Military chaplains told to shy from Jesus

[Dr. Shane]

Military chaplains told to shy from Jesus

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Official military policy allows any sort of prayer, but Lt. Klingenschmitt says that in reality, evangelical Protestant prayers are censored. He cites his training at the Navy Chaplains School in Newport, R.I., where "they have clipboards and evaluators who evaluate your prayers, and they praise you if you pray just to God," he said. "But if you pray in Jesus' name, they counsel you."

Muslim, Jewish and Roman Catholic chaplains are likewise told not to pray in the name of Allah, in Hebrew or in the name of the Trinity, he added.

But the Rev. Billy Baugham, executive director of the Greenville, S.C.-based International Conference of Evangelical Chaplain Endorsers, says restrictions on other religious expressions have "yet to be tested."

"No Islamic chaplain has been refused to pray in the name of Allah, as far as we know. Neither has a rabbi been rebuked for making references to Hanukkah, and no Catholic priest has been rebuked for referring to the Blessed Virgin Mary."

The Navy allows chaplains to pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Allah or any other deity during chapel services, spokeswoman Lt. Erin Bailey said.

At other public events, "Navy chaplains are encouraged to be sensitive to the needs of all those present," she said, "and may decline an invitation to pray if not able to do so for conscience reasons."

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Lt. Klingenschmitt also has fought at other times for the religious rights of non-Christians, having backed a Jewish sailor's bid to get kosher meals and sought to include a Muslim seaman in the rotation of sailors offering the ship's nightly closing prayer.

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[Gregory Matthews]

Sometimes statements that are literally accurate, are misleading in the way that they are understood.

By way of background, I am a former U. S. Army chaplain, and a SDA minister. During parat of the time that I was an Army chaplain, I served at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and school, as part of the teaching faculty. I worked with Army chaplains who were just beginning their Army carreer, and Seminary students who were being trained in what the Army chaplaincy was all about.

One of my teaching fields was the course that covered this subject, as well as others in an orientation to the Army chaplaincy. The purpose was to aquaint the student withe the constraints of a Federal chaplaincy, as well as the protections that they had to practice their beliefs.

Re: ". . .no Catholic priest has been rebuked for referring to the Blessed Virgin Mary."

That statement serves as a very good illustration of the issues that military chaplains face.

To understand this you must first recognize that military chaplains are often involved in giving prayers at meetings at which a civilian pastor would not be participating. You see, there is a sub-culture of religion that exists in the miltitary. Some examples:

1) A chaplain may be asked to pray at the opening of a new AAFES store. [An AAFES store is a department store.]

2) A military commander may ask a chaplain of offer a prayer at a meeting of the commanders unit.

3) Military social events often have a chaplain offer a prayer.

Let me comment on these for a minute. The Roman Catholic priest would be expected to refrain from addressing a prayer to Mary when asked to pray at a commend directed unit meeting. The reason is simple. That would be offensive to many of the people who were required to be there. But, that same priest would be totally free to address a prayer to Mary that was given at a Roman Catholic service, even if Protestents, and others, were present.

At a service that is designed to include Jewish people, a chaplain would be expected to take that into consideration when he formulated the prayer. I would be considered appropriate, in that case, not to end the prayer withe the pharse: "In the name of Christ, Amen."

Sensitivity is taught to the people who are in attendance at such services. But, that does not mean that chaplains are told what to pray.

I made it a practice, during my years as an Army chaplain, to work into my prayers a message. When a was asked to pray at a social gathering where food was served, I often stated the following, as a part of my prayer: Lord, we give you thanks for the items that you have provided for us. Give us the wisdom to discriminate between those items on the table before us that you have provided, and those items that you have not provided. May we have the will to chose only those that you have provided us."

Folks, that was a prayer with a message. I have included that in many prayers that I offered at social gatherings. I was never once challenged on it. Military chaplains can pray according to their convictions, but they need to pray with sensitivity to the people who may be required to attend.

[Gregory Matthews]

Re: "--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lt. Klingenschmitt also has fought at other times for the religious rights of non-Christians, having backed a Jewish sailor's bid to get kosher meals and sought to include a Muslim seaman in the rotation of sailors offering the ship's nightly closing prayer."

That is the clear expectation, if the chaplain believs the person is sincere.

