Christian Army Chaplain Taking Fire for Sharing ‘Coronavirus and Christ’ Booklet
A Christian Army Chaplain is under fire from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) after he included a free digital copy of pastor John Piper’s new booklet “Coronavirus and Christ” in an email to 35 other chaplains under his command. Fox News originally reported on the controversy.
The chaplain, U.S. Army Col. Moon H. Kim, wrote in his email, “This book has helped me refocus my sacred calling to my savior Jesus Christ to finish strong. Hopefully this small booklet would help you and your soldiers, their families and others who you serve.”
The MRFF sent a letter dated April 29 to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper asking that Col. Kim, “be officially, swiftly, aggressively and visibly investigated and disciplined in punishment for his deplorable actions.”
MRFF founder Mikey Weinstein allegedly filed the letter on behalf of 22 chaplains who complained about the booklet in some form.
“If the Army gives in to Mikey Weinstein’s demands, it will be violating the Constitution and federal law. It will also be violating the sacred trust that is necessary for our military to defend the nation,” said Mike Berry, general counsel for First Liberty Institute and a former Marine judge advocate. “Chaplain Kim should be commended for sharing good news and hope during a pandemic, and Mikey Weinstein should be ashamed of himself.”
Col. Kim is stationed at Camp Humphreys in South Korea where officials there told the Army Times, “If the content of the internal email is determined to be in violation of any Department of Defense policy or regulation, the command will take appropriate action.”
Berry noted to Fox News that should the Army take action against Col. Kim, First Liberty would gladly represent him pro bono.
This is not the first time the MRFF has written a strongly worded letter to attempt to punish actions they deem too religious. In January 2020, The Daily Citizen covered the story when the U.S. Marine Corps banned Bible verses from being produced on dog tags for Marine Corps members after a complaint from the MRFF.
If you are a military chaplain, and you need help, please call our Pastoral Care Line (844 – 4PASTOR) for a free counseling consultation from a licensed or pastoral counselor. If you are a non-military member and need help, please call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) or fill out a counseling consultation request form here.
You can follow this author on Twitter @MettlerZachary
Photo from MRFF
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Zachary Mettler is a writer/analyst for the Daily Citizen at Focus on the Family. In his role, he writes about current political issues, U.S. history, political philosophy, and culture. Mettler earned his Bachelor’s degree from William Jessup University and is an alumnus of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. In addition to the Daily Citizen, his written pieces have appeared in the Daily Wire, the Washington Times, the Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Townhall, the Daily Signal, the Christian Post, Charisma News and other outlets.