Group targets Army chaplain for sharing 'Coronavirus
and Christ' book
By Caleb Parke | Fox News
A senior U.S. military chaplain in South Korea is
under fire for an email he sent last month to 35 other
chaplains under his command at Camp Humphreys,
mentioning Christian author John Piper's book,
"Coronavirus and Christ."
Critics argue it was an "improper platform," but those
defending the chaplain say he did nothing wrong, given
his job description.
“This book has helped me refocus my sacred calling to
my savior Jesus Christ to finish strong,” U.S. Army
Col. Moon H. Kim wrote in the email with an attached
free PDF of Piper's book, adding, “Hopefully this
small booklet would help you and your Soldiers, their
Families and others who you serve."
Mikey Weinstein, the president and founder of Military
Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), a watchdog group
often at odds with military chaplains, sent a letter
to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on April 29
demanding Kim "be officially, swiftly, aggressively,
and visibly investigated and disciplined in punishment
for his deplorable actions."
Mike Berry, general counsel for First Liberty
Institute, the nation's largest religious freedom law
firm, told Fox News there is absolutely nothing wrong
with what Kim did and that MRFF is going overboard.
"If the Army gives in to Mikey Weinstein’s demands, it
will be violating the Constitution and federal law. It
will also be violating the sacred trust that is
necessary for our military to defend the nation,"
Berry, a former Marine judge advocate who also taught
at the Army's chaplain school, said. "Chaplain Kim
should be commended for sharing good news and hope
during a pandemic, and Mikey Weinstein should be
ashamed of himself.”
The MRFF argues Kim sent "unsolicited" copies to
"subordinate chaplains, promoting the book's message
that the coronavirus is God's judgment for sins,
including homosexuality."
Weinstein, in his letter, said he is representing 22
Christian military chaplains from multiple branches of
service, not all of whom were included on the original
email. They complained about the email and wanted to
maintain anonymity because they feel they would be
subjected to "retaliation if they attempted to
register their objections via the chain of command."
“If the content of the internal email is determined to
be in violation of any DoD policy or regulation, the
command will take appropriate action,” Camp Humphreys
officials said in a statement to the Army Times.
Berry said First Liberty would gladly present Kim if
he is subject to any disciplinary action as the
nonprofit has won numerous cases similar to this one
before.
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