International ethical training to strengthen alliances

By USAG Ansbach Religious Support OfficeMarch 12, 2015

Students from the German christian university in Hannover, Germany
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (Mar. 12, 2015) -- A group of 60 people participated in a training session led by U.S. Army Chaplain (Maj.) Eric Dean on the ethics of a just war from a religious perspective. Dean provided ethical training in the theory and practice... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Chaplain (Maj.) Eric Dean leads discussion
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (Mar. 12, 2015) -- Chaplain (Maj.) Eric Dean discusses the Just War theory from a religious perspective with a group of university students. Dean provided ethical training in the theory and practice of a just war to a group of German... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ANSBACH, Germany (Mar. 12, 2015) -- U.S. Army Chaplain (Maj.) Eric Dean provided ethical training in the theory and practice of a just war to a group of German Christian university students at Hannover, Germany Feb. 13.

The attendees wanted to know how to develop a biblically congruent and ethical response to the threat of religious extremism as well as to recent events in the Ukraine.

Using the "Just War Theory," Dean provided the participants with an ethical framework for critically assessing the threats in Europe and the Middle East.

Dean later divided the participants into working groups and provided them with vignettes based on actual scenarios that occurred in either the Ukraine or the Middle East. The students then assessed the vignette ethically and developed a recommended course of action that was based upon the Just War Theory and was also biblically congruent.

"A unique challenge to each of the working groups was the task not to develop a course of action that only heads of state or governing authorities could implement but rather to develop a course of action that the church, both globally and locally, could implement to address the challenges of terrorism and the suffering it brings," Dean said.

The training was so well-received that the students invited Dean to conduct a second session of training in April.

Related Links:

USAG Ansbach official website

USAG Ansbach Religious Support Office web page

USAG Ansbach official Twitter account

USAG Ansbach official Facebook page

USAG Ansbach official Flickr account