After complaints by Mormon politicians, a revised list of recognized religions excludes groups like the Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ (which includes churches of founding fathers).
Excellent update! Giving you a shout-out in this week's United Methodist Insight newsletter. I continue to wish we United Methodists were as attuned to church-state issues as our Baptist siblings. Thanks for repping us!
As a pastor and someone who has done chaplaincy, I found the new list to be just about what you described, written by someone who know almost nothing about historic denominations and religions in America. In chaplain training we were encouraged to deliver spiritual care based not on our own perspective but what would support and encourage the person being visited. It seems that whoever did the list must not have been able to conceive of pastoral care being outside the "traditional norm" whatever that is. I see this as a not too subtle message about who's in and who's out, but also could be foundational to changes in the chaplaincy program itself and the care chaplain might be restricted from offering. And cheers for Disciples and UCC, which I have worked with, and were with our founders a basis for much of what the administration touts as the "Christian" formation of the US at the beginning. They must not know much history either, or only when convenient. Thanks for this excellent article and your ongoing reporting. Very important to keep this issues in the public eye.
Excellent update! Giving you a shout-out in this week's United Methodist Insight newsletter. I continue to wish we United Methodists were as attuned to church-state issues as our Baptist siblings. Thanks for repping us!
As a pastor and someone who has done chaplaincy, I found the new list to be just about what you described, written by someone who know almost nothing about historic denominations and religions in America. In chaplain training we were encouraged to deliver spiritual care based not on our own perspective but what would support and encourage the person being visited. It seems that whoever did the list must not have been able to conceive of pastoral care being outside the "traditional norm" whatever that is. I see this as a not too subtle message about who's in and who's out, but also could be foundational to changes in the chaplaincy program itself and the care chaplain might be restricted from offering. And cheers for Disciples and UCC, which I have worked with, and were with our founders a basis for much of what the administration touts as the "Christian" formation of the US at the beginning. They must not know much history either, or only when convenient. Thanks for this excellent article and your ongoing reporting. Very important to keep this issues in the public eye.