The United States Army has made spiritual well-being a priority in its preparedness efforts.[1] It calls on the Chaplain Corps, the Army’s spiritual leaders, to strengthen spiritual fitness among the organization’s ranks. Built into the model for Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness (CSF), spiritual fitness includes: sense of agency, self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, social awareness, and world view.[2] Yet, the Army is a patriarchal organization dominated by hypermasculinity. Though presently untested, the pervasiveness of masculinity as the normative guiding principle among both religious and nonreligious Soldiers must impact spiritual development. If this is true, then femininity also impacts spiritual development, even within hypermasculine environments. Given that Chaplains yield the primary responsibility in helping Soldiers reach spiritual potential, determining which lens makes spiritual fulfillment a reality for the most amount of people becomes necessary for the Christian Chaplains of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps.
When assessing this question from a Christian perspective, this challenge is further nuanced. Christianity professes a Love ethic given to all God’s children through Christ when God became human. Through Jesus’s ministry, humanity witnessed what it meant to love God and love our neighbors by honoring all identities in creation. Therefore, Christian Chaplains have a charge from the Creator to teach inclusive spiritual practices and theologies which recognize all persons as having inherent value, dignity, and worth. A feminist hermeneutic for living a Christian life does just this. Thus, feminist theology is imperative for the full cultivation of the human spirit because it provides agency and enables awareness of both self and others – core components of the Army’s definition of spirituality – to everyone. Christian Army religious leaders, therefore, must strive to make feminist theology normative to both maximize the spiritual well-being of all Soldiers and advise Commanders on ethical solutions which ensure respect for all persons.[3] Without a feminist hermeneutic, the spiritual potential of all persons will not be achieved, and Soldiers of all genders will underperform in spiritual fitness – a reality which could hinder mission success. Through its expansive conception of God, attention to intersectionality, and emphasis on sisterhood, feminist theology may be the needed Christian hermeneutic to dismantle the harmful and spiritually-limiting patriarchal norms within the U.S. Army and catalyze meaningful spiritual development. Agency, Self-Awareness, and Social Awareness: The Domain of the Human Spirit Though the Army defines spiritual fitness in psychological rather than theological terms, Chaplains, all of whom are ordained faith leaders, play a pivotal role in cultivating Soldier spiritual fitness.[4] Liberally defined, Chaplains “provide religiously informed spiritual guidance to Soldiers, Army Civilians, and Family members upon request.”[5] Fitness, further, is understood by the Army as the “ability to function effectively” in the five domains of physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and family.[6] If a Soldier is deemed “fit” in each of these categories, he or she is considered “mission ready” and healthy enough to handle both pre-and-post-deployment stressors. The Army explicitly recognizes that spirituality promotes both healthy connections with others and healthy lifestyles for the individual.[7] When considering enhancing the spiritual aspect of fitness, religious leaders should pay acute attention to the domains of “Sense of Agency,” “Self-Awareness,” and “Social-Awareness.” Theology yields the potential to either liberate or constrain each of these domains within an individual’s Domain of the Human Spirit (DHS).[8] In their paper on the DHS and character development, Sweeney and Fry define Sense of Agency as “an individual’s assum[ed] responsibility for personal character development, [belief] that one has the ability to guide this development (self-efficacy), and…commitment to living in accordance with one’s core values and beliefs.”[9] Self-Awareness is gained through reflection, introspection, and mindfulness. It is the process “through which a person gains an understanding of who one is in terms of values and beliefs, strengths, and weaknesses, what one wants to become, how to determine truth and meaning, and how one should live life.” Sweeney and Fry argue that it is only through an understanding of self that one can envision a future.[10] Finally, Social Awareness includes having respect, empathy, and compassion for other persons and their identities, as well as the ability to transcend one’s own worldview to see a situation from another’s perspective.