Air Force retracts evangelizing policy

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Air Force retracts evangelizing policy

Jewish air force vet presses ahead with lawsuit

By Ted Siefer, The Jewish Advocate, October 25, 2005

ALBUQUERQUE - A Jewish Air Force veteran remains determined to take the Air Force to court over alleged evangelizing within the armed forces, despite its announcement last week that it had withdrawn a code of conduct that permitted members to "evangelize those who are not affiliated."

A spokeswoman for the Air Force denied that the lawsuit filed Oct. 6 by Mikey Weinstein, a graduate of the Air Force Academy outside Colorado Springs, spurred its decision to review its controversial Chaplain Service Code of Ethics. Spokeswoman Jennifer Stephens told the Advocate that the Air Force had decided to withdraw guidelines "for further study" nearly two months before the lawsuit.

However, Weinstein claims that prior to his lawsuit, the Air Force ignored repeated calls to renounce policies and comments from top Air Force commanders that condoned evangelizing.

"Seven hours after I sued, my lawyers get a letter [indicating withdrawal of the code of ethics]. They said they meant to send it the other day," Weinstein told the Advocate. "I can assure you that we will not do anything until we have a federal judge oversee everything at this point."

The Air Force's announcement that it is revising its code of ethics comes after an internal investigation released in late June found a "perception of religious intolerance" at the Academy, but not overt bias against religious minorities and Catholics. The report was criticized at House Armed Service Committee hearings, in particular the Air Force's promotion of Brig. Gen. Johnny A. Wieda, the commander alleged in the report to have repeatedly promoted Christian beliefs to cadets.

Paraphrasing the Air Force's code of ethics, Cecil R. Richardson, the Air Force deputy chief of chaplains, told the New York Times on July 12: "We will not proselytize, but we reserve the right to evangelize the unchurched."

Late last month, the Air Force released religious tolerance guidelines, which were applauded by the Anti-Defamation League but criticized by others, Weinstein included, as being insufficient to change the climate at the academy.

"I don't trust them to stay within the guidelines," Weinstein told the Advocate. "I won't be satisfied until we have a stipulated joint order or until we have a verdict. There's a war going on," he said, referring to what he claimed was the current administration's disdain for the separation of church and state.

Asked if he was concerned that his lawsuit against the Air Force could open another front in the culture war, Weinstein said: "I hope it does. Right now all the biggest issues - stem cell research, abortion, the environment - are all derived from the mother-ship issue of church-state [separation]."

Air Force spokeswoman Stephens declined to answer specific questions related to Weinstein's lawsuit, instead issuing the statement: "The U.S. Air Force is committed to defending the rights of all our men and women whatever their beliefs. It would be inappropriate to comment further on Mr. Weinstein's lawsuit at this time."

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