Only The Worst Chaplain Ever!

I was in Boston a few years back being interviewed for a local cable show. I was asked to appear because as a chaplain, I have some pretty progressive thoughts being in that position. After taping 3 episodes, we were in the green room and joking around, when someone said that I was the worst chaplain ever. I burst out laughing and said yes, you are right. I am..... And I never hid that fact.

Back in the late 80's and early 90's when I started working with the HIV community, there was still a lot of unknowns about the disease. To complicate matters, at the time, it was primarily seen as a gay mans disease. So we take the fear of the unknown and add the stigma of being gay, thus this population was being treated horribly.

I can recall medical providers quitting their jobs because they did not want to work with the HIV patient. Families being torn apart because of the stigma of being both gay and HIV positive. The church was condemning these people, saying that they were going to Hell, and that HIV was God's punishment. And finally, the government was so slow in responding that many people needlessly died.

I was a young man who was newly married, and decided that I couldn't watch what was going on any longer. I started volunteering driving clients to doctors appointments, support groups and just providing support in any way that I could. It wasn't long before I noticed the disdain for this population. It was one thing to hear about it. It was something completely different to witness it first hand.

In the early 90's I went to a HIV march on Washington DC, where it became clear just how hated and vile these people were being treated. Church groups chanting the most disgusting things to us. Imagine being in a wheelchair dying of HIV and having a man of the cloth saying God hates you. Telling these people that they were sinners and that they deserved to die. My heart was breaking in a million pieces. By the end of the march, sadness turned to anger. It took all of 2 seconds to ask What Would Jesus Do? for me to hear "Not This."

Shortly thereafter I took some classes and ended up picking up a degree in divinity. But it was my love for humanity that I felt called to become ordained. I was determined to represent the church for those who felt they needed one, in order to make peace with their disease, lifestyle and death. From that point on, I realized that I was the worst chaplain ever.

So, what makes me the worst chaplain? I rarely speak of God. I am not a fan of the Bible. I will not try and convert you. I'm not here to point out your wrong doings. I embrace the people that most people find offensive. And, I will not quote Bible verses to you with the hopes that you find God.

About 3 years ago I was acting as a chaplain for a methadone program. This program was pretty unique and was stirring up a buzz. Daily meetings with government officials. Lots of hand shaking and interviews within the media. Over breakfast one morning, a reporter asked me what was my plan to convert all of these drug addicts? I simply laughed. She said, surely there's a plan to lead them to God. I told her my job isn't to convert them. My job is to love them. She didn't get it.

Yes I am a free thinker. Yes, I believe we should all think for ourselves. Yes, I am a chaplain. No, I don't care if you believe in God. No, I don't care what you've done in the past. Does this make me a terrible chaplain? Probably. I have heard it for the past 20 years. In reality, I don't care. Because if my actions aren't proof that I am a follower of Christ, me speaking of God, the Bible or anything else wouldn't make a difference anyways.