Christ Left Out
Whenever we have seen the chaplain in the hospital it has been comforting to know that they were there to represent Christ and our faith as Christians. They may have been from a different denomination than our own, but at least we knew they would pray for us, share scripture with us, offer us communion when our minister wasn't available and reassurance of the presence of Christ as we faced illness or surgery.
In my book, The Changing Face of Spirituality In Health care, you will be surprised to learn that none of these things is true any longer. Chaplains are bound by a new code of conduct based on the directives of the National Association of Palliative Care and Hospice Organization. The NAPHCO acts as an oversight body for all hospice and palliative care organizations and is driven by Medicare requirements in order to receive reimbursement. Medicare is their largest client and chaplains must comply with their standards. The following represents some of the standards that chaplains must follow or lose their jobs:
- All paths lead to God and are equally valid.
- You must support and reassure each patient of their spiritual well-being regardless of their religious belief or lack of belief.
- Provide non-judgmental care that forbids the chaplain from sharing their own faith in Christ.
- Spiritual care has nothing to do with religion.
- The role of the chaplain is to provide: life review, active listening, resolve lingering issues, find purpose and meaning in life and dying, provide comfort and decrease anxiety and depression through empathy, and resolve family conflict and issues.
Chaplains must: ignore the integrity of their own faith convictions; deceive those without Christ of spiritual assurance; are prevented from sharing scripture unless requested specifically by the patient, cannot pray except upon request; must always remain spiritual neutrality. To do any of these things would lead to the termination of your employment as a chaplain. Chaplains have been spiritually hamstrung and now fill the role more like a social worker than a minister.
I hope that from reading this post that you are as concerned about the changing role of chaplaincy as I am. Generally chaplains are warm, loving, compassionate people, however, their hands are tied from expressing faith in Jesus Christ. Chaplains must support the idea that there are many equally valid paths to God and ignore the truth of John 14:6 where Jesus declares, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by me."
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