Contemporary United States Military Chaplaincy

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Biblical Foundation of the U.S. Chaplaincy
Historical Foundation
Theological Foundation
Constitutional Foundation
Cultural Context for Pastoral Ministry
Perceptions of the Challenges and Opportunities Facing Military Chaplains
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Military chaplaincy is a central and significant part of the many programs of the United States Armed Forces. It is vital for fulfilling the governmental mandate to ensure the multifaceted welfare of every member of the Armed Forces. Other programs that the Armed Forces are involved in are the recreation sector, education, and health care. The office of the military chaplain is well balanced, bringing together the church and state beyond any other office in the US. As long as the chaplain has a uniform of service and is under command in war and defends the US Constitution, he is also the designated spokesman for God’s kingdom among the Armed Forces members (Kao 2010, 580). The military chaplaincy and related programs are strongly supported by the U.S. government and the general public. Tuttle (2016) elaborates that the government has the policy of encouraging the religious, moral, and recreation affairs as well as the development of members of the Armed Force (23). Military Chaplaincy ensures that Armed Forces members enjoy services that enable them to be motivated, efficient and show national readiness and security.

Biblical Foundation of the U.S. Chaplaincy

There are no chaplains directly mentioned in the Bible, but there are duties that relate to their functions. The character of God in itself is dominated by love. John 3:16 indicates, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (King James Version 2001, 188). God demonstrated His love to people through Christ when they were still sinners. Thompson (2011) emphasizes that Jesus gave the gift of His life to the whole world, even if some people have not accepted it (22).

Another evident nature of God is the way He shows His mercy to people even when they do not deserve it. The King James Version (2001) in Luke 6:16 reiterates, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (163). Through showing mercy, God is helping people who are in serious need of salvation and cannot help themselves. The church is expected to show mercy since God has done the same to them and set the standard. Another aspect that expresses chaplaincy is how Jesus sent and is still sending His disciples to heal and deliver the oppressed (Norton 2016, 151). Jesus and His disciples healed the sick and cast out demons from those that were under bondage (Van Dress 2014, 104). In performing these, they demonstrated tenets of mercy and the blessing of healing and deliverance to those that needed it.

The military chaplain must have drawn many significant aspects from the nature and perspectives of God. Just like Jesus, chaplains are expected to show the depth of God’s love and power to others as a platform for their transformation. They depend on the power of God and operate under Jesus’ authority to be with individuals that they are serving (Wester 2009, 80). Christians generally, chaplains included, are expected to demonstrate works of service and mercy to not only the members but also to those outside the church walls (Kramer 2014, 8). The church ought to show God’s character, its members demonstrating sacrificial lives that lead to the good of society (Sampson 2016, 4). Normally, the clergy and laity present acts of mercy and blessing as they preach Jesus to the poor so that everyone can realize the true love of God and escape the wrath of hell.

Historical Foundation

Chaplaincy has been central in ensuring balance by motivating both commitments to denomination and communal pluralism. According to Kao (2010), military chaplains have been serving alongside soldiers catering for their spiritual requirements, boosting their morale, and helping those with wounds (601). Even in biblical times, the priests were part of the battle of Israelites against their opponents. The Chaplain Corps existed even before July 29, 1775, when the Continental Congress allowed one of the chaplains to be in charge of the army (Van Dress 2014, 104). The functions of the chaplains have been appreciated from these olden times and are still relevant today.

Since the period of the battle of American Independence, chaplains have been part of the American armies. During that time, the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps has developed, with the inclusion of Roman Catholic chaplains in the Mexico War as well as Jewish and Black American chaplains in the civil war period. In January 1979, the U.S. Army recruited a female chaplain for the first time (Kao 2010, 602). Presently, 1300 active army chaplains are representatives of five recognized faiths, namely the Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists, Protestants, and Jews (Sherer 2010, 40). Chaplains have performed various duties of administering the spiritual and moral needs of soldiers and their relations.

Theological Foundation

At the theological basis of chaplaincy, the focus is on the characteristics of God that relate to moral beings including faithfulness, truth, goodness, love, and grace. God’s kind of love is a thoughtful affection founded in reason and deliberate resolution to connect with His creatures. God demonstrates His love for humanity by how He acts on their behalf, and so is a military chaplain (Association of Professional Chaplains 2015, 11). From the past, multifaceted and crucial training of students suited for military chaplaincy has always been done before they assume the roles in the military service (Thompson 2011, 12). There has been a need for aspiring chaplains to be involved in rigorous training programs in seminaries, theological schools, and divinity schools.

Allowing students to thrive in military contexts as chaplains can be very challenging than when they are being trained for other jobs. According to Chaplain (2017), the theological foundations of chaplaincy are in line with the guidance of the curriculum, which exemplifies respect for religious and moral diversity (3). The curriculum has also been intended to promote the core values of respecting the freedom of conscience and human rights as well as showing dedication to responsibly exercising power without intending to harm. Students possess Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) that enables them to minister in pluralistic and occasionally trauma-linked military backgrounds (Loveland 2014, 44). Effective military chaplaincy in the US is hinged on necessary values and context-related skills that are theologically founded.

