The Military Chaplains Act of 2025 would protect chaplains who preach, counsel, and serve according to the teachings of their endorsing faith groups without censorship, coercion, or retaliation.
Update (March 30, 2026): The Military Chaplains Act of 2025 remains pending before the House Armed Services Committee after being introduced on May 1, 2025. The issue has only grown more relevant. President Trump established the White House Faith Office in February 2025, established the Religious Liberty Commission in May 2025, and that commission held a hearing on religious liberty in the military in December 2025. In other words, the bill is still pending, but the broader push to strengthen religious liberty for military personnel and chaplains is very much alive.
Original: The Military Chaplains Act of 2025, introduced in the House on May 1, 2025, would strengthen legal protections for military chaplains and clarify that they may carry out their duties in a manner consistent with their sincerely held religious beliefs and the tenets of their religious endorsing organizations.
The Military Chaplains Act of 2025, introduced by Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, with Morgan Luttrell, would define chaplains’ duties while protecting their ability to serve according to the doctrine and convictions of the faith groups that endorse them.
“As someone who benefited from the counsel of chaplains during my 25 years in the Army, I believe we must ensure they can serve without sacrificing their God-given freedoms,” Self said in a statement. “Though we currently have an administration that values the chaplain corps, that may not always be the case. That’s why this legislation to safeguard religious liberty in our armed forces is urgently needed.”
The bill says chaplains may conduct public worship, provide counseling, teach, deliver sermons, advise, minister, and offer prayer in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs and the tenets of their religious endorsing organizations. It also recognizes chaplains’ role in advising commanders on religion, morals, ethics, well being, morale, and spiritual readiness.
The Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty applauded the legislation. Bishop Derek Jones, the group’s executive director and a former Air Force chaplain, said the bill was long overdue.
“No service member should ever be denied their constitutionally protected rights to freely exercise their religious beliefs,” Jones said. “This law will ensure our military chaplains are decidedly the most qualified among religious professionals and are supported as such.”
First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit legal organization that promotes religious freedom, also voiced its support for the bill.
“Chaplains are leaders in our fighting force, responsible for maintaining spiritual readiness,” said Erin Smith, Associate Counsel at First Liberty. “It is imperative that we provide them with the tools and protections necessary to fulfill their duties in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs and the tenets of their religious endorsing body.”
Military chaplains have long been viewed as vital spiritual support systems for those serving under intense pressure and in hazardous conditions. Many servicemembers turn to their chaplains for prayer, comfort, and biblical counsel in times of loss or moral conflict. Ensuring that chaplains can speak the truth of Scripture without censorship is seen by many Christians as essential to the moral fabric of the military.
Several well-documented cases explain why supporters say stronger statutory protections are needed. In late 2014, the Navy threatened Chaplain Wes Modder with detachment for cause, removal from the promotion list, and a Board of Inquiry after he answered private counseling questions on marriage and sexuality according to his faith and denomination. In 2018, Army Chaplain Scott Squires faced potential discipline after declining to conduct a Strong Bonds marriage retreat that included a same-sex couple, even though he arranged for another chaplain to serve them instead. Both men were later exonerated.
“The mere existence of these challenges sends a chilling message to men and women of faith in the military,” said Smith. “We must reaffirm the truth that our chaplains are not only allowed but encouraged to be faithful witnesses, even within government institutions.”
The Military Chaplain Act would enforce a consistent standard across all armed services branches, reducing the chances of arbitrary or politically motivated disciplinary actions. The legislation emphasizes that chaplains are not required to participate in or facilitate events, ceremonies, or counseling sessions that contradict their beliefs, a principle that aligns with rulings by federal courts and military policies recognizing the role of endorsing organizations in setting theological parameters.
The bill drew immediate support from religious liberty advocates. First Liberty Institute backed the measure one day after its introduction, and Rep. Self argued that chaplains must be able to serve without sacrificing what he called their God given freedoms.
For Christian supporters of the bill, however, the issue is about exercising religious freedom, according to Self.
“The military chaplain’s ability to freely exercise their religious duties is not only a Constitutional right, but it is essential to forming the conscience and character of our warfighters,” he explained.
Concerns about conscience rights also intensified during the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. In July 2024, a federal judge approved a settlement in the Navy SEAL religious accommodation case that required the Navy to review and correct records for covered service members, delete qualifying adverse actions tied solely to vaccine refusal on religious grounds, provide additional training on religious accommodation requests, and pay $1.5 million in attorneys’ fees.
Under the agreement, the Navy will review and correct personnel records, removing any adverse actions related solely to vaccine refusal based on religious beliefs. The Navy is also required to issue a public statement affirming respect for religious service members, provide enhanced training for commanders on handling religious accommodation requests, and pay $1.5 million in attorneys’ fees.
These disputes have not been theoretical. They have involved careers, counseling, promotion opportunities, and the freedom of chaplains and service members to act according to conscience while serving their country. That is exactly why supporters want clearer protections written into federal law.
As believers, we know that chaplains are shepherds placed in a mission field where life, death, and eternity often hang in the balance. Their ability to faithfully preach God’s Word and offer biblical counsel must never be compromised for cultural or political conformity.
At a time when religious liberty has reemerged as a central national issue, protecting the rights of military chaplains is not a side question. President Trump’s White House Faith Office and Religious Liberty Commission have both signaled that the federal government again sees religious freedom as a foundational American concern, including in the military.
Romans 12:2 urges us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” The chaplaincy must remain where transformation through the Word of God is possible, not where truth is silenced.
Christians in the military and those who support them should pray for the ongoing freedoms of our chaplains in the Armed Forces. Psalm 144:1 declares, “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.”
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