October 1 2001

ARTICLE TOOLS

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"Racial, gender, and religious discrimination exists within the Chaplain Service—now more subtly than overtly," an independent survey concludes. "There is a general lack of confidence and faith in the integrity of the senior leadership."

The study comes in the wake of controversial remarks last year by Brig. Gen. Lorraine Potter, the then-deputy chief of Air Force chaplains, that "African-American chaplains are good pastors and preachers but cannot do staff work."

Potter's successor is Charles Baldwin, a Southern Baptist from Texas, who says he gives "an invitation at every chapel service." Baldwin told an Air Force diversity task force to use the report to recommend changes.

Among the respondents, 97 percent of African Americans, 80 percent of women, and 58 percent of Protestants said they "sensed or directly experienced" discrimination. "Evangelicals appear to continue to lag behind 'mainline' Protestants in promotion," the report notes.

The Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Michael Ryan, said he was "concerned about reported perceptions of race, gender, or religious affiliation discrimination or preferential treatment. We must fix the condition underlying these perceptions."

See the Web Page for the Air Force's Chaplain Service.

Crosswalk.com also covered the Air Force chaplain survey.

Earlier Christianity Today coverage of claims of discrimination by military chaplains include:

Judge Says Chaplain Can Sue Navy | Evangelicals say Catholics and liturgical Protestants are more likely to be promoted. (August 1, 2001)More Navy Chaplains Allege Discrimination | "We're ...