The U.S. military requires chaplain candidates to earn graduate degrees that include at least 36 hours of course work in religious study.

In the past, such a rule posed an uneasy challenge for church members in uniform hoping to become an Army, Navy or Air Force chaplain. Without a traditional "divinity" school of their own to attend, LDS candidates often enrolled in a graduate school operated by another religion to satisfy "religious study" requirements.

Now LDS candidates have another option. Since last summer, seven LDS chaplain candidates have been enrolled in Brigham Young University's master's of religious education program. They are participating in graduate courses generally populated by seminary and institute teachers.

The church-owned school has not been able to accommodate all chaplain candidates in the competitive program, "but it's a beginning," said Frank Clawson, director of the church's military relations office that oversees the endorsement of LDS chaplains.

"We're excited about what we're seeing," added Roger Keller, a BYU professor of church history and world religion and director of the school's chaplain program.

See the rest of this story at ldschurchnews.com.


This story is provided by the LDS Church News, an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is produced weekly by the Deseret News.