[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13225]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 13225]]

THE BUILDER GENERATION TO LEAD THE BRIDGER GENERATION TO TRUST THE LORD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FLOYD SPENCE

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 16, 1999

  Mr. SPENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring to the attention of the 
House an address that was presented by my constituent, Dr. Al Lutz, to 
The Veterans' Club in Sun City Hilton Head, South Carolina. I believe 
that his remarks about the role of chaplains in our military, as well 
as about the importance of our faith in God, and our duty to train our 
younger generations of Americans deserve our careful consideration.

                       Memorial Day, May 31, 1999

The Builder Generation to Lead the Bridger Generation to Trust the Lord


Message given at the Veterans' Club Memorial Day Celebration--Sun City 
                      Hilton Head, South Carolina

       I appreciate this opportunity to speak today in regard to 
     honoring The Four Immortal Chaplains, because an Army 
     chaplain was very helpful to me. While I was on active duty 
     in Ft. Huachuca, AR, 1955-1957, I came under the ministry of 
     Chaplain John MacGregor, who had been an infantry officer, 
     was converted to Christ, and entered the chaplaincy. He was a 
     man who believed the Bible, preached it and lived it. Seeing 
     his Christ-like character prompted me to enter the Christian 
     ministry forty years ago. The other special help that this 
     chaplain gave was to introduce me to Julie. This year we will 
     celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary.
       My wife and I are nearing our one year anniversary 
     residency here in Sun City and enjoying every minute of it. I 
     also have the privilege of being a part of the Veterans' 
     Club.
       The Veterans' Club of Sun City has chosen to honor The Four 
     Immortal Chaplains whose brave sacrifice is an inspiring 
     story of personal honor and patriotism. Their heroism of 56 
     years ago stands today as an eloquent and enduring example of 
     service, fellowship and love.
       Chaplains are a very vital part of the United States armed 
     forces. Just as the United States was founded by those who 
     believed in the God of the Bible as the true and living God, 
     so our country has continued in that belief, especially in 
     our military forces.
       It is very heartwarming to know that our government 
     considers the ministry of chaplains so vital, that our 
     government pays the salaries of all military chaplains who 
     receive church or synagogue endorsement.
       It is also important to know that our government has 
     ordered that each military chaplain is free to practice and 
     teach his own faith as he ministers to the men and women in 
     the military.
       Before Desert Storm was initiated, the President of the 
     United States called the nation to prayer, as General 
     Schwartzkopf was preparing the strategy for war. When 
     American troops landed in Saudi Arabia and the General met 
     with the Saudi officials, he was told that Jewish and 
     Christian chaplains would not be allowed on Saudi soil. The 
     General's response to that was basically this, ``We will 
     engage in this war only if we have our full chaplain force to 
     go with us.'' As I mentioned when I spoke for the Veterans' 
     Day program last November, I told of the General calling in 
     his head chaplain, Col. David Peterson, and giving him the 
     orders to work it out so that the chaplains, of all faiths, 
     would be allowed to go with the troops. That was accomplished 
     quickly. Not only that but the General knew that the success 
     depended on the blessing of Almighty God.
       He may have been reminded of Proverbs 21:31 which states, 
     ``The horse is prepared for the day of battle, BUT 
     deliverance comes from the Lord.''
       Or Psalm 20:7 ``some trust in chariots, and some in horses, 
     BUT we will trust in the name of the Lord our God.''
       In the early hours before Desert Storm was launched, the 
     General with his command staff present, asked Chaplain 
     Peterson, to lead in prayer for the blessing of Almighty God. 
     Chaplains have been, and I trust always will be, a vital part 
     of our military.
       What was it that prompted the Four Immortal Chaplains and 
     what is it that prompts our present day chaplains to 
     volunteer for military duty?
       It is obviously a love for country and a desire to serve.
       It is also a love for people who need spiritual guidance in 
     peace time, but especially in the time of war. Probably the 
     underlying motivation was and is a sense of God's love for 
     them and their love for God that prompts them to put their 
     lives on the line to minister to the troops. So we honor 
     them!
       We can also honor those Chaplains by learning from their 
     motivation and applying it to our lives. Somehow there must 
     be a return to a reverential fear of the true and living God. 
     The Bible states that one of the greatest sins of mankind is 
     this: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
       Let me share with you some sobering statistics about those 
     in America, who claim to be Christians:
       Among the Builder Generation (Born 1910 to 1946) 61% of 
     them claim to be Christians,
       Among the Boomer Generation (Born 1946 to 1964) 39% of them 
     claim to be Christians,
       Among the Buster Generation (Born 1965 to 1976) 25% of them 
     claim to be Christians.
       But what about the generation Born 1977 to 1995?
       Some are calling this generation, the Bridger Generation. 
     They will take us into the 21st Century.
       It is estimated that ONLY 4% of them claim that they are 
     Christians.
       If those figures are anywhere close to being correct, do we 
     see what lies before us, unless a mighty spiritual awakening 
     takes place?
       Somehow a sense of * * * who the true and living God of the 
     universe is, who should be the true and living God of our 
     nation, and who should the Bridger Generation have as its 
     God, must be again instilled in people of our nation.
       Somehow we must see that the disrespect for God, the 
     disregard for human authority, and the devaluation of 
     humanity, brought about to a large extent by the Supreme 
     Court officially ruling that God, the Bible and prayer are no 
     longer allowed in the public schools, must be counteracted.
       No one can be neutral about his or her religious beliefs. 
     If the true and living God is left out, other false gods of 
     self and pleasure and power, which are often pushed on us by 
     Hollywood and others, will take God's rightful place.
       A father of one the murdered teenagers in Littleton, CO was 
     testifying before the government in Washington last Thursday 
     about gun control. What I heard him say was something to this 
     effect, ``Returning prayer to the classroom is far more 
     important.'' We must deal with the root cause and give the 
     root answer rather than just talking about the symptoms or 
     superficial answers. Senator John McCain stated it clearly 
     what is needed: ``Faith in God.''
       It is sad to say that even our country as a whole is 
     feeling the effect of trying to remove God from society by 
     the fact that not nearly enough men and women sense the 
     proper fear of the Lord and a love for country to prompt them 
     to answer the call for military service. It will become 
     harder and harder to find four chaplains who will set the 
     example that they set.
       Here is a plea to the Builder Generation: use your 
     retirement years to work with your grandchildren and great 
     grandchildren to help instill within them a genuine love for 
     God, a reverential fear of God, and a solid trust in God, for 
     the glory of God, for their personal good and for the good of 
     our country.
       May God help us!! Al Lutz

       

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