MILITARY SUPPORT FOR EVANGELICAL RALLY RAISES CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES, SAYS AMERICANS UNITED

Americans United for Separation of Church and State
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Religious Liberty Watchdog Groups Questions Armed Forces For Participating In Christian Event In Georgia

U.S. military participation in a three-day evangelical Christian gathering in Georgia violates the U.S. Constitution, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

In a May 23 letter to Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne and Acting Secretary of the Army Peter Geren, Americans United says the military should not endorse or promote a festival arranged by evangelical Christian groups at Stone Mountain Park.

The event is being hosted by Task Force Patriot USA, as well as LifeWay Christian Stores, the publishing house of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), and Holman Bible Outreach International.

According to Task Force Patriot USA’s Web site, the organization exists “for the purpose of sharing the fullness of life in Jesus Christ with all U.S. military, military veterans and families,” and “Christ is our Commander-in-Chief.” The group’s logo is a shield centered with a Christian cross with its sides bracketed by an American flag and Christian flag.

The May 26-28 event at Stone Mountain Park is billed as a “Salute To The Troops, Memorial Day Celebration,” but the program includes a Christian worship service and heavy emphasis on evangelical outreach.

The event will feature hourly flyovers by Air Force Jets, including B-2 stealth bombers, parachute jumps by the U.S. Army’s Silver Wings Parachute Jump Team and speeches from top military and former military officials and evangelical Christian preachers, including the former SBC president, Bobby Welch.

An events schedule from Task Force Patriot USA’s Web site lists as speakers military officials, such as U.S. Air Force Major Brian “Jethro” Neal, a B-2 pilot, who is to give his personal “testimony” during a worship service that is to feature a B-2 flyover.

Additionally, an official publication of the Air Force, from Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, states that “Task Force Patriot USA, LifeWay Christian Resources, GM, Stone Mountain Park, and the United States Air Force have joined together to create a three-day celebration …,” and that the event is “an official U.S. Air Force 60th Anniversary event.”

“There are legitimate ways to celebrate the Air Force’s 60th anniversary and to pay tribute to military personnel who bravely serve the nation, but this three-day religious extravaganza is certainly not one of them,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Instead, this event is a stunning display of the federal government using vast resources to trumpet a religious celebration.

“It is,” Lynn continued, “an over-the-top mixing of government and religion. Shouldn’t the military spend its resources on defending the country, not promoting evangelical Christianity?”

Lynn added, “Military personnel and veterans come from many religious traditions and no religion at all. So it is wholly disingenuous for the organizers of this evangelical Christian gathering to promote it as a salute to all our troops. It is anything but.”

Southern Baptist officials told the BPNews, an SBC publication, that special Bibles for military personnel would be disseminated at the gathering. Interspersed between the displays of military personnel and equipment will be religious speakers and leaders, such as Welch and evangelical Christian ministers Peter Marshall and Ken Hall.

Americans United’s letter urges the military officials to clarify and correct their involvement with the religious celebration.

“The Air Force and the Army have crossed the line here: A reasonable observer, upon examining the promotional materials, the Robins Air Force Base newspaper, and the current program schedule, could not help but believe that the Army and Air Force fully support and endorse the Christian substance of the celebration,” states AU’s letter. “If you allow events to unfold as they are now scheduled, the message of governmental endorsement – and in turn, the constitutional violation – will be clear.”

A Web site promoting Air Force events claims the Stone Mountain rally is to honor “ALL” military personnel and will include “military equipment displays,” military bands, and nightly color guard presentations. The Web site then describes several Air Force exhibitions at the event, which will include a trailer housing a miniature replica of the Air Force’s “newest fighter aircraft – the F/A-22 Raptor,” and a replica of the F/A-22 mini jet. Additionally, the Web site notes that Air Force recruiters will be on hand to teach visitors “about life in the Air Force.”

The official Stone Mountain Park Web site also includes an events schedule for the three-day gathering. The celebration, according to the Web site, will commence early May 26 with a parachute jump by the Army’s Silver Wings Parachute team, which is based at Ft. Benning, Ga. U.S. Air Force Major Rob Light will also help kick off the festivities. The event schedule notes that the U.S. Air Force’s official musical band, called the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band, will be on hand to provide repeated performances.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.