[Dr. Shane]

Brother Matthews,

Do you think this chaplin is just trying to make trouble? Does he have a legitimate complaint? Is he likely to do the cause of religious liberty more harm or good?

[Gregory Matthews]

Shane, I really do not think that I have enough information to respond directly to the chaplains involved. So, any comments that I make are general in nature, and not specific to him.

1) There is a rising group of military chaplains who believe that they have a Constitutional right to actively attempt to convert people to their way of thinking.

Do we as a public want this? Do we as SDAs want this? I do not think so.

2) Some of these people are comfortable in defending the rights of people from other religious backgrounds to practice their beliefs. They may do what you mentioned in your first post. But, others may only defend the rights of others if they fit within a narrow set of boundries. E.g. they may defend the right of a jewish soldier becuase Judiasm is so well known, but not the right of an atheist to be free from unwanted religious attention.

NOTE: As an interesting example I am aquainted with a military chaplain who has risen to a high rank. He agressively defends the his so-called right to attempt to convert the non-Christian. But, he denies the right of an individual to become a conscientious objector while in the military, and states that such a person should continue to participate as a combatant, until that person reaches the end of the enlistment tour.

The U. S. Air Force is currently locked in a battle over these very issues right now, with the attention of Congress.

In my personal opinion, I do not think many understnad the First Ammendment, and what is required in the Federal chaplaincies.

NOTE: It is permissible to convert anyone, to include the non-Christian. But, that invitation to convert must be made under conditions where that invitation is not forced upon another. In the minitary, rank has real power. One should not use tha power to force another to listen to an unwanted message.

[Dr. Shane]

My boss listens to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hanity everyday on the radio in his office. I was in there a couple of days ago and heard this chaplin being interviewed but didn't catch much and don't even know which show he was on - probally Hanity since Limbaugh doesn't do a lot of interviews. Anyway, that kind of made me think the guy is just trying to stir the pot - but maybe that is judging him prematurely.

As Adventists we simply want the government to allow us to practice our faith. That is our agenda. Whether or not it is unconsitutional for a city to place a nativity scene in front of city hall or a judge to hang the Ten Commandments in his court room are secondary issues. Sometimes we, as Adventists, get our belief in religious liberty confused with our political beliefs of what we believe the Constitution does and does not say.

Food for thought: If no Adventists were in the military, would the Adventist church want chaplins in the military? If so, for what purpose?

[Gregory Matthews]

RE: "If no Adventists were in the military, would the Adventist church want chaplins in the military? If so, for what purpose?"

1) What does it mean for a Christian to be in the world, but not of the world?

What does that say about Christians going where people are?

Yes, I know that there are SDA military converts who were converted by local SDA pastors, and not SDA chaplains. But, if you understand the military culture, you will probably recognize that if the SDA Chruch is to have an impact on that culture, it must have people in the military, such as chaplains.

2) The SDA Chruch cannot employ the total number of people dedicated to serving God and the SDA Chruch, who go throught ministerial training, sometimes at their own expense, and not funded by the SDA Church. [NOTE: I put mself through the Seminary by cleaning toilets. Shortly before I graduated, I was hired, and recieved from that Conference the t otal sum of $1,000.00. Other than that, my total expense of funding my Seminaries was funded by myself.]

Since the SDA Chruch cannot hire the total number of these dedicated people, why should it not allow them to function in other venues, such as the various chaplaincies. They can work for God there, outside of chruch funding.

[Dr. Shane]

I guess this guy is now on his 17th day of a hunger strike. Brother Matthews, have you heard any "shop talk" about this?

[Gregory Matthews]

My total knowledge comes from what you have posted on this subject.

I get a little more regarding the Air Force Academy since I live in that area, and work for a retired Air Force chaplain, who has some very strong opinions on that situation.

[Gregory Matthews]

Re: ". . .17th day of hunger stike. . ."

I once supervised a chaplain who every year went 40 days, in remberence of Christ's temptation, without eating solid food. He did take liquids. But, he never cheated by grinding solid food up in a blender. I have sat with him and his family at formal occasions he was required to attend where he only drank a can of soda, while everyone else ate a full meal. He told me once that he sat at the table with his family during meals, but only drank water, of soda.