The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has confirmed that chaplains can preach sermons with obviously Christian content at affiliated medical facilities and has rescinded a letter of reprimand after a chaplain was punished last year.
In a letter written in late February but recently made public, VA Secretary Doug Collins said, “There is no national or local policy or standard operating procedure which inhibits Chaplain sermons.”
Collins, a military chaplain in his own right, is a former Baptist pastor and member of Congress appointed to the position by President Donald Trump. He vowed that the “VA will take all steps necessary to avoid any future inconsistent actions,” and it is his “hope that these measures adequately resolve this matter.”
The letter was sent to Hiram Sasser of the First Liberty Institute. The group represents Russell Trubey, a chaplain punished for delivering a Christian sermon at the Coatesville VA Medical Center in Pennsylvania.
After the service, a VA police officer claimed that complaints were made about his sermon. Trubey was later removed from duties and threatened with a report on his permanent record.
Although the proposed punishment was rescinded, Trubey’s supervisor tried implementing a sermon review process and limiting the topics on which VA chaplains could preach.