Preserving America's Historical Significance

First Principles Releases Second Edition of Endowed By Their Creator Amidst Christian Persecution in the Military

 

AyresPB005_smWith the 2nd Edition of Endowed by Their Creator, First Principles Press is responding to the urgent need in our military and the requests from chaplains and service members to provide a history of prayer in the American military and a spiritual resource.  Endowed By Their Creator demonstrates the necessity of prayer to America’s military mission and our dependence for security and safety upon the providence of Almighty God.  The First Edition extended to 38 states including – military institutions, Bible colleges, veterans groups, Campus Crusade for Christ Military Ministry, Stonecroft Military Ministry, Navigators, and the Kentucky National Guard.  Many of these groups are providing chaplains and troops on the front lines with the knowledge that they have the right to pray.

 

The Second Edition is timely for those in our military who are experiencing unprecedented attacks on their Christian faith.  To wit:

 

After receiving numerous complaints about attacks on Christianity in the military, Representative Todd Akin (R-MO) introduced an amendment to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act to protect servicemen from reprisals for their religious belief.  Akin stated that “there is a war on religious belief in the military.”  Representative Randy Forbes (R-VA) told Fox News, “It’s been a steady attack on faith and religious freedom that we’ve seen in our military like we’ve never seen before.”  During SecDef Chuck Hagel’s confirmation hearing, several questions addressed Christian persecution:

    • Commanders are barred from disclosing any programs that are tied to the Chaplaincy or any programs involving religion;
    • The Air Force banned the word ‘God’ from an Air force patch logo – even though the reference had no religious connotation;
    • A Navy directive banned Bibles at Walter Reed Hospital;
    • An Army Reserve training program listed Evangelical Christians and Catholics as examples of religious extremism;
    • An Army email sent from Ft. Campbell Kentucky listed Family Research Council and American Family Association as “domestic hate groups, and warned officers to monitor soldiers who might be supporters of these groups;”
    • A war game scenario at Fort Leavenworth identified Christian groups and Evangelical groups as being potential threats;
    • Christian prayers were banned at the funeral services for veterans at Houston’s National Cemetery;

Congressman Forbes asked why “the department is issuing orders prohibiting people in the chain of command from talking about chaplain’s programs, supporting faith, but they’re not prohibiting people in the chain of command from making anti-faith statements, and doing anti-faith training.”

At this critical time when members of the military are being silenced, we want to offer the widest distribution possible of this historic collection of prayers, which allows anyone of any station or faith, the opportunity to draw from its pages a prayer associated with an historic occasion or prayed by a military leader, which can then be offered in a public setting as the organic utterances of the American military.  As the voices of presidents and military heroes recorded in this book have continuously maintained, America and her fighting forces must not lose touch with our nation’s understanding of the “Creator” named in the Declaration of Independence, and His broad and great endowment of Divine Providence for our “One Nation Under God.”  

I look upon the spiritual life of the soldier as even more important than his physical equipment. The soldier’s heart, the soldier’s spirit, the soldier’s soul sustains him; if not he cannot be relied upon and he will fail himself, his commander, and his country in the end. It’s morale and I mean spiritual morale, which wins the victory ultimately. And that type of morale can only come out of a soldier who knows God and who has the spirit of religious fervor in his soul. – Gen. George C. Marshall

*Copies will be available for purchase at the end of May 2013.*