Chaplains concerned about continued erosion of religious liberties

CHAPLAIN ALLIANCE FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY February 13, 2012 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact CHAPLAIN ENDORSERS at info@chaplainalliance.org or call (571) 293-2427

Chaplains concerned about continued erosion of religious liberties

WASHINGTON — Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, acting on behalf of more than half of America’s uniformed chaplains, expressed concern Monday about the religious liberty of America’s military chaplains and personnel in light of the recent Obama administration decision to require faith-based institutions to provide services with which they morally differ.

The policy has already caused a stir within the Army and is reverberating across America’s religious landscape. Religious liberty issues in the civilian world will inevitably end up in the military environment, and consistency with regard to religious freedom is an all-American issue.  

“The fundamental issue is this: no one should stomp on the First Amendment with such audacious boldness,” said CH (COL) Ron Crews, an Army chaplain who served 28 years and is now executive director for Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty.

Chaplain Alliance joins with many churches and organizations, such as the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Military Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the Alliance Defense Fund, and many others who have spoken their concerns on the administration’s recent action.

Crews cited a recent statement made by Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, as illustrative of Chaplain Alliance’s position: “Increasingly we are suffering overzealous government intrusions into what is the realm of traditional and biblical Christian conscience. We believe this is a violation of our First Amendment rights. We will stand, to the best of our ability, with all religious and other concerned citizens, against this erosion of our civil liberty. Come what may, we shall do everything we can, by God’s grace, to ‘obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29).”

Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty is an organization of chaplain endorsers, the faith groups that provide chaplains for the U.S. military and other agencies needing chaplains. The endorsers in Chaplain Alliance speak for more than 2,600 chaplains serving the Armed Forces.

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