Video: Raw Footage of US Soldiers "Hunting People for Jesus" in Afghanistan

Related Post: US Military “Hunt People for Jesus” in Afghanistan

The extended, unedited footage released today by Al Jazeera and documentary maker Brian Hughes after the Pentagon disputed their original report of US soldiers in Afghanistan advocating evangelism and conversion of Afghans:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbJ63Y4R0dA[/youtube]

The statement from Brian Hughes:

On Sunday, May 3, the Al Jazeera English network and I made an agreement to produce a broadcast segment from a rough cut of my documentary film. This opportunity came after a May 2009 Harper’s magazine cover story called “Jesus Killed Mohammed.” While he researched and prepared that article, I allowed the author Jeff Sharlet to view the work-in-progress documentary. Sharlet’s article brought the film to Al Jazeera English’s attention.

My documentary, titled The Word and the Warriors, is inspired by a personal experience I had while serving as a combat flight crew member during the first Gulf War. During a very difficult and emotional time at war, an Army chaplain provided me comfort and counsel. I will never forget the important advice or the man who - without questioning my own faith - helped me at a time of need.

For two-and-a-half years, I have been researching and producing this film. I have traveled the world, interviewing both military servicemembers and civilians about the important role of these religious leaders/military officers.

During April/May 2008, I went to Afghanistan. With the assistance and full cooperation of the U.S. Army, I was allowed to film at Bagram Air Field. During that time, I was always wearing press credentials, and I was always accompanied by a media liaison while filming. The media liaison staff knew everything I filmed and - as I was told by them - they filed reports every evening about what I had filmed. It was my primary media liaison, an Army NCO, who - on my first day - invited me to meet LTC Gary Hensley. Hensley, the ranking chaplain in Afghanistan talked to me off camera expressing a concern he had about allowing me to film his chaplains. At the conclusion of the discussion, he agreed that I would be allowed to embed with his chaplains and invited me to film several hours of religious services.

Those hours at the Enduring Faith Chapel included his own sermon at a service called Chapel Next. With the exception of a few minutes I could not film because I was reloading my camera or moving to position for another shot, I videotaped Hensley’s entire sermon.

Any contention by the military that his words are purposefully taken out of context to alter the tone or meaning of his sermon is absolutely false.

In recent press statements, the military also contends that - in the footage depicting the Afghan-language (Dari and Pashto) bibles - a cut was made before “it would have shown that the chaplain instructed that the Bibles not be distributed.” This is a false statement. The chaplain - as seen in the footage before the cut - instructs the group to be careful and reiterates the definition of General Order #1. After this cut he begins to organize the group for the evening’s bible study lessons.

Finally, and in my opinion most important, is the fact that EVERY FRAME of the rough cut from Bagram was provided to the U.S. Army Public Affairs Office in advance of this release. On Thursday, April 30 at approximately 1 pm EST, the Army took possession of a DVD with this footage by accepting a FedEx from me. Since Al Jazeera English first aired the piece Sunday, May 3 at 10pm EST, the Army had every frame of this rough cut for more than 80 hours.

Comments

[E.T.Cook]

As opposed to hunting people for Allah?

[Scott Lucas]

ET,

Somehow I can't see the US military doing that....

S.

[E.T.Cook]

Not necessary. Those interests are well represented by global jihad.

[Mike Dunn]

Drawing parallels between the US military and jihadis doesn't really work for me. A more accurate comparison would be with an army from a Muslim country "hunting people for Allah"- is there one?

[Dave]

"Drawing parallels between the US military and jihadis doesn’t really work for me. A more accurate comparison would be with an army from a Muslim country “hunting people for Allah”- is there one?"
---------------------

They don't need one. The West is doing it for them..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2247388/Schoolboys-disciplined-for-refusing-to-pray-to-Allah.html

[Sam Markey]

While I do believe that faith should inform and influence every aspect of the believer's life, the union of sword and Scripture is an uncomfortable one for sure.

