The lives of chaplains have become increasingly complicated, as, especially in the military, they’re often asked to minister without making inconvenient references to God. No doubt, we’ll come to regret not allowing people hired to give spiritual guidance to actually do that, but at least for now, being a chaplain still means something — and it certainly did in the past.
In my email box today is news of an upcoming special that honors those who serve the cause of faith in the most difficult of circumstances:
CHAPLAINS is a new 2-hour documentary film that goes inside the dynamic and fast-changing world of chaplains, men and women who represent their own particular faith tradition but who are trained to be of comfort and support to people of all faiths — or to those who profess no faith.
Produced and directed by Martin Doblmeier, whose award-winning films on faith and spirituality include BONHOEFFER, The ADVENTISTS and The POWER OF FORGIVENESS, CHAPLAINS premieres on public television in November 2015 and will be available on DVD at http://journeyfilms.com/chaplains/
With a tradition dating back centuries, chaplains today are on the front lines, often in the midst of life and death situations, where the questions are the deepest and the need for spiritual and pastoral care the greatest. From the war zone to the workplace, chaplains serve as pastor, social worker, counselor, and bridge builder, and “lean into the painful places,” as prison chaplain Karuna Thompson says.
While there have been chaplains on the battlefield for centuries, today’s battlefields can be anywhere people feel danger or despair, or where they simply need a spiritual connection. CHAPLAINS, which is structured as a series of stories, follows a unique group of dedicated men and women into a multitude of arenas where they offer help and support: the battlefields in Afghanistan, a rabbi who ministers at the motion picture retirement home in Hollywood, a poultry processing plant in Tennessee, a state penitentiary in Oregon, the U.S. Congress, at the hospital bedside, and at the NASCAR racetrack.
Through these diverse stories, CHAPLAINS offers an engrossing and thought-provoking look at brave men and women on the frontiers of faith, whose work crosses denominational differences and provides comfort to a broad cross-section of people eager for help and comfort.
Image: WWI chaplains monument, from Wikimedia Commons
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