A group of Christians associated with Senate Chaplin Barry Black are under fire for praying against The Military Religious Freedom Foundation and Mikey Weinstein in regards to their recent lawsuit against Air Force Brig. Gen. John Teichert.
The MRFF is claiming that the prayer is threating in nature and that it will provoke violence by Christian fundamentalists. The complaint stem’s from the group’s usage of Psalm 37:22 in the prayer which reads; “For those who are blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, but those who are curses [sic] b [sic] Him shall be cut off.” That’s an approximate quotation from the King James Bible; in numerous other translations the word “destroyed” is used in place of “cut off.”
Weinstein previously described these prayers as “code words” used by Christian ‘far-right’ groups to “troll for assassins,” or at least to legitimize possible acts of violence.
Weinstein’s organization has received previous ‘threats,’ however this one, according to the organizer, stems from the Senate ‘which is intolerable.’ Furthermore, the lawyers for the MRFF, are drafting letters to the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others, demanding a redress.
One MRFF staff member has resigned this week, Weinstein said, “because of pressure from his or her family over the threats that these individuals face, even in their own homes, for being connected with MRFF.” And that was before the emergence of this potentially threatening prayer, he added.
The MRFF is seeking to disconnect the prayer organization from the Senate because of their prayers against the organization. Further, the MRFF is demanding that the Capitol Hill Prayer Partners take down the prayer in question.
The MRFF fails to recognize the reality of religious freedom and the right to free speech. Further, should the prayer group be disconnected from the Senate as a result of the lawsuit and letters in question, isn’t that in and of itself an assault on religious freedom?
This article is a continuation of a previous article regarding the MRFF and Air Force Brig. Gen. John Teichert;
The MRFF lodged a complaint against the Brig. General because of his personal website. The Christian Brig. General post’s links to articles, Christmas videos, and Scriptures to his website called; Prayer at Lunchtime for the United States.
The complainant argues that the website, which is personally owned by the Brig. General not publicly owned, is in violation of the Air Force and Defense Department rules.
A brief description on the website about Brig. Gen. Teichert reads; “John is an active duty Brigadier General who has served in the United States Air Force since 1994, and who was saved by grace through faith in Christ in 2004. He has commanded at the wing, group, and squadron levels, and is currently serving as Air Force commander. The Lord has blessed his career while burdening his heart with the need for our nation to return to its Christian foundation. He serves alongside his amazing wife of 20 years and their three incredible children. It is their desire to fully invest their lives to maximize their impact on people and on our nation for the Lord.” – Continue Reading