Operation Straight Up
Encyclopedia
Operation Straight Up is an evangelical
organization that provides faith-based
Christian
-themed entertainment to the United States
military. OSU operates under the United States Department of Defense
's "America Supports You" program (though the DoD has no formal control over OSU's activities). It is led by former kickboxer Jonathan Spinks, and prominently features the actor Stephen Baldwin
, along with various celebrities, professional athletes, and NASCAR
drivers.
Controversy arose when in 2007 it was involved in a program to ship "freedom packages" that included Bible
s and proselytizing material in English and Arabic, as well as the apocalyptic computer game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces
", to soldiers in Iraq
. Especially controversial was the Left Behind game, which some have criticized for allegedly being exclusionary to other faiths and for allegedly promoting "convert or kill"-type violence against non-Christians in a post-Rapture
world. After receiving controversial media coverage, OSU dropped its plans to include the game in the care packages.
According to its website (on pages since taken down), it planned an entertainment tour to Iraq called the "Military Crusade." "We feel the forces of heaven have encouraged us to perform multiple crusades that will sweep through this war torn region," read a page posted to the OSU website, "We'll hold the only religious crusade of its size in the dangerous land of Iraq."
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
organization that provides faith-based
Faith-based
The term faith-based is a neologism , mostly current in US English, to describe any organization or government idea or plan based on religious beliefs, specifically Christian beliefs....
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
-themed entertainment to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military. OSU operates under the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
's "America Supports You" program (though the DoD has no formal control over OSU's activities). It is led by former kickboxer Jonathan Spinks, and prominently features the actor Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Andrew Baldwin is an American actor, director, producer and author. One of the Baldwin brothers, he is known for his roles as William F. Cody in the western show The Young Riders and as Stuart in the movie Threesome...
, along with various celebrities, professional athletes, and NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
drivers.
Controversy arose when in 2007 it was involved in a program to ship "freedom packages" that included Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
s and proselytizing material in English and Arabic, as well as the apocalyptic computer game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces
Left Behind: Eternal Forces
Left Behind: Eternal Forces is a Christian real-time strategy game developed and published by Inspired Media Entertainment for Microsoft Windows. It was released on November 7, 2006...
", to soldiers in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Especially controversial was the Left Behind game, which some have criticized for allegedly being exclusionary to other faiths and for allegedly promoting "convert or kill"-type violence against non-Christians in a post-Rapture
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
world. After receiving controversial media coverage, OSU dropped its plans to include the game in the care packages.
According to its website (on pages since taken down), it planned an entertainment tour to Iraq called the "Military Crusade." "We feel the forces of heaven have encouraged us to perform multiple crusades that will sweep through this war torn region," read a page posted to the OSU website, "We'll hold the only religious crusade of its size in the dangerous land of Iraq."
External links
- Operation Straight Up - official website
- America Supports You - official website