Humanist Chaplain Journey

Kenneth Mark Landes After the shock of the 2016 presidential election, I started to look for a way in which I could continue to help our divided country and those people impacted by the election of Donald Trump and a Republican majority in Congress. As part of my attempt to get my military discharge upgraded before my 30th Class Reunion at the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2017, I found a  letter  that was written twenty-five years earlier from an Army Chaplain supporting my attending a theological seminary. This renewed interest in my becoming a chaplain but with a twist as I no longer believe in the supernatural and am a Secular Humanist. This realization appeared to be the best way to help myself and others in dealing with the sense of betrayal of the freedoms that we as Americans hold dear. Despite my lack of belief, I still feel like I can support the spiritual needs of a diverse group of believers, as I grew up as a believing member of the United Methodist

I have some good news after having to put my goal on hold for a year that I have started my Masters of Divinity degree Iliff School of Theology. With a great assist from two of my classmates from West Point and the Humanist Chaplain of the University of Cincinnati, I was accepted as a full-time student while also working full-time. We are currently in the fifth week of the fall quarter which takes place on location in Denver Colorado where Iliff is located. There are several reasons why I applied specifically to Iliff but the most important is the combination of distance and on-site learning called the Journey Program. This is an intensive week of school work but also the first time that I am getting to meet my fellow first-year Journey classmates and two-course classmates.  I am in two theological courses and the Journey Beginnings course. The two theological courses are Theological Education in the Digital Age and Identity, Power & Vocation in Community. As the second cou