The Christian Embassy is an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exp ...

organization affiliated with Cru, formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ. Like its parent organization, Christian Embassy describes itself as non-political and interdenominational.

Overview

The Christian Embassy was started in 1975 by

Bill Bright William R. Bright (October 19, 1921 – July 19, 2003) was an American evangelist. In 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles he founded Campus Crusade for Christ as a ministry for university students. In 1952 he wrote The Four ...

, founder of Cru, and then-congressman for

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

John Conlan, in order to serve as a spiritual resource to leaders working in Congress, the Executive Branch, and the diplomatic community. The Christian Embassy runs a number of offices in cities around the world, including

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

and

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

Timeline

*1975 - Founded in Washington D.C. *1980 - Opened United Nations office *1984 - Canadian ministry launched in

*1985 - First annual International Prayer Breakfast on the Opening Day of the United Nations General Assembly. *1990 - UN office officially accredited as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).

Pentagon promotional video controversy

In 2004, Christian Embassy filmed a promotional video featuring endorsements by six Congressmen, two ambassadors, two ambassadors' wives, the Under Secretary for Benefits of the

Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...

, and the Administrator of the

Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

. It also included two civilian employees of the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

, and seven military officers, the latter filmed in uniform at

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metonym ...

and identified by name and rank. After the video was posted on the Christian Embassy's website in November, 2006, the

Military Religious Freedom Foundation The Military Religious Freedom Foundation'' (MRFF) is a watchdog group and advocacy organization founded in 2005 by Michael L. "Mikey" Weinstein. The group's goal states it will, "Ensure that members of the United States Armed Forces receive the ...

, a group led by retired Air Force lawyer Michael Weinstein, requested an investigation in a letter to the Department's

Inspector General An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory o ...

. In July, 2007, the Inspector General issued a report on "Alleged Misconduct by DoD Officials Concerning Christian Embassy". The report concluded that some of the individuals filmed in the video did not violate any policies, but that others had violated DoD policy by endorsing the Christian Embassy while in uniform. Furthermore, Chaplain (Colonel) Ralph G. Benson had provided a "selective benefit" to Christian Embassy by obtaining permission for them to film the promotional video in the Pentagon, and that he had done so by "mischaracterizing the purpose and proponent of the video." Six senior officers (four generals and two colonels) were described in the report as having "improperly endorsed and participated with a non-Federal entity while in uniform." The report also noted that "their remarks conferred approval of and support to Christian Embassy, and the remarks of some officers implied they spoke for a group of senior military leaders rather than just for themselves." One of the generals stated that he thought that Christian Embassy was a "quasi-federal entity". Participating Army generals were

Robert L. Caslen Jr. Robert Louis Caslen Jr. (born November 30, 1953) is a retired United States Army officer who served as the 59th superintendent of West Point from 2013 until 2018 and as the 29th president of the University of South Carolina from July 2019 until ...

Vincent K Brooks Vincent Keith Brooks (born October 24, 1958) is a retired United States Army general who last commanded United States Forces Korea, United Nations Command, and ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command. He previously served as the commanding general of ...

and Air Force generals Peter U. Sutton and Jack J. Catton Jr.Report Says Pentagon Erred In Allowing Christian Video - Church and State - September 2007
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References

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External links

Christian Embassy - Washington, DCChristian Embassy to the UN - New YorkChristian Embassy of Canada - OttawaGlobal Leadership Geneva-BernChristian Embassy - London, UK
Evangelicalism in the United States Evangelical parachurch organizations Christian organizations established in 1975