Christian Embassy - Pentagon Promotional Video Controversy

Pentagon Promotional Video Controversy

In 2004, Christian Embassy filmed a promotional video featuring endorsements by six Congressmen, two ambassadors, two ambassadors' wives, the Under Secretary for Benefits of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. It also included two civilian employees of the Department of Defense, and seven military officers, the latter filmed in uniform at the Pentagon and identified by name and rank. After the video was posted on the Christian Embassy's website in November, 2006, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a group led by retired Air Force lawyer Michael Weinstein, requested an investigation in a letter to the Department's Inspector General. (The video was subsequently removed, but may still be viewed here.)

In July, 2007, the Inspector General issued a report on "Alleged Misconduct by DoD Officials Concerning Christian Embassy". The report concluded that some of the individuals filmed in the video did not violate any policies, but that others had violated DoD policy by endorsing the Christian Embassy while in uniform. Furthermore, Chaplain (Colonel) Ralph G. Benson had provided a "selective benefit" to Christian Embassy by obtaining permission for them to film the promotional video in the Pentagon, and that he had done so by "mischaracterizing the purpose and proponent of the video."

Participating Army generals were Robert L. Caslen Jr., Vincent K Brooks and Air Force generals Peter U. Sutton and Jack J. Catton Jr.

Read more about this topic:  Christian Embassy

Famous quotes containing the words video and/or controversy:

    It is among the ranks of school-age children, those six- to twelve-year-olds who once avidly filled their free moments with childhood play, that the greatest change is evident. In the place of traditional, sometimes ancient childhood games that were still popular a generation ago, in the place of fantasy and make- believe play . . . today’s children have substituted television viewing and, most recently, video games.
    Marie Winn (20th century)

    Ours was a highly activist administration, with a lot of controversy involved ... but I’m not sure that it would be inconsistent with my own political nature to do it differently if I had it to do all over again.
    Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)