An Ohio Army National Guard lieutenant’s application to be a military chaplain has been suspended while officials investigate allegations against him.
Lt. Chris Boyd, of Montpelier in northwestern Ohio, used Facebook to post criticisms of military leadership, according to screenshots provided by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
The foundation, a civil rights organization that was alerted to Boyd’s posts by an anonymous Army captain, sent a letter to Ohio Adjutant General John C. Harris asking for an investigation of Boyd on Friday afternoon.
Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, the founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said Monday afternoon that he had not yet received a response to the letter to Harris’ office.
Stephanie Beougher, spokeswoman for the Adjutant General’s office, said in an email to The Dispatch that the office is reviewing the allegations and determining the appropriate action.
She also said Boyd isn’t a chaplain, as previously reported, but a chaplain candidate “going through the training and vetting process.” There are several requirements to become a chaplain, including being ordained and in good standing with his or her denomination.
“His candidacy has been put on hold at this time,” Beougher said in a statement.
Weinstein said he’s happy that Boyd’s candidacy for chaplain is on hold. But, he said, Boyd still took an oath to support, defend and protect the constitution as a lieutenant.
“If he is not going to be tried aggressively and visibly and publicly by a general court martial, then the military should take a torch to the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) and sweep up the ashes and throw them away,” Weinstein said. “He is still receiving money, he still took the oath, he’s still wearing the uniform … He has just accused the highest military leaders of this country” of sedition.
He needs to be punished, Weinstein said.
Boyd did not return calls for comment.
Other screenshots from the foundation show that Boyd also wrote that “democrats (sic) ruin everything. They steal your money. They steal our election. They murder children.”
In another post, Boyd wrote that he thinks the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6 was done by “leftist politicians” who were “imitating what they think represents republicans (sic).”
The North American Lutheran Church (NALC) lists Boyd in its online clergy directory as an active pastor serving at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Port Clinton. In a March 2020 church bulletin, Boyd was listed as an intern at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Montpelier.
The NALC began in 2010 in Columbus and is a denomination of Lutheranism that split off from other Lutherans due to disagreements on certain topics, including homosexuality and same-sex marriage. The NALC describes itself as maintaining “orthodox Lutheran teachings” and has about 400 member congregations.
On Boyd’s Facebook page, he describes himself as “a poor, family-loving, conservative Lutheran Army Chaplain and ordained Augustinian Priest.”
Beougher also said in a statement that all members of the Ohio National Guard are held to a high standard of conduct, on and off duty, including social media use.
“While they are able to share and express their beliefs on issues as private citizens, public posts intolerant on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex (including gender identity), sexual orientation, or that show contempt for public officials or bring discredit upon the military service — reflect poorly on the organization’s professionalism, erodes public trust, and can impact their military career,” the statement said.
Among the National Guard’s listed requirements for chaplaincy are that the person is “sensitive to religious pluralism and able to provide for the free exercise of religion by all military personnel and their family members.”
In his communication with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the Army captain pointed out that Boyd also posted on Facebook criticizing Catholics.
“Based on his posts and our conversations, I would not feel comfortable referring one of my soldiers to him for spiritual purposes,” the captain wrote of Boyd. “He is a Lutheran pastor, and has spoken against the Catholic faith on multiple occasions, sometimes using the derogatory term ‘papist,’ which is offensive to many Catholics.”
___
(c) 2021 The Columbus Dispatch
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
