Saint Martin's Cloak

Senator James Lankford, an Southern Baptist minister from Oklahoma has introduced a bill he has entitled the Military Chaplains Modernization Act of 2026 . Here is a relevant extract regarding Army Chaplains.

Religious preference codes only exist to give commanders and chaplains a big, one-over-the-world view of the religious needs of the unit as a whole. They reside in the big Army database of personnel records as useful data points for generalized planning. They are not terribly useful for individual religious support where people don't always fit their labels. There, chaplains need to get to know their soldiers personally.  Soldiers entering the Army are overwhelmed by an avalanche of administrative requirements. It’s a normal human response to proceed through that process without much thought.  I found that Soldiers had often chosen their religious preference codes hastily, and the religion coded in the personnel database did not accurately reflect their religious identities.  The previous list of religious codes was long (5 single spaced pages) and not logically organized. It was a jumble of institutional identities and religious categories, most of which were going to be...

The Secretary of Defense has promised to make the military chaplain corps great again. I have been associated with the military chaplaincy for 35 years. I can tell you that it is already great. Foundations Here are some basic truths about the chaplaincy that I did not hear the secretary mention. Military chaplaincy is rooted in the first amendment. Congress shall make no respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting thereof . The chaplaincy exists first and foremost to facilitate the free exercise of religion for those whom the government has ordered away from home. In Army language, chaplains perform religious ministry for those who wish to receive what they have to offer and provide opportunities for religious life for members of other faith groups. Chaplains are advocates within the command for the free exercise of religion. That includes protecting those who do not wish to participate in religious activities from religious coercion. The United States governmen...

The social media account of an Army infantry battalion recently praised its chaplain for strengthening its lethality by fostering spiritual resilience through religious worship. This characterization of the chaplain’s ministry is inconsistent with the chaplain’s unique calling and non-combatant status. Through nearly 27 years of chaplain ministry, my church frequently reminded me that it did not send me to the Army to bless or facilitate violence. The Army (FM 3-0) defines lethality as “the capability and capacity to destroy” and firepower as its primary source. It is an attribute of Army formations. Insofar as the Army associates lethality with individual fitness (FM 7-22), it does so only in terms of physical training for strength, endurance, and speed. The Army becomes more lethal by training to become more lethal. The means include individual and collective training, training center rotations, command post exercises, professional military education, and other means, none of whic...

This is the Army Chaplain Corps values card that I received in the mid 2000's. The Chief of Chaplains wanted the issuance of these cards to be a solemn occasion, so all the chaplains and chaplain assistants on my base gathered together at one time to receive them, and to sign the back of the card in unison. I still have mine. Diversity was one of the Chaplain Corps' stated values. This same SACRED acronym showed up in the training circular TC 1-05, The Religious Support Handbook for the Unit Ministry Team , published in 2005. My own journey as an Army chaplain began over a decade earlier because the Army valued diversity. When I first called a chaplain recruiter and identified myself as a United Methodist, the recruiter said, "You baptize babies. We're looking for you." After I retired from the Army, I served as the chaplain endorser for my denomination for nearly six years. As the endorser I occasionally met with the chiefs of chaplains for the Arm...

In 2007 I was a brand new lieutenant colonel reporting to my first general staff assignment. When I arrived, I discovered that a “change of stole” ceremony had been scheduled for me. I am not a fan of these events and I briefly resisted. Ultimately, I gave in and participated without further objection. "Go along and get along," as they say. I regret that. I wish I had explained my position more clearly.  What are change of stole ceremonies, and why do I object to them?  Whose Need does it Serve? The change of stole ceremony marks the passing of responsibility from one command chaplain to another, usually in the grade of lieutenant colonel (O-5) or colonel (O-6). The commander lifts a stole decorated with organizational markings from the neck of the outgoing command chaplain and places it on the neck of the incoming command chaplain. There are speeches and ceremonial trappings to the event. All together, the ceremony mimics the passing of the colors at military c...

The Interview Army Command Policy (AR 600-20) reserves approval of some religious accommodations to offices in the Pentagon, others to the first general officer in the chain of command, and the remainder to commanders at any level.  In some cases, a chaplain must be assigned to interview the requestor. After the interview, the chaplain prepares a memorandum summarizing the interview. The memorandum must address the religious nature of the request and the requestor’s sincerity. The chaplain is not required to recommend approval or disapproval, but may do so. The requestor can also provide letters from other chaplains or religious leaders, but those letters do not meet the requirement for the interview. (AR 600-20, Appendix P-3.b.(3)) Adapting the Chaplain's Role in Conscientious Objection This chaplain requirement is similar to the one for conscientious objector applicants in paragraph 2-4 of DA Pam 600-46 (Processing Applicants for Conscientious Objection). There, a cha...

God Told Me Last January, I listened to a presentation by a lawyer representing Navy SEALs seeking religious exemption from the COVID vaccine requirement. I asked him to speak about the reasons people gave for seeking the accommodation. If I heard him correctly, one of the reasons that individuals gave for seeking the exemption was “God told me to.”  I don’t see how you could possibly build a workable system of religious accommodation on such a foundation. <!-- wp:more --> <!--more--> <!-- /wp:more --> In October (10/17/23), a federal court in Maryland issued a ruling that I think agrees with me.  In  Foshee vs. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP , the court dismissed a claim by individuals seeking religious exemption from the vaccine requirement.  In dismissing the case, the court wrote: Foshee’s position, that God gave him a conscience that tells him what to do, similarly amounts to a “blanket privilege. The same conscience-based ...

