The Christian Embassy is an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

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 Evangelism, 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 ...

, founder of Cru, and then-congressman for

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

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. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

and

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

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 lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

, and the Administrator of the

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. It also included two civilian employees of the

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

, 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, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...

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 non-profit organization that was founded in 2005 by Mikey Weinstein, a former Air Force officer and attorney. The organization's mission is to ensure that members of the United States Armed Fo ...

, a group led by retired Air Force lawyer Michael Weinstein, requested an investigation in a letter to the Department's Inspector General. 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., Vincent K Brooks 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