The Reformation
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 60, No. 1 – Fall 2017
Managing Editor: W. Madison Grace II
Change and Conflict in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps since 1945. By Anne C. Loveland. Knoxville: University of Tennessee, 2014. 349 pages. Hardcover, $64.00.
In this work, Loveland traces the use of Army chaplains in various training programs designed to address ethical, character, and morale issues among the soldiers. She begins by outlining the advent of character and citizenship training by chaplains following WWII, when senior military leaders observed an unprecedented breakdown of discipline and morals among soldiers. The largely secular training took on religious overtones, and was billed as “Americanism” and set against (largely atheistic) Communism.
With the rise of secularism and evangelicalism in the 1960’s (or at least, the rise of their public voices), the stage was set for controversy within the chaplain corps. In particular, concerns over Establishment by secularists and Free Exercise by conservative religionists manifested themselves in battles over the mandatory Unified Sunday School program, the General Protestant services, and the character guidance programs. Conservatives complained of being forced to compromise their beliefs in an effort to be more ecumenical in the first two, and both groups complained about the influence of religion or lack thereof—depending on perspective—in the third. Loveland correctly notes that these issues were to figure highly in the coming decades, both with regard to the nature/scope of the military chaplaincy and to its very survival.
Loveland then turns to the intense scrutiny to which the chaplaincy was subjected during the Vietnam War. As she rightly notes, the dual role of chaplains as clergy and military officers “rendered them particularly vulnerable, and they were singled out for a special kind of censure” (39). They were charged with compromising their prophetic role—especially in light of American atrocities and a failure of chaplains to speak out—and were criticized for being largely unprepared ethically and pastorally for the harsh realities of the war. However, Loveland also notes that attitudes toward the chaplaincy tended to reflect a larger cultural divide regarding the role of religion in public service and the kind of religion appropriate to that venue/arena.
Loveland then traces the chaplaincy’s attempts at professionalization following Vietnam. From an emphasis upon Clinical Pastoral Education, to a significant modification of the Army’s Chaplain School curriculum, and to a more focused use of chaplains as ethics instructors at service schools across the Army, the Chief of Chaplains sought to increase the visibility, stature, and competency of the Army chaplaincy. This led to a greater acceptance of the chaplain’s prophetic role vis-à-vis nuclear proliferation during the Cold War.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, chaplain activities took on a greater advisement component as chaplains sought to clarify their role(s) as religious leaders and professional military officers. With this increased attention to the military side of chaplaincy functions came increased tensions in balancing pluralism in the military with chaplains’ responsibilities as representatives of distinctive faith groups and denominations. Concerns over proselytizing and sectarian prayers arose in the late 80s, but were not clearly addressed by Army leadership or by chaplaincy endorsers. Only when these issues arose as part of a broader culture war within civilian circles— largely as a result of problems in the Air Force and Navy—did Army chaplaincy leadership address them specifically. As Loveland correctly notes, though, the Army did not produce ad hoc guidelines (as the AF and Navy), but drew upon tradition and already existing doctrine. By and large, then, the Army was able to avoid the level of scandal experienced in both of the other service chaplaincies.
While Loveland’s account is thorough and engaging, she offers less analysis than desired. For example, when she addresses the culture war that flared up following the proselytization scandal at the United States Air Force Academy, she does not provide an explanation for why the Army was better equipped to address concerns regarding Constitutionality; she simply states that it was in a better position to do so. More reflection on this difference between the services would prove valuable to the work and readers interested (in particular) in these contentious issues.
A second weakness of the book involves the analysis she did provide regarding the battles over worship, prayer, and ecumenism. Uncharacteristically, Loveland criticizes those chaplains who insisted on their own rights to evangelize (during the 2005–2006 culture war), charging them with having “little regard … for either moral suasion or official military regulations” (231). She claims they elevated their own constitutional rights over those of the soldiers to whom they are supposed to minister, but this is an unfair and unsubstantiated assessment. She offers no evidence that any chaplain made comments to this effect. A more charitable interpretation of those chaplains’ position is simply to see their argument as an assertion of their right to pray—if asked to do so—in a manner consistent with their own beliefs, something mandated by Army regulations and the concepts underlying ecclesiastical endorsement. The chaplains were not fighting to have sectarian prayers at command events, but rather to have prayers reflect the one praying when they are included in the program.
Despite these minor shortcomings, Loveland’s book is invaluable for those interested in the history of military chaplaincy. She takes a serious look at the how chaplains address moral and ethical issues within the U.S. Army while also providing spiritual care to the service members and serving as professional staff officers within the military hierarchy. The work is largely descriptive, and is a treasure trove of historical information on U.S. Army chaplaincy work in addressing soldier morality and morale, PTSD (and its various manifestations), and the differences in roles for a changing military and culture.
