A 501(C) (3) DEDICATED TO PROVIDING CERTIFIED BIBLICAL COUNSELING TO AID VETERANS, MILITARY AND FIRST RESPONDER FAMILIES.
Veterans Appeal
By Pastor Nathan Irving, Three Tour, Purple Heart Recipient, USMC Veteran
“The whole army is a vast field, ready and ripe to the harvest . . . The susceptibility of the soldiers to the gospel is wonderful, and, doubtful as the remark may appear, the military camp is most favorable to the work of revival.”
And third, in very recent years, the difficulty of carrying out the duty of a soldier has been increased exponentially by unseen enemies of a different kind. Where other generations of military members have enjoyed being quarantined from the larger culture in matters of sexual ethics and politics, today’s men and women in uniform are being forced to support and defend novel, moral, and political virtues, even if they contradict their own sincerelyheld beliefs. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” has been replaced with, “We’ll ask if you agree, and you’ll tell us you do, or else.” It’s not as catchy, but it definitely gets the point across . . .
For anyone who has been stationed for any period of time at one of our country’s military bases, Mr. Bennett’s remark is at once doubtful and an understatement. Doubtful for several reasons: First, today’s This is likely why much of the focus in recent months ~William W. Bennett, military members are (perhaps as never has been on the military. Where the battle is most greatly Chaplain of the Army of before) bombarded and accosted by raging, there the opportunity for the greatest gain lies, Northern Virginia all manner of enticements and worldly for either side. Christians who find themselves in the allurements, the likes of which would make positions alluded to above are in dire need of an armory even a Los Angeles Times editor blush. of spiritual weaponry. They need to be trained to defend If there is a thing to be desired, however vile, it can probably be the faith once delivered to the saints, spiritually resupply their found in close proximity to a military base. This reality means that families, and understand how to conduct themselves in the sight our soldiers are almost always under moral pressure. of God in their various roles as members of the armed forces of
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Second, gone are the days of clear lines of blue or gray or red, where the enemy can be easily discerned and attacked. Banners, trenches, and the like are things of the past, as well. For years, our military has been called to the task of fighting unseen enemies. There has been a war without borders—a conflict where the adversary is less easily defined by nationality or some other human category than by a term: terror.
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the United States.
The institution that God has given for this purpose is the local church. It is the privilege of Fallen Soldiers March to come alongside churches and ministries that seek to serve this country’s active, reserve, and veteran military members, as well as their communities’ first-responders, help them assist through biblical counseling and training. Recognizing the complexities of training and deployment schedules, the needs of those who have been in combat, and the unique challenges of military families, it is the desire of FSM to participate in the great task of reviving our nation’s military, to the glory of God.
