Over 150 U.S. Army soldiers were baptized during basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri this summer. Southern Baptist Convention chaplain Cpt. Logan Lair told Baptist Press that trainees have been “hungry to learn about spirituality and their spiritual strength,” with 84 getting baptized in July and 73 in August.
Lair said he was encouraged by the response from these new trainees and called watching their baptisms, which occurred on the third Sunday, a “joy.” He said, “It’s great to see their spiritual strength grow through basic training. It’s an amazing blessing for me as a chaplain to be able to see where those trainees have come from and then to see where they are going.”
These baptisms and conversions come amid the stresses of basic training, with Lair telling Baptist Press how the intense chaos and pressure of the experience can yield spiritual conversations. He said the role of a chaplain can help these individuals meet the challenges and demands that come from their newfound military experience in basic training. Lair explained, “The Chaplain plays a great role in all of that because we create a safe place for a trainee to process and vent. As a Chaplain, I get a lot of tears.”
He said he sometimes goes through a pack of tissues daily as he comes alongside those who need his guidance and help. He said, “It’s an amazing joy for me to walk with soldiers and family through their challenging days and their joyful days. A chaplain definitely gets to experience the highs and lows of life with people. Words can’t explain how joyful it is to be part of that.”
Stories of mass baptisms continue to emerge, with some wondering if a revival or, at the least, a newfound spiritual fervency is afoot. In July, Pastor Greg Laurie held a mass baptism event at Pirate’s Cove in California that saw 4,500 people submerged in water over the course of a faith-filled day.
The event was inspired by “Jesus Revolution,” a hit film depicting events surrounding the Jesus movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s — a time of spiritual transformation when young people, tired and desperate from a challenging culture, turned to Christ in droves.
Weeks earlier, CBN’s Faithwire reported on what was, at the time, believed to be the most significant baptism in U.S. history, as 4,166 people were immersed at the location. Laurie’s event soon eclipsed that, but both sparked questions about revival and outpouring.