Teddy James

AFA Journal staff writer

February 2014 – On November 2, 2013, United Church of Christ chaplain Cynthia Lyndenmeyer officiated the first military male homosexual “wedding” ceremony at West Point Military Academy. It was not the first same sex wedding in the military, as two ceremonies for lesbian couples were held earlier in the year. Evangelical Christian chaplains are increasingly pressured to follow suit. Fortunately, some are fighting back.

The U.S. Army Chaplain Corps has the distinction of being one of the oldest and smallest branches of the U.S. military. On July 29, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized a chaplain for every regiment of the Continental Army to care for the spiritual needs of soldiers. Many militias also recruited chaplains for their ranks. The Chaplain Corps has seen many changes since its inception, but one thing has remained absolute: Pro Deo Et Patria (For God and Country).

Old solutions to new problems
The endorsing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, the North American Mission Board, updated its guidelines for chaplains after the military repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Supreme Court decided the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional. The updated guidelines state, “All religious ministry and pastoral care…will fully reflect the doctrine and practices of Southern Baptists as set forth in the Holy Scripture, The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, and The Southern Baptist Endorsement Manual for Chaplains … (and) will reflect the historic, natural and biblical view of marriage as God’s lifelong gift of ‘the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.’”

The guidelines also give practical limitations on SBC chaplains, stating they “will not conduct or attend a wedding ceremony for any same sex couple, bless such a union or perform counseling in support of such a union, assist or support paid contractors or volunteers leading a same sex relational event, nor offer any kind of relationship training or retreat, on or off of a military installation, that would give the appearance of accepting the homosexual lifestyle or sexual wrongdoing.”

Tom Carpenter, co-chair of Forum on the Military Chaplaincy and an elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA) criticized the guidelines, saying the SBC no longer “endorses inclusion, collegiality and pluralism.”

He later said, “Southern Baptist makes up the largest group of chaplains in the military, claiming some 1,400 endorsed chaplains. The NAMB has created an unnecessary and unprecedented conflict that appears irresolvable. It is a self-inflicted wound that could have a negative impact on the chaplaincy. For those chaplains who do support the guidelines and feel compelled to follow them, the only honorable course is to resign from the military chaplaincy and return to civilian ministry.”

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, strongly disagreed with Carpenter’s article and argument. In his response, “Can Evangelical Chaplains Serve God and Country? – The Crisis Arrives,” he said: 

The full normalization of same sex relationships within the U.S. military is part of the unprecedented moral revolution that is now reshaping American culture at virtually every level. The crisis in the chaplaincy arrived with these developments. The presenting issue is clear: Can a chaplain committed to historic biblical Christianity remain in military service? Does the normalization of homosexuality require that all members of the military, including chaplains, join the moral revolution, even if doing so requires them to abandon their biblical convictions?

He later said:

Chaplains are on the front lines of the great cultural and moral conflict of our times. This is a moment of crisis for the chaplains; but it is also a moment of crisis for the entire nation. If religious liberty is denied to evangelical Christian chaplains in the military, if they must surrender their convictions or their commissions, then religious liberty is lost in America and the chaplains will be the first casualties of this loss.

While the SBC is receiving much of the public’s ire about its policy on same sex marriage, Roman Catholic chaplains follow very similar beliefs and regulations from their endorsing agency, the Archdiocese for the Military Services.

From politics to practice
It is one thing to discuss policy and politics with pundits and pontificators. It is different when the conversation turns to practice with people whose lives, jobs and ministries are affected.

Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Terry Partin, Deputy Installation Chaplain for Greer Chapel at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is an 11-year veteran and has served on multiple deployments. He said, “The new guidelines are new in that we as chaplains have not had to face this in a formal way before. But they are not new in that they are a reaffirmation of what we’ve always done. Even without having these guidelines, I believe most SBC chaplains would have treated those requesting support with respect while continuing to stay faithful to our endorser and beliefs.”

When it comes to practical ministry, especially to those of different faith groups or in the homosexual lifestyle, Partin said, “I cannot perform certain religious sacraments of other faith groups, but I can refer to others who can assist someone looking for them. That’s the way it’s always been. Muslim individuals have come to me for counseling. I tell them that I am a Christian, and I promise that I will not beat them over the head with the Bible, but I let them know my counsel is going to have a Christian background. I always ask if they are comfortable with that and offer to find them someone else if they are not. Without fail, the person thanks me for showing respect and being honest. But I’ve never had anyone tell me no. And I do the same thing when a homosexual soldier comes into my office. I inform him where my counsel is grounded and, if that makes him uncomfortable, I offer to find someone he is comfortable with. That is what every chaplain I know does. While homosexuality has become a specific issue of focus as of late, similar issues have been around for years.”

So in light of new guidelines, an ever-changing culture and people who feel chaplains should leave the military, can ministers in camouflage still be effective? “Absolutely,” said Partin. “In Genesis, Joseph served in a very high position in a non-Jewish/non-Christian government, yet he maintained his integrity and was used of God to save many lives (Genesis 39-45). Daniel also served in a secular government and was used of God in many ways (Daniel 2ff). The biblical record shows that we can serve faithfully while maintaining our faith.”  

According to the Institute on Religion and Democracy (theird.org), three denominations classified by the military as General Protestant have given their blessing for chaplains to conduct same sex ceremonies:

▶ Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
▶ United Church of Christ
▶ The Episcopal Church (allows ministers to bless same sex unions, but not marriages. However, Bishop Jay Magness, Suffragan for Federal Ministries of the Episcopal Church, said the decision is up to individual chaplains.)