New Evidence Challenges Pentagon Testimony In "Christian Embassy" Scandal

Posted by Bruce Wilson at 8:18 PM on August 6, 2007.

On Monday, researchers working for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation ( MRFF ) uncovered evidence calling into question the veracity of the testimony given to the Pentagon Inspector General in the investigation in the wake of MRFF's lawsuit concerning top Pentagon officials and US military officers who appeared in a promotional video, made for fundraising purposes, of an organization called "Christian Embassy", an offshoot of Campus Crusade For Christ, that evangelizes Pentagon members, foreign diplomats, and White House employees.

Last Thursday, July 26th 2007, as I subsequently reported, the Christian Embassy video scandal broke open again in the form of a Pentagon Inspector General's report [see Truthout story linked for full PDF of report] which concluded that Air Force Maj. Gen. Jack Catton, Army Brig. Gen. Bob Caslen, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, Maj. Gen. Peter Sutton, and two other officers whose names were redacted "improperly endorsed and participated with a non-Federal entity while in uniform".

The Pentagon officials who participated in the Christian Embassy video told the Pentagon Inspector General that they were confused about the status of "Christian Embassy" because the organization had been given free reign in the Pentagon for 25 years. Christian Embassy members had badges to enter the Pentagon un-escorted, with guests, and one Pentagon official who appeared in Christian Embassy's video claimed he was under the impression that Christian Embassy was a "quasi governmental" agency.

But, here is Christian Embassy's description of its mission, from its fund raising video :

“There are over 25,000 Department of Defense leaders working in the rings and corridors of the Pentagon. Through Bible studies, discipleship, prayer breakfasts, and outreach evens, Christian Embassy is mustering these men and women into an intentional relationship with Jesus Christ.”

If those Pentagon members might have been tempted to claim they never actually watched the video they appeared in, claims they might make about being unaware of Christian Embassy's organizational goals have now become untenable.

MRFF determined the following, from schedules that were advertised on Christian Embassy's own website:

Bob Caslen, Lucius Morton, Cynthia Islin, along with dozens of other high ranking Pentagon officials, have led Christian Embassy’s “Weekly Discipleship Study Groups”, teaching out of Christian Embassy’s lesson plans that have printed right at the top “Our Mission: To win, build, and send Department of Defense leaders to live for Jesus Christ.”

Jack Catton and Pete Sutton have both given Prayer Breakfast talks co-sponsored by Christian Embassy and the Pentagon Chaplain, and Catton’s October 22, 2003 talk was entitled “Leadership For Christ in the Pentagon”.

Meet your new Christian theocratic military leadership...

Postscript:

In the 1970's, when MRFF founder Mikey Weinstein was a cadet, along with Jack Catton, in the United States Air Force Academy, both took a course called "Law For Commmanders" and studied the First Amendment. Teaching the First Amendment in that key USAF course is now optional for USAF instructors.

Since they graduated, both Jack Catton and Mikey Weinstein have enjoyed considerable career success, but there is a key distinction to be made between the two men :

While Catton now appears to be promoting the spread of a warlike form of Christian fundamentalism within the US military and the US government, Weinstein has taken a radically different route and spent a large part of his personal fortune in the defense of the United States Constitution and the protection of religious liberty not just for fundamentalist Christians but for all Americans, of every religious and philosophical belief.

If you like this work and want to see it continue, please consider making a donation to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation

Bruce Wilson writes for Talk To Action, a blog specializing in faith and politics.