Saint Martin's Cloak

For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-14) Physical training has always been a part military training to "be all you can be." Now the Pentagon wants to inject soldiers with drugs to make them more than they can be by nature alone. The Pentagon is playing god. The Pentagon has proposed testing the testosterone levels of all service members over the age of 30 and offering testosterone "therapy" to those who fall below a certain level. The test is not addressing a real medical issue. Absent symptoms that would cause a doctor to suspect a significant hormonal problem, drawing blood to test testosterone levels is invasive and medically unnecessary. According to the Harvard Medical School, taking testosterone carries medical risks for cardiac issues, prostrate cancer, fertility impairment, and blood clots. So, the Pentagon's proposed universal testing o...

The Misuse of Psalm 33:12 The first half of Psalm 33:12 is yet another biblical passage misappropriated by some who claim that the United States is a Christian nation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD This verse does not apply to the United States or any other nation on earth. The second half of the verse identifies which nation the Psalmist has in mind. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. (Psalm 33:12) The blessed nation is biblical Israel, whom God chose in Abraham. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. (Genesis 12:2) No nation on earth has the right to claim God’s blessings to Abraham. The Old Testament consistently contrasts the nation ( goy ) of Israel with the nations ( goyim ) of the world. Abraham and his offspring will be a blessing to the nations of the world, but the nations themselves are arrayed in opposition to God and his ...

When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:33-34) Don’t oppress the alien who has come to live among you. In fact, love the alien as yourself. That last part is an echo of Leviticus 19:18, which Jesus identified as the second great commandment.  Does Leviticus 19:33-34 only apply to some immigrants? Of course not, but like the lawyer who asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor,” (Luke 10:29) some people will always look for ways to excuse themselves from love’s demands. John Piper recently posted these verses in his social feed and the online pushback from a certain sphere of American Christians was immediate. Piper is Reformed and Baptist in his theological outlook. Until recently, Piper has been a popular writer in those circles. I am neither, so I do...

On June 25, 1950, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea invaded the Republic of Korea to the south. Kim Il Sung ruled North Korea in the Stalinist mold, initially as a Soviet client state. The Korean People's Army that invaded South Korea had been advised, trained and equipped by the Soviet Union expressly for this purpose. In Europe, the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. The Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991. Russia and its former clients have all evolved since then, sometimes for the better, sometimes not so much. All except for North Korea, that is, which is still run as a absolute dictatorship. North Korea combines Soviet style authoritarianism with a personality cult built around the Kim family. Kim Il Sung died in 1994 and was succeeded by his son Kim Jung Il. The younger Kim died in 2011 and was succeeded by his son Kim Jung Un. Nothing significant has changed for the North Korean people since 1950. Kim's version of the Berlin Wall has never fallen. An iron curtain ...

One of the things that I’ve come to take for granted in the Army is that military chapels and religious activities tend to be more ethnically diverse than their civilian counterparts. The extent of that diversity varies from “a little” to “a lot,” but even the most homogenous military congregations are still more integrated than those you typically find off post. The last military congregation I served was racially integrated to a degree that I’ve never seen in my own “progressive” denomination. A recent Pew study on racial diversity shows that many of the denominations that talk most about racial equality continue to be some of the most segregated. The funny thing about the members of my highly integrated military congregation was this: they hardly ever talked about race. They were, however, die-hard evangelicals who would make most progressives squirm. The people of that congregation found their unity in the Gospel as they understood it. That’s one side of the coin. Now, the...

In the 1996 film, “The Ghost and the Darkness” , one of the characters is a Christian missionary to Africa, full of 19th century liberal Christian optimism. He’s helping to build a bridge, overcome disease, educate the people, and, oh yes, fight a pair of man-eating lions that have killed scores of people. The missionary is always optimistic, always has a smile, always looks on the bright side. His character is greatly respected and gets along with everybody, more or less. He thinks this is great adventure. His motto is, “This is marvelous. Just think what great things we’ll do once everyone’s heart is filled with the love of God.” One of the lions eats him.

The United States is today observing the civic holiday of Labor Day. According to the Department of Labor, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. We all benefit from the labor of others, and we should certainly acknowledge the debt we owe them. Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894. It has its origins in the labor movement of the 19th century and the fight against the exploitive and abusive conditions in which many people worked. Still today, many people throughout the world toil in dehumanizing and dangerous conditions for tiny wages that are insufficient to sustain anything approaching a decent life. Some labor amounts to little more than slavery. Constantly changing economic conditions threaten the ...

Later this afternoon, someone will sing the national anthem before the football game begins. I have no idea what the performer has planned, but based on previous big-events this Marine's advice seems appropriate: "So with all the kindness I can muster, I give this one piece of advice to the next pop star who is asked to sing the national anthem at a sporting event: save the vocal gymnastics and the physical gyrations for your concerts. Just sing this song the way you were taught to sing it in kindergarten - straight up, no styling. Sing it with the constant awareness that there are soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines watching you from bases and outposts all over the world. Don't make them cringe with your self-centered ego gratification. Sing it as if you are standing before a row of 86-year-old WWII vets wearing their Purple Hearts, Silver Stars and flag pins on their cardigans and you want them to be proud of you for honoring them and the country they love - not b...

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people-- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. 1 Timothy 2:1-6a Last month, I read two stories in quick succession. First, I read about Kansas pastor Sandra Moore who took a group of United Methodists to visit the Islamic Center of Topeka in order to learn more about the Muslim faith. Imam Omar Hazim invited the group to visit the mosque and have lunch with Muslim congregation. The visit allowed the Christians in the group to better understand Islam, and the Muslims to better understand the Christian faith. It was a nice, neighborly thing to do, and it reminded me of my ...

Dr. King and Civil Religion On Monday we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King's birthday is a national holiday, not a religious one. It's important to note, however, how Dr. King integrated the best of what some people disparage as "civil religion" into his appeal to the American people. Dr. King's " I Have a Dream " speech delivered 28 August 1963 is one of the greatest pieces of rhetoric in the American experience and one of the most significant milestones in American history. I rank it with Lincoln's Gettysburg Address for its combination of rhetorical beauty and importance in defining us as a nation. It has brought me to tears as I listened to it. What I want to note today is how Dr. King called upon civil religion to make his points. He appealed to America based upon its reverence for both American democratic ideals and biblical religion. <!--more-->King's speech contains numerous religious references. He allu...