Douglas Carver, senior executive director of chaplaincy for the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) North American Mission Board (NAMB) and a retired U.S. army major general who served as the 22nd army chief of chaplains, said, “I am grateful for Secretary Hegseth’s remarks on this important issue.”
“In addition to serving as the spiritual leaders for our servicemen and women, military chaplains are champions of religious liberty within the context of the Armed Services,” he continued, “ensuring that all those under their pastoral care have the opportunity to freely exercise their religious beliefs and practices. Military chaplains play a critical advisory role to their command and staff regarding all matters of religion, morale, and ethics.”
Carver added:
The chaplain is the only staff officer in a military organization who, as a service member and an American citizen, has the education, experience, and exposure to religious beliefs, practices, and cultural worldviews to properly advise military leadership in the Constitution’s First Amendment right of religious liberty.
