Update on Military Chaplains & Prayer

With 2006 drawing to a close, there is some good news to report from Washington, D.C. regarding an issue we have been working on for quite some time at the ACLJ - the issue of protecting the free speech of military chaplains to pray according to their own faith.  It's an important victory - but there are still new challenges ahead in this area in 2007.

On November 21st, the Air Force, following a move made by the Navy a few weeks prior, rescinded it's current guidelines that constrained its chaplains in the manner in which they prayed and interacted with members of the military.

While this is a victory, there is still much to do.  ACLJ's Director of Government Affairs Drew Ryun reports that with the Republican losses on November 7th, Democrat Senator Carl Levin from Michigan, the Senator pushing the "tolerance" language earlier this fall, takes the gavel as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Over on the House side, Democrat Congressman Steve Israel from New York, while not taking the chairmanship of the House Armed Services Committee, will have more power than ever to push for the tolerance language that infringes on chaplains' right to pray.
 
As in the past, Congressman Walter Jones from North Carolina is continuing to fight for chaplains and their right to pray in the name of Jesus. Given the new change in Congressional power, Congressman Jones is urging the President Bush to act on the behalf of the chaplains by ordering the new Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, to issue a Department of Defense wide order to allow chaplains to pray according to the dicates of their own faith.

The ACLJ is gearing up to assist in this battle and we will let you know more about our efforts and how you can participate in protecting the free speech rights of military chaplains in early January.