Constitutional Foundation

There is a constitutional basis for chaplaincy within the American military department. In 1985, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals handled a case of two Harvard Law School students who purported that the military chaplaincy was based on the Constitution according to the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment (Waggoner 2014, 5). The Court of Appeals determined that the Free Exercise Clause “mandates Congress, after forming an Army, to avail religious welfare to soldiers who have been taken to places that there is no form of worship” (Tuttle 2016, 30). After more than two decades, Justice Potter Stewart detailed in dicta in his dissent for Abington School District v. Schempp. Allocating federal money to finance military chaplaincy could be categorized as a violation of the Establishment Clause (Mallard 2017, 4). On the other hand, a lonely soldier transferred to a remote region could accuse the government of not being responsible since they did not offer pastoral guidance. In that way, the government will be accused of affirmatively hindering the free exercise of religion among some of its citizens.

The chaplain serves the needs of individuals whose nature of work takes them far away from home. Chaplains also attend to men and women of different faiths, which make the docket, not a religious formation. On the other hand, the post is a support of the foundational right of all people to worship as they wish. US Army Regulation 165-1 reiterates such a constitutional remark simply, “In striking a balance between the establishment and free exercise clauses the Army chaplaincy, in providing religious services and ministries to the command, is an instrument of the U.S. government to ensure that soldiers ‘free exercise’ rights are protected (Sherer 2010, 40).” Concurrently, military chaplains have been shaped to avoid being biased on a certain religion more than the others. The regulation is a justification of the place of chaplains in the military setups and is beyond religious services.

The liberality of the role of chaplaincy – in process and expression – suits its foundation on the constitution. In September 1775, the president of the time, George Washington sent a letter to Benedict Arnold, guiding him on how to promote freedom of exercising religious rights within the ranks (Brown & Hill 2010, 45). He stated, “Once you have indicated that you have the ability, you are obligated to shield and allow free expression of one’s religious standing of the nation and uninterrupted practicing of the rights of Conscience in religious Aspects, with your liberal support and power” (Sherer 2010, 42). In May 1776, 16, Washington recommended a resting day and chapel attendance with “assigned chaplains” the next day (van Dress 2014, 107). The concept of pluralistic chaplaincy was critical from the founding of the American Constitution.

According to van Dress (2014), the Continental Congress introduced the Navy Chaplaincy in November 1775. It guided the military commanders to facilitate the religious services to be done two times a day and preaching was also included on Sundays. The only exceptions were bad weather and other unexpected happenings. Lupu and Tuttle (2007) observed that based on another regulation of the Continental Congress on May 27, 1777, there was a chaplain for every Army group with colonel’s remuneration (89). The position was recognized under the new Constitution together with civilian chaplains that were part of the House and Senate starting the first Congress in 1789. By 1838, Congress provided for 30 chaplains, 24 Navy chaplains, two in Congress, and some at military institutions and border forts (van Dress 2014, 90). Chaplaincy has been embraced in various institutions of the US government including the military ones on a constitutional basis.

Cultural Context for Pastoral Ministry

To begin with, after the Vietnam War, when several evangelical Christians renewed their dedication to preach to individual military workers, several Christians challenged the morality of moral life. Christians attacked the nation’s hegemonic goals as some evangelicals spearheaded muscular US exceptionalism in the global aspects. Swain and Pierce (2017) reiterate that the change to an all-volunteer army additionally weakened the connection between open-minded Christians and the chaplaincies (149). The conflicts of theological and social-cultural conservatives still exist presently. Several theological faculty members at open-minded institutions see the military as a sociologically robust and huge place where no critical thinking of any kind is done. The values of a culture are thought to be instilled through the pastoral ministry to change human relationships and cause them to be more just (Zieger 2009, 4). The pastoral caregiving ministry as practiced by the chaplains seems to be adopted from the practice of the Western context. Contextualizing of pastoral care is founded on hermeneutical aspects that fill the gap between the Bible text and its practice in the situations and fulfilling the needs of individuals.

Perceptions of the Challenges and Opportunities Facing Military Chaplains

The US military chaplains spearhead diverse denominations and various belief systems, with a broad foundation of theological standings. Chaplains must engage unitedly to offer religious encouragement to a very varied soldier fraternity. Unfortunately, some chaplains have theological standings that are very stern and discriminating. Such restrictive beliefs challenge their interaction with others who have different faiths or practices from them. For instance, the belief system of Christian Fundamentalists compromises the military chaplaincy’s intended mission of guaranteeing free exercising of religion for every soldier. Chaplains work with government institutions with various faith groups so that they handle various activities in a pluralistic environment. The National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF) was created in 1982 to unite official representatives of various faith communities who recommend ministers to be chaplains in the Armed Forces (Brown & Hill 2010, 45). Chaplains that hold Christian fundamentalist beliefs have the option to either act sparingly on their actions or avoid directly applying their religious standing and values to the rest of the members, as that would be challenging the rights of the people.

