Top Pentagon Officers Face Discipline for Endorsing Christianity

By Ethan Cole, Christian Post Reporter Sunday, August 26, 2007

Seven high-ranking officers, including four generals, could face discipline for what the Pentagon considers their promotion of Christianity.

The Pentagon inspector general found the seven officers to be engaged in misconduct when they appeared in a promotional fundraiser video for the evangelical group Christian Embassy three years ago, according to OneNewsNow.

Christian Embassy was founded by the late Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ and ministers to diplomats, government leaders and military officers. The ministry holds prayer meetings each Wednesday morning at the Pentagon.

The officers were said to be in uniform at the Pentagon when they expressed military approval and support of the evangelical ministry in the video, according to The Associated Press.

The report said none of the officers asked for or received approval from superiors and recommended "appropriate corrective action" to be considered against them, according to AP.

A retired Army officer who had also attended the Christian Embassy Wednesday prayer meeting believes it's hypocritical for the Pentagon to consider disciplinary action against the officers.

"There have been others in very senior positions, both in and out of uniform, who have gone to some of these Islamic centers and have bent over backwards to accommodate Islamists," said retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis to OneNewsNow Friday.

He pointed to the Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England who in early June joined the dedication of a new Islamic prayer center at the Quantico Marine Corps Base.

"[A]s far as I'm concerned, [he was] giving tacit endorsement of Islam just by his presence and making a formal visit," said Maginnis. "And if he can't tolerate a few generals and admirals stating, because they're Christians, they think it's a good idea that you promote Bible studies and Christian speakers into the Pentagon, I find that hypocritical and certainly an unfortunate circumstance."

Maginnis thinks that the group Military Religious Freedom Foundation might be behind the pressure to investigate the officers.

"This is an ACLU-type hit on the Pentagon insisting that the inspector general conduct an investigation to get to the bottom of whether or not generals improperly used their influence with regard to a particular ministry," he said.

The officers currently still face potential discipline for violating ethics rules by helping Christian Embassy.