[11] According to Sweeney and Fry, agency and awareness catalyze character development; therefore, cultivation of these traits emerges as essential for deepened spirituality.[12] This DHS model for spirituality could enhance the spiritual fitness of Soldiers and develop strong, grounded leaders of character if it were implemented in a vacuum. However, the hypermasculine culture of the Army prohibits all Soldiers from benefitting from the framework since their agency and awareness are stymied due to environmental constraints. The Prevalence of Evangelicalism: U.S. Army Religious Demographics From the dominant gender to the dominant religion, the demographics of Soldiers naturally reinforce patriarchy as normative. In Fiscal Year 2017, Soldiers identifying as “male” comprised 83% of the U.S. Army.[13] In Fiscal Year 2014, more than 46% of the roughly 50% of Soldiers who self-identified as Christian were from evangelical denominations. The predominance of evangelicals remains true of the Chaplain Corps, too. 62.7% of Chaplains are endorsed by evangelical denominations, 7.34% are Catholic priests, and 26.77% are grouped as “Other Christian.”[14] Thus, both within the ranks and within the Chaplain Corps, the majority of Christian Soldiers adhere to conservative theologies which privilege the white straight male. This normative theological hermeneutic does not give agency to women and does not inspire social awareness. Not captured in these statistics are the qualifiable traits of Soldiers. On average, Soldiers – both male and female – have dominant personalities, value physical over intellectual strength, and respect logical over emotional reasoning. Self-awareness, alongside spiritual development generally, is relegated to a lower-tier priority because of its stigmatization as a “soft skill.” The diminution to bottom priority of the five aspects of fitness gives permission to leadership, both religious and secular, to leave unchallenged the guiding theologies which influence every part of a Chaplain’s vocation. Taken in aggregate, the quantifiable and qualifiable demographics of the Army do not inherently create space for spiritual development. This creates problems given the Army’s expressed commitment to enhancing the spiritual fitness of the fighting force and to producing leaders of character. If the Army is serious about leaders who champion “consistent moral and ethical actions…to serve the greater good of the community,” then religious leaders must critically assess how theologies influence culture.[15] If Chaplains are not versed in inclusive theologies, then their guidance will continue to exclude persons, both female and male, who deviate from the dominant cultural traits of the Army. Intersectional feminist theology, which liberates all identities, may be what the Army needs to achieve its desired level of spiritual fitness as patriarchy hurts not only women but also men, thereby undermining the Army’s preparedness efforts. A Detriment to Spirituality: The Challenges of Masculinity As feminist theologian Valerie Saiving explains, patriarchy predisposes man to an “endless process of becoming,” characterized by “uncertainty, challenge, and the feeling that again and again he must prove himself a man.”[16] In hypermasculine environments, such as the Army, these unhealthy and anxiety-producing traits define organizational culture. Herein lies the paradox of patriarchy. Though commonly perceived as freeing to men, hypermasculinity curtails man from freely exploring his full God-given identity due to the all-consuming anxiety insidiously imposed upon him by patriarchal organizations. Saiving articulates this irony. She writes: Freedom of man, which is the source of his historical and cultural creativity, is also the source of his temptation to sin. For man’s freedom…brings with it a pervasive fear for the survival of the self and its values. Sin is the self’s attempt to overcome that anxiety by magnifying its own power, righteousness, or knowledge. Man knows he is merely a part of the whole, but he tries to convince himself and others that he is the whole.[17] Thus, rather than exploring his individual core values and beliefs, developing his awareness of both self and others, patriarchy sucks man into a vortex of becoming. He can never pause to be – a necessary state in spiritual development – or recognize that he is only one part of the beauty that is the whole of creation. More obvious than masculinity’s negative impacts on alpha males is its effect both on men who deviate from these normative characteristics and on women. Though the Army is a predominantly alpha culture, it is also a mixing pot of personalities. Men who are considered lower on the societal totem pole of masculinity, with alpha men being at the top, are punished by the social systems that feminist philosopher Mary Daly describes as “destructive competitiveness.” These competitive systems, of which patriarchy is one, are destructive because they implicitly make female a lesser male, rather than her own autonomous being with agency, and simultaneously treat any man considered “beta” as they would a woman.