Disharmony among the Chaplains

[Michelle]

Interesting Washington Post article about military chaplains.

Quote:

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The growing influence of evangelical Protestants is roiling the military chaplain corps, where their desire to preach their faith more openly is colliding with long-held military traditions of pluralism and diversity.

After accusations this summer that evangelical chaplains, faculty and coaches were pressuring cadets at the Air Force Academy, the Air Force yesterday issued new guidelines on respect for religious minorities. In the Navy, evangelical Protestant chaplains are fighting what they say is a legacy of discrimination in hiring and promotions, and they are bridling at suggestions they not pray publicly "in the name of Jesus."

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Quote:

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Of the approximately 1.4 million people on active duty in the military, 21.5 percent list their religion as Roman Catholic. But of the 2,860 active-duty chaplains, 355 -- or 12.4 percent -- are Catholic priests.

By far the largest single provider of chaplains to the military is now the Southern Baptist Convention, with 451 chaplains, one for every 40 service members who list their denomination as Southern Baptist.

Although the military has had growing difficulty recruiting ministers from mainline Protestant seminaries, many evangelical denominations place a high priority on supplying chaplains to the military. The Church of God in Christ, for example, has 109 active-duty chaplains. The Full Gospel churches have 61, the Church of the Nazarene has 68, and the Cleveland, Tenn.-based Churches of God have 58.

The chief endorser of chaplains for the National Association of Evangelicals said he believes that the bias against evangelicals, though once real, is gone.

"When you look at the Navy today, you see evangelicals at the top of the hierarchy," said retired Col. Stephen W. Leonard, a former Army chaplain. He points to the deputy chief of Navy chaplains, Rear Adm. Robert F. Burt, who belongs to the Open Bible Standard Church, and to the previous chief of Navy chaplains, the Rev. Barry C. Black, a Seventh-day Adventist who became chaplain of the Senate after retiring from the Navy.

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M

[Gregory Matthews]

As many of your know, I am a retired U. S. Army (SDA) chaplain. So, I come from an experiential position in this issue. In addition, I taught the issue (at the US Army Chaplain School) of providing religious ministry in the pluralistic enviornment of the military, while adhering to legal (and ethical) boundries, and remaining true to one's personal convictions.

Let me make a couple of comments:

1) Number of Roman Catholic priests: The US military cannot recruit the number of RC priests that it would like to have. We would accept many more, if they would join. The RC Church has this probem in the civilian community. The hospital where I work has attempted to hire a RC priest, and it has been unable to do so, even part-time.

2) To a lessor degree, the military has some of the same problems with so-called main-line denominations, and with Jewish clergy. Chaplain positions are filled with someone. If they cannot be filled by Roman Catholics, they will be filled by Protestants. If they cannot be filled with a "main-line" denomination, they will be filled by an evangelical peson.

3) NOTE: The issue really is not "main-line." It is actually literguical. The problem is in filling positions with literguical people. They often do not want to come.

4) There has been a bias: I was the first SDA clergy person to be accepted as a chaplain in a National Guard unit. There was a time when SDAs were not allowed to be military chaplains. Robert Mole became the first to break that barrier, and became a Navy chaplain.

5) There were valid reasons for SDAs not being allowed to become military chaplains:

a) The SDA Chruch did not allow it. The military will not accept people as chaplains unless their denomination approves. The SDA Church did not allow it.

SDA Clergy did not meet the educational standards for becomming a chaplain. Early SDA chaplains in the Army were given educaional waievers so that they could become Army chaplains. They simply did not meet the standards.

6) The story as to how Seventh-day Adventists began to be accepted is a very interesting one. There are many aspects to it. But, I will tell you, briefly, one aspect:

A group of senior U. S. Army chaplain administrators (they were also Army chaplains) met with SDA leaders and requested that the SDA Chruch supply the Army with SDA Chaplains. The church response was: We do not believe that there should be chaplains in the military, and we do not allow our clergy to become military chalains. The response from that group of Army chaplain leaders was: We know that. We beleive that we need SDA chapalins in the Army, and we would like you to reconsider.

