MRFF – E-Mail Report

Mr. Weinstein, the event I’m reporting to MRFF for help about was the 509th Operations Support Squadron change of command at Whiteman AFB on June 14th, 2010  Heart of the Bible belt.
The prayer made me a little crazy — very “preachy”, lots of “heavenly father” and “father God” which drives me particularly nuts (I prefer the Christian Science “father-mother” God, though I think it’s belittling God to attach a gender OR a parent role) and I was listening VERY closely to see how it would end (4 generations of Protestant ministers in my family AND I went to Lutheran school) and there it was: “In Jesus’ name. Amen.” I wanted to holler out “Inshaa Allah” or “Shalom” just to make the point, but figured that wouldn’t go over very well.

I’m a retired military member, and I  come from a family that is well-educated, as well as a family with several who were formally trained as Protestant ministers.  It’s obvious to me that the military has been taking in evangelicals/fundamentalists who have low standards for ministerial training and ordination.  These chaplains, always men as far as I have seen, are more suited to missionary work than the clergy.  They are obviously more interested in conversion and judgment than in meeting people where they are.  My father and grandfather were, as devout Christian ministers, more concerned with allowing their actions to show their concern for people.  It seems like so many of today’s military chaplains, though not all, are blatant proselytizers, not Christ-like caregivers.

Warm regards,
(name withheld)