It’s weird that Congress has a Chaplain

There may soon be an opening for Chaplain in the House of Representatives. Speaker Paul Ryan demanded the resignation of Father Patrick Conroy. Conroy complied but, upon reflection, rescinded his resignation, and Ryan has backed down for now. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to get that resume cleaned up.

Ryan won’t say why he wants Conroy replaced. Applicants must guess what raised Ryan’s ire to avoid accidentally stumbling into the same ambush.

It’s weird that Congress has a Chaplain. As the Founders wrote that “separation of church and state” stuff into the Constitution, they were also busy hiring clergy to open each morning’s work with prayer. The practice was challenged in the courts. Judges found it so deeply ingrained in congressional tradition that the 1^st Amendment could be overlooked.

If you think this job is for you, you should know there are other traditions that have also become deeply ingrained. They provide clues about what politicians will be looking for.

Gender matters. A lot. The first Chaplain was Reverend William Linn. He was a he, as all have been from the beginning. Past is prologue. Applicants might also look at the denominational membership of those who held the Chaplaincy. Linn was a Presbyterian as were many of the House Chaplains over the years since these men of the cloth started praying over the bowed heads of the politicians. Since 1789, 15 Presbyterians were called. Only the Methodists, with 16, have had more of their clan in the position.

Two were Catholics, including the one on his way out. Other than one Universalist, all were Christians. No Jews. No Muslims, No Buddhists. The message is pretty clear. Non-Christians need not apply.

The question then becomes, what kind of Christian will Congress be looking for in a new Chaplain? Since most of the House members are Republicans who support President Trump, you might find important clues in the composition of the weekly White House Bible study led by Pastor Ralph Dollinger.

Pastor Ralph is an anti-gay Bible thumper who believes women should not teach or preach and that Catholicism is a false religion. That’s who Trump, Mike Pence, Betsy DeVos, and Mike Pompeo go to for religious education.

One Republican leader said it should be a family man, ruling out Catholic clergy with their vows of celibacy. So, the next Chaplain will likely be a Protestant. But will he be a Jesus follower? 

Clues for the answer to that question can be found in the speculation about what got Fr. Conroy fired. The former Chaplain believes it was a prayer he gave during the days the House debated the recent tax cut legislation. Fr. Conroy prayed legislators pass a bill with “benefits balanced and shared by all Americans.”

That prayer went unanswered, but it earned the priest a rebuke from the Speaker who confronted him disrespectfully, “Padre, you just got to stay out of politics.” Conroy also ran afoul of conservatives by inviting a Muslim to give the opening prayer.

Most GOP congressmen would prefer a snake handler from the hills of Kentucky to a Chaplain who insists on beseeching the almighty to bring about justice on earth as it is in Heaven. God-fearing Jesus followers shouldn’t even think about applying. It’s a set up. They want you to talk about Jesus but not like Jesus. You can tell them that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life but you must avoid that “what you do unto the least of these you have done unto me” banter.

The dilemma posed for good-hearted people of faith who feel called to this job is that politics is how a free society determines whether the hungry will be fed, the homeless housed, and the sick healed.

A faithful Chaplain cannot act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with God, and be silent while politicians wage war on the poor, marginalize immigrants, and pass laws permitting discrimination against people for the way God created them.

America needs honest prayers now more than ever. You should consider this job only if you have the courage to offer prayers for those who don’t have a prayer. And that will get you fired.