It was out of that request (from non-SDA Army chaplain clergy) that the way was laid for SDA clergy to enter the military as SDA chaplains.

7) I live near the Air Force Acacemy. I understand the issues that have reached the public press, and I have opinions on them. But, that is another story.

[wicklunds]

ooohhh I could say a lot here but since I am ending my membership on this forum, I will refrain...

Dennis

[Paul Beach]

Dear Gregory,

Thank you for that. It is a fascinating history - perhaps it would be worth writing in a more permanent form, perhaps for the Review.

Chaplains are vital to our ministry - thank you for being a pioneer.

[Gregory Matthews]

Dennis:

It is clearly your choice to end your membership here.

It is your choice not to respond.

My assumption is that you do not agree with SDA chaplains in the military, and do not agree with my choice to become one. You probably do not agree with my employment in a Federal hospital (not SDA), as a SDA clergyperson.

O. K., you do not have to agree.

In any case, as you leave us, there are many here who wish you well--both in your spiritual journey, and in your employment. May God's blessing rest upon you, and may He lead you in the path that is best for your spiritual enrichment. As that path is rough, may he sustain you in your distress, while your faith remains firm.

[Gregory Matthews]

MG:

Both Bob Mole and I have written on it. Bob's writings have been published (privately) by Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries in two books, and I believe have had some other publications.

My writings are much less, and were written in an educational context--for work at Andrews, and for the U. S. Army.

But, most of these were written 20 to 40 years ago.

[Gregory Matthews]

Re: "Thank you for that. It is a fascinating history. . ."

O. K. I will give you more, in three posts.

The story as to how I became the first National Guard, SDAA Chaplian is an interesting one, at least to me. <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

For whatever reason, SDA clergy became active duty military chaplains a long time before they entered the Reserve forces. I believe that they were allowed into the specific service Reserve forces before they were allowed into either the Army National Guard, or the Air National Guard. But, I would have to check sources for that. In any case, I became the first SDA clergy person to become a chaplain in the Army National Guard.

The State Adjuant, a Brigadier General (BG), was concerned that several of his units lacked chaplains. He came to believe that his Command Chaplain was not aggresively attempting to fill those positions. So, he "invited" that chaplain to retire, and told him that he would do a better job of filling the chaplain slots than the Command Chaplain had done.

With the retirement of that chaplain, that slot remained vacant for a period of time while administrative requirements were performed. He had selected another chaplain of his to fill that slot, but was he told that chaplain that he was going to recruit a chaplain, as an example to him that such could be done, and that his expectation would be that the incomming Command Chaplain would be as successful as the BG had been.

Well, the BG contacted sources, made telephone calls, and my name came up as a qualified chaplain who was not on a Reserve slot, and had never asked for one. So, he called me and asked me to come in and talk to him about a position in one of his units.

During the interview, I informed him that I would not be available to drill on Saturdays, but I would be available at other times. He told me that he had several units without chaplains, and if I would be willing to serve those units, I did not have to drill on Saturdays. So, I took the position, with the approval of the General Conference.

The incomming Command Chaplain was very angry. First, he had been told that the BG could do a better job at getting chaplains to fill unit slots than than could the chaplains. Second, the BG had taken me on with an agreement that I did not have to drill on Saturdays. Third, I was a SDA. As he told me later, at that time, he would never, never, never, have allowed a SDA clergyperson to fill a chaplain slot in any unit of his.

Well, I built relationships with that Command Chaplain. He became a strong supporter of me, and told me that he would be willing to have other SDA chaplains under him.

I later moved, and transfered to a U. S. Army Reserve unit. At that time I worked out a simular agreement with the Commander of that unit. I did not drill with that unit on Saturdays, and did other work at other times to make up for those missed drills.

