Comment on presentation at War College

Mikey Weinstein:

Thank you for your presentation at the Army War College. Particularly helpful and, frankly, surprising to me was your distinction between evangelicals and fundamentalists. So many people fail to recognize the distinctions and nuances and, e.g., the huge range within Protestant Christianity.

I’m ordained in the same denomination as your fellow panelist, Chaplain Kenneth Bush. Both he and I are members of a chaplain endorsing agency. We lamented the departure of certain groups (such as some you described) that left NCMAF (National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces, the endorsing agencies’ organization) and went off and formed their own organization, a competing one in effect, that they think will better serve their purposes.

On the other hand, our endorsing commission does have to intervene at times when one of our chaplains experiences discrimination by very liberal Protestant chaplain supervisors, e.g., who object to any expression (even somewhat privately) of opposition to ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, or to directives to hold joint “general Protestant” services (especially if sacraments are involved) with Mormons or Christian Science chaplains and so on.

Anyway, I’ve heard about some of your experiences at the Air Force Academy. I regret what happened, but view the perpetrators more as naïve, thoughtless, lacking self-reflection, etc. than as cunning, intentionally callous, or whatever. I felt like saying to you: “But Mr. Weinstein, they mean well. They just don’t understand. Give them a break!”

Now I see you as less “out to get people” than I’d imagined, and I’m glad for that. I deeply regret the false statements about your organization and the threats against you personally.

I served as a Pennsylvania Army National Guard chaplain for 22 years. I did everything I could to help the non-Protestants, including any number of practicing Jews. They were very appreciative. Rabbi Mark Shook here in St. Louis is a fellow volunteer police chaplain and personal friend, now just retired as senior rabbi at Temple Israel, but still a chaplain, occasional public radio guest commentator, and adjunct instructor for Judaism courses at Saint Louis University.

(name withheld)