{"id":20827,"date":"2018-08-14T20:28:38","date_gmt":"2018-08-14T20:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/08\/14\/air-force-general-faces-questions-over-his-christian-website\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:35:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:35:45","slug":"air-force-general-faces-questions-over-his-christian-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/08\/14\/air-force-general-faces-questions-over-his-christian-website\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force general faces questions over his Christian website"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An advocacy group is calling for an investigation into the commander of Edwards Air Force Base<\/a> in California over allegations that he has violated U.S. Defense Department policies on religious proselytizing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this week, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation<\/a>, or MRFF, demanded that Defense Secretary James Mattis conduct a \u201cfull and vigorous investigation\u201d of Air Force Brig. Gen. E. John Teichert, according to a copy of the letter provided to Air Force Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MRFF seeks to maintain the separation of church and state in the U.S. military, according to the group\u2019s leader, Mikey Weinstein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue in the letter stems from Teichert\u2019s website: Prayer at Lunchtime for the United States<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There, Teichert wrote that his website is designed to \u201cencourage Bible-believing Americans to take time to specifically pray for our nation at lunchtime every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 22-page letter to Mattis, the MRFF\u2019s lawyers are asking that the military investigate Teichert\u2019s conduct to determine whether the website violates Air Force Instruction 1-1, Paragraph 2.12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLeaders at all levels must balance constitutional protections for their own free exercise of religion, including individual expressions of religious beliefs, and the constitutional prohibition against governmental establishment of religion,” the AFI reads. “They must ensure their words and actions cannot reasonably be construed to be officially endorsing or disproving of, or extending preferential treatment for any faith, belief, or absence of belief.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foundation reported that it conducted a preliminary investigation on behalf of clients of theirs at Edwards who complained about the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Air Force Brig. Gen. John Teichert was accused of using his military rank and status as an Air Force officer to promote his religion through a religious website, according to allegations by the MRFF this week. (Screenshot)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMRFF brings this formal complaint on behalf of 41 of those clients (32 self-identifying as Christian) \u2014 many of whom are in mortal fear of retaliation should they be personally identified in this matter,” the letter reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Defense Department policies do prohibit proselytizing, they don\u2019t prevent service members from engaging in their religious beliefs on their own time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s the issue at hand here, according to retired Army Col. Phil Wright, the executive director of Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, a group that works to secure the religious liberties of military chaplains and those whom they serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of [Weinstein\u2019s] attacks is that [Teichert] is proselytizing, forcing his religion onto someone … but you have to go to the website, no one is forced to go and you can turn it off at any moment,\u201d Wright said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also at issue is whether Teichert\u2019s behavior is ever conducted while in uniform and claiming to represent the U.S. Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis general, on his own time, as an expression of his faith, with a non-military website from a non-military computer can state his beliefs,\u201d Wright said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t