NOTE: In the typical Reserve unit, from on-half, to two-thirds of the drills are on Saturdays. I was very fortunate to have that agreement.

[Gregory Matthews]

Re: "Thank you for that. It is a fascinating history. . ."

In a two-part post, I will give you some additional interesting facts.

As I have previously stated, Robert Mole was the first SDA clergyperson to become a U. S. military chaplain. He became a Navy chaplain.

I have also told the story as to how a group of non-SDA Army chaplains requested that the General Conference allow SDA clergy to become military chaplains.

Part of the background for that request was the fact that during the war, SDAs had been drafted into the service. A number of them had been convicted in military courts of disobedience to lawful orders (Relating to religious issues.) and were serving time in military prisons. These Army chaplains beleived that if the SDA chruch were to allow its clergy to become chaplains, they might be able to intervene in the system to keep these sincere people from military trials, convictions and going to prision.

As an actual fact, that has proven to be the case. Personally, witht he help of the Lord, I have kept several SDAs, and some others, from going before military courts, and being sent to prison.

At the same time, while the official position of the General Conference was that SDA clergy should NOT be allowed to become military chaplains, there were a number of our clergy who were beginning to challenge this.

So, acting on the request of those non-SDA Army chaplains, and the requests of our own clergy, the General Conference changed its policy. That changed policy was to not prohibit mature SDA clergy who believed that God was calling them to the military chaplaincy from becoming such. NOTE: That change was really minor, and it was NOT an approval.

As I have stated at other times, SDA clergy are allowed to serve in the military, and in certain other government positions (such as the VA where I work) only as long as the SDA Church approves.

When the Church sent its formal approval (It is called an Endorsement.) to the Navy to allow Robert Mole to become a Navy chaplain, it also sent an interesting letter. [NOTE: All initial appointments as military chaplains are for a three year peiod.] In that letter, it asked that Navy would give Bob Mole such bad assignments that he would leave the Navy after his three-year period was finished!

Bob remained in the Navy as a chaplain, rose to the rank of Commander, and retired. But, that is for the next post, as that also is interesting.

[Gregory Matthews]

Robert Mole had reached the rank of Commander, and was on his way to becomming a Captain, maybe, when events changed, and Bob retired, at the request of the General Conference. In all honesty, it can be argued that his retirement was NOT voluntary but was ordered by the General Conference. But, that might not be acknowledged.

At that time the Veteran's Administration was highly biased in their selection of people to fill VA Chaplain slots. It was totally impossible for Seventh-day Adventists to become VA chaplains, as well as some other groups. This bias was entrenched in the office of the Director of the VA chaplaincy, and was not about to change.

NOTE: This institutional bias still remains in the VA. It has been officially purged from the highest levels of the VA. But, it still exists on the levels of individual medical centers. There are those who would argue that vestiges of the bias remain in the VA on the highest of levels, but in a very defuse manner. In any case, very few of SDA clergy are VA chaplains. I am one. There are others. But, not very many.

In any case, a situation arose where a very high official in the Veteran's Administration determined that it was in the best interests of the government to have a VA SDA chaplain. That person filled a position higher than the Director of the VA Chaplaincy. As such, that decision was final, and not subject to discussion. So, the SDA Chruch was asked to provide the VA with a SDA chaplain.

The General Conference then went to Robert Mole. Essentially Bob was directed to retire from the Navy, and take a specific position in the VA.

NOTE: As I reflect on our history, I think that Bob was probably the second VA chaplain. I think that there was another SDA clergy person who became a VA chaplain a little while before Bob became one. I will have to check my history.

[Paul Beach]

Dear Gregory,

That was very interesting. It is interesting how the church from time to time has tried to dissuade people from going into worthy professions, such as military chaplaincy, law, media, etc. Fortunately these attitudes seem to be dissipating, but they are not altogether gone. If we are to have an impact in those important areas, it's a lot better to have people 'on the inside' than try to influence people who don't know us.

Thank you for sharing.

Mrs. Gray