This quote from the self-confessed 'extremist for grace', Shane Clairborne, encapsulates somthing of this problem: "It is easy to forget where most problems stem from in religious conflict: it is not when each side too greatly believes their faith, but it is when people forget and confuse their faith, zealously combining it with another 'faith' (patriotism, nationalism, global-capitalism) and violence. The befuddling mystery of our day is not the presence of sincere Muslims but violent Christians."

[Josh Mull]

Dave,

I'm not sure one teacher in the UK counts as "The West" ...but good try! ;)

[E.T.Cook]

@Mike

That is actually the parallel I was alluding to in the first place.

Most Islamic armies and states run under the auspice of a mandate from Allah, or in Iran's case, a mandate for the Hidden Imam.

There is no distinctive group that "kills for Allah", because there is a tonal undercurrent that their actions are justified as an extension of His mandate.

[Josh Mull]

Sorry, was trying to keep my nose out of this particular issue as much as possible (as an atheist, I believe you're all nuts ;) but then this came along and fell in my lap...

Military Deeply Involved in Christian Reality Television Show
http://www.pubrecord.org/religion/565-military-deeply-involved-in-christian-reality-television-show.html

"The Pentagon was involved in the production of a cable program that featured two so-called “extreme” missionaries embedded with a U.S. Army unit in Afghanistan trying to convert Muslims to Christianity.

The popular reality series, "Travel the Road," aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network and featured Will Decker and Tim Scott, two so-called "extreme" missionaries who travel the globe to “preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth and encourage the church to be active in the Great Commission.”

The other cable program green-lit by the Pentagon is “God’s Soldier,” which aired in September on the Military Channel, and was filmed at Forward Operating Base McHenry in Hawijah, Iraq. It features an Army chaplain openly promoting fundamentalist Christianity to active-duty U.S. soldiers in Iraq in violation of the U.S. Constitution. "

In addition to conspiracy theorists, my weird fascination with psychosomatic meta-realities involves watching a good deal of evangelical television, and I have seen these "Extreme Missionaries" in action. I've never seen (or heard of) the episode this report refers to, but I have seen them do some other really unseemly stuff, like watching a funeral ceremony for aborigines in Australia and then promptly desecrating the site in order to bless it for Jesus. I can only imagine what kind of chicanery they were up to in Afghanistan.

[P Berkness]

I see nothing wrong with what these great soldiers are doing on their personal time. A Christian, is one who's life has been transformed by the power of God. This person being filled with the Holy Spirit is not understood by anyone who is not a Christian. It is this Spirit inside them that compels them to be an ambassador of Jesus Christ. In this they care deeply for their fellow man be they Muslim, Hindu, atheist.....The motivation comes from the Spirit of God. The video shows that they care and are wiiling to visit people and help people unselfishly to be like Jesus Christ. Again, I know this is not understood by non Christians. When the Christian Gospel is sent into all parts of the world, people's live's are changed. Society is improved dramatically. Evil is replaced by good. I applaud each of these soldiers for what they are doing to improve life. All you have to do is look back about 10 years in Afghanistan and see how the Taliban treated human life, and compare that to what true Christianity does to society. I do apologize to all who have been abused by some that call themselves Christian (crusaders) but are not. Before you condemn these Christian soldiers actions, please consider praying yourself to Jesus and ask for understanding and truth. I care for all men and women in the world because they are made in the image of God. We are all given a free choice to know God though His son Jesus

[Craig Smith]

Maybe I missed something, but it sounds to me like their collective decision was to limit their evangelistic efforts to passively "let their light shine before men" through their good deeds.

The previous quotation about "hunting ... for Jesus" seems to have been a statement of general principle, rather than a plan. But in this peculiar situation, it sounds like they were planning to obey the general directive to NOT actively try to make converts ["share the gospel"].

I couldn't access the Harper's article, and the audio isn't that good, so maybe I missed something, but it seems to me this was much ado about nothing.