National Civil War Chaplains Museum

In the days of the Revolutionary War, ministers and chaplains were well respected by their fellow Americans, not only as religious figures, but as paragons of education and intellect as well. One excellent example is Chaplain Timothy Dwight, a well-known academic, military chaplain in the Continental Army, and later President of Yale College.

Stories from the time paint Dwight as having been a remarkably bright child. He is said to have learned the alphabet in one day, and he graduated from Yale at the young age of 17. He worked as a teacher at New Haven, where he made his public profession of faith at 19. From there, he took an interest in professional ministry, receiving his licensure less than three years later. When his school dissolved in 1777 due to the turmoil of the American Revolution, he resolved that the only proper course of action was to join the Continental Army as a military chaplain. He distinguished himself under the command of General Putnam, inspiring the men with sermon and song.

One such sermon accentuates Dwight’s blend of brilliance and fervor for the Gospel. Upon receiving word of British General John Burgoyne’s surrender at the Battle of Saratoga, Dwight preached to the men of General Putnam’s army from the book of Joel. He declared, “I will remove far off from you the northern army,” reminding the soldiers that faith in God had brought victory over the enemy. General Putnam was greatly pleased by the sermon, though he did not believe that so specific a phrase was truly in the Bible, as Burgoyne had marched from the north to take Saratoga. When one of his officers presented him with the passage, he exclaimed, “Well, there is everything in that book, and Dwight knows just where to lay his finger on it.”

Follow the Chaplains Museum for more stories of chaplains from this pivotal time in American history and come visit us on the campus of Liberty University.

Help the Chaplains Museum expand our collection and add new exhibits. Look for the "Donate" section at the link in our bio.

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“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” How is a chaplain meant to follow this command in wartime? Look to the example of Harold Voelkel, an American chaplain who keenly felt the need to share the Gospel with North Korean prisoners of war.

When North Korea crossed the 38th Parallel in 1950, Voelkel and his family were forced to flee to Japan. Voelkel had been working in South Korea as a civilian missionary, but in the uncertainty of war, he turned to God to know what step to take next. His answer came in the form of an invitation from the U.S. Army. Because of his fluency in Korean, they wanted him to join as a chaplain to help bridge the gap between American and South Korean forces. American troops landed at Inchon, surprising the North Koreans and capturing thousands of prisoners. It was this news that tugged at Chaplain Voelkel’s soul.

An evangelist at heart, he could not resist the opportunity to witness to so many people, so he requested and received a transfer to work in prisoner of war camps. The North Korean prisoners were shocked to hear an American officer preaching to them in their own language, and soon his camp meetings began to see attendance in the thousands. Some of the prisoners were already Christians themselves, and they assisted Voelkel in expanding his ministry.

By their work, many prisoners heard the Good News and converted to Christianity. When these prisoners learned that peace could involve their repatriation to North Korea, they signed a petition in blood, declaring that they would rather die than submit to Communism. Armistice was declared on July 27, 1953, and more than 60,000 former prisoners elected to stay in South Korea. Though they were not all Christians, that number is a testament to the great work that God did through the faithfulness of Chaplain Voelkel.

Follow the Chaplains Museum and visit us on the campus of Liberty University to learn more about chaplains` service among prisoners of war.

Help the Chaplains Museum expand our collection and add new exhibits. Look for the “Donate” section at the link in our bio.

#chaplains #chaplainsmuseum #militarychaplains #koreanwar #todayinhistory ...