SOMETHINGS JUST NEVER CHANGE

Welcome to this edition of the Shofar Journal. For those who do not know, this particular blog features articles of interest to those in military ministry. One of the common misconceptions from those outside the military is the belief that a Chaplain has to compromise their belief system if they want to work for the government. While some Chaplains may forget their calling and the God they serve in order to be politically correct, there are some who serve God and country with a whole and pure heart and never waver from the truth as found in the Bible, "once delivered to the saints."
Here at the AGC, we have been faithful to the Gospel of Christ from it's very inception. Thanks in part of the work of our founder Dr. Garmen. In this month's main feature, we will go down memory lane and present part of a featured speech from Dr. Garmen at the 1976 "Congress of Fundamentalists" held in Edinburgh, Scotland. As a visionary, Dr. Garmen correctly called out some sinful errors of others which have found a home in our modern society (see his comments on #6). While we work peaceably with all when possible, we do stand for certain spiritual truths and respectfully disagree with others when it is necessary. While society may tolerate it, our Lord never changes, for "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb 13:8).

Fearful Objections to the Ecumenical Movement:
An extract from an address to the World Congress of Fundamentalists, Congress
in Edinburgh, Scotland, 1976 (Longtime AGC President Dr. W.O.H.
Garman was a leader at this large 1976 meeting)

Fundamentalists have some serious objections to ecumenism that cause them to
fear this movement. Let us consider these briefly:
1. Their attack upon the orthodox Faith.
Since the ecumenical movement is so society-oriented, we would expect them
to be attacking the evils of the day: immorality, pornography, homosexuality,
crime and marijuana addiction, but instead we find them in an all-out war
against the Faith of our fathers. Every major doctrine of the faith is under
attack. Fundamentalists find it hard to get over the shudder they feel when
unbelief is expressed. For example, the late Bishop James A. Pike said:
"The kind of God, I first believe in, who, would limit salvation to a
select group of people who happened to have heard the news and heard it well,
is an impossible God. As to this God, I am now an atheist:"
If the Trinity were to be elected by a democratic ballot from among the sons
of men, we believe that twentieth century man would have elected Albert
Schweitzer to that exalted dignity. Yet, Albert Schweitzer, the brilliant
theologian and musician who gave himself to a life in Medicine in Africa,
defended his atheism this way: "Here I dare say that the ethical religion
of love can exist without the belief in a world ruling divine personality which
corresponds to such an ethical religion." This was quoted in a Christian
Century article of April 7, 1976 (p. 332) by Dr. Jackson Lee Ice, who
observed of this one who is venerated by so many religious leaders: "If by
God is meant the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, Who redeems His
children by the atonement and sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ according to
the predestined plan of salvation revealed in the Bible and ascribed to by the
Christian churches, then the answer obviously is No - Schweitzer does not believe
in God."
The Bible tells us: "Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is
good." Believers in Christ would be forced to surrender their convictions
if they joined the ecumenical movement. This they cannot do.

2. Their rejection of absolute truth.
With the pervasive influence of modern existential philosophy and theology
we find ecumenical leaders going along with the theory that absolute truth does
not exist, and if it does we have no possibility of understanding it. There is
no such thing as truth and error, good and evil, right and wrong, clean and
unclean, precious and the vile. The present wave of occult systems from the
East certainly do not help by telling us that if we can get back far enough in
our mental awareness through process of meditation or what have you, that
backstage we will find that Christ and Satan are both friends, truth and error
are all one. Isaiah 5:20 puts it straight: "Woe unto them that call evil
good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that
put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." A grand text which rebukes
the doctrinal relativity today is Ezekiel 44:23, "And they shall teach my
people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to
discern between the clean and the unclean."

3. Their repudiation of the authority of the Word of God.
Speaking at the National Council of Churches meeting in Miami, NCC official,
Dr. Willis E. Elliott made some shocking statements, about the Bible and then
defended them in a letter to Christianity Today (3-3-67) by saying,
"I consider adherence to one who thinks my paper does not . . . My Miami
speech was simply a spelling out of this conviction . . . Anyone who thinks my
paper does not reflect an authentic ecumenical view has a romantic notion of
'ecumenical' . . . But hatred for the doctrine of the perfect book is very
strong in a large segment of ecumenical leadership, and I can hardly be
considered irresponsible, and ecumenically unauthentic in voicing this
hatred." The authority of Scripture has but one value to them and that is
to support their drive toward the one world church. Fundamentalists insist upon
placing His Word where it belongs as we read in Psalm 138:2, "I will
worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and
for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."

