News Conference Today at 3 PM

Contact: Dane Rose, National Clergy Council, 202-546-8329, ext 106; 703-447-1072 cell

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- Rev. Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council and chairman of the Committee on Church and Society for the Evangelical Church Alliance, America's oldest association of Evangelical clergy and an active endorser of military chaplains, will address a news conference on the current controversy surrounding restrictions on prayers chaplains may pray. He will speak in support of a measure being sponsored by Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, that would allow chaplains to pray according to their own religious traditions.

Rev. Schenck stated, "For the US government to dictate in any way how, when or why chaplains should offer prayers is a flagrant violation of the First Amendment. Chaplains take their orders on prayer from a much higher authority than their commanding officer. In every other way, chaplains must be good soldiers, but they are also hired to be good ministers and being a good minister means keeping your ordination vows to God."

News Conference on Military Chaplaincy --

When: Today, Sept. 19, 3:00 PM

Where: US Senate Swamp, Delaware Avenue and Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC