Participants: Lincoln Steed (Host), Paul Anderson
Series Code: LI
Program Code: LI000310B
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00:05 Welcome back to the "Liberty Insider."
00:07 Before the break with Paul Anderson 00:09 we were deconstructing Adventist chaplaincy work 00:13 which as I had to reminded 00:16 as more than just military chaplaincy, 00:18 it's the hospital chaplains and airport chaplains. 00:22 And in fact-- Community, police. 00:25 Community, in disaster situations and so on 00:29 and of course you are intersecting 00:30 with other departments 00:32 within the Seventh-day Adventist church 00:33 because we have a department that deals with disaster relief 00:37 and providing food and other things like that. 00:41 Right. 00:42 So the chaplains would be integral with that? 00:44 The community service chaplains have specific training 00:49 that helps them prepare for responses, 00:53 disaster responses or other kids of things 00:56 and we would work hand and glove with ADRA 00:58 or some of the other community service interjected. 01:00 Yeah. 01:05 I think at another program I asked you for some stories 01:07 but tell me some stories you can remember 01:10 of some of the chaplains in our systems. 01:13 What are some interesting situations 01:15 that they found themselves in army or military 01:17 or in some disaster? 01:20 We have, my latest and best story 01:23 I wish had the graphic for it. 01:26 We have a chaplain, he is a brand new navy chaplain 01:30 down on the Island of Diego Garcia 01:32 out in the Indian Ocean. 01:34 It is Indian ocean territory. 01:36 He got there and he was eight weeks 01:39 in chaplain corps, 01:41 his senior chaplain was relieved. 01:43 And there were about 2,500 people on the-- 01:46 That naval support activity down there. 01:49 So he was left as a brand new navy chaplain 01:51 and lieutenant to run the command religious program. 01:56 He has done a great job but the thing 01:59 that I admire most this Lieutenant Zachary Juniper 02:04 there was reported at General Conference 02:06 that there were no Adventists there they were actually two 02:10 and he baptized another one in the lagoon 02:13 at Diego Garcia so now there are three. 02:18 That's an interesting point. Let me ask you, what did the-- 02:21 He's the only chaplain on that base, right? 02:23 Correct. 02:24 But often there are more chaplains, 02:27 how is that seen by the chaplaincy fraternity 02:31 if one chaplain baptizes 02:34 someone to his particular persuasion? 02:36 We don't proselytize so-- 02:38 That's what I thought not so ever. 02:40 I just wondered to have word. 02:41 Over an evangelism is not preferred 02:44 however lifestyle is and when the chaplain 02:50 is reflecting the character of Christ 02:53 and Christ is lifted up through his ministry 02:56 or hers people are drawn to them 02:58 and they will say, "Well, what's it makes you different? 03:01 Why do you have that glove?" 03:03 Well, it might be because of health emphasis, 03:05 it might be because of a that vibrant spiritual life. 03:09 And when we are asked to share our distinctives 03:14 we are free to do that. 03:15 And if a person says, "Well, I believe 03:18 in these 28 fundamentals that you've taught me 03:21 and I want to be baptized 03:22 into the Seventh-day Adventist church. 03:25 I would be a little upset with the chaplain 03:27 who wouldn't baptize that person. 03:29 That's good, and it doesn't ruffle any feathers 03:32 or anything wouldn't that up? 03:33 No, not if we were holding a six week evangelist campaign 03:39 on the base I would probably get a call 03:41 from the chief of chaplain saying, 03:44 "You might want to call that guy 03:46 but we teach them pretty well 03:49 how to be team players and community ministry. 03:52 Let's discuss a case-- I'm not trying to ambush you 03:55 but this is a squarely one 03:57 and you probably got an answer to it. 03:59 Hope I got. So you have an answer. 