Military Homosexual Ceremony Prompts Chaplain Clarification
The endorsing agent for Southern Baptist chaplains in the US military recently reiterated its stance against recognition of homosexual unions. The impetus was the AP article on the McGuire AFB “civil union” event attended by Southern Baptist Chaplain (Col) Timothy Wagoner.
Retired US Army Chaplain (MajGen) Douglas Carver — former chief of all Army chaplains — is the executive director of the North American Mission Board, which endorses Southern Baptist chaplains in the US military:
“When the AP story first came out, we contacted Chaplain Wagoner and he assured us he was either misinterpreted or quoted out of context in the story,” Carver said.
Chaplain Wagoner “strongly refutes” the story that implies he condoned the “civil union” that was officiated in the military chapel at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst:
“The (AP) article does not accurately reflect why I attended a civil union,” Wagoner said. “The general tone of the article has led many to conclude incorrectly that I personally support same-sex civil unions, with statements such as ‘he was watching supportively.'”
Carver acknowledged what was minimized in the AP article but has been repeated several times: The culture and expectations in the post-DADT environment are ambiguous at best.
It’s a vague environment out there, especially as our chaplains promote and defend the whole counsel of God in a post-‘Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell’ military environment. Our chaplains are navigating through unchartered waters, where the cultural values of the military increasingly conflict with the traditional values and beliefs of Southern Baptists.
(General Carver previously noted the repeal of DADT had created a moral “tension” in the military.) As was noted at the time, it is evident the AP article was written to portray the homosexual civil ceremony as a benign, non-event; Chaplain Wagoner now makes this more clear, indicating his presence was improperly used to reinforce that picture.
The AP article joins a line of media reports that seem to go out of their way to intentionally portray the post-DADT environment in the US military as positively as possible — minimizing, or even misrepresenting, any indications to the contrary.
Retired officers only use their rank in a private and social capacity, never in association with non-uniformed employment or representation after retirement. Since he is speaking as the endorsing agent for the Southern Baptist Convention, you should refer to him as Mr. Carver or the Rev. Mr. Carver.
“traditional values and beliefs of Southern Baptists.”
Such as support for slavery and then segregation! Why oh why are they being so oppressed!?!
@Old Man
Your statement is not entirely accurate. In truth, one need look no further than the “retired military analysts” (talking heads) on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, etc, to see that isn’t the case. Still, as the US code notes:
In fact, the Joint Ethics Regulations go further and specifically say rank can even be used for commercial gain:
If a retired military member chooses to restrict himself more than that, he is free to do so — but he is not required to do so. Of course, in this case these rules aren’t even relevant, because the point at hand is a third-party descriptor. A third party is always free to address retired military members by their rank.
Your position would have been stronger if you had said chaplains are generally referred to as “chaplain” rather than by their rank, as that condition is supported rather than refuted by military regulations. (Retired chaplains and endorsers often continue to carry the title.) In retrospect, that title is one that perhaps “should” have been used.
@Donalbain
You know the old adage: If you ever find a perfect church, political party, group, etc, don’t join it — you’ll ruin it. Given your self-appointed position as the morality police, your irony knows no bounds.
Apparently Ch Wagoner is now leaving the SBC. I predict he goes to the CBF and gets a star as the next Deputy Chief of Air Force Chaplains.