[18] Finally, patriarchy – both as a system and a theology –steals agency from female Soldiers as “the entire conceptual systems of theology and ethics, developed under the conditions of patriarchy, have been products of males and tends to serve the interests of sexist society” which implicitly and explicitly excludes women.[19] Ultimately, traditional theological views do not adequately interpret the situation of men, of women, or view experiences in the context of the “fundamental changes now taking place in our society.”[20] It is precisely this Christian hermeneutic, however, which comprises the dominant ethos of Christian Chaplains and Soldiers. Thus, to reach maximum spiritual fitness, a paradigm shift towards inclusive theologies must occur within religious ranks. Diverse God, Intersectionality, and Siblinghood: Feminist Theology Essentials Feminist theology’s conception of God, attention to intersectionality, and championing of sisterhood offers Christian Chaplains a unique approach to encourage spirituality by dismantling the Army’s harmful and spiritually-limiting patriarchal norms. If masculinity is characterized by an anxious state of becoming, femininity champions a foil state of being, or of recognizing that she is a necessary part of the whole.[21] Feminist theology emboldens this mentality which, ultimately, then gives a sense of agency to identities excluded by conventional theologies and offers time and space for both social and self-awareness. Agency is gifted primarily through feminist theology’s commitment to inclusive language for God as this “points to the recovery of the dignity of woman created in the image of God.”[22] Persons devoted to honoring God’s diversity and, thereby, the diversity of all of creation, need not look further than Scripture. The Bible does predominately ascribe God male titles such as ‘He,’ ‘Father,’ ‘King,’ and ‘LORD.’ However, text also feminizes God as ‘Mother’ and ‘Woman’; or in genderless ways such as ‘I AM,’ ‘Water,’ and ‘Eagle.’[23] Moreover, when considering the Trinity, the Hebrew for the Holy Spirit, ruach, is feminine; and Sophia, the Greek term for wisdom which is associated with Christ, is also feminine. Thus, every component of the Trinity expresses the spectrum of gender. Recognizing the transcendence of God from gendered binaries is imperative to cultivating a sense of agency because, as feminist theologian Elizabeth Johnson explicates, the normative contemporary God speak – that which pervades the Army – “functions to legitimate and reinforce patriarchal social structure.”[24] Talking of God as only male, “becomes an architect of injustice, a fountainhead of enslavement” as female has no place in this human-constructed, Biblically dishonest, narrative.[25] That feminist theology honors all identities through attention to intersectionality means that all persons – regardless of gender or status – can be liberated through this hermeneutic. Important to note is that attention to identities other than white, straight women has not always been the case with feminism. Thus, a truly inclusive theology would be intersectional and include feminist, womanist, and mujerista theologies. Only through this compilation can the diverse lived experiences of all women be represented as theologies rooted in race and ethnicity “grasp the importance of culture, human experience, and lived faith.”[26] Feminist theology, then, inspires social awareness of persons of multiple social-locations, a key aspect in the Domain of the Human Spirit. With the inclusion of womanist and mujerista theologies into a feminist hermeneutic, all persons are seen as imago Dei because feminist theology’s critical principle is the “promotion of the full humanity of women.”[27] When the full humanity of women is recognized, moreover, the full humanity of men can also be recognized. God created male and female to be in a cooperative partnership with one another as stewards of creation.[28] Thus, when one part of the partnership’s ability to reach their spiritual potential suffers, both suffer. Argued by Daly, a women’s revolution “is an ontological, spiritual revolution, pointing beyond the idolatries of a sexist society and sparking creative action in and toward transcendence” past identity binaries. To this end, “…the becoming of women implies universal human becoming.”