Military Chaplains are being told not to pray in the name of Jesus.
This story from The Washington Times highlights a recent controversy in the U.S.Navy. The military chaplains are being told that they cannot pray in the name of Jesus even if that is their faith. No such restrictions are apparently being given to the Muslim Chaplains concerning Allah. Apparently, John 3:37 was the controversial verse that sparked the censorship. Asking the Chaplain to be ecumenical verses Evangelical was the center point of the disciplinary actions.
Some critics who support the chaplain says that asking a Chaplain to not use the name of Jesus is tantamount to asking soldiers not to speak English in a foreign country.
The Air Force is working on ways to encourage pluralism at the Academy.
My take on it all...as a Chaplains helper at a State Detention Center..is that the Chaplains should be sensitive to the beliefs of others and should use sound ecumenical and pluralistic judgment as to what they say...but that they should in no way be banned from using the name of Jesus if that is central to their individual faith.
A couple of other links that address this controversy from both "sides" are to be found
here and
here.The Military has their own site
here that gives appropriate guidelines.
So what does everyone think? Are the evangelical Chaplains pushing it too far? Should a Chaplain be so watered down and pluralistic that they quench their own faith in the process? Moreover, should the government be the final arbitrator?
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