The military is not immune to the forces that would remove religion from public life. One Navy chaplain may lose his job because he refuses to stop closing his prayers with Jesus' name. A navy regulation issued in 1997 stipulated that no chaplain was allowed to pray in the name of Jesus. Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt has refused to obey the order on First Amendment grounds and religious freedom.

Senators investigating the issue found that pressure to conform to ecumenism was wide spread. Because of the diverse nature to military personnel, even chaplains of non-Christian religions such as Islam are included.

When Christian chaplains present the biblical view of salvation by Christ alone, they are accused of "proselytizing." One chaplain said that he would avoid proselytizing other religions, but reserved the right to "evangelize" the unchurched.

Pressure to conform essentially ties the hands of any chaplain who diligently tries to obey the great commission. Thus many of the chaplains have a form of godliness but have to deny the power thereof to save sinners and transform lives.

The new Chick tract, The Chaplain, describes how an ordinary soldier was able to live and "preach" the Gospel to his fellow soldiers better than the "learned" chaplain. This is true in many places, not just in the military. Religious leaders are often misguided or distracted away from Jesus' basic command to be witnesses to Him.

It is often a dedicated soulwinner, witnessing at the grass roots wherever God has planted him, who touches the hearts of those around him for eternity. The many testimonies received by Chick Publications witness the effectiveness of planting the Gospel where ordinary people will find it.

Make sure your "care package" to military personnel includes a supply of Chick tracts. You can be sure they will get spread around, witnessing to the Gospel where chaplains cannot reach.