04:01 There was a case quite some years ago on a major US base 04:06 where there were several chaplain 04:09 may be not at the same time 04:10 but obviously they had to run different programs 04:14 and the wiccans had-- 04:17 Fort Worth, Texas. Yeah. 04:19 You know the whole story and a number of the chaplains 04:23 when faced with that resigned or asked for a transfer 04:26 or whatever but they what moved on, 04:28 wouldn't deal with it. 04:31 It turned out that one of our Adventist chaplains 04:33 was assigned there and he authorized-- 04:38 Well, it's the wrong word, 04:39 he was the authorizing authority for this meetings. 04:42 There was misreporting because in that case 04:45 did the Adventist or the others preside 04:47 over a wiccan meeting. 04:49 Correct. 04:50 But what-- just explain that more. 04:52 I've skipped over so you might want to-- 04:53 Curiously the chaplain who was involved 04:57 in that was my predecessor is the director 04:59 of Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries, 05:01 Colonel Gary Councell. And-- 05:03 Oh, was that, Gary? It was Gary. 05:05 Oh, I know but I never asked him about the case. 05:07 He took the dynamic position that everyone has a right 05:14 to worship in their own way 05:17 and if we don't defend someone else's right to worship 05:22 we may not be able to command our own. 05:26 So he as part of the role of chaplains 05:30 is first to provide 05:31 to facilitating care and advise. 05:35 So he did all of those things. 05:37 Obviously you can't provide 05:39 service in ministry for a wiccan 05:41 but he advocated that their right be facilitated 05:46 and he demonstrated care for those individuals 05:50 and their human right to worship. 05:53 You know, I couldn't say that he did the wrong thing at all 05:55 but it becomes a little ambiguous 05:58 on the religious liberty principle 06:00 I agree absolutely. 06:02 We have to defend the right for everybody to believe 06:05 or disbelieve as they moved in themselves 06:08 and not just defend the right it's such an important right 06:13 that we need to give our all to defend it 06:15 because we are defending everybody 06:16 not just that person with an unpopular belief. 06:18 Correct. 06:19 But it's there as a dynamic in the Old Testament 06:22 that gives me a little pause. 06:23 It says, we are not to facilitate witchcraft 06:27 and where I get out of it on this event, 06:30 I think there is a misunderstanding on wiccans 06:33 it's really more folk religion 06:40 of the elemental spirits and so on 06:43 but not in a spiritualistic sense. 06:44 I mean, I don't think it's a good religion 06:46 but it's I wouldn't myself call it-- 06:49 It's certainly not like LaVey and his Church of Satan. 06:52 It's true. I would be very-- 06:54 Wouldn't you as a chaplain very conflicted 06:58 at the very least 07:00 if I was having to authorize little on run for someone, 07:06 now the worship of Satan. 07:08 Yet that individual has the right. 07:11 Oh, the individual does. 07:12 So the chaplain's role 07:14 will not be facilitating providing the sacraments. 07:20 They just basically sign-- 07:22 I mean, it might be a simplest singing off on an authority. 07:25 Exactly, saying to ideally and in fact, 07:28 when I was at Andrews Air Force base 07:30 I had a similar experience and I-- 07:35 It was my job to do a needs assessment for that faith group 07:42 and having completed the needs assessment 07:46 to forward the request up to the commanding officer 07:51 and advocate that individual's right to worship. 07:55 Don't agree with it. 07:57 Wouldn't go to it but it's the provision of care. 08:03 We care about everyone of the individuals 08:06 under our ministry of sorts 08:11 and so in caring about their spiritual development 08:15 and their First Amendment right to do so we provide care. 08:20 Yeah, and principles plan like I say on religious liberty 08:24 it's just on the margins 08:26 and individual mind need to think, 08:29 you know, I'm going beyond allowing 08:31 or creating the climate 08:33 where they can make a choice for the church 08:36 or as they have that choice on this 08:38 or am I actually making it easier for them to-- 08:42 But again it comes down to a purely personal thing 08:45 and I could see why in a given situation 08:48 one individual might say I can't 08:50 but conscience do that in other upfront. 