c. 2003 Religion News Service
(UNDATED) The chief of chaplains of the U.S. Army has begun an official inquiry into reports that a Southern Baptist chaplain in Iraq has been offering U.S. troops in need of baths the opportunity to be baptized.
The Knight Ridder news agency reported that Josh Llano, a 32-year-old chaplain who describes himself as a “Southern Baptist evangelist,” was offering soldiers who haven’t bathed in weeks the cool water of a 500-gallon pool.
“It’s simple. They want water. I have it, as long as they agree to get baptized,” he said, according to the report, picked up in newspapers across the country. Llano reportedly required soldiers to listen to an hour-and-a-half sermon before taking part in an hourlong baptism ceremony featuring Bible quotations.
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Eric Wester, spokesman for the Army Office of the Chief of Chaplains, said Army Chief of Chaplains Gaylord Gunhus “was very concerned about the appalling report as presented.”
He is awaiting word from a land force commander to determine the details of Llano’s activities.
“I cannot verify that he’s encouraging people to be baptized in order to obtain a bath,” Wester told Religion News Service. “What I can say is that the Army chief of chaplains has requested additional information about the accuracy of the quotations and details of the actions of Chaplain Llano.”
Wester said Llano’s unit is involved with providing supplies, and military reports indicate there is ample water in his location.
“I would have no information that would confirm that showers have been denied soldiers while a chaplain had hundreds of gallons (of water) at his disposal,” he added.
Religious liberty and atheistic groups are decrying the report, with some seeking Defense Department action.
Americans for Religious Liberty, for instance, has written Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld urging him to “immediately rein in Chaplain Llano’s excesses.”
John Yarbrough, vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board, issued a statement Wednesday saying the board is “very disturbed” by the report but has not been able to contact the chaplain to ask him about the story’s accuracy. The board, the chaplain-endorsing agency for the denomination, has registered its concern with the Army Chief of Chaplains’ Office.
“Such behavior does not represent the views of Southern Baptists concerning baptism nor is it acceptable behavior for any chaplain, pastor or other Christian believer,” Yarbrough said.
Other groups concerned about religious liberty added to the criticism of the reported actions by the chaplain.
“This is absolutely outrageous,” said Kathleen Johnson, military director of American Atheists. “He is exploiting the harsh conditions our troops in Iraq are encountering in order to further a sectarian religious agenda.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation urged supporters to write to Rumsfeld and ask that the chaplain be replaced for “abusing his power.”
The Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance and a former Southern Baptist minister, questioned the clergyman’s motives.
“No religious tradition uses its rite _ like the rite of baptism _ as bargaining tools for helping people in need,” he said.
Added the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State: “It’s time for Llano to be shipped back home.”
Wester said the inquiry by the chief of chaplains is uncommon, but his office is striving to protect the religious rights of military members.
“This is very unusual, but it reflects the priority of the Army chaplaincy in ensuring free exercise of religion,” he said. “The inquiries by members of the media and individual citizens … prompted an immediate request for detailed information in order to make sure that soldiers are protected to practice their faith and not be coerced.”
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