[29] Finally, agency, self-awareness, and social awareness are all encouraged through sisterhood. Traditionally, “sisterhood” includes only women. From a more liberated perspective – one that contemporary feminism supports – “sisterhood” becomes “siblinghood” and expands to include all persons identifying as female. Pushed further, siblinghood could include liberated men, too, who have broken through the patriarchy’s suffocating grasp and embraced their authentic God-given identity. Daly speaks to the agency-granting aspect of siblinghood when she writes that, “So also the word sisterhood no longer means a subordinate mini-brotherhood, but an authentic bonding of women on a wide scale for our own liberation.”[30] Said otherwise, sisterhood/siblinghood becomes its own empowered construct independent of brotherhood which gives agency to those in the community by taking into account the lived experiences of self and others. Each of these three aspects of feminist theology yield potentially powerful and efficacious results for force readiness and mission success when applied to the U.S. Army. An Unlikely Pair: Feminist Theology and Spiritual Development in the Army First, feminist theology can aid in the healing process for Soldiers suffering from Moral Injury as the expanded conception of God may eradicate human-imposed barriers between an individual and God. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Moral Injury is “a construct that describes extreme and unprecedented life experience including the harmful aftermath of exposure to such events.” Morally Injurious events include acts “that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations.”[31] To overcome Moral Injury, the Army recommends spirituality, faith-based religious practices, and reconciliatory practices which can be facilitated by religious leaders.[32] Moreover, the questions in the Army’s Global Assessment Tool (GAT), which determines the comprehensive fitness level of Soldiers, suggest that the distinctly Christian principles of forgiveness and mercy are key components of post-deployment spiritual fitness.[33] Theology, therefore, plays a key role in helping Soldiers connect with the Divine to inspire healing from experienced transgression. Yet, if theology limits God to masculinity in both essence and object of the Creator’s Love, then religious and spiritual practices may not provide comfort to their fullest potential. People, either due to their gender or their perceptions of the character of a male God, may feel rejected by this Creator or as if healing cannot occur due to what society deems acceptable as male characteristics. In a world in which gender norms are entrenched in the human psyche, imaging God as female allows for God to espouse stereotypically feminine traits such as compassion, forgiveness, care, generosity, sustainer, and kindness. Imagining a God with these traits opens the time and space for post-traumatic growth (PTG). Finally, transcending gendered conceptions of God enables believers to reengage with the root of Christianity, which is love. As Johnson recounts, “The love of God for the world is revealed through the depths of love human beings can feel for one another.”[34] God is Love, Love is needed for continued healing, and Love has no gender. Thus, embodying broader definitions of God’s essence through feminist theology encourages healing by making God’s essence accessible and inclusive. This healing means that Soldiers will be more quickly ready operate at full-capacity after a traumatic experience. Second, intersectional feminist theology’s emphasis on lived experiences of all people would enable the Army to engage in the discipline of cultural humility both within its ranks and on missions. Chaplains are uniquely positioned to facilitate training on and practices of cultural humility in their role as Religious Advisor. In this capacity, they serve as ethical guides for Units. This means facilitating trainings on Equal Opportunity, Unit cohesion, and helping set cultural norms. Being well-versed in and proponents of inclusive theologies – ones that promote all of creation as image Dei – makes promoting this Love ethic second nature. Understanding intersectionality, moreover, may also help to reduce racism and misogyny within the Army as it inspires sympathy, at worst, and empathy, at best. The emergence of a culture rooted in respect for all identities inspires spiritual fulfillment in individuals through awareness of self and others, which then makes Soldiers more fit for impending missions. The intersectionality of contemporary feminist theology further relates to missions themselves, especially those of Civil Affairs (CA), because CA Units conduct missions focused on building up the human terrain of a battlefield.