08:53 You know, I had those young man on my ship 08:56 when I was a chaplain aboard the USS Monterey` 08:58 who was wiccan. 09:00 And we had an interesting experience. 09:04 Every night the chaplain at sea offers 09:06 and evening prayer. 09:08 And after that we would stand out 09:10 on the bridge wing and talk. 09:12 And it was good opportunity. 09:15 He had grown up southern Baptist 09:17 but because of he thought their restrictive nature 09:22 he went a different route. 09:24 But in reality he was living in rebellion 09:28 but he was growing back toward faith. 09:32 And he actually identified me as his chaplain 09:37 knowing I was Seventh-day Adventist but-- 09:39 So you are encouraging him back to more God based faith? 09:45 Absolutely. 09:46 Because I mean, I'm not an expert on wiccans, 09:48 but I think it's sort of an amorphous worship of the-- 09:52 Well, as Paul says, the elemental spirits. 09:54 Elemental spirits. 09:56 So it could be someone that wandering. 09:58 It has a need for spirituality 10:00 that doesn't hasn't figured out where to find God. 10:03 Let me say something about 10:04 how a person becomes a chaplain. 10:07 Yes. 10:08 That would obviously someone who has grown up 10:12 or become a Seventh-day Adventist church member 10:16 who feels called into ministry, pastoral ministry, 10:21 ideally they would have some experience 10:23 in that either as a an ordained local elder 10:26 and of course pursuing a master of divinity degree 10:29 and after that they would go online 10:33 to nad.adventistchaplains.org 10:36 and build a profile and a request for endorsement. 10:40 And we have assistant directors who would mentor them 10:44 in that application process. 10:46 Once that's done we have an ACM committee meeting 10:49 that reviews the application and the interviews 10:54 and decides whether to recommend them 10:57 as Seventh-day Adventist chaplains. 11:00 Now it's not impossible 11:01 for a Seventh-day Adventist pastor 11:03 who is not working for the church 11:05 to enter the chaplaincy program 11:07 under some other endorsement isn't it? 11:09 No. 11:11 A Seventh-day Adventist chaplain 11:13 will be endorsed by the Seventh-day Adventist church. 11:16 Now there are some people who carry the title chaplain, 11:20 who have not been endorsed 11:22 some of the campuses hired chaplains who-- 11:26 And there are several levels. 11:28 So we have an associate endorsement 11:30 that requires lesser degree of training 11:33 than the full endorsement. 11:35 But we are working on that, when I get to be-- 11:37 Now I just thought I met a chaplain 11:40 who was a Seventh-day Adventist 11:42 but he didn't go through right track 11:44 and was in the military. 11:46 Could he go and be endorsed by some other church thought? 11:50 Usually the endorsement by another church 11:53 requires an affirmation to their doctrine. 11:57 And in that case they would not be Seventh-day Adventist. 12:01 Let me ask you one last question very quickly. 12:04 Is the chaplaincy proportional to the church membership 12:07 and the community or in the military? 12:09 There used to be a proportional need 12:12 where they would say, 12:13 "Well, there are this many Adventist 12:14 so we can only have this many Adventist chaplains." 12:17 That doesn't stand anymore in the military 12:20 so if you are qualified you can get in. 12:27 A few years ago before I was editing Liberty Magazine 12:31 I interviewed General Barry McCaffrey, 12:34 then the drugs are but only months 12:37 before I interviewed him 12:39 the hero was the second in command of desert war 12:43 or Gulf war one. 12:45 I introduced myself as a Seventh-day Adventist 12:47 and he said "Seventh-day Adventist" 12:49 he said, "I own my life to a Seventh-day Adventist 12:53 medical corpsman in Vietnam." 12:57 Made me feel good to think that a young man 13:00 back in that earlier era 13:02 had so practically witnessed to his faith. 13:05 Through the chaplaincy program also men and women 13:10 are able to administer the love of Christ 13:13 to soldiers in harm's way physically and morally. 13:19 For Liberty Insider, this is Lincoln Steed. |
Revised 2015-12-24