K. Hansen; Military Chaplains and Religious Diversity

"Hansen manages to... explore some of the most compelling conundrums confronting today's military chaplaincy.  The military chaplaincy serves many functions.  As Hansen argues, it provides a setting for moral dramas "in which we act out our understandings of who we are and how we ought to live."  As such, it embodies some of what is best about contemporary American religious life - as well as some of its most vexing paradoxes."  Melissa M. Matthes, Commonweal Magazine

"For those interested in the evolving state of religion in America's armed forces and how the military's chaplains have dealt with the changes, Military Chaplains & Religious Diversity is a must read. Professor Hansen offers an enlightening, easy-to-follow, and engaging account of military chaplains' perceptions of the major challenges confronting the armed forces' chaplaincy in our increasingly pluralistic military."  Richard D. Rosen, Armed Forces and Society

A valuable look at the working lives of military chaplains and how they balance their faith commitments with the religious diversity that makes up the military population. The book focuses primarily on how this diversity can potentially create divided loyalties and threaten the legitimacy of the chaplaincy itself... [Hansen] makes the nuances quite clear with his many quotes from the chaplains themselves. Much of the book reports their comments, whether in quotes or paraphrased summaries. This gets the reader close to the heart and mind of the chaplains.  

Todd Bradley
Journal of Church & State

"This book is an important contribution to understanding the world of military chaplains . . . Those considering service as a military chaplain will benefit greatly from this work." Journal of Church and State

"At a time of too much polarizing debate about religion and politics and church and state, it is refreshing to read the stories of military chaplains who mostly steer a practical middle way through the potential conflicts. And it benefits us all to have Kim Hansen's balanced, objective sociological analysis of the chaplains' calling." - Richard Madsen, distinguished professor in the department of sociology, University of California, San Diego

"Professor Hansen's book is an engaging and down-to-earth description of the work that Americans expect of their military chaplains. A good listener and careful ethnographer, Hansen shows us the surprising balancing act performed by chaplains who are at once military officers, facilitators of the constitutional free exercise rights of a diverse group of sailors, marines, soldiers, and airmen, and representatives of their particular religious communities." - Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, professor of religious studies, chair, department of Religious Studies, affiliated professor of law, Maurer School of Law, Indiana University Bloomington

"In Military Chaplains and Religious Diversity, Kim Hansen has given a wonderful gift of scholarship to the chaplaincy and the churches of the United States. Hansen selects terms that illustrate the tensions in the military chaplaincy, clearly defining the parameters of the terms that are often problematic for the institution and its members. This work is further grounded in hearing about the struggles and joys of ministering in an extremely religiously diverse community from the chaplains themselves. This is a book that should be mandatory reading for all chaplain endorsers, and should be used in tutorials for all chaplains ministering in institutional settings. Reading this brought back memories and faith decisions that I worked through in my own 34-year career as an army chaplain - well done!" - Chaplain (COL) Herman Keizer, Jr. US Army (retired)

"This book is an important contribution to understanding the world of military chaplains. Those considering service as a military chaplain will benefit greatly from this work." - Todd Bradley, Williamson College, USA.

"At a time of too much polarizing debate about religion and politics and church and state, it is refreshing to read the stories of military chaplains who mostly steer a practical middle way through the potential conflicts.  And it benefits us all to have Kim Hansen's balanced, objective sociological analysis of the chaplains' calling." 
   -Richard Madsen, distinguished professor in the Department of Sociology, University of   
    California, San Diego

"Professor Hansen's book is an engaging and down-to-earth description of the work that Americans expect of their military chaplains.  A good listener and careful ethnographer, Hansen shows us the surprising balancing act performed by chaplains who are at once military officers, facilitators of the constitutional free exercise rights of a diverse group of sailors, marines, soldiers, and airmen, and representatives of their particular religious communities."
   -Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, professor of Religious Studies, chair of the Department of 
    Religious Studies, affiliated professor of Law, Maurer School of Law, Indiana University 
    Bloomington.

"In Military Chaplains and Religious Diversity, Kim Hansen has given a wonderful gift of scholarship to the chaplaincy and the churches of the United States.  Hansen selects terms that illustrate the tensions in the military chaplaincy, clearly defining the parameters of the terms that are often problematic for the institution and its members.  This work is further grounded by the chaplains' stories of the struggles and joys of ministering in an extremely religiously diverse community.  This is a book that should be mandatory reading for all chaplain endorsers, and should be used in tutorials for all chaplains ministering in institutional settings.  Reading this brought back memories and faith decisions that I worked through in my own 34-year career as an army chaplain-well done!"
   -Herman Keizer, Jr., retired colonel chaplain of the US Army

Kim Hansen earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego and teaches sociology in Maryland where he lives with his wife and son.

 

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