In his little essay on “Circles” Emerson says, “Our crimes may be lively stones out of which we shall construct the temple of the true God.” Maybe so. If true, this may mean most of our religious traditions are constructed by criminals (or those thought to be) and those who understand this may end up simply piecing together small chapels by the wayside, from stones rejected by the high and holy temples, choosing to be little more than keepers of more unsightly chapels (Francis of Assisi even started his chapel project with such discarded bricks).

The constructive circles of chaplaincy, built of lively stones, can be illustrated in many ways.

I recently read an article on Huffington Post about the new Chaplain hired by the U.S. House of Representatives. Whenever I come across something about Chaplains (and yes, the title ought to be honored and capitalized like Minister, Priest, Priestess, etc) whether they be in the military, jails, prisons, hospitals, on the street or in Congress, my old Chaplain screen flickers on. Here’s an example of my response, posted on Huffington:

As a chaplain for many years (interfaith-now a freethinker), I can wish the Rev. Conroy well, though I question both the appropriateness of the choice and the position itself. If the U.S. government continues to employ religious profession­als (a highly dubious arrangement) those selected ought to have a strong background in many faith traditions. By this I mean not simply a study of those traditions and their sacred texts but practical experience with a wide diversity of perspectives. This is rare to find, but in my mind, essential to the responsible, representative role of a balanced chaplaincy. Add to this, the clear requirement that a chaplain, as a professional counselor, be fully and equally available to non-theists, and one wonders if you can find such a person! Maybe you can’t. Therefore you have an interfaith pool of spiritual leaders (including Humanist, Freethinking, Pagan, etc) available and revolve them through. Otherwise you have (check who the chaplains have been in Congress) a highly questionable sectarian favoring, if not establishment, of one religion over another. One could hope (but not expect) this chaplain to be of diverse experience and pluralistic mind.

My acerbic comments arise from long experience growing chaplaincies outside the mainstream that often competed in some way with more established (and well-funded) chaplaincies. When I use the words “the responsible, representative role of a balanced chaplaincy” I’m thinking of the years I spent reading and teaching the Bible, Qur’an, Tao, Dhammapada and more. But beyond the bookworming, I think most of the non-profit boards I helped build to support and sustain critical chaplaincy work. Several boards had women and men, White, Black, Latino, Asian and more who were Baha’is and Buddhists, Catholic, Jewish, Sufi, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Earth-based, non-affiliated, business people and others. Usually there was at least one person representing the people the organization was “serving” (that is, learning from). Diversity was fundamental. We could not have done the work relevantly or efficiently without broad, inter-spiritual support, encouragement, even enthusiasm!

A meaningful chaplaincy built of lively stones is grounded in presence, honesty and active listening. Being a wide awake counselor is essential. One jail inmate asked me through the steel bars of his cell one afternoon, “Who do you represent?,” and I was happy to honestly reply, “I represent the compassion of the faith community.” When one woman on the street confronted me about reading from a Buddhist text in our weekly circle, “That’s not Christian!,” I replied, probably with a smile, “No. This is interfaith. Here, we are open to everyone.” When another man who lived outside pressed me and questioned my faith, I replied, “I’m between faiths right now. But thanks for asking.” Used carefully, sarcasm can be a fine teacher at times! And it’s all about trusted relationships built from our common “crimes.”

The “interfaith pool” I mention in my Huffington comment exists, though shallow and under-appreciated. One significant role of a Chaplain is discovering this pool, deepening the resource and regularly drawing from the gifts of others. In my estimation, any Chaplain worth the title, knows this, celebrates it and delights in joining with others to assist people in need, whether in a homeless camp or in the halls of Congress.

- Chris Highland