Dear Joe

You asked me if it's possible to be a Christian and serve in the armed forces.

Yes! Some notable individual soldiers are seen in the New Testament. Jesus said of one of them, 'I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel (Luke chapter 7 verse 9). Another, Cornelius, was the first Gentile (non-Jewish) Christian (Acts chapter 10 verse 30). A Christian ready for action is pictured in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians as a soldier dressed in the 'whole amour of God' (Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10). On a personal level, faithful soldiers, irrespective of their rank or position, are highly thought of in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

The need for forces of law and order is recognized throughout the Bible. If a criminal cannot be persuaded to keep the law, force is often the only way to protect the law-abiding community. A nation’s armed forces are an extension of the police system ensuring peace and security from outside aggression. There are many thousands of Christians in the armed forces across the world, about 100 countries have active national Military Christian Fellowships linked by the Association of Military Christian Fellowships whose European website may be found at www.amcf-europe.info. Useful information is also available at the website of the Officers’ Christian Union http://www.ocu.org.uk.

I hope this helps you to make up your mind!

Yours,

Ewan Waugh