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Silenced Christian soldiers: Sandhurst chaplain bans Creed 'so services won't offend minority religions.' By MATTHEW DRAKE 30th January 2009 Jonathan Gough, Senior Chaplain at Sandhurst, has dropped the Church of England creed over fears that it may offend religious minorities Sandhurst military academy has dropped the Church of England Creed from services over fears that it may offend religious minorities. The move has outraged worshippers who say centuries of religious tradition have been sacrificed for the sake of political correctness. Senior chaplain Reverend Jonathan Gough dropped the Christian declaration of faith in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, when he...

The underwear drive didn't surprise members of the congregation at Desert Skies United Methodist Church. They are used to helping out, and underwear was just the latest request from the overseas soldiers. It's all part of Desert Skies' involvement with the national Adopt-a-Chaplain program. The congregation has been involved since 2006, when a group of its women decided to come up with a mission. "We thought about what's significant about our community, and the first thing we thought about was the military," said Jennifer Stivers, 32. Stivers said churchgoers researched Adopt-a-Chaplain and are now helping their third chaplain, Capt. Vincent...

          DON’T BLAME CHANGING TIMES Most of us have learned to cope with, if not exactly embrace, the technological revolution that has completely restructured our world over the past two decades. Words like "Internet," "e-mail" and even "distance learning" may not be in your dictionary yet, but they soon will be. And that dictionary probably won't be paper like the ones most of us learned to use; instead, it will be part of the "spellchecker" on a computer hard drive, or perhaps on a single "CD-ROM" that contains thousands of pages of information. Despite my...

          OUR COVENANT WITH GOD Abram accepted the covenant God offered him, "I Am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." Abram fell face-down, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram: your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations." (Genesis 17:1-5). Like Abraham, we also have a covenant with God;...

A San Francisco Catholic Church had swastikas and other nasty things spray painted on its walls this week due to the Church's stance on Prop 8. As we all know, the cultural elite of this country have adopted a sickening tone of anti-Christianity recently and it only seems to be getting worse. With that in mind I noticed that the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission (CADC) prepared a Top Ten list of the most egregious acts of Christian Bashing in American in 2008. #10: Jack Black Musical Video In a short video posted on FunnyorDie.com entitled, "Prop 8 The Musical," an all...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Jan. 7, 2009 – Army Chaplain (Capt.) David Curry, based out of Kandahar, Afghanistan, with Task Force Eagle Assault, is accustomed to multitasking. Army Chaplain (Capt.) David Curry serves with Task Force Eagle Assault, an elite unit based in Kandahar, Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Paul David Ondik  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. He is a member of an elite division deployed halfway around the globe to fight terrorism. He’s also a relationship counselor, an event coordinator and senior advisor. “There are three, maybe four hats that a chaplain wears,” Curry said. “The chaplains...

          Prayers for Israel Maschil of David, when he was in the cave; a Prayer. With my voice I cry unto HaShem; with my voice I make supplication unto HaShem. I pour out my complaint before Him, I declare before Him my trouble; When my spirit fainteth within me--Thou knowest my path--in the way wherein I walk have they hidden a snare for me. Look on my right hand, and see, for there is no man that knoweth me; I have no way to flee; no man careth for my soul.I have cried unto Thee,...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26, 2008 – After nearly seven months of holding religious services in conference rooms, the Army Strikers at Forward Operating Base War Eagle in the Adhamiyah district of Baghdad christened their new chapel with a Christmas Eve candlelight service Dec. 24, 2008. Army Spc. Dale Harris, an information systems specialist, 1st Lt. Ivan Lugo, an unmanned aerial vehicle platoon leader, and Spc. Jerrod Fox, an unmanned aerial vehicle operator, lead Christmas carols at a Christmas Eve candlelight service on Forward Operating Base War Eagle Dec. 24. U.S. Army photo by Maj. Mike Humphreys   (Click photo for screen-resolution...

          OUR COVENANT WITH GOD Abram accepted the covenant God offered him, "I Am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." Abram fell face-down, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram: your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations." (Genesis 17:1-5). Like Abraham, we also have a covenant with God;...

Presidential Message The story of Hanukkah recalls the miraculous victory of a small band of patriots against tyranny, and the oil that burned for eight nights. Through centuries of exile and persecution, Jews have lit the menorah. Each year, they behold its glow with faith in the power of God, and love for His greatest gift -- freedom. This Hanukkah we celebrate another miraculous victory -- the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. When President Harry Truman led the world in recognizing Israel in May of 1948, many wondered whether the small nation could possibly...