[35] Chaplains are oft called upon to advise on the religious factors and the most ethical courses of actions for these missions. If CA is in the business of empowering societies, then Chaplains have a moral responsibility to encourage building in a way that both physically and spiritually benefits as much of creation as possible. Societies in which all persons feel safe, regardless of identity, promote stability. Regional stability, for Civil Affairs, equates to mission success. Feminist theology’s attention to lived experience can directly contribute to this. Third, feminist theology addresses the Army’s concern with creating meaningful support networks for Soldiers in its references of siblinghood. The GAT signals value placed on relationships in asking questions like, “How many people are there who you can always count on if you have serious problems?” and having Soldiers answer if they: have a best friend, are close to their families, and have people to talk to when they “feel down.”[36] Maintaining patriarchal Christianity as the normative theology among Christian Chaplains, however, does not encourage men to develop these deep relationships platonically with either men or women. Thus, if the Army truly values relationships as indicative of spiritual strength, Chaplains must preach theologies which enable siblinghood. These three aspects of feminist theology all give agency and encourage awareness of self and others, while implicitly working to dismantle the Army’s culture of hypermasculinity and thereby enable a fuller cultivation of the Domain of the Human Spirit. Through these efforts, the Army becomes a safer place for all bodies to become spiritually strengthened so they might be more prepared to handle, or heal from, impending missions. Evangelical Feminism: Overcoming BarriersLike all organizations with histories which have systematically excluded certain identities throughout history, institutional norms present barriers to meaningful change. In the Army, these barriers manifest in two ways. First is the predominance of conservative religious beliefs among Soldiers and Chaplains, alike. Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s assessment that the New Testament “always has been, and is at present, one of the greatest obstacles in the way of the emancipation and the advancement of the sex” rings true for the Army.[37] The evangelical bend of Christianity endorses a hermeneutic of scriptural inerrancy. Thus, Soldiers both explicitly promote and assume that all who identify as Christian believe that Scripture clearly defines gender roles. Maintaining this as the normative stance only further reinforces the limiting aspects of patriarchy; inhibiting all Soldiers from achieving the spiritual domains of agency, self-awareness, and social awareness. Second is the tendency to devalue spirituality in lieu of other CSF priorities of effort such as physical fitness. Still, this devaluation results from the preponderance of traditional theologies which privilege alpha-males over all other identities. Given this reality, to suggest feminist theology as an immediate solution to deeper spirituality through dismantling patriarchy emerges as unfeasible for a first step. However, the introduction of evangelical feminism, as studied by scholar Pamela Cochran, offers a way to begin to shift the narrative from inerrancy to hermeneutics among Christian Army leaders.[38] The gradual introduction of inclusive feminist theology is imperative in the journey towards maximizing the spiritual strength of all Soldiers. Conclusion: Ramifications to People and Mission Though the U.S. Army stresses spiritual fitness as a major component of comprehensive health, the Army’s hypermasculine culture, especially religious culture, inhibits all persons from achieving peak spiritual strength. To maximize the spiritual fitness of all Soldiers, then, the Army needs feminist theology as it provides agency for all identities, enables self-awareness, and teaches social awareness. By promoting these three domains of the Domain of the Human Spirit, feminist theology catalyzes the fulfillment of the spiritual potential of all persons. Spirituality has proven paramount to success in battle throughout history. As the inscription on the Battle of Midway memorial in Washington, DC reads, “They had no right to win. Yet they did…even against the greatest of odds, there is something in the human spirit – a magic blend of skill, faith, and valor – that can lift men from certain defeat to incredible victory.”