Profile: Jared Anderson, A Chaplain Calling

by Chaplain Jared Anderson

I wish I had recognized chaplain ingredients sooner, so I would have had a more direct path into military service. The opportunity to serve those who have served is supremely meaningful to me, and I only regret that I didn’t start earlier. In my role as hospice chaplain, I was recently with a 98-year-old Christian WWII veteran rotating to assisted living. He said, “I’m so happy you’ll be there for me after I move.” I answered simply, “I will be with you until the end.” I cherish the opportunity to make this promise to veterans and others.
My dream is to serve as a reserve military chaplain, and I hope that the Department of Defense will accept Humanist chaplains as other institutions have, allowing me to serve a broad range of military personnel, including those with no particular religious affiliation.

I was only eighteen when I first wanted to go into the military and teach religion. I considered my love of languages and applied for a Foreign Language and Area Studies grant. That allowed me to study the Persian language, Farsi, and 11 others. A Military Intelligence career seemed like a good foundation for future chaplaincy work. My passion for religion led me to pursue a PhD in Religious Studies, and I was fortunate to take courses at Duke Divinity School. My teaching philosophy prioritized pastoral care. In 2013 the word I was seeking finally came to mind: Chaplain.
I have ministered in many ways throughout my life, starting with a mission as a Latter-Day Saint to Madagascar. In the midst of dedicated study and evangelism, I focused on Greek and Hebrew editions of the Bible. My Christian background has been augmented by teaching World Religions and discovering Humanism, while the call to serve and my devotion to religion and human thriving became ever more clear. I followed through on that scholarly foundation for service as I completed my undergraduate in Middle Eastern Studies with an emphasis in Hebrew and Greek, and then through graduate Religious Studies at UNC Chapel Hill and Duke.

While I taught college for thirteen years I developed an ethic of care that formed the basis for my current pastoral care. During that time, I was also married and had five children who continue to inform my values. I taught the Bible, World Religions, and a self-designed course on the future of religion. Most semesters, students would say “I don’t know how I feel about organized religion, but please, tell me more about your approach to religion and human needs!” In 2012 I founded my nonprofit the Olam Institute, which aims to foster constructive approaches to religion and religious education. Over my career I had put together chaplain ingredients — teacher, therapist, healer, friend. When I realized my central passion to serve as a chaplain, I realized I had been preparing for and following this calling my entire adult life.

Now that I have had the fortune of working as a chaplain almost two years, I feel the urgency of that last unfulfilled part of my early calling: military chaplaincy. I feel most strongly called to a modern ministry that provides not just Christian worship services but also humanist services and outreach to those who reject religious labels. This is even more important in a military that has strong support for established religions, but does not yet provide resources for the over twenty five percent of members who choose no religious identification on their official records. That’s over a quarter of our military that can’t be served by current chaplain offerings, and I hear them calling. I have been moved as I sat with veterans from World War II and Vietnam, observing with reverence as the American flag is draped across these departed servants. One Vietnam veteran didn’t want any god talk, so the social worker called me. As humanist clergy, I sat with him and facilitated his grief over events in the war in a manner best suited for his needs, without reliance on prayer or an afterlife. For the past two years I have officiated similar “Life Devotionals” at the local Veterans Home, as well as providing Humanist Services at the prison.

If I could go back in time, I would dive immediately into military chaplain candidacy and pursue a Masters of Divinity and experience for the military context. I would not need any waivers or special consideration. But if I had done that, I would not be the chaplain I am today. My understanding of the chaplain vow is this: make the most of pain and experience to reach and serve others. With my background of being raised Latter-day Saint, being trained in Biblical Studies, having taught World Religions for seven years, and having been endorsed as a Humanist Chaplain, I have found that I’m well-suited to minister to those of all types of beliefs, including contexts where different members of a family need different things!

As a Humanist Chaplain, I am completely comfortable praying with hospice patients, administering rituals, and officiating religious services. I do so from my own tradition, as all chaplains do, and I reach beyond my personal religious practice to meet patients where they need me to be. I am currently designing a training manual for the Utah State prison so that chaplains and volunteers can oversee rituals and services for all religions represented in the prison. By focusing on the sacredness of human experience and the needs we all share, I am best able to minister to everyone in my care, while still facilitating their personal beliefs.

I would be honored to have the privilege to serve as a military chaplain in the Reserves. I want to serve those who are serving our country. I want to use my hard-won abilities and experiences to nurture, counsel, care for, and provide religious services to all those in need. I look forward to the critical moment when Humanists join the ranks of military chaplains and serve at the level of humanity that we all share.

No matter what happens, I will continue to serve to the best of my ability the patients, students, and veterans in my care. I hope that the Chaplain Board will recognize my training, service, and experience and allow me this opportunity that could serve as precedent to care for all military personnel, whatever their religious beliefs.

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Jared Anderson is Founder and President of the Olam Institute, which fosters inter-personal connection on shared religious commitments and values while maintaining each individual’s distinctive identity. Chaplain Anderson serves those in need at Westminster College, the University of Utah, the Utah Department of Corrections, and the Christoffersen Veteran’s Home. He has previously taught at religious studies at UNC Chapel Hill, Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, and Westminster College. He is Endorsed by the Humanist Society, has 5 units of CPE, and a Master of Arts in Religious Studies at UNC Chapel Hill.

Note: Chaplain Anderson is speaking from his perspective and views do not necessarily represent that of any government or private agency.