God’s Special Forces: An Interview with General Jerry Boykin
By Tim Moore
(Note: Lt. General Jerry Boykin (US Army, Ret.) is the Executive Vice President for the Family Research Council. For 36 years, he served in the US Army, eventually commanding the “Delta Force” and later serving as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.)
General Boykin’s military experience is instructive to Christians today. The special forces make up a very small portion of the overall military. Exceedingly well-trained, they are often unseen warriors but impact the battle far more than their numbers would suggest. Likewise, Christians make up a small portion of the world’s population. But trained in the Word, equipped with the full armor of God, emboldened by the Holy Spirit, and led by the Commander of the host of heaven, they can have outsize influence. Even the gates of Hell cannot withstand the onslaught of committed Christian soldiers (Matthew 16:18).
Q) General Boykin, you’ve served this country through periods of great upheaval and trial. What do you make of the new level of darkness and division right here at home?
A) America is in a downward spiral as a nation. Our society is suffering. Look around at the things that are going on in America today. Riots and protests around the nation against the Jews in Israel who are fighting for their lives. And lawlessness.
Our education system is failing terribly. Most of our schools do not teach American history anymore. There is an old Russian proverb that says, “If you dwell in the past, you lose an eye; if you forget the past, you lose both eyes.” I’m afraid we have forgotten the past. We don’t know who we are as a nation, and we certainly don’t know what sacrifices it took to create this Nation and the sacrifices it takes to sustain it.
This is the greatest nation in world history. Just as Moses and Joshua recounted Israel’s history just before each of them died, America must do the same. In my book Man to Man, I emphasize the importance of fathers knowing US history and passing it on to the next generation just as Moses and Joshua did.
Q) Given all the places you have traveled, is there any other place on earth that has been as consistent in upholding ordered liberty?
A) No other nation in history has established and maintained a Constitutional Republic for any length of time. America has had tremendous impact on the world because our nation was founded on two unique principles: consent of the governed and God-given individual freedoms.
America is a nation of laws. The alternative to ordered liberty is anarchy. Although we have experienced rioting and other forms of civil unrest, the nation has never been in a state of anarchy. Those who do support anarchy are a minority, yet still very influential. They are deeply committed Marxists who have little interest in individual freedoms or free and fair elections.
Judges 17:6 shows us what happens when there is no ordered liberty: “In those days Israel had no king, everyone did as he saw fit.” It results in total chaos and anarchy.
Our founders established a Constitutional Republic based on “ordered liberty.” There is no place in our society for unfettered liberty.
Q) You served the United States in uniform for 36 years and continue to advocate for ideals that were once widely understood and celebrated. With dangers on multiple fronts today, what do you see as the greatest threat to America today?
A) We are our own worst enemy in certain ways. Americans tend to take our freedoms for granted. Several generations of young people have been indoctrinated to believe that America is evil, with selfish intentions for the rest of the world.
Public school systems as well as the universities and colleges across the nation are doing just that, indoctrinating our youth. They are turning America’s youth against the nation the older generations have taken pride in and sacrificed for. Without young people motivated to serve, a dangerous situation ensues. America’s adversaries no longer respect us. China, Russia, Iran and Iraq, and an array of other rogue nations perceive us as a tempting target for destruction.
We also need to recognize that there is an all-out attack on Christian faith across the nation. Many of the leaders of this nation have lost their way and want to eliminate Christianity in America.
Christian parents need to stress the importance of being faithful to our Creator and ready to stand up for our faith.
Q) Christians like to think we were once in the majority. What is the prognosis for Christianity (and Christians) in America if we remain on our current trajectory?
A) In every society there are those who claim to be believers in a certain religion. However, just espousing faith does not necessarily mean that a person is faithful to the God that they claim to serve.
Christians are already being persecuted. There is also an eagerness among many young people to honor God. Look at the Asbury revival in Kentucky. It was started by students who stayed in the chapel after a regular chapel service to pray and to seek God. The result was that tens of thousands of people came from across the country to be part of this Christian revival in a small town in Kentucky.
There were similar events at Lee University, Western Kentucky University, and Ohio State University, just to mention a few. Some of these are still taking place as the Holy Spirit manifests. The question is whether sufficient numbers of American Christians will support these movements of the Holy Spirit and restore us as a nation that stands for righteousness and obedience to the Lord.
On the other hand, if we continue along the abysmal path that we are on right now, we will be no different than China and other countries who don’t allow Christianity to be practiced in the public square.
This is the time for Christians across the nation to stand up and be heard and to fight back against this all-out assault on our First Amendment religious liberties.
Q) Some people express optimism that the next election will “make America great again.” Do you see any hope for our culture or society?
A) I do see some positive signs of the American people becoming frustrated with what is happening in the nation today. Most Americans are fed up with the Marxist LGBTQ+ agenda and the agendas of radicals and extremist of all categories.
Young leaders are emerging with a conservative agenda and a message for all generations. Most Americans want security and liberty, and we want national leaders who recognize that they work for the citizens. So now is the time to stand against the people and agendas that are destroying our culture.
So, yes, this year’s election could, without a doubt, be the most important in this nation’s history.
So where does this all begin?
First, it begins in the family. What kind of nation do parents want their children to inherit?
Second, American Christians need to focus on what’s happening in the Church. The Church is under fire from the atheists, the agnostics, the Marxists, and those people who simply hate the Christian faith. This is the time to stand up and fight back. Do not surrender but be “strong and courageous.”
Third, get involved with the education process. Elect people to the school boards who love America. Demand that our students are taught what America really is and the beacon of light it offers to the rest of the world.
Q) Jerry, what final word of wisdom would you share with Christians in America?
A) Every American Christian should be praying for revival, just as the Bible calls us to do in 2 Chronicles 7:14. We need to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways. Only God can turn this nation around and bring us to where we need to be. So now is the time for us to be on our faces every day seeking the Lord and praying that He will bring a mighty revival and an awakening to America.