The Army Chief of Chaplains operates one recruiting program designed only to bring female clergy into the service. Female Army chaplains complete the same basic training and specialized education as other chaplains. These female chaplains, who naturally emerge from denominations that favor women in leadership and hold a liberal view of Scripture, are likely to want more egalitarianism in the military. The recruitment feeds the military's current penchant to place social experiments over presuppositional truth. Despite the Army's newfound interest in chaplains, Maj.
Chaplains also have politics to play.
The country's religious diversity is reflected in the makeup of the chaplaincy, which includes Jewish rabbis and Muslim imams, even though it is dominated by Protestant clergy. Protestant evangelical chaplains, who think evangelicals could comprise a significant portion of the chaplains about to be recruited, are careful when they speak about social issues, particularly women in the military and in the chaplaincy. They don't want to hurt their chances with Maj. Gen. Donald W. Shea, the Chief of Chaplains, who is a Roman Catholic priest. Up to this point there has not been a groundswell of opposition or consternation on the part of army chaplains.