Interview with Military Chaplain Who Was Punished for Referencing the Bible

Dec 18, 2014 | 0 comments

“In my particular situation, it was my faith that helped me to persevere and remain resilient in the face of depression. And I was very clear to my audience that that was one way to handle depression and thoughts of suicide but it’s certainly was not the only way.”

This is from an interview with Capt. Joe Lawhorn, the military chaplain who is being punished for making references to the Bible in a suicide prevention training. Here’s the interview:


“If I had to use some adjectives to describe [my reaction to the complaint], it would be confusing…surprising…distracting…”

“The motto and the creed of the chaplain core in the Army is to bring God to the soldiers and soldiers to God. So whether its a suicide prevention training or anything else we’re doing in an official role, our objective – my objective – is to bring encouragement and a sense of hope to soldiers from a religious or spiritual perspective.”