Does anyone know if there are any progressive chaplains in the military?

[Critters2]

I have a parishioner, a really kind, gentle, caring soul, who is in the Reserves. He's gotten orders to deploy soon, and is really down. Says things have gotten harder for glbt people in the service lately, and that one can't even trust chaplains. Hopes to be able to stay in touch with me via e-mail and maybe facebook, but is not looking forward to the next year.

Do any of you know of military chaplains who are supportive? I wouldn't put a chaplain in contact with this person for confidentiality reasons, but I'd like to be in touch with military chaplains who might be safe for glbt folks.

It's kind of sad when a service member voices more concern about other members than about the enemy. It would help if the President would take a clear stand. But alas...

[shimmergal]

1. I don't know any chaplains,

but just finished researching and writing an article on chaplains in WWII. At that time they definitely aimed to be inclusive of all soldiers' belief systems, and to serve as a "friend in need" rather than pushing their faith on others.

However, I gather that's changed recently, with the growing number of fundamentalists in the chaplain corps. Partly it's a problem because of the low enlistment rate of new clergy from mainstream Protestant groups (and also, I think,of Catholic & Jewish clergy). These tend to be more anti-war on principal (or at least anti-G. Bush's wars), more tend to be women, and many go into the ministry as a second career, which makes them too old to join the armed forces. So, in effect, this abandons the field to fundamentalists, even without the public favoritism at the AF Academy etc.

So my guess is, if you can find a chaplain from almost any moderate-to-liberal faith, he would be more supportive to your young friend. If you can get personal recommendations on one or two, so much the better! Good luck; I salute you for thinking of this.

[wryter2000]

2. There must be sympathetic chaplains in the military

I'd have no idea how to find one. I wonder if one of DU's veterans could point you to someone. We must have a veterans and/or military group where you could ask.

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Yes, there are - but they are few in number, thanks - I hate to say it - to peaceniks.

There's certainly a real anti-military strain in the UCC and other mainlines, and so clergy haven't been pushed or suggested to go into military chaplaincy for decades; though, thank God, some still have, even at the derision and snorts of their oh-so-much-more-holy clergy peers.

Which means that, in yet another important frontier of the world, the mainline liberal Christians have smugged themselves right out of the picture and let the rightwing, uneducated, untrained shitpots take over.