Course Introduction
In chaplaincy, you will encounter people from every belief system imaginable—often in moments of crisis, vulnerability, and spiritual searching. In those moments, your calling is not to compromise truth, but to carry it with wisdom, compassion, and clarity. Chaplaincy: Understanding Other Religions trains you to minister effectively across diverse faith backgrounds while remaining fully anchored in your identity as a follower of Christ.
In this course, Dr. Mike Cowen equips chaplains to recognize spiritual frameworks, discern what people truly believe, and engage conversations with confidence and grace. You will learn how to understand other belief systems without being influenced by them, how to serve people where they are without affirming what is false, and how to lovingly guide hearts toward truth, freedom, and relationship with Jesus.
What You’ll Learn
In this five-session course, you will discover:
The Need to Know – Understand why chaplains must be spiritually aware in interfaith environments. Learn the difference between “many doors” worldviews and the biblical truth of Christ as the only Door, and how to move people from belief about Jesus into relationship with Him without fear or compromise.
Understanding Islam – Gain a clear framework for Islamic belief, including its view of God, Jesus, scripture, and religious law. Learn how to minister through presence, prayer, and relationship, and how to bridge conversations from religion to relationship with wisdom and Spirit-led discernment.
Buddhism and What It Means to be Buddhist – Explore how Buddhism defines suffering, desire, ego, salvation, and ultimate purpose. Discover why self-salvation cannot bring freedom, and how to compassionately point others toward forgiveness, grace, and the saving work of Christ.
Catholicism – Understand Catholic doctrine, tradition, and spiritual structure while identifying both common ground and key distinctions. Learn how to minister respectfully within Catholic contexts while inviting people into direct access to God through Jesus without dismantling their background or identity.
The New Age – Recognize the core beliefs of New Age spirituality, including self-divinity, relative truth, spirit guides, and counterfeit “light.” Learn how to identify spiritual deception, minister with authority rather than fear, and guide people out of confusion and into true freedom through Christ.
Why This Course Matters
Chaplaincy places you in environments where belief systems collide—hospitals, prisons, military bases, crisis scenes, and community spaces where faith backgrounds are often unknown or deeply mixed. Without discernment, it is easy to either avoid spiritual conversations or compromise truth in the name of tolerance.
Understanding Other Religions provides a biblical framework that allows you to minister with both compassion and conviction—teaching you how to honor people without affirming error, how to listen without becoming spiritually passive, and how to carry God’s presence into every belief system without losing clarity. This course equips you to bring light into confusion and truth into spiritual complexity with wisdom, authority, and grace.
Course Features
- 5 video sessions with Dr. Mike Cowen
- Downloadable course overview with practical application guide
- Certificate of completion
- 1 credit hour toward a Warrior Notes School of Ministry degree
- Taught in the Spirit-filled, practical teaching style you expect from Warrior Notes
If you are ready to engage people from every belief system without fear, confusion, or compromise, Chaplaincy: Understanding Other Religions will strengthen your discernment and deepen your effectiveness.
Please Note the Following...
This course contains sensitive content, including topics such as suicide and violence, and is intended for adults ages 18 and older (or with parental/guardian permission). The material is presented from a biblical, Spirit-filled perspective to equip believers with wisdom and compassion for ministering in life’s most difficult situations. This course DOES NOT provide chaplaincy certification OR REPLACE professional counseling or medical advice.
Meet Mike
Dr. Mike Cowen is passionate about equipping the Body of Christ and helping believers unlock their God-given destiny. Called into ministry at 17, he has faithfully served for over 25 years as a pastor, teacher, and mentor. Mike graduated from the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry, Life Christian University, and holds his doctorate through Warrior Notes School of Ministry, where he also serves as Dean.
In addition to pastoral ministry, Mike has spent more than a decade serving as a Police Chaplain, ministering to first responders on the frontlines of crisis and helping establish chaplaincy programs in multiple cities. His experience spans crisis intervention and long-term relationship building that bring healing and hope.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to these courses?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any devices you own.
When will the payments be collected for the payment plan?
The first payment will be collected at the time of purchase. The subsequent payments will be collected on the same day of each month. The date payment is due CANNOT be altered or delayed.
Will I lose access to my course if I can't make my payments?
Yes. If the payment does not go through on the appropriate date, then we will attempt collecting payment the 3rd, 7th, and 14th day after the initial attempt. If payment is not collected by the 14th day after, you will be automatically removed from the course. We use Teachable's payment processing system, and therefore we cannot alter these rules.