested the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
There are people fighting Sonny – specifically the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF). Led by Mikey Weinstein, the organization protects service folks from unwanted prostelyzation. And yeah, Sonny is the tip of a very nasty iceberg. The reign of Lord Dampnut has brought them into the sunlight. Let’s hope they melt.
Disclosure – I have commented many times on the MRFF website. Not so much now as my old tech and their new software do not like each other – at all. I consider fighting the Dominionist comments my duty as my late husband was drummed out of the Marine Corp for being pagan (Asatru – he was a Warrior of Thor). He bore the cigarette burn scars to his death, admitting only a month before he died the full extent of abuse suffered. What kind of idiot tries to rape a well trained Marine who happens to also be a practicing Viking? Honestly beloved husband should have done more than just slug his officer. And escape three times from the Marine Corps brand new ‘escape proof’ brig. Beloved was drummed out (no court martial because brand new brig) and his attackers promoted. SNAFU baby.