Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) has introduced a bill that aims to clarify the duties and religious liberties of military chaplains. In recent decades, some military chaplains have faced harassment and discipline for voicing Biblical beliefs that are in accord with their denominational affiliations.
“For our country’s 250-year history, military chaplains have walked alongside our service members through the hardest moments of their lives, offering prayer, counsel, and hope in isolated posts and combat zones alike,” Lankford said in a statement Thursday. “Chaplains serve because they are called to it. Congress has a responsibility to make sure they can carry out that calling faithfully, without being forced to violate the tenets of their faith and without fear of retaliation for holding to what they believe. This bill honors the men and women who minister to our heroes who defend our nation.”
Senate co-sponsors of the Military Chaplains Modernization Act, include GOP senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Katie Britt of Alabama, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota.
Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) has championed the bill in the House, which was part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed July 22.
According to Lankford’s office, the Armed Forces Chaplains Board, which provides “advice and recommendations to Department of War officials on matters of religious exercise,” also supports it.
Among other things, Lankford’s bill would guarantee that chaplains “may conduct worship, provide counseling, teach, deliver sermons, minister, and offer prayer in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs and the tenets of their religious-endorsing organization, free from censorship, undue restriction, or fear of retribution.”
It would also protect chaplains against retaliation and expose those who violate a chaplain’s religious liberties to potential charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The Washington Stand, which first reported Lankford’s Senate version of the bill, noted several legal cases in which chaplains were disciplined, accused of unlawful discrimination, and in one case, reassigned and threatened with a discharge.
The latter case involved the late decorated Navy chaplain and combat veteran Wes Modder, who was featured in Decision magazine in 2015. Modder started his military career as an enlisted Marine, went to seminary, then became a Navy chaplain serving alongside multiple Navy and Marine Corps units, including the revered SEAL Team Six.
Later, while serving in South Carolina in 2014, Modder was stripped of his duties and reassigned to a different post after a sailor, who had asked Modder privately if he believed homosexuality was sinful, complained to Modder’s superiors about his Christian beliefs on sexuality. Modder faced a potential discharge until he lodged a legal fight with help from First Liberty Institute. The Navy eventually exonerated Modder and he was able to retire honorably with full benefits. He died in 2021.
“Military chaplains shouldn’t have to check their faith at the door when they put on the uniform,” Sen. Cramer said. “They play a vital role in supporting the moral and spiritual wellbeing of our servicemembers, and their ministry and the men and women they serve are strengthened because of their faith. This legislation protects their ability to minister according to their beliefs and ensures those freedoms are always preserved.”