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act established three tests for religious accommodation. Is the government imposing a Substantial Burden on the exercise of religion? Is it doing so to achieve a Compelling Government Interest ? Is is using the Least Restrictive Means of furthering the Compelling Government Interest? If the answer to #1 is yes but the answer to #2 or #3 is no, the government is wrong to deny requests for religious accommodation. In 2020, Department of Defense Instruction 1300.17 applied these standards to religious accommodation in the armed forces. The exact definition of “substantial burden" is still being litigated. Among the factors that courts have said could create a substantial burden are: Religious Importance . How important is the religious principle or practice to the individual?  Penalty . How big is the penalty for violating government policy?  Pressure . How much pressure is the government on an individual to viola...

The Army policy on religious accommodation is founded on Depart of Defense Instruction (DODI) 1300.17. Throughout my career, the DODI was called  Accommodation of Religious Practices Within the Military Services.  In 2020, the name changed to  Religious Liberty in the Military Services .   The change hints at the substantive changes it entailed.  Since my background is with the Army, I will describe how Army policy evolved. When I entered active duty in 1991, here is how the regulations described the Army’s religious accommodation policy.  The Army places a high value on the rights of its soldiers to observe tenets of their respective religions. It is the Army's policy to approve requests for accommodation of religious practices when they will not have an adverse impact on military readiness, unit cohesion, standards, health, safety, or discipline, or otherwise interfere with the performance of the soldier's military duties. However, accomm...

Quotas by Denomination As approved by the Secretary of War on May 1, 1945. With numbers on Army active duty as of September 2, 1945. Quotas were based on the 1936 Census. <!-- wp:more --> <!--more--> <!-- /wp:more --> Religious Bodies with Quotas Quota % Quota # # On 9/2/45 Roman Catholic 30.46 2589 2278 Methodist 11.00 935 1200 Baptist, South 8.89 756 947 Baptist, Colored 7.20 612 84 Jewish 3.70 315 243 Presbyterian, U. S. A. 3.65 310 426 Protestant Episcopal 2.92 248 298 Baptist, North 2.66 226 412 Disciples of Christ 2.34 199 387 Lutheran , Missouri Synod 2.20 187 215 United Lutheran (1945 total with American Lutheran) 2.31 181 ↓ American Lutheran 2.21 179 374 Congregational Christian 2.00 170 305 Evangelical and Reformed 1.37 116 69 Latter-Day Saints 1.07 91 34 African Methodist Episcopal 0.90 77 73 Presbyterian , U. S. 0.88 75 138 United Brethren 0.73 62 60 African M. E. Zion 0.73 62 18 Churches of Christ 0.63 54 30 Christian Science 0.57 48 24 Colored ...

Throughout the 18 th  and 19 th  centuries, denominational headquarters were not involved in the appointment of chaplains to the Army or Navy. During the wars of that early era, military regiments consisted mostly of men drawn from one town, village, county, or region, as were their chaplains. Regimental and brigade commanders generally selected their chaplains from available volunteers and chose men who would be acceptable to their soldiers. The chaplain’s denominational affiliation, then, tended to match that of the members of his unit. When the appointment of Army chaplains became centralized through the Adjutant General of the Army, interested parties would write Adjutant General to learn if any chaplain opening existed. The Adjutant General would reply, telling the inquirer what openings existed and where. For the Navy, inquiries were addressed to the Director of Naval Personnel. Applicants could then correspond directly with command in which the opening existed. T...

Where are chaplains in the Bible? There are no chaplains in the Holy Scriptures, but the great story-line of the Bible naturally produces an activity of the Church that looks like chaplaincy, no matter what you might call it. The church reaches out to bless the world around it, regardless of how people respond to the call of the gospel. We do so because God blesses the world he loves, even if the world doesn’t bless him back. We are merciful, because God is merciful. God’s work of mercy and blessing are the twin foundations of Christian chaplaincy. The Character of God We start with the nature of God. God loves the world. 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. John 3:16 In his love, God poured out his life for sinners. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person so...

Chaplains perform a variety of functions. Depending on the setting, they counsel individuals and families, advise leadership, teach an assortment of subjects, pray, lead worship, conduct rites and sacraments, assist clients with practical matters and a perform host of other duties. In some settings, chaplains are recognizably religious. In others, they are hard to distinguish from social workers or psychologists. I recently heard an address given by the president of a professional organization which board-certifies chaplains. In his speech, he argued that clients should not even know what religious body a chaplain represents. Clients will make assumptions about the chaplain which will invariably get in the way or lead to disappointment. In a way, that makes sense. Those whom chaplains assist do not always belong to the chaplain's own faith group, either broadly or narrowly. Many are not religious at all. He also said that chaplains should keep prayer out of the relationship. Aga...

The Apostle Paul said, "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29).  And what was that promise? Descendants and land. A people and a place. Greatness and blessings in general. Justice. Holding the world accountable for its treatment of God's covenant people. And lastly, that "all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3) In the Christian view, the church stands in continuity with the people of God from Abraham to Moses to the kings, priests, prophets and sages of the Old Testament. The various threads of the Old Testament story begin with Abraham and come to full maturity in Christ Jesus, who continues to exercise his many offices in the church until he comes again. God is fulfilling - in a small way - part of his promise to Abraham through Christian chaplains, spiritual heirs of the patriarch who bless the world beyond the local church. Christian chaplains a...