Chaplain to the Senate

These are excerpts from an interview that religion editor Julia Duin had with the Rev. Barry Black, the 62nd chaplain to the U.S. Senate at his office in the U.S. Capitol. Mr. Black, the first Seventh-day Adventist and first black man to hold the chaplain’s post, discusses his role in the Senate, his workload and his understanding of prayer.

Question: Do you know President Obama?

Answer: Actually, when he came to Senate, yes. I’ve known him now for a few years. There was no African-African senator when I came here. When he came and I’m invited in the for the orientation of the new senator. …

Q: You are?

A: And so I had an opportunity to get to know him and the first lady, at that time, and develop a friendship.

Q: Why do you do the orientation? I’m curious.

A: Well, there is a general orientation for new senators anyway, they come to Capitol Hill - the different things they need to know about what’s available, what’s expected. And, of course, the sergeant-at-arms will talk to them, the secretary will talk to them. And I’m an officer of the Senate, like the sergeant-at-arms and the secretary. So I talk to them about what we do at the Chaplain’s Department and what they can expect from us. I have an advisory function to them anyway, where I talk to them about the ethical dimensions of the issues that they are debating in the chamber. I provide counseling for staffers, so they need to know that they have the resource of this office that they can turn to.

Q: Do you get many questions on the ethics of [public issues]. Do you get that many people showing up here?

A: Well, every issue that is debated has the ethical issue of what is the right decision we should make. So although my job is nonpartisan and not sectarian, obviously I can give some pros and cons regarding various decisions that are being debated in the chamber, whether you’re talking about definition of marriage, stem-cell research. Certainly my military background provides me with an opportunity to give quite a bit of advice regarding war. The establishment clause of the First Amendment - when is a piece of legislation potentially breaching the establishment clause of the First Amendment and a variety of other things.

Q: How many senators per month would you say contact you in one way or another to ask you? …

A: Well I’d say probably - because I interact with senators at a prayer breakfast every week, I conduct a Bible study for senators every week, and then I’m on the floor usually during roll call votes and I see them in informal settings around Capitol Hill, I’d say probably at least 45-50 senators a week have some type of conversation with me.

Q: How many come to the prayer breakfast?

A: Oh, we can get as many as 20 or 30.

Q: And the Bible study?

A: We can get nine or 10.

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