Three nations make surprising appeal for church’s help

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Just as the Obama Administration is actively excluding Christian institutions from traditional roles in American society, the governments of two of the most populous nations in Africa and Asia are seeking help from local congregations – and one of Europe’s former Communist states has handed its schools over to local churches.

http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Home-Pag..._term=yahoo.com

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[Gregory Matthews]

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Meanwhile in the United States, the Obama administration seems headed in the opposite direction – forcing chaplains in the armed services to quit praying in the name of Jesus, banning the distribution of Christian literature in Walter Reed hospital and forbidding religious ceremonies in a number of national cemeteries.

Yes, it is interesting that in the name of Christ people tell half-truths and lies.

I work in a Federal hospital. We have people who come to us and want to visit Mormons, Catholics, Christians pagans and more. This would be fine if their intent was to provide pastoral care to people of their faith and were authorized to do so by their religion. Catholics should able to receive solace from their priests. Mormons should be able to receive pastoral care from their Elders. And, yes, Wiccans should be able to be visited by their leaders.

But, that is often not the intent of the people who come to us and request permission provide pastoral care.

For several years we had a man who wanted to visit Mormons in order to convert them to his faith, until he finally got the idea and quit asking. We have had people from a conservative Protestant group who have wanted to convert Catholics. We have had people from conservative Protestant groups who wanted to hold religious services in our nursing home to convert liberal Protestants and Catholics.

Ask yourself this question: How would you feel if you knew that your demented Methodist mother, in a nursing home, was being told that if she did not convert, she would go to Hell?

A patient recovering from surgery does not need to be assaulted by people who what to convert them. Hospital administrators have an obligation to protect their patients from unwanted visitors who will pry into their health status and treatment. It may be a violation of Federal law. The mere fact that one is on an OB ward may be a revelation of the clinical issues that brought the person to the hospital. It is not appropriate to allow people who walk in from off the street to walk through our wards seeing who our patients are.

Christian literature, Bibles, denominationally produced materials may be distributed in Federal hospitals to those who request it. All of the above may be and is made available to all such as in literature racks. I can give a Quran to someone who requests it. I cannot tell a Baptist patient to read the Quran in order to be saved.

Of course if that Baptist is asking me where go for spiritual truth, I can direct that person to the Bible and whatever else I believe to be a source of spiritual truth. I may also ask the person is he/she is looking for a source of spiritual truth and if they say that they are looking, I may direct them to the Bible and/or anything else that I consider to be appropriate.

I am really not limited as long as I am respectful of the rights of others.

[Gregory Matthews]

Quote:

Meanwhile in the United States, the Obama administration seems headed in the opposite direction – forcing chaplains in the armed services to quit praying in the name of Jesus, . . .

What people do not realize is that in the Federal chaplaincies there may be an element of what I call civil religion. An example of this might be a military base that has just built a new Exchange. [NOTE: An Exchange is a department store.] There may be a dedication ceremony where a chaplain may be asked to offer a prayer. I call this civil religion.

The people attending that dedication ceremony would be from all forms of religious practice as well as no religious practice. In a prayer in such an example, it would be as inappropriate to invoke the name of Christ as it would be to invoke the name of Shiva. There is nothing in my practice that requires me to end a prayer with the phrase, "in the name of Christ, amen."

At a religious service, I can do generally what I want to do, as long as I do not openly attack another group. As a former military chaplain, in every assignment, I preached on the Revelation 14:6-12. I have preached sermons on the reasons that some Christians worship on the 7th-day rather than on Sunday. I have never been called into question when I have done this.

The bottom line is: Federal chaplains can live and proclaim their faith as long as they are respectful of others and their right to differ.

[Gregory Matthews]

Let me tell you a story:

I work in a Federal hospital that serves patients that come in from several States and may live hundreds of miles from our hospital. They may travel in, stay 3-4 days and return home.

A few days ago I asked two patients of I could give their names and telephone contact information to a local SDA pastor who served the area in which they lived.

One patient told me that I could continue to visit him, but that I could not give his name and contact information out to others. I had to respect his right to keep that information private.

The second person agreed and I felt that I needed to make immediate contact. In order to do this I had to call a Conference official. I reached him on his cell phone while he was doing Christmas shopping. I told him that I needed to make immediate contact with a local pastor and I asked him for a cell phone number of the local pstor. While standing in the store, he gave it to me.

I then called the local pastor. He, also was doing Christmas shopping and I reached him in a store. He took my information. Ten minutes later I visited the patient. He had already been called by that local pastor.

Folks, as long as I respect the rights of the patient, I can do a lot.

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