Changes at Air Force Academy could lead to anti-Christian discrimation, expert says

Colorado Springs, Colo., Jun 26, 2005 / 22:00 pm

The U.S. Air Force Academy intends to “stamp out evangelical openness” at its Colorado Springs campus, says Pentagon adviser Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis. The change, he said, could lead to “overt anti-Christian discrimination” and make it more difficult for Christians to be accepted into the academy.

An Air Force team conducted an investigatation at the campus after complaints were filed by several groups, including Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, that evangelical Christians were wielding too much influence, reported AgapePress. These groups claimed that anti-Semitism and other forms of religious harassment had become pervasive.

The investigation found no overt discrimination but concluded that the staff failed to accommodate the diverse religious needs of cadets and staff.

The academy was required to clarify its policies on religious expression. The superintendent has pledged to change the culture at the academy according to the findings, which could take up to six years.

Maginnis, a retired Army lieutenant-colonel and prominent military expert, called the upcoming changes at the academy “tragic.”

"Changing the culture means that they're going to stamp out evangelical openness at the Air Force Academy, which I think is tragic, especially in a time of war," Maginnis reportedly said.

Christian faculty members will be under close scrutiny, Maginnis added. He said he knows of at least one incoming professor who was asked whether he is a Christian.

"If that's a litmus test for future academy faculty, then we clearly have overt anti-Christian discrimination, and that's very disconcerting," he reportedly said.

Maginnis said he also believes that, given a new culture, it could also become much more difficult for Christians to be accepted at the academy in the future.