A commentary by US Air Force Chaplain (Capt) Keith Beckwith takes a firm stand on the chaplain’s role in the US military:
A chaplain’s ultimate responsibility is to provide for the free exercise of religion, including those who express a specific religion and those who express no religion at all.
From my perspective, I am a chaplain to all, a pastor Read more
Chaplain (Capt) Thomas Dyer, the US Army’s Baptist-preacher-turned-Buddhist-Chaplain is opening a meditation center in Afghanistan.
The Bagram Dharma Center in Afghanistan will be classified as a “faith-based resiliency center,” and it gives [Chaplain] Capt. Thomas Dyer…a better way to connect his Eastern beliefs, Southern roots and Middle Eastern deployment.
The article goes on to describe what it will be: Read more
US military chapels provide a wide variety of spiritual support for troops and their families, and the traditional summer Vacation Bible School is one important part of that. Fort Rucker’s program this year included a full-scale Wilderness Tabernacle:
The tabernacle takes the things that you and I might read in the Bible and brings them to life,” said Spiers. “What we do with the children, since there is an old-testament basis and message with the tabernacle, is bring the symbolism of the old into the new-testament because it’s Read more
When the Guard deploys to support a disaster area, US military chaplains deploy to support them. Yes, there are often churches or pastors in the area, but the chaplains are focused on the military men and women, and are uniquely trained and experienced to help them accomp lish their mission:
“As chaplains we work as a ministry of presence” said Chaplain (Capt.) Jeremy Dunn…“Right now we are filled with a sense of purpose: to help those both physically drained and spiritually shaken.”
No matter where US troops go, their spiritual support, and Read more
Much like the recent comments from the Chief of Navy Chaplains, US Army Chaplain Col Dallas Speight recently spoke on the chaplain’s role, and made a point of emphasizing their ability to help in sexual assault:
Most people know that chaplains provide for the religious needs of Soldiers and their families, irrespective of religious Read more
The Chief of Navy Chaplains, Chaplain (RAdm) Mark L. Tidd, recently visited the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. With regard to the current environment, he made a point of saying chaplains can help in the fight against sexual assault.
Tidd’s training and conversations with Nimitz’ chaplains and leaders included sexual assault prevention and awareness guidance. According to Tidd, a chaplain’s confidential counseling can play a crucial part in the lives of sexual assault victims.
“A chaplain can confidentially help a victim determine how to proceed [and decide] whether to make a restricted report or an unrestricted report that can lead to an opportunity to bring people to justice,” said Tidd.
The article makes a side comment that would likely register with few:
Tidd also conducted the ship’s evening prayer Read more
An interesting, if wordy and sometimes hard to follow, paper entitled “South Korea’s Christian Military Chaplaincy in the Korean War – religion as ideology?” was recently published by Vladimir Tikhonov, a Soviet-born professor at Oslo University with a doctorate in ancient Korean history. It seeks to find the “reason for the rapid growth” of Christianity in South Korea — which the author suggests is the military chaplaincy: Read more
The short 5-minute video is retired Chaplain (MajGen) Douglas Carver, formerly the US Army Chief of Chaplains, and now the executive director of chaplain services for the North American Mission Board, sharing stories from his experiences as a chaplain in the US Army.
One of the most interesting, at about the 2:00 mark, is his story about a civilian-clothed operator whom he helped reconcile his mission — covertly tracking and killing the enemy, on a personal level — and the righteousness of God. As the story continues, Chaplain Carver relates how that man came to help him.
Via the Alliance Defending Freedom’s Speak Up.
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