Military chaplains as agents of peace: The theology and praxis of reconciliation in stability operations based on the writings of Miroslav Volf and Vern Neufeld Redekop

Living among the people of war has left an indelible mark on my life. During the Bosnian war, I journeyed with the faith group leaders of local ethno-religious communities in their struggle not only to survive the open conflict among their peoples but also to somehow find a way to rise above it in the hopes of sharing a more secure and prosperous future together. Over the course of time an identifiable impulse among deployed chaplains toward an external ministry of reconciliation began to emerge. Albeit, ad hoc in nature, it has raised questions of the viability of such ministry among local religious leaders in conflict zones and its strategic value with respect to the accomplishment of missions. As such, this thesis will reply to the following two-part hypothesis: (1) Among operational chaplains in conflict zones there is an emerging sense of agency to seed reconciliation by building relation among estranged religious leaders and their faith communities resulting in a need for a new self-understanding expressed both theologically and in praxis; and (2) the writings of Miroslav Volf and Vern Neufeld Redekop can provide the basis for a framework that will enable the creation of strategic and operational structures that will allow reconciliation praxis to be sustainable and to grow. The methodology unfolds naturally in the structure of the thesis itself: context, theory and application. In establishing context, relevant data from a variety of chaplaincy resources is consulted with a view to identifying the beginnings of what is believed to be a paradigm shift in operational ministry. Documented case studies from both the Bosnian and Afghan theatres of operation are offered as a means of establishing the context. Of significance, the theory developed here may be generalized to other contexts. The theoretical component initially draws on the theology of Miroslav Volf. His theme of exclusion discloses the evils frequently characteristic of ethno-religious groups in conflict, often manifested in alienation, subjugation, demonizing and, sadly, extermination of the other. Additionally, Volf's theme of embrace yields a theology of reconciliation whereby the estranged religious other, and by extension their respective faith communities, discovers the will to embrace in an effort to rise above conflict and/or alienation to that of relation. Redekop's contribution resides in his ability to transition from the theological to the theoretical, tangibly identifying the dynamics of deep-rooted conflict. Through dialogue the mimetic modeling of acceptance of all by the chaplain is seen to move the religious other beyond a wounded subjectivity toward mutuality. Relation building sees the eclipsing of the structures of mimetic violence (exclusion) by those of mimetic blessing (embrace). Such seeding of reconciliation enables the self a renewed vision of the humanity of the other. Application draws on both theology and theory bringing them together in the formulation of the External Ministry of Reconciliation Paradigm, a contextual theology supported by a theoretical component pertinent to the external operational ministry of chaplains among estranged local religious leaders and their faith communities. Theory and praxis are then applied to both the Bosnian and Afghan case studies. Concrete and strategic operational structures emerge from the ad hoc, as the sustainability of the seeding of reconciliation becomes a viable ministry for deployed chaplains in conflict zones. Pivotal to this thesis is the will to embrace, understood to be the in-breaking of transcendence as the agency of chaplains mimetically model mutuality in relation, a manifestation of grace. The rigidity of the satisfaction of strict (retributive) justice as a prerequisite to engagement is deemed an injustice in and of itself due to its holding hostage any movement toward relation. An attending to justice will come to fruition in the journey toward mutuality. The chaplain's genuine receptivity of the other, demonstrated through hospitality and the creation of a safe place in which to share, reflects his/her aspiration for the empowering of the other , lead[ing] to creative and ever-expanding options oriented toward life (blessing). Both ritual and symbol factor significantly into the establishing of operational structures drawn from the hosting culture: an interfaith celebration, the breaking of bread together and the Shura are presented as examples. (Abstract shortened by UMI.