[39] This inscription speaks to the powerful impacts of spirituality in the darkest hours. Yet, it also highlights the paradox of the Army. Spirituality, especially in Christianity, has been tailored to men by men. It has been an exclusive club which makes the female body unwelcome. The Army, however, is now entirely open to women. If spirituality remains reserved for men, but women also need to be spiritually developed to be fully fit to both perform their job and process post-deployment stress, then the exclusion of women from Christian spirituality hinders their ability to cultivate their spiritual domain. As spirituality pertains to men, the traditional patriarchal norms of Christianity also hinder man’s ability to fully explore and live in to his God-given gifts. Ultimately, once individuals are liberated through spiritual fulfillment, they can then operate at maximum capacity. If all persons operate at maximum capacity, then the collective fighting force becomes more efficient and effective. Thus, feminist theology provides an avenue towards strengthened spiritual fitness which, ultimately, facilitates mission success and post-deployment healing from the realities of war. If Christian religious leaders within the Army truly desire to best nurture, care for, and honor the women and men placed within their charge, and desire to be responsible ethical advisors to their Commanders, then feminist theology must become the normative hermeneutic for providing pastoral care. Appendix A. Systems Used by the U.S. Army to Assess Soldier Spiritual Fitness. Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF). According to the U.S. Army, “CSF marks a new era for the Army by comprehensively equipping and training our Soldiers, Family members and Army Civilians to maximize their potential and face the physical and psychological challenges of sustained operations. We are committed to a true prevention model, aimed at the entire force, which will enhance resilience and coping skills enabling them to grow and thrive in today's Army.” (http://www.usar.army.mil/Featured/Resources/Comprehensive-Soldier-Fitness/) The Five Dimensions of Strength include: Physical, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, and Family. Spiritual fitness is described in doctrine as “Identifying one’s purpose, core values, beliefs, identity, and life vision define the spiritual dimension. These elements, which define the essence of a person, enable one to build inner strength, make meaning of experiences, behave ethically, persevere through challenges, and be resilient when faced with adversity. An individual’s spirituality draws upon personal, philosophical, psychological, and/or religious teachings or beliefs, and forms the basis of their character.” (“Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness,” AR 350-53 (Washington, DC: Department of the Army), 19 June 2014, 7-8) Global Assessment Tool (GAT). The GAT “combines objective health and fitness metrics (such as APFT and blood pressure data) with survey-based questions, providing the individual self-awareness within the Five Dimensions of Strength as well as scores in the Performance Triad (sleep, activity, and nutrition) and other metrics designed to motivate the user towards behavioral change.” (“Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness,” AR 350-53 (Washington, DC: Department of the Army), 19 June 2014, 8) Master Resiliency Training (MRT). MRT is a training which empowers Soldiers to overcome adversity through teaching seven core competencies: Self-awareness, Self-regulation, Optimism, Mental Agility, Strengths of Character, and Connection. The Strengths of Character competency includes identifying: “Appreciation of beauty and excellence, Bravery, Capacity to love, Caution, prudence, Citizenship, teamwork, Creativity , Curiosity , Fairness, Forgiveness, Gratitude, honesty, Hope, Humor, Industry, perseverance, Judgement, critical thinking, Kindness, Leadership, Love of learning, Modesty, Perspective, Self-control and self-regulation, Social intelligence, Spirituality, sense of purpose, Zest.” (http://www.usar.army.mil/Featured/Resources/master-resilience-training/) Spiritual Fitness Inventory (SFI). SFI looks at: Spiritual Practices, Spiritual Beliefs, and Transcendence of individual Soldiers (https://phc.amedd.army.mil/PHC%20Resource%20Library/TG360_SFI_User_Guide.pdf). [1] For the purposes of this paper, all references to “the Army” shall refer to the United States Army. Moreover, this paper only addresses theology which could be used by Christian Chaplains. I cannot offer suggestions to how Chaplains of other faith traditions should express their theology. [2] Figure 1. “Model of the Domain of the Human Spirit,” 2007. [3] The job of the Army Chaplain is twofold. As Religious Leaders, they provide for the free exercise of religion for all Soldiers and offer pastoral care and counseling. As Religious Advisors, they serve as Staff Officers to the Commander and advise on topics relating to ethics, Unit morale, and the religious factors of the battlespace. [4] Kenneth Pargament and