Expert: Dr. (Rev.) Miles Bateman, USAF (retired) - 2/21/2008

Question
Hi Reverend Bateman,

I was in the USAF myself. I was a navigator on C-130's which carried airborne tropps. I just loved my military life. I work for a corporation now. I felt my military time gave me an honorable sense of purpose to defend the USA.

My son loves the military a whole lot more than I even do. He's a Flight Commander in the Civil Air Patrol which is thge USAF's Search and Rescue Auxillary. He wants so much to be a USAF Fighter Pilot and I encourage him in this.  

We both love Jesus with all of our hearts. We are active in our church and go on vistation every week trying to reach the lost. However, many of our church people don't share our interest in the military. That's fine with us. However, I am wondering if it has become an obsession with my son because other than church he is almost consumed with the military.

The military has become such a passion between my son and I that we watch war movies as much as we can. It's not that we want there to be any war. We don't want anyone to get killed in wars. It's just that we so much enjoy watching about war battles on TV or on DVD movies.

Because we watch so many war movies, I was wondering if God or Bible says anything about our interest in watching war movies? We don't like to watch blood and guts. We just like to see all the action of battle.

Do you think we are too extreme? As a father do I need to try to reduce my son's interest in the military?

Answer
Hi Brison! First of all, let me say thank you for your service to our nation, may God bless both you and your son!
My son is in the Civil Air Patrol, as is my daughter. My son was named Honor Cadet at last summers encampment and I couldn't have been prouder! I am a firm believer that service to our nation is a privilege.
As to your question, I don't know if you are familiar with the Gary Cooper film "Sgt. York", but it is one of my favorite films of all time. The story of Alvin York immediately came to mind as I was reading your posting, as is often the case, the movie did not do the real man justice. He was an extraordinary Christian gentleman even after he put his uniform away.
One of the central themes of Alvin York's story was the conflict between his religious beliefs and his military service, burned in my memory is the scene where Alvin sits on a hill with his dog and reads these words of Christ  "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesars, and render unto God that which is God's". A great allegory from the word of God for how to deal with military service by keeping it in perspective.
Movies, television, the Internet, any media for that matter, can be used for good or evil. As long as there is moderation in your activities and you exercise discernment in what you and your son watch, I don't see a problem.
The danger is if it does become an "obsession", a tell tale sign of when this happens is if it is the first thing you think of in the morning and the last thing you think of at night. If it becomes an obstacle between you and God, then it has become destructive and I would say to take a break from it.
I enjoy a good war movie every now and then myself, it helps in my ministry and I use it as a training tool for myself and my kids. You never know when you may find yourself facing a similar circumstance and if you have witnessed someone deal with that situation it can be very helpful. There are alot of good movies out there.
Very few "church folks" understand the way a military mind works, one big reason is that few of them have ever worn the uniform. This is kind of difficult to understand, especially when you read all of the great military stories in the Bible (King David and Joshua are two of my favorite military examples).
I wish I could tell you that it will get better, but I think just the opposite may be true as we see a shrinking pool of veterans and a growing population. One way we veterans can help is to share our stories and life experiences, especially if they uplift Christ!
I would finally say that I believe that military service is more of a calling than an occupation, if your son feels the call to serve, encourage him, support him and above all, love him.
May God bless you and may God bless your son. Thank you again for your service! BTW-I logged a few hundred flight hours on "the mighty Herc" myself,
Keep Em' Flyin' and Keep the Faith! Miles