Military pastor

In the first place "Thou Shalt Not Kill" means thou shalt not murder. There is a difference between murdering a person and taking a life in combat.

Jesus also said, Joh 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends."

For a Christian to allow injustice and genocide and etcera to go on in the world while he or she enjoys peace and security is more of a sin than engaging in a just war or defending one's country in a time of war.

We know that all war is a result of sin but the Christian must live in the world as it is not as he or she wishes it to be.

I have pastored military men who were in charge of firing nuclear weapons if they were so ordered by the President of the US. Some of these men taught Sunday School and served as deacons in my church. Their occupation was accepted by our church as an honorable one.

The Roman Centurion that Peter commanded to be baptized in Acts 10 did not resign his commission in the Roman Army but rather became salt and light in the military establishment.

 

The Chaplains life is not easy.

I would disagree with the idea that killing an enemy soldier in a war is murder. Read through the Old Testament and you find the Lord God ordering Israel to kill everyone. (1 Samuel 15)

To bring it to the New testament when the soldier asks Jesus what to do, the Lord Jesus tells him not to oppress anyone and to be content with his wages. (Luke 3)

Paul says that the government has the right to bear the sword. (Rom 12)

Soldiers might become monsters, but they don't have to be. The best soldier is trained not to become a monster who kills indiscriminately, but one who thinks and kills only the enemy.

 

Read Rev. 19:11-21.

 

"And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages." - Luke 3:14​

 

ESV Luk 3:14 Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."

Just a little difference in interpretation here.

 

[Luke 3:14] He doesn’t say, “Throw down your spear and quit the army”. He gives them instruction on how they should behave as soldiers. There were many soldiers stationed in the area, and many of them helped the publicans, and as such stood to gain by immoral means. Even other soldiers, other than the ones helping publicans, often stood to gain by extortion through several means.

They ask him, “What shall we do?” The first part of his response is, “Do violence to no man”. This is a common expression in ancient Greek, and in the LXX, but is found only here in the NT. The literal meaning of the word is to shake thoroughly, and in so doing, to thoroughly terrify. It came to mean to extort money or property by intimidating. It was a process of blackmail to which Socrates referred. This act was a constant temptation to soldiers, not only to try to get some loot from those being intimidated, but if they didn’t pay up, the soldiers would turn them in for rewards offered for arresting those committing certain crimes. But, might does not make right in the eyes of God.

This ties in with the second instruction: “Neither accuse any falsely.” The soldiers would often intimidate someone, using physical force, for monetary gain, but people would stand to gain by informing on those committing certain crimes. Accusing someone falsely could gain a nice little reward, or could exact revenge upon an enemy.

He doesn’t tell the soldiers to quit soldiering, but he does tell them quit intimidating and quit falsely accusing people. But, he also told them something else: “And be content with your wages.” Discontent with wages was a primary complaint of many of the mercenary soldiers. The word for “wages”, “opsOnion”, was originally anything cooked and bought. From “opson”, which means “cooked food”, and “Oneomai”, which means “to buy”. It was originally anything eaten with bread, such as broiled fish, and it came to mean whatever is bought to be eaten with bread, and then it came to mean a soldier’s pay or allowance. “OpsOnion”. “Rations”; “pay”; “wages”.

This word is used in only four places in the NT. 1 Corinthians 9:7 uses this word. It says, “Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges?” That word “charges” is the same word. In other words, “Who goes to war supplying his own rations or wages”. Who provides our rations or our wages? God. In 2 Corinthians 11:8, Paul is speaking and he says, “I robbed other churches, taking wages [of them], to do you service.” And of course, Romans 6:23.

 

The enemy is the one who desires the blood of my family or my neighbors for any unjust reason.

The illustration you gave of the slaughter in Pakistan was the result of an unjust order. The American military allows its officers and soldiers to disobey unjust orders such as this.

Just for the sake of argument - Could you watch the slaughter of your loved ones without lifting a hand in their defense?

 

Yes, enough blood has been spilled, but more will be spilt because man is a sinner and sinners try to take control of others by force. And when that happens on a national scale, war breaks out.

Do non-combatants die in war? Sure, but a soldier tries not to take the life of a non-combatant.

But in some wars, the enemy is not in uniform. It is hard to know who the enemy is, at times. But there are rules of engagement in war which sets the "ground rules" for when shots may be fired..

Your question about Muslims, Hindu and Sikhs is another question altogether. It is answered in Romans 1.

But from some of your questions and statements I wonder if you accept the Bible as the final inerrant authority for our lives.

 

Of Course a Christian can join the Army.

The Roman Centurion, Cornelius, is evidence that the NT Church did not forbid soldiers from being Christians.

 

No one is upset with you. I would question such statements as "I am more into the teachings of jesus rather than the teachings of Moses" because I see no difference in them.

Jesus will one day return in command of an army that slays millions. David was a man after God's own heart yet, was a warrior.

The job of a chaplain is not to pass judgment on the soldiers or the morality of a particular war. His job is to represent God to soldiers. Cornelius was a soldier who was won to Christ, yest, as has been said, wasn't told to resign his commission by Peter.

There are certain groups who would stand against war such as the mennonites. Maybe talking to them might give a different perspective.

 

A military chaplain has to be non-denominational, from my understanding. Actually, it's more like multi-denominational, non-specific.

For example, if someone asks, "What must I do to be saved?" a military chaplain cannot answer. However, a member of the armed forces can.

 

That's not my understanding of the Chaplaincy at all.

I think Southern Baptist Chaplains are free to share the Gospel as evidenced by the large numbers of soldiers baptized during the Iraqi war.

 

That's why I qualified my statement with, "from my understanding".

I applied for a civilian position doing this with the military, and I rejected the offer because these were the rules as presented to me. So, I assumed that since it was a civilian position with the military, it would be similar.

Now, I could have presented it honestly if someone came up and asked specifically, but could not answer specifially to the general question of "what must I do to be saved?"

Also, I was told that I would have to perform mass and other rituals of other religions.

FWIW, when I go to hospitals, although I have some leeway around here, I am prohibited from doing anything unless the person asks, and they even tried to prohibit us from praying over the unconcious person even at their family's request. This one was oveturned, though.