Air Force removes baptism from basic training graduation requirements
WASHINGTON — The Air Force announced today that it would no longer require recruits to become baptized Christians in order to graduate basic training following yet another bout of criticism over bias from Air Force leaders who identify as evangelicals.
Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson addressed the change in policy in a press conference at the Pentagon.
“After deep prayer and reflection, we have concluded that Jesus will just have to enter all of our new airmen’s hearts in His own way," Wilson said. "We pray for our Lord and Savior’s grace and forgiveness in this matter.”
The move comes amid increasing scrutiny from groups like the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) who say leaders are pushing their religious beliefs in inappropriate ways. By removing the baptism requirement, the Air Force hopes to tamp down mounting controversy.
The MRFF says there still is room for improvement.
“I mean, for goodness sake, the Air Force Academy – an engineering school that is supposed t…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Duffel Blog to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.