Historically, a few fundamentalist chaplains and their supporting organizations did prioritize the search for souls as the main target of their military task. In the 1950s, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) directly indicated through an article that 50 percent of those that join military service are not affiliated to any church or religious group. They further established that even those who were categorized as Protestants were deemed so since their parents were going with them to a church while they were young. Some members of the army have no tangible Christian experience. Therefore, some fundamentalist chaplains find the military places as a ripe harvest ground to win converts. The NAE endorsed chaplains based on their zeal to do evangelism to these military members and win them to Christ (Wester 2009, 69). The NAE was also opposed to the prevalence of Catholic chaplains and encouraged evangelical ministers to join chaplaincy and counter that state. Evangelicals achieve more when a great number of the people in the Armed Forces, who are also eager for the New Testament Gospel that the chaplains preach to them.

The constitutional basis of chaplaincy in the US is continuously positive since its inception. Besides the aspects of religion, chaplaincy is a significant hub of religious liberty where soldiers can express their connection to God. According to Major Michael Benjamin, the best affirmer of chaplaincy and any religious activity in the military is that it promotes a soldier’s privilege to entirely exercise his or her religion (Kramer 2014, 8). Without the presence of government-funded or Congress-appointed chaplains, members of the army would be prevented from exercising their religion in circumstances that could have been prevented in the military service.

Supporters of the chaplaincy have always alluded to the moral contributions in the lives of the military men. George Washington commented to Col. George Taylor that chaplains ought to be of great character and those that talk well, who will impact the behaviors of other corps by their words and lives (Wester 2009, 74). General Pershing observed that chaplains in the time of World War I played a significant role in ensuring morale, through religious guidance and being role models, even if presently that is not the case. General McArthur supported the place of chaplains in the post-World War II as he described that moral leadership on the military members dependent on the closeness and understanding of the chaplains and commanders.

One concern in my call to uniformed ministry is the challenge of balancing between my Christian values and accommodating others. Jesus’ life and ministry were balanced and He was able to accommodate even sinners around Him without them feeling discriminated against. Much wisdom is required to balance the ideals of Christianity, the demands of ministry and allow others to be transformed. The attention that some people demand may even cause you to compromise your hard-earned values. However, by maintaining one’s standards, I can enable others to learn from me and positively influence them instead of them marrying my ideals.

Conclusion

To sum up, a chaplain has a critical role in the US army to motivate the soldiers so that they can exercise their religious beliefs freely. Chaplains must consistently support their soldiers and protect them from those that hinder their constitutional rights. It has been challenging for chaplains to act in a context that requires or them to support freely exercising religious rights when he has their faith to endorse. The US chaplain must ensure a strong level of ethics concerning his or her desire to evangelize and instill values that promote the interests of the soldiers. Military chaplaincies are a serious national responsibility and ought to promote an unimpeded expression of religious and ethical backgrounds.

References

Association of Professional Chaplains. 2015. “Standards of Practice for Professional Chaplains.” Web.

Mallard, Timothy. 2017. “The (Twin) Wounds of War.” Providence. Web.

Brown, Robert and Bruce Hill. 2010. “Chaplain Handbook for the Evangelical Congregational Church.” Web.

Kao, Grace. 2010. “Mission Impossible: ‘Nonsectarian’ Prayer in the Military Chaplaincy.” Political Theology 11(4): 577-606.

King James Version. 2001. Authorized King James Version. New York: Simon and Shuster.

Kramer, Philip A. 2014. The Proximity Principle: Army Chaplains on the Fighting Line in Doctrine and History. Leavenworth: Army University Press.

Loveland, Anne. 2014. Change and Conflict in the US Army Chaplain Corps since 1945. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press.

Lupu, Ira C., and Robert W. Tuttle. 2007. “Instruments of Accommodation: The Military Chaplaincy and the Constitution.” West Virginia Law Review 110: 1-107.

Norton, David. 2016. “The King James Bible Across Borders and Centuries.” JSTOR 48(3): 150-152.

Sampson, Kenneth L. 2016. “‘Bearers of Grace’—Chaplains and Religious Freedom and Expression in the Armed Forces.” The Military Chaplain 89(2): 23-26.

Sherer, Barbara K. 2011. “Chaplaincy at a Crossroads: Fundamentalist Chaplains in a Pluralistic Army.” Web.

Swain, Richard Moody, and Albert C. Pierce. 2017. The Armed Forces Officer. Washington: Government Printing Office.

Thompson, Mark. 2011. “An Army Apart: The Widening Military-Civilian Gap.” Time Magazine, Web.

Tuttle, Robert W. 2016. Ethics and Religious Counseling in a Pluralistic Environment.

Van Dress, Valeria R. 2014. For Man and Country: Atheist Chaplains in the US Army. Leavenworth: Army University Press.

Waggoner, Ed. 2014. “Pathways to Military Chaplaincy: An Invitation to Theologically Centrist and Left-of-Center Seminaries, Schools of Theology, and Divinity Schools”. Web.

Wester, Franklin Eric. 2009. “Soldier Spirituality in a Combat Zone: Preliminary Findings about Correlations with Ethics and Resiliency.” Web.

Zieger, Hans. 2009. “Why Does the US Military Have Chaplains?” Pepperdine Policy Review 2(1): 4.

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