The Institute (協会)

So you hand an Iraqi a coin with a bible verse and nothing else. What is he going to do, look it up when he gets home? I agree, this is a very odd, and culturally irrelevant and insensitive, method of evangelism.

Rules are rules, so this Marine should be punished/reprimanded.

However, I would take it as a sign that things are going pretty well in Falluja, if Marines have time to hand stuff out and Iraqis have time to complain about it. maybe peace is being achieved after all.

If he wants to distribute Bible verses, he has to do it on his own time. At the checkpoint he's representing the United States government. And we all know that the United States government has no established religion. If the military was reprimanding him for handing out the coins on his own time, then I'd have a problem with it, but he's using his employer's platform for personal purposes, and a dangerous one at that.

I echo tusc0n verbatim. As a chaplain candidate in the National Guard, I can't even do that with U.S. soldiers, much less Iraqi citizens. Christianity is already strongly identified with American Patriotism (mostly our own fault), and that doesn't help the case. I would wholeheartedly applaud (culturally relevant) efforts of evangelism on his own time, but this is definitely unhelpful.

The strongest apologetic in an environment like that would be just being a Christian who respects their culture and their sensitivity.

damned foolish action of the dude's...but sadly one that will incur fundy rage at the military for their 'insensitivity' or 'anti christianity' or some such. *sigh* It's not just that this is unhelpful, it's that many would think this is a good idea.

I'm sure there will be all sorts of forwards about this, quoting some verse in Revelation, and showing how this is a sign of the end...and an anagram "showing" how Col. James Welsh is actually in league with the antichrist (probably obama, going along with the other damned-fool email I got the other day.

on the flip side of the coin:)...

What else should this soldier be doing? As a Christian it is his duty to 'make disciples of all nations' and this should be primary to any duties he would have as a military person.

Don't get me wrong, it is not the place of our military to be making converts. But it is the duty of the Christians in our armed forces.

Is handing out coins the most effective way of evangelism? We could argue that all day, but I would applaud his efforts and encourage him to take his punishment from the military as persecution for the Kingdom.

churnock...do you have a job? what if, during your job, you were doing things that were not only not a part of your job description, and therefore took away from your time spent doing your job, but you also were doing things that were markedly counter to your employers stated intentions?

You'd be fired for doing so, especially if it were something as potentially dangerous as this dude is doing. In his free time, the issue is a little different, though I'm not sure that the case isn't markedly different when you're a soldier. If you're wearing the uniform, which a soldier would always be doing in combat zone, I assume, you're a representative of the army, and I'd think they have the right to dictate your actions moreso than a civilian employer has the right to do so when you're not at work.

He knew, or should have known, that this would be the case before enlisting. If he wanted to hand out coins or evanglize, he should have chosen a different vehicle to do so in than a Humvee.

Churnock wrote, "I would applaud his efforts and encourage him to take his punishment from the military as persecution for the Kingdom."

Really? flagrant disrespect for authority and the rules under which you were employed is persecution for the kingdom? I say its insubordination. Being persecuted is being attacked for your beliefs, not getting punished for doing something you knew was wrong, regardless of the motives behind it.

Shaw and Brad,
I can appreciate where you are coming from and I was offering an alternative view point to this issue. I am not sure where I stand but this does bring up some good question about our priorities in any situation.

This is a tricky situation and on the surface I would say he was a dumb ass for doing such. But let us say for the sake of discussion that is handing out these Bible coins was the most effective way of communicating the gospel to a people who desperately need the good news. Let us also say that this soldier works 22 hours a day and is only left with 2 for the three S's (s#&t, shower and a shave). Should he simply not try to evangelize these peoples since he doesn't have any 'free time' to do such.

What I hear you are saying is that when he laces his combats boots he is no longer a Christian nor should try to live as such.

Shawn, your question about doing this sort of thing where I work is a little skewed since you would imply that I (or this soldier) am using all of my company time to 'witness' to others. I would say that is deception to my employer since I was hired to do task A and I am doing task B. However, suppose a co-worker came to my desk broken by life and questioning the meaning and debating if they should take their life at lunch. Should I say, 'I would really like to help, but I can't until 5:00. Sorry.' I would hope I would help in what ever way the Spirit moved me and if I got fired I would have to accept that.

The question here is how do you rectify the 8th commandment and Matthew 22:21 with Matthew 28:19?

Sorry, that should have been directed to Shawn and Chas.

...because handing out bible coins is the only valid way to be a christian with combat boots on?

"What I hear you are saying is that when he laces his combats boots he is no longer a Christian nor should try to live as such."

No one has said that. Chaplains are very much allowed the freedom of being a _______ in the military, as are all soldiers. We simply cannot proselytize where it is unwelcome or unasked for.

And before you even go there, you must first define "witness." The strongest testimony a soldier could give would be to do his job as a Christian, without triggering cultural flashbacks to the crusades. The bottom line is that this Marine put his brothers-in-arms in danger by giving more fuel to the fire that is Islamic Fundamentalism. Walking into an atheist convention yelling John 3:16 and crying "persecution for the kingdom" when they boot your ass out is not only naive, pointless, and ignorant, but (IMHO) damaging to the cause of the kingdom.

"Advancing the kingdom" can be accomplished in more ways than the verbal proclamation of the gospel (i.e. the thousands of warriors bringing stability and security to that region). Such a narrow view is tragic and a mere shadow of it's glory.