A nation at war, an Army at war
By Daniel J. Sparks 28 September 2006. Filed in Deployment.
0I am constantly amazed by people who seem surprised that those who join the military are deployed to engage in war. After all, that’s why armies exist.
Sure, there are arguments of just and unjust wars, but there are no logical definitions of military armies and non-military armies. An army is, by definition, military. Those who join it bear arms. Arms are used to fight and kill.
Yes, I can believe that some Americans enlist in the Army (and other military services) for money, for education, and for other benefits. I have a harder time believing that those who enlist for these reasons are so naive as to think that the military is some club for upward social mobility and not a machine of war.
Cowardice is a term infrequently used these days, but it is a characteristic alive and well.
Although I don’t carry a weapon and am a noncombatant, I didn’t accept a commission in the Army because I wanted to stage a passive protest. Yes, chaplains are deliberate noncombatants, and I realize the value of this. But we are still soldiers in the defense of our nation; a chaplain who betrays this nation shall still suffer the consequences of his treason. Therefore, my thoughts on this matter do not even reflect on the noncombatant chaplain.
Instead, my thoughts turn to those who, for their own inane reasons, become soldiers in name only. Inwardly, they are interested only in their own machinations and are not compelled with love of country and liberty. There may be some place in the military for conscientious objectors, but anyone who joins the armed forces with the intent of avoiding arms or being involved in the maneuvers of war is at best naive and at worst an imbecile.
Does this mean that soldiers are blood-thirsty, cravers of the deaths of their enemies? Not in the least. As the saying goes, no one cherishes peace so much as he who fights the war. It is natural for a man who loves life and liberty to defend his family, his nation.
And so go I to war. Just as ministers accompanied their flocks to battle in the days of the American Revolution, so they continue today. The cure of souls does not end where the threats of tyranny begin.
O LORD God of Hosts, stretch forth, we pray thee, thine almighty arm to strengthen and protect the soldiers of our country; Support them in the day of battle, and in the time of peace keep them safe from all evil; endue them with courage and loyalty; and grant that in all things they may serve without reproach; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Army chaplaincy recruiting information
By Daniel J. Sparks 24 September 2006. Filed in News & Commentary.
0From the Army Chief of Chaplains September newsletter:
What’s required to be a US Army Chaplain?
1. An ecclesiastical endorsement from a recognized faith group. This endorsement should certify that the applicant is:
a. A clergy person.
b. Qualified spiritually, morally, intellectually and emotionally to serve as a Chaplain in the Army.
c. Sensitive to religious pluralism and able to provide for the free exercise of religion by all military personnel, their family members and civilians who work for the Army.2. Educationally, the applicant must:
a. Possess a baccalaureate degree of not less than 120 semester hours.
b. Possess a graduate-level degree in religious and theological studies, which includes at least 72 hours.3. Be a U. S. citizen or permanent resident.
4. Be able to receive a favorable background check.
5. Pass a physical exam.
6. As to age, normally less than 40; but there are exceptions. The exceptions can be addressed by a Chaplain Recruiter (call toll free: 1-866-684-1571, press 1, press 1 again, then enter zip code).For more information on qualifications for US Army chaplaincy, visit the website at http://chaplain.goarmy.com or call 866/684-1571 and follow the prompts to reach your local Chaplain Recruiting Team (CRT) who can answer your questions.
A $10,000 bonus for newly accessioned officers, payable upon successful completion of the Chaplain Officer Basic Course (CHOBC) and assignment to a USAR Troop Program Unit (TPU), is currently available.
The USAR provides Tuition Assistance for Chaplain Candidates up to $4,500 per year (contact Dale Spannbauer, Fort McCoy, WI at 608/388-5072).
CH (LTC) Kenneth L. Beale, Jr. Kenneth.beale@usarec.army.mil, (502) 626-0722, Chief. Chaplaincy Recruiting Branch, USAREC.
Boots on the Ground: Sergeant Major’s security team
By Admin 22 September 2006. Filed in News & Commentary.
0Boots on the Ground: September 11 Remembrance
By Admin 15 September 2006. Filed in News & Commentary.
0Every Man’s Battle
By Daniel J. Sparks 3 September 2006. Filed in Resources.
2
I’m currently reading Every Man’s Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker. This is a book helpful for those struggling with pornography and lust. Every pastor should read this book and consider it for use in pornography-recovery groups; I intend to use it so.
Lest we forget
By Daniel J. Sparks 29 May 2006. Filed in Deployment.
0On this Memorial Day, we honor the dead—those fallen in defense of this great nation. Let us ever remember them and the price they paid. And let us continue, with diligence, the protection of such valued liberty.
The words of Rudyard Kipling’s hymn come to mind. We mustn’t be confident in our own might or our own designs without first being confident in the Lord.
God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle line,
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine—
Lord God of hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!The tumult and the shouting dies;
The captains and the kings depart;
Still stands thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Ninevah and Tyre!
Judge of the nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that have not thee in awe,
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser breeds without the law—
Lord God of hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!For heathen heart that puts her trust
In reeking tube and iron shard,
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
And guarding, calls not to thee to guard,
For frantic boast and foolish word—
Thy mercy on thy people, Lord! Amen.
Prayers in Jesus’ name
By Daniel J. Sparks 27 May 2006. Filed in Ethics, News & Commentary.
0I posted the following elsewhere. It offers only a brief introduction of my thoughts on public ceremonial prayer in Jesus’ name by military chaplains.
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At the schoolhouse [Army Chaplain School], my class was told repeatedly not to pray in Jesus’ name. When I was a chaplain candidate, a supervisory chaplain asked me to write a prayer for a graduation; he scolded me for inserting Christ’s name in an “ecumenical setting”. I know of similar incidents secondhand.
I have also run into supervisory chaplains who would go to the wall for their chaplains who prayed according to the forms of their faith.
If the Army didn’t want me to minister according to my faith, it wouldn’t require me to have an ecclesiastical endorsement. If the Army prefers that I be deity-indifferent, it should have not required me to have an ecclesiastical endorsement. I can’t pray to a civic god because no such god exists; I can’t pray to an unknown god. My faith is in a specific (the specific) God, and to pray to anyone or anything else–or no one else–is only meaningless babble. If a commander bars me from praying at a ceremony because I do so in the name of Jesus, then he doesn’t understand prayer and only wants it for show–not to pray in Jesus name would be mere ceremonial blather. Meaningless prayer is no prayer at all.
I should expect clergy of other religions to feel the same about their own prayers.
There is no need, in prayer at a public civic ceremony, to have an “altar call”. After all, the prayer is directed to God, not to the crowd. The crowd is afforded the opportunity to listen in on the prayer, as a means of encouragement, reflection, and–if they desire–agreement. At a change of command, for example, the goal of the ceremony is not spiritual revival but recognition of the staff change; so, I should be offering a prayer that focuses on that topic. However, I will certainly direct the prayer to Almighty God; I will not invoke the favor of some nameless deity. I do not profess faith in a nameless god, and the Army knew that when I came in and wanted it that way.
Provide or perform? A ceremonial prayer is not an issue of providing. Since chaplains are called on to pray (to God), they are performing religious services according to their faith tradition. It is impossible to pray to an atheistic god because, in an atheistic worldview, no god exists. The fact that chaplains are called on to pray implies belief in God.
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