A newspaper highlights local Dewayne Wolf, who is going through the Chaplain school at Fort Jackson, SC, to become an Army Chaplain.  Already Wolf seems to recognize the challenge in integrating faith and profession, and also his purpose as a Chaplain:

The lifestyle is kind of rough, especially in the infantry. To break away from that lifestyle really makes a distinction…It’s not the easiest environment to stand for what you believe. Nowhere is it easy to be a conservative Christian. That’s why they need good chaplains in the military.

That said, it appears Wolf — who was formerly a Chaplain’s assistant — may yet have something to learn at the Chaplain school:

As a chaplain, your main focus is evangelism.  In the military you have pluralism. You can’t go to them as a chaplain and tell them, ‘Your way is wrong.’ Your obligation is to minister to every soldier.

Wolf said that in one situation, if a Buddhist member of the military is struggling, then one would need to find a Buddhist chaplain. Wolf said there are chaplains for every religion, from Judaism to Wicca.

He probably meant to say “as a pastor,” since his following comments support the general belief that the main role of a Chaplain is to serve the spiritual needs of the military, not necessarily “evangelize.”  He is incorrect, too, about wiccan chaplains.  Chaplains require ecclesiastical endorsers; there is not currently a wiccan Chaplain because there is no recognized endorser.

Wolf is already foreseeing the potential challenges of a repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Wolf said that if the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward homosexuality is repealed then Southern Baptist chaplains, and he hopes to be one, will face yet another challenge.

“For someone that is openly homosexual, through the chaplaincy, we’re not allowed to tell them this is a lifestyle against God’s will,” Wolf said.

His statement may be accurate, or it may not.  No one really knows what the policies will look like at this point.  However, there is a general feeling among Chaplains that Wolf is correct — homosexuality will be a protected class, and thus it will clash with, and likely win over, religious freedom.  At least one group of atheists foresees this as well — and relishes it.

With many political and ethical issues in the forefront of the current social narrative, the role of the military Chaplain in the modern culture is a challenging one.  Fortunately, Wolf appears to recognize that, and he will likely be well prepared for the difficulties he will almost certainly face.

When you remember the sacrifices and challenges of deployed military servicemembers, don’t forget the sacrifices of the Chaplains who volunteer to serve them.