Recently, CNA had the opportunity to send a writer to the Anbar Province of Iraq to cover the experiences of a Catholic chaplain working in the trenches. What follows is his recounting of the amazing encounter he had with this apostle in the desert. Father Bautista: Apostle in the Desert Joe Burns, War Stringer A few weeks ago, I returned to the U.S. after spending a week with Army troops in Iraq. More specifically, I spent six and a half days with my son’s outfit, the 63rd Ordnance Company stationed at Al Taqaddum. Al Taqaddum is a former Iraqi airbase,...

          GIVING IT ALL YOU’VE GOT Ever hear the expression "Giving it the whole nine yards"? Do you happen to know where it comes from? I used to think it was a sports term. "Not so" say several experts. But here seem to be at least two schools of thought on the phrase's origin. Both seem plausible. I'll let you decide. One explanation says that it's an expression from the construction trade. A full truck load, according to this rationale, will dump nine cubic yards of sand or gravel at your work site. In such...

SOUTH HUTCHINSON - Working on their homework, one child looked up as the tall man in the red hooded sweatshirt calmly walked across the room. "Father Blick," the child shouted. Ecstatic shrieks filled the air, as others cried out, "It's Father Blick." Uproar ensued as all the children participating in the after-school program at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church raced to greet their beloved former pastor, offering him the biggest group hug possible. "He survived Iraq," 9-year-old Miguel Juan said gleefully after hugging the priest they had not seen since he left the parish at the end of 2007....

          DISAPPOINTMENTS Disappointments come to all of us; and the more I see of life, the more convinced I am that one of the most important lessons anyone can learn is how to handle these disappointments. One of the great disappointments in my youth happened during my sophomore year in high school when I was running for class president. The class elected a cute brunette cheerleader. Another popular girl, another of the cheerleaders, came in second. And I trailed the field with only four votes. That was quite a blow to a cocky young boy...

          JUST FOR TODAY As I go through some "troubles" in my own life, I've worked out this "formula" to help me be a useful and happy person. See if it doesn't work for you! JUST FOR TODAY: I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle my whole life problem at once. JUST FOR TODAY: I will be happy. I will assume to be true what Abraham Lincoln said: "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." JUST FOR TODAY: I will try to strengthen my...

          MAKING ASSUMPTIONS A story making the rounds this past week told of a policeman who was heading home after a long, hard day on patrol. He had dealt with a whole succession of difficult people, and a mountain of frustrating paperwork. All he wanted at this point was to kick back, unwind, enjoy some peace and quiet, and maybe watch a few innings of baseball on TV. But, as he neared home, he was startled by a vehicle that came careening around a sharp curve and narrowly missed his squad car. As the car...

          LIFEBOAT! One of the great World War II films was LIFEBOAT, about the ordeal faced by survivors of a passenger ship that was sunk by a Nazi U-Boat in the middle of the Atlantic. The film details their struggle for survival in a small lifeboat, fighting the elements, thirst and then fighting against each other. Each person has their own ideas about how to navigate the little boat: they argue about who should be in charge; and they find little things to fight over even when they run out of things to fight over....

          PERSISTENCE -- THE KEY TO SUCCESS? Walter Wintle once wrote: "If you think you are beaten, you are; if you think you dare not, you don't; If you'd like to win, but think that you can't, it's almost a cinch that you won't.If you think you'll lose, you're lost, for out in the world we find Success begins with a fellow's will; it's all in the state of mind.If you think you're outclassed, you are; you've got to think high to rise. You've got to be sure of yourself before you can ever win...

Excerpt..... A new policy banning Virginia State Police chaplains from saying Jesus,’ Christ’ during prayer is stirring up a lot of controversy. Six chaplains have already resigned over the issue. “In the bible it says to pray in Jesus name,” said Charlotte Ryan, Johnson City, Tennessee resident. Claude Duncan from Johnson City is also against the prayer policy change. “I think it’s a terrible thing that they would create such a thing that would deny us the privilege of praying in the name of our savor, Jesus Christ,” Duncan said. We found strong opposition on Monday to a decision.........

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is defending why his administration forced the sudden resignation of five Virginia State Police Chaplains because they prayed publicly “in Jesus’ name.” Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty single-handedly created then enforced a strict “non-sectarian” prayer policy at all public gatherings, censoring and excluding Christian prayers, then accepted the resignation of five chaplains who refused to deny Jesus or violate their conscience by watering down their prayers. House Republican Leader Morgan Griffith and Delegate Charles W. Carrico, (R-Grayson) both issued public statements defending the chaplains, questioning Governor Kaine’s role in terminating the chaplains, and vowing to...