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Introduction
The military chaplain is vital in the armed forces, providing army personnel with guidance and counseling, performing rites, and attending to their spirituality. Furthermore, a military chaplain is obliged to support anyone seeking it, disregarding a persons denomination. While Christian chaplains do not minister outside their faith tradition in the army, they are spiritual guides of every soldier and officer, their relatives, and affected civilians. In their service, military members often face difficult moral choices and sometimes even question God as they partake in the acts of war. Emotional well-being, morale, and spirit depend on the pastors character and the ability to tend to the soldiers needs. Thus, one cannot stress the importance of the chaplains role as a counselor in that particular context enough.
The Importance of a Military Chaplain
The military environment provides chaplains with a duality in their identity. They are both pastors and officers, which incites a discussion in religious studies on how it affects the chaplains divine work. Nevertheless, the rank is nominal as the army chaplain has no authority and cannot bear arms. Still, they complete military training, including weapon use, and are obliged to wear an officers rank. The evaluation criteria, physique standards, fitness test, and professional military education requirements for chaplains are similar, if not the same, as for other recruits (Morris, 2017). It is partly due to the notion that every military member should be fit for service and have the essential competencies of a soldier. However, the main reason is that it brings a chaplain closer to their counselees. Morris (2017) notes how it creates an environment in counseling that allows a soldier to have more relational power and have a safe space within the army framework to discuss issues (p. 111). As a result, the military chaplains identity does not differ from that of a civil clergyman and should be established in Christ and have a divine purpose.
A chaplains words and actions should guide and strengthen an individuals faith, whether or not they are Christian. For that, a chaplain needs to understand their counselees and establish a deep connection with them. The military can help with that as it is a religiously diverse environment representing numerous beliefs. William Payne argues that a chaplain should be able to develop a theology that helps them minister in a pluralistic setting while embracing pluralism, the pluralistic context, without compromising their own faith identity (as cited in Cadge et al., 2020, p. 202). The military provides the necessary experience to build an open-minded and unbiased theology that does not impose Christianity on the unconcerned. Similarly, it fosters tolerance toward other denominations, requiring the promotion of soldiers faith as a whole rather than any specific religion. It is a quintessence of the pastors divine call: to help individuals face their physical and emotional difficulties and serve them in finding a righteous path.
On the bright side, the military context definitely strengthens the role of a chaplain as a counselor, enabling both professional and personal improvement. Conversely, it can have a detrimental influence on a chaplains character. Hansen (2012) allocates three dilemmas that exist within the profession: dilemma of diversity, divided loyalties, and dilemma of legitimacy (as cited in Liuski & Ubani, 2020, p. 4). Working with a religiously diverse group may threaten the pastors identity if they cannot maintain clear standing on their identification and role as a Christian. Moreover, some chaplains may find pluralism uncomfortable or intolerable, leading to indiscriminate sharing of their faith and rendering their pastoral work unethical (Cadge et al., 2020). To avoid these issues, pastors should embrace their identity in Christ, which is the foundation for Christian benevolent character and conduct. Asserting freedom, empathy, and humility build mutual understanding between a chaplain and their counselees.
The second and third dilemmas are institutional and question to what extent a military chaplain works in the name of their church. The chaplains duality imposes on them the demands and respective hierarchies of two institutions (Liuski & Ubani, 2020, p. 4). Furthermore, military chaplains are often paid for their duties from the public budget while they ought to be ordained by the respective church (Liuski & Ubani, 2020). These dilemmas cause discussions about chaplains militarization and the appropriateness of a clergyperson working in the military. While the Scriptures do not prohibit military service, militaristic commitments can contradict Christian precepts, notably working for peace. Liuski and Ubani (2020) claim that this is a question of the role of Christianity and religion in Western societies today (p. 4). However, as the times and nuances change, the primary purpose of a pastor as a counselor does not shift to something mundane. Chaplains are advised not to identify themselves as military members but instead as the clergymen working for the military to avoid mixing the pastors divine purpose with militaristic commitments.
Conclusion
In conclusion, chaplains perform an important job in the army, caring for military personnel, counseling them in hardships, and promoting faith. Wearing a rank provides a pastor with the necessary instruments to carry out their divine duties in the army. Additionally, military training and doctrines facilitate sound body, mind, and spirit, enabling chaplains professional and personal growth. A pluralistic environment further develops the pastors identity, teaching them an ethical approach to ministry and tolerance toward other religions, beliefs, and cultures. Although the positive impact is evident, the military context may detrimentally influence the pastors identity. The militarization of chaplains expressed by the duality in their position and pluralism is difficult to grasp for the unprepared. It is vital to clearly understand ones role as a counselor and have impartial awareness of ones identity as a Christian.
References
Liuski, T., & Ubani, M. (2020). How is military chaplaincy in Europe portrayed in European scientific journal articles between 2000 and 2019? A multidisciplinary review. Religions, 11(10), 540. Web.
Morris, J. T. (2017). The army chaplain as a counselor: An exploration of self-reflexivity and denominational particularities. Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry, 37, 107-120. Web.
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