4. Their espousal of syncretism.
Ecumenists cannot get over the call of Harnack who said: "Get rid of
the excess doctrinal baggage and we shall move more quickly toward the one
great united church." (Presbyterian Life 11-5-66, p. 35).
Syncretism is the drive toward a one world faith, by assimilating the good
elements of all religious systems. This movement has even alarmed a New
Evangelical like Dr. Clyde Taylor who said, "These disciples of syncretism
are busily tearing down the walls that separate the various faiths. Many would
like to see one religion incorporating the [16] followers of Christ,
Moses and the Pope by simply minimizing or overruling the differences . . . It
seems to forget that our Lord found it necessary to protest against the errors
of the Pharisees, and that Paul protested forcibly when Judaistic legalism
threatened the New Testament Church. It also forgets the protests of the
reformers against the enshrinement of religious externals to the loss of
personal faith in Christ." (Christian Heritage, June 1959).

5. Their acceptance of revolutionary Marxism.
We couldn't believe it when we were told that Marxist thought had penetrated
the Church. We were shocked when we realized that socialism was taught in every
ecumenical seminary as being synonymous with the kingdom of God. We were bowled
over when we realized that the 13 Christian Union universities of China
supported by the ecumenical funds from the West, were instrumental in turning
the minds of young China towards Communism. We still can't believe that the
Marxist-Christian dialogue is now respectable in ecumenical circles. We are
amazed when we realize how bold the new Liberation theology coming from ecumenical
leaders of Latin America is, and so open about its espousal of Marxian
revolution, and how the new theologies coming out of the liberal thought
centers of Germany and Europe are preparing the minds of the church leaders to
accept Communism as the wave of the future. The continued use of World Council
of Churches Mission funds to finance the terrorist gangs of the black continent
particularly makes it utterly impossible for Fundamentalists to think kindly of
the ecumenical movement.

6. Their acceptance of the New Morality.
The showing of the film "Another Pilgrim" at the WCC meeting in Uppsala,
Sweden, in 1968, highlighted the debauchery of the ecumenical movement as it
pictured a minister removing his clothes before his people. The showing of the
film, "The Parable" by ecumenical elements at the New York's world
fair, depicting Jesus as a clown is but another evidence of the moral
bankruptcy in relation to the One Who is revealed as "holy, hardness,
undeviled and separate from sinners." The truth is that the ecumenical
movement is not interested in the moral degradation of our times. Instead they
allow a church to enjoy good and regular standing, and a minister as well, in
the United Methodist Church, which gave several thousand dollars of benevolent
funds to a group of prostitutes in order that they could organize a
prostitute's union. The present agony in several denominational groups is due
to the ecumenical drive to make respectable the homosexual life-style, not only
for church membership but also to allow them ordination to the ministry of the
Word of God. -

DR MAYHUE'S TOP 10 MILITARY CHAPLAIN LIST

Greetings and welcome to this month's AGC "Shofar" journal/blog. This month's feature is a special treat featuring an article written by Master's Seminary Executive Vice President and Dean Dr. Richard Mayhue. Dr. Mayhue is a Viet Nam Navy veteran and has some insight into what makes a good Military Chaplain. Enjoy his thoughts and glean some Helpful hints for those either currently in ministry or thinking about serving in the military as a Chaplain.
Our second feature is an article written by our field representative LCDR (ret.) Pat Doney. His "Monthly Meditations" is an uplifting piece on conversion and serving the Lord Jesus Christ. May you be blessed and encouraged as you read this month's articles written by two proven and tried and true warrior/servants of our Lord. God bless.


What a Navy Chaplain Should Be Like"

The AGC has invited
me to write a piece on this theme. My meager
qualifications consist of a brief Navy background
(1966-1971) during which time
I served as a junior officer (ASW Officer) on a
Norfolk-based "tin can" which
operated mostly with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean
tracking Russian subs,
piloted an Air Cushion Vehicle in Vietnam near Hue
(operating frequently with
the 101st Airborne Div., 1st Air Cavalry Div., 9th Infantry
Div. Mechanized, and
the 2nd Marine Div.),
presented daily operational briefings to Admiral Zumwalt
(COMNAVFORV), and taught at the ASW School in San Diego.
While in Vietnam, I
received a "Dear Dick" letter from my wife
demanding a divorce. But during my
last duty station, neighbors made sure we heard the gospel
and my wife and I
trusted Christ as our Savior and Lord. Shortly afterward,
believing that Christ
would have me train for ministry, I resigned my commission
and went to seminary.
"B" and I just celebrated our 46th wedding
anniversary to God's glory and I am
in my 38th year of fulltime ministry.


