US Army Chaplain (Col) Brent Causey was recently a lead chaplain in Afghanistan, responsible not only for other chaplains, but also “religious leader engagement” in the region:

[Chaplain] Causey was as the top chaplain to Petraeus as well as the chaplains’ supervisor throughout the Afghanistan war theater. He also was Petraeus’ “point man” for diversity, responsible for religious leader engagement in the Islamic nation.

Chaplain Causey spoke highly of the importance of the role of the “chaplains on the front lines:”

“It’s amazing to see the impact our evangelical Christian chaplains –- especially the Southern Baptist chaplains -– are having on our service people. That’s because they have the answers to the questions most of our soldiers are searching for –- questions like ‘Why are we fighting?’ and ‘What’s the purpose of all this death?’

“In answering these questions, chaplains get the opportunity to give the real message of who Jesus Christ is, explain the empowerment Jesus can give and how He can sustain them through each day’s events.”

The chaplains’ impact was quantifiable, and Causey was able to watch the influence of faith expand among the American servicemembers there:

“It was incredible to see the growth of Bible studies and the growth of conversions among our own service people -– not just battlefield conversions but the maturity of faith and development of mentorship at all levels. We started out with four of us in Bible study and when I left, 85 percent of our leadership were active in dynamic Bible study — 18 out of 22 of Petraeus’ directorates.

The chaplain indicated General Petraeus

played a leadership role in stressing the importance of spirituality [and] was very supportive of chaplaincy in Afghanistan…Gen. Petraeus focused on everyone’s spirituality, not just Christianity. He understood the impact of Islam on the nation and Afghan people and how to go into that environment and meet people where they are without being hostile toward their faith.

Causey also made a point of saying that should ultimately be the way the Christian message is conveyed:

Causey said…this approach caused troops to treat Muslims in a Christian manner. “If you understand Christianity in its fullness, our message is a message of love and forgiveness. You go in with the example of what Christ did in your life and show them grace. You win the world through the love you have through God toward others.”

His hero, incidentally, is his wife of 28 years.