Monday, May 29, 2023

It is the 29th of May 2023 Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org, I’m Dan van Voorhis.

A happy memorial day- A day celebrated in America since after the Civil War- known as “decoration day,” it was to decorate the graves of those who died in service to their country- first, the Civil War, and then it came to memorialize all who had died fighting in American Wars, foreign or domestic.

And we can tie a few disparate things together with a mailbag today- faithful listener Wade in Mission Viejo wrote:  

“Hi Dan, Wade here from Mission Viejo CA. I was clicking past the History Channel recently and saw a special that highlighted the HMS Victory. It got me thinking, how big a role have naval chaplains played (British or otherwise) during times if war and peace. Sure I could scan Wikipedia, but this seems to be in your wheel house (see what I did there)”

Ok- Mission Viejo, the old Mission (before the “new one” at San Juan Capistrano, near the land known for the legend of the Bull (also called El Toro) and next to where I live- a place called “Lake Forest” because we have a few man-made lakes and forests. Cool.

There are a bunch of places we could take this- let’s go way back and start with what a “Chaplain” is. A Chaplain is someone who has taken holy orders but is not connected to a specific church. Rather, they have some other purpose. Their name comes from the word “Cappelani.” They were special religious men who kept the “little cape” or “half cape” said to have come from St. Martin of Tours- this was the religious relic that supposedly came from when the holy soldier saw a half-naked beggar, cut his cape in two to give half to the man. That night he had a dream of Jesus wearing the half cape- a la Matthew 25.

During the reign of French monarchs through the Middle Ages, these men would serve the king in special ways in chapels designed for royal use. With the growth of the modern state, the “Chaplains” weren’t just for the king but for the state in general.

In the English tradition, we find the first naval chaplain in a famous book- the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, by… the Venerable Bede! He tells the story of the priest Uta who was sent on a ship by a king to retrieve his wife- on the trip, the priest used holy water to calm the seas.

The English, French… most places once within the boundaries of Christendom would have chaplains because they were extensions of the church's service to the state. But what about a country that wants to “disestablish” religion from the state… you know, like America? We talked about this recently on a show about Congressional Chaplains, but we have specific calls from the Continental Congress and George Washington himself (in a letter to Benedict Arnold of all people) that required the army to provide for religious time off, worship, and instruction. And this has been the case to the present day, although chaplains are now more diverse in representing the various religions represented in the armed forces. One of the first groups to protest the use of chaplains were the Baptists- once fierce critics of anything that looked like establishing religion in government. As recently as later last century, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that to NOT have Chaplins for the military would fall afoul of the first amendment as that could be seen as “prohibiting” the free exercise of religion. 

In American history, there is perhaps no more stirring story about the chaplaincy than that of the “4 chaplains” George Fox, Alexander Goode, Clark Poling, and John Washington- they met at Harvard in Chaplain training during World War II- the methodist, rabbi, Catholic priest and Reformed pastor were called to the war and were on the USAT Dorchester when it was hit by a German U Boat- they helped everyone get to lifeboats and get lifejackets- of which there weren’t enough. They assisted, then locked arms and began to sing hymns familiar to them as the ship went down. And often it is the chaplain who bridges hell on earth with the promises of heaven- on the newest season of the Soul of Christianity, our own Uwe Siemon-Netto tells a similar story to Debi Winrich.

A happy but reflectively somber Memorial Day and a thankful remembrance for all of those who, in the words of John 15:13, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

The last word for today comes from the daily lectionary from Romans 8 again:

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 29th of May 2023, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man whose favorite Chaplains include the unaffiliated ministers, Charlie, and Lake Chaplain- a salt lake in Saskatchewan that is home to the Hudsonian Godwit, a bird that symbolizes new life in Christian iconography. He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who knows that a “wheelhouse” is where the captain of a ship stands. Also, it’s a fastball low and inside to Mike Trout- I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.