I met numerous chaplains (both Navy and Army) during my
service for our country,
but cannot remember ever consistently seeing or hearing from
them the
suggestions that follow. But before I begin, two caveats are
in order: 1) as an
unbelieving Naval officer, it is quite possible that I was
blind and deaf to the
truth possibly presented by the chaplains that I encountered
and 2) I am not
inferring that all military chaplains fit the
chaplain-profile that I remember
from those "before Christ" days. I have the
highest admiration for you men who
serve our Armed Forces as chaplains on Christ's behalf and
pray for you often.

Since my conversion,
many fine military chaplains have crossed my path
(especially Navy chaplains) and I base much of what follows
on their examples.
There are dozens of categories that could be addressed to
develop the content of
this blog; however, I have narrowed my approach to the Navy
chaplain as seen
through the eyes of those to whom he hopes to minister.
These qualities are just
as applicable to a civilian pastor as they are to a military
chaplain since they
all were exemplified by our Lord Jesus Christ during His
earthly ministry.
A Navy chaplain should be:

1) Visible - spending
considerable time out of the office among the assigned
flock.
2) Available - ministering beyond normal office hours.

3) Approachable - practicing casual interaction on lesser
issues that will often
invite follow-up involvement regarding eternal truth.

4) Admirable - ensuring that you will be respected because
your life matches
your message in every area.
5) Predictable - employing a consistently biblical approach
to your chaplaincy.
6) Capable - handling God's Word accurately, clearly, and
relevantly.

7) Personable - working overtime to be likable/winsome in
order to overcome the
various caricatures of chaplains.

8) Reliable - striving to go above and beyond what is
expected of you in order
to earn this kind of sterling reputation.

9) Durable - not allowing ridicule and/or rejection to
diminish the enthusiasm,
faithfulness, joyfulness, and thoroughness of your ministry.


10) Indefatigable - continually and energetically seeking
avenues of ministry to
your people.
The unbelieving portion of your flock might be blinded by
Satan to the truth of
their need for Christ (2 Cor 4:4), but they won't be able to
ignore or forget
your exemplary, Christ-like chaplaincy.

Richard Mayhue, Th.D.
EVP and Dean
The Master's Seminary
Sun Valley, CA
rmayhue@tms.edu


Monthly Meditations
By Chaplain Pat Doney (USN-ret)


Recently I was thinking about the conversion of Saul of Tar­sus.

He was a religious man. In fact, he de­scribes himself as a most zeal­ous

individual seeking to elim­inate Christians and Christian­ity during its

earliest days.(cf. Philippi­ans 3:1-11.) Why would God "recruit" such

a man to be His apostle to the Gentiles? What was it about Saul that made him

the man of God's own choosing? Look with me to Acts 9:15: The Lord is speaking

to a man in Damas­cus by the name of Ananias who has heard bad things about

Saul. However, Jesus tells Ana­nias, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of

Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My sake."

God knew Saul's heart and the Lord knew that once Saul was

converted, he'd become the great­est Christian of the first century. Part of

the heart of Saul is revealed in his short conversation on the Damascus road.

Notice Acts 9:4: "...Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me...it is hard

for you to kick against the goads”...(Saul) answer­ing said, "Who are you,

Lord?” Saul recognizes that the God of Heaven, the Creator of the Uni­verse is

speaking to him. What Saul didn't real­ize was that JESUS was the God of

Creation, and it was HE who was speaking to him: I AM JESUS..." Saul knew

about JESUS, but Saul did not know JESUS as his personal Lord and Sav­ior. But

Saul was converted on the Damascus road, and from that moment forward he was a

new creation in Jesus Christ. cf. II Corinthians 5:17. It was not too much

later that Saul began to be called Paul, the little one, and he immediately

turned his life over to JESUS CHRIST. It was not a gradual change; it was

immediate; he was completely changed from the inside out. Saul's second

question to the Lord was, "...LORD, what will you have me to do...?"

Saul/Paul rec­ognized that he was no longer 'his own man', but that he belonged

to God in Christ; he was ready to "turn a corner" and not look back;

JE­SUS was his new Master, and he was prepared to go and do whatever JESUS had

for him. What a great example for us, personally, as we live and serve our Lord

and Savior Jesus Christ. Paul sets the 'bar' high, but reminds us, "...I

can do all things through Christ who strengthens me..." Phil. 4:13. But

let's not forget what Paul wrote in Philippians 2:13: "For it is God who

works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.. One of the lessons

God has for us here is that we are not "lone rangers." In the Great

Com-mission, Jesus says, "...and lo, I am with you always, even to the end

of the age..." Matthew 28:20. The message of the angel to the shep­herds

from that first Christmas night still rings loud and clear: "Fear not, for

behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all

people...:" Don't be afraid to move forward in serving HIM; you'll be a

messenger of great joy to those to whom you minister in HIS name. May God bless

and enlarge your great minis­try in the days and months ahead for HIS glory.

Read and meditate on II Corinthians 4.