Patrick Sweeney, “Building Spiritual Fitness in the Army: An Innovative Approach to a Vital Aspect of Human Development,” American Psychologist, Vol. 66, No. 1, 58-64 (American Psychological Association, 2011), 58. Another definition of spirituality is provided by the Army Medical Department (AMEDD). AMEDD defines spirituality as “a sense of connection that gives meaning and purpose to a person's life. Spirituality is unique to each individual, and refers to the deepest part of you. Your spirit provides you with the revealing sense of who you are, why you are here and what your purpose for living is. It is that innermost part of you that allows you to gain strength and hope.” (https://phc.amedd.army.mil/topics/healthyliving/bh/Pages/SpiritualHealth.aspx) [5] “Army Health Promotion,” AR 600-63 (Washington, DC: Department of the Army, 14 April 2015), 29-30. [6] “Comprehensive Soldier Fitness,” U.S. Army Reserves, 2017, http://www.usar.army.mil/Featured/Resources/Comprehensive-Soldier-Fitness/. [7] “Boosting Resilience through Spirituality,” TA-206-0516 (Washington, DC: Army Public Health Center. [8] The “Domain of the Human Spirit” is a model developed originally by Patrick Sweeney, S. Hannah, and D. Snider for the West Point Leader Development System. The model has since been adapted into Comprehensive Solder and Family Fitness literature for the U.S. Army. [9] Patrick Sweeney and Louis Fry, “Character Development through Spiritual Leadership,” Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, Vol. 64, No. 2, 89-107 (American Psychological Association, 2012), 94. [10] Ibid, 94. [11] Ibid, 96-97. [12] Figure 2. “A model of character development through personal spiritual leadership.” [13] FY17 Demographics, U.S. Army, https://m.goarmy.com/content/dam/goarmy/downloaded_assets/pdfs/advocates-demographics.pdf. [14] FY12 was the was the most recent data I could find regarding the composition of the Army Chaplain Corps. https://www.secular.org/files/sca_military_chaplain_report_0.pdf. [15] Sweeney and Fry, 91. [16] Valerie Saiving, “The Humane Stuation: A Feminine View,” Womanspirit Rising: A Feminist Reader in Religion, Carol Christ and Judith Plaskow, 32. For the purposes of this paper, “man” refers to cis-gendered males and “woman” refers to cis-gendered females, unless otherwise stated. This is so because, though transgendered persons serve in the U.S. Army, the data is limited as trans persons were only able to serve as of Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17). Additionally, there seems to be a dearth of feminist theology literature on the transgendered persons. [17] Saiving, 26. [18] Mary Daly, Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation (1973), 10-11. [19] Daly, 4. [20] Saiving, 27. [21] Ibid, 32. [22] Elizabeth Johnson, She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse, 47. [23] Cf. Numbers 11:12-13, Deut. 32:18, Is. 42:14, 46:3-4, Is. 49:15, Luke 15:8-10, Ps. 123:2, Exodus 3:14, Jeremiah 17:13, Deuteronomy 32:11-12, Exodus 19:4. [24] Johnson, 37. [25] Ibid, 39. [26] Stephanie Mitchem, Finding Questions and Answers in Womanist Theology and Ethics, 70. [27] Rosemary Radford Ruether, Sexism and God-Talk: Toward a Feminist Theology, 18. [28] Cf. Genesis 1:26-28, Genesis 2:7-8. [29] Daly, 7. [30] Ibid, 8. [31] Shira Maguen and Brett Litz, “Moral Injury in the Context of War,” https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/co-occurring/moral_injury_at_war.asp.[32] “Recognizing and Addressing Moral Injury,” Army Fit (Washington, DC: Department of the Army, 13 December 2017). [33] Global Assessment Tools Questions. Last taken 23 April 2018. [34] Johnson, 132. [35] “Religious Factor Analysis,” GTA 41-01-005 (Washington, DC: Department of the Army, February 2015), 34. [36] Global Assessment Tool. [37] Elizabeth Cady Stanton, “The Women’s Bible.” [38] Pamela D.H. Cochran, Evangelical Feminism. [39] Walter Lord, inscription on the Battle of Midway panel, World War II, Washington DC. Figure 1. Model of the Domain of the Human Spirit. Designed for the West Point Leader Development System. From “Domain of the Human Spirit” by P. Sweeney, S. Hannah, and D. Snider, 2007, Forging the Warrior’s Character: Moral Precepts from the Cadet Prayer, p. 64. Jerico, LLC. Copyright 2007 by the Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy. Adapted with Permission. Figure and caption taken from Patrick Sweeney and Louis Fry, “Character Development through Spiritual Leadership,” Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, Vol. 64, No. 2, 89-107 (American Psychological Association, 2012), 92.
Figure 2. A model of character development through personal spiritual leadership. Figure and caption taken from Patrick Sweeney and Louis Fry, 92.
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