According to reports, a California city forbade its volunteer fire and police chaplains from using the name of Jesus in their prayers alongside public servants.
For many years, Denny Cooper and J.C. Cooper, his son, have been serving the people of Carlsbad, California. Denny has 18 years of experience as a volunteer with the city’s fire dept.. He also coaches baseball and teaches gymnastics. For six years, J.C., an associate pastor, has volunteered to serve as the chaplain for the Carlsbad Police Dept..
Praying without bringing up Jesus would be “a denial of him, a breaking of his conscience, and a sin.”
But it appears that Scott Chadwick, the city manager of Carlsbad, is offended by the obviously Christian aspect of their chaplaincy job. A letter from the nonprofit legal organization First Liberty Institute, which defends religious freedom, claims that Chadwick informed Christie Calderwood, the chief of police in J.C., that mentioning Jesus’ name during prayer in public “was considered harassment, created a bad work environment, and put one religion above another.”
The FLI letter said that J.C. finished his prayer in the name of Jesus during the Carlsbad Police Dept. Awards Ceremony and that a member of the Carlsbad City Council even protested about it; however, it is unclear if Chadwick was the one who made the complaint.
Police Chief Calderwood has instructed J.C. not to say Jesus’ name in prayers with police officers. She stated, “[J.C.] could use other names,” the letter claims.
Chaplain Denny Cooper received similar directives from Fire Chief Mike Calderwood. According to reports, the fire chief said Chadwick gave the anti-Jesus instruction.
