|
|
|
Book Review
Serving Two Masters: The Development of American Military Chaplaincy, 18601920. By Richard M. Budd. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002. xiv, 191 pp. $45.00, ISBN 0-8032-1322-0.)
|
This book speaks effectively to two fields: the history of American professions and the history of military organization. The author, himself a Lutheran pastor and a chaplain in the naval reserve, analyzes the development of military chaplaincy from the most informal of beginnings into a profession in every sense of the word. While the book leaves some important questions unanswered, it is broader than its title indicates and an important contribution to an understanding of the modernization of religion and military professionalism. |
1
|
|
Richard M. Budd argues that the development of professional "bureaucratized" chaplains emerged from military desires to have religion that it could control, thus minimizing the influence of unregulated ministers and civilian welfare agencies such as the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association). By creating a profession that was answerable both to civilian churches and to a military chain of command, the services could ensure proper spiritual care for their soldiers and sailors without risking that chaplains might undermine the unit mission. They therefore worked with civilian churches to ensure proper standards and education, but the chaplains themselves became officers subject to the disciplinary and professional development requirements of the American officer corps. |
. . . |
There are about 380 more words in this article.
Please log in (or, if you are not yet an
authorized user, please go to the
User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
|