Can a Fundamental Baptist be a Military Chaplain ?

If they can't stay fundamental then he doesn't have much in the first place. I have a close friend who is winning people to Christ all over the place. He is a chaplain in the US Navy.

 

The role of a chaplin in the military is different then that of a pastor. The individual has to settle it in their mind/ heart if they can operate in such conditions. I have meet a few fundamental chaplins, so it has been done.

 

Religion in the U.S. Military:

Forty years ago I volunteered for military duty; and would eventually serve for 22 years.

When it came time to fill out the "religious preference" block on some paperwork, we were given five basic choices: Catholic, Protestant,Jewish, other, and no preference.

I selected "no preference."

 

My dad was able to select "Baptist" when he was in the Navy- still has the dog tags to prove it...

The GARBC also endorses chaplains... I heard of a man who had moved from Iowa to Wisconsin, but maintained his church membership in Iowa because it was a GARBC church and he could keep his chaplaincy status (the church he attended in Wisconsin was not affiliated with the GARBC).

 

Religion in the U.S. Military, Part II:

Following are more observations which I was unable to "edit" to the first part.

Several years later, it was time to make "dogtags" again. The same choices for "religion" were listed. In the interim, having been "born again" and a member of a New Testament Baptistic Church, I balked at being forced into a category of which I could not agree.(Real Baptists are not part of the so-called Protestant Reformation), I discussed the matter with the clerk and was advised I could have the word BAPTIST stamped on the tags. And so it was done. I still have them.

Far be it from me to generalize the chaplaincy. I did have occasion to attend "protestant" services in many parts of the world from 1964 to 1995. Most of what I perceived was a "watered down" social-gospel, universal church, borderline humanistic service. The sermons were "ear tickling" and basically "canned"--kind of like what is found in what is commonly called "neo-evangelic" today--the "Crystal Cathedral" kind of gospel. Selah

Most chaplains who want to function by the dictates of Jesus would have difficulty(not impossible) under the type of hiearchy found in the military. There can be no "respect of persons" allowed in a New Testament environment.

There is a place for a chaplain on the battlefield--but probably not to minister "extreme unction". There is only one priest between a man and his maker--The Lord, Jesus--He is the only mediator. That is the real message--the only gospel--battlefield or barracks.

Selah,

Bro. James

 

Was Jesus open-minded and fundamental?

While this is perhaps a "strawman" supposition, methinks both adjectives cannot be applied to the same person without being a bit "oxymoronic."

Jesus was not open minded:
He told the Jews if they did not believe that He was I AM THAT I AM, they would die in their sins. Their father Abraham could not save them. They had a real problem with that--still do. Jesus called their temple a "den of thieves". What would He call our "temples" today?

Jesus is very narrow minded: "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life; NOT ONE GETS TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME."

Jesus told the First Church that there would be many coming in His Name, saying He is Christ--that they would deceive many. This is being fulfilled even in our generation.

"Why do you call me Lord and do not the things that I say?" Jesus,the fundamentalist: circa A.D. 33.

Selah,

Bro. James

[ October 09, 2004, 07:28 AM: Message edited by: Bro. James ]

 

Good for you! You are my friend.

How the world needs Christians who will care for others and declare Christ openly in the midst of non-believers. I have seen too many preachers shut the door to getting to know the couple and leading them to Christ. We must take advantage of each opportunity God gives. You never know what God may do. I remember one time we were having a prayer meeting and someone knocked on the door. We stopped the prayer meeting because the person who knocked on the door wanted to know how to become a Christian. He had seen his friend's life change (that was only a few weeks earlier). His friend was in the prayer meeting.

Yeras ago I had a summer job at a small factory. I had been a Christian about two months. Some of the men knew it too. I hardly knew anything about the Bible. So they would sort of pester me. During that time I began to hear from other Christians how our supervisor led them to Christ. One luch time that supervisor came into the break room and was talking with us in casual conversation. It wasn't but a few minutes and he started talking about Christ. I will never forget how I felt and what I saw. There were men who were eating with a snadwich in their hand and when he was done sharing the gospel with them the sandwich was still the same place. They had not taken a bite during that time. Just in that short time of three months many came toi Christ and the place was changed. Workers started witnessing to others who were not believers. It was a diferent place.

What God does is no less than miraculous. We ought to open the flood gates of our life so others can see Jesus in us.

Dr. Bob those are encouraging words. I am glad that there are men like you who will seek non-believers to make known the greatest news ever. If we told the news with the same enthusiam as wel cheer for our favorite winning team Jesus would be known all over the place.

 

To DR. Bob--"Nothing personal--to be sure"

We seem to be having a semantics problem. We both have our own set of definitions and paradigms. We disagree on some basic issues.

When two people disagree, they both cannot be right--they can both be wrong. How does one decide? The Word of God is the only authority on such matters--it matters not what men think, say or do

Selah,

Bro. James

 

Brownbelt, go to: www.ifca.org and you will see a quick links box on the home page of Independent Fundamental Churches of America. On the quick links bar, you can click on Chaplaincies that we support. Best to you in your decision.

 

There is a serious need for chaplains right now in the US military. The chaplancy rate is just over 50% of needed positions and the military is looking for men to be chaplains. In fact, they have changed the requirements somewhat to make it possible for more men to get into the chaplancy.

A number of Baptist organizations are providing sponsorship for military chaplains. These are one I know of:
FBF
NTAIBC
GARBC

Also contact Dr. Mike Marshall at his MEPS office in Milwaukee for chaplain [email protected]

 

Understand this. In the Chaplaincy you have two masters - God and the Branch of the Military you serve in. You'll have a boss, a higher ranking officer who may well be a Mormon, a Catholic, An Episcopalian, or etc. If he gives you an order you don't like you'll have to do it.

 

Brownbelt,

OK - then 3 masters.