Laurence, I believe that the best thing that can happen to churches is that the U.S. Armed Forces demonstrate the same hostility toward Christianity that the rest of the government now is showing. The only thing that can break what you correctly call idolatry and outright apostasy is for conservative evangelicals to have the military representatives make it absolutely known to them that Christians, their churches, and their chaplains are not welcome in the armed forces anymore.

Right now, evangelical chaplains are being told they must squelch their theological views or be thrown out of the armed forces and I hope that it becomes even more oppressive for them and for individual soldiers who are Christians. People need to understand that to uncritically support the U.S. military forces as being representative of God Himself is the worst kind of apostasy. Our spiritual ancestors died horrible deaths in the Roman arenas, were used as human torches for Roman parties (being burned alive), and were flogged and crucified all because they would not bow the knee to Caesar and proclaim him as a god.

Unfortunately, American evangelicals have done what their ancestors refused to do, and what has emerged is a syncretism that glorifies the very things that Jesus preached against 2,000 years ago. Yes, the members of that church are “heartbroken,” but it is better to understand that the U.S. Armed Forces no longer are a force for good — if they ever were in the first place. While it has taken a liberal Democrat to finally mold the armed forces into an entity that publicly rejects Christianity, we must remember that all President Obama has done nothing more than expose an idol for what it always has been. While Obama may believe he is striking a blow against American Christians, he really is doing them a favor.