Spiritual Readiness – Review
I sometimes get asked about my role as an army chaplain. “Is that like a pastor but for the army?” Sort of but not exactly.
A lot of my work is in the area of mental health when it comes to my units. But it could be asked, why does the military hire (mostly) religious leaders for this when there others with mental health training?
That is a good question. And a good answer would be the book, Spiritual Readiness by Harold G. Koenig, Lindsay B. Carey, and Faten Al Zaben.
While their book is written within the American context, much of what they say is relevant to the Canadian context as well as other nations.
The thesis of their book is that chaplains add to operational capability by helping to develop spiritual readiness. This is why the chaplain’s job cannot be done by a social worker or other mental health professional (although their roles are important).
But what is spiritual readiness? The U.S. Army defines it as “the ability to endure and overcome difficulties through finding meaning in our life experiences.” Notice that definition says nothing about religion.
Spirituality can include religion, but it is not limited to religion. That is why chaplains continue to be important, even if the majority of the military is not actively religious.
The authors work out what that looks like in a military that is made up of people from a range of religions, as well as no religion. They share resources, both religious and secular, that can be used to foster spiritual readiness.
The vision of chaplaincy that they put forward is one that I can buy into. I will be a Christian chaplain to Christian members who want that type of support. But I will be a chaplain for all, developing spiritual readiness with whatever resources are relevant.
I strongly recommend Spiritual Readiness as an excellent resource for military chaplains. I also recommend this book for military leaders who are trying to understand the role of a chaplain. It may require some translation for context but it is a great way to start the conversation.
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