When Does Evangelizing Endanger Good Order and Discipline?

Air Force commanders increasingly face a dilemma: how to define the proper role of and limits on evangelism by Christian Airmen in a military workplace. The American evangelical Christian movement has produced a sizeable group of Airmen who view their military service not merely as a job or a patriotic duty, but as a platform to seek and win the "lost" to Christ. This presents commanders with several legal and policy issues, but perhaps the most difficult is determining when workplace evangelism presents a clear danger to good order and discipline, requiring commanders to restrict evangelicals' free speech and free exercise of religion liberties.Little has been written about this topic, and legal authorities governing this issue provide commanders only with general guidelines and broad discretion. However, determining when evangelism endangers good order and discipline is a very real and important issue commanders face. This paper uses a fictional scenario to guide commanders through several relevant concerns concerning workplace evangelism and good order and discipline, providing commanders with a framework for analyzing workplace evangelism issues.