Issues@Hand

AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs

May 2015 – Navy Chaplain Wes Modder’s past Marine and Navy SEAL commanders called him a “national asset,” with “appropriate confidence and diplomacy to speak to the entire chain of command.” He was deemed “best of the best” of Navy chaplains.

His career spanned 20 years. During his tenure at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command, a few soldiers complained about the biblical views he shared in counseling sessions, even though he began each session by clearly stating his worldview and the biblical basis of his counseling approach.

Because of the complaints, the Navy requested Modder be barred from promotion, fired from his job as chaplain, and brought before a military Board of Inquiry. The board could force him out of the military altogether.

Captain Jon Fahs, commander of NNPTC, wrote in a letter that Modder was  “unable to function in the diverse and pluralistic environment” of the Navy.

Liberty Institute attorney Mike Berry said the Navy’s treatment of Modder is outrageous. Liberty is representing Modder and requesting he be fully reinstated.

onenewsnow.com, 3/10/15; navytime.com, 3//13/15