By Timothy Cockes, NOBTS news editor NEW ORLEANS (LBM) -- U.S. Navy Chap­lain Robert Christian, an alumnus of both New Orleans (M.Div., 1989) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminaries (D.Min., 1996), was re­cently promoted to rear admiral (lower half), a one-star flag rank. His promotion was confirmed by President Donald J. Trump on May 18 and by the U.S. Senate on July 16, and his official celebration was held on July 17 at the Naval Sup­port Activity, Hampton Roads, Virginia. Rear-admiral (low­er-half) is the second highest rank for Navy chaplains, and no ac­tive-duty Southern Baptist has held the rank since 1970. In July Christian began serving in dual roles as the U.S. Navy deputy chief of chaplains (second highest ranking chaplain) and as the chaplain of the U.S. Marine Corps (highest ranking chaplain among U.S. Marines). The Marine Corps is a separate military branch within the Department of the Navy, but it relies on the Navy for medical, religious, legal and oper­ational support person­nel. Navy chaplains also meet the religious needs of the U.S. Coast Guard, which operates under the Department of Home­land Security but may be transferred to the Depart­ment of the Navy during wartime. Christian will … [Read more...]