“If you bear the name of Jesus Christ, there’s no armor greater than that,” Christian nationalist leader Doug Wilson declared at a recent worship service at the Pentagon, an event he called a sign of national revival. Defense Secretary Pete…
Doug Wilson Preaches at Pentagon, Compares Services to Day of Pentecost
Controversial Christian Nationalist preacher Doug Wilson stood at a podium inside the Pentagon on Tuesday (Feb. 17) as the guest preacher for the latest monthly Christian worship service held there for leaders of the U.S. military. The Idaho pastor and self-described “paleo-Confederate” preached about…
Trump and Hegseth defy evangelical theology at Prayer Breakfast
Much attention has been paid to the remarks of President Donald Trump at Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast, but the real story is what Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said, according to Brian Kaylor. Kaylor, editor of Word&Way, writes a Substack…
Franklin Graham blames Renee Good, urges prayer for Trump team
America needs to repent of its sin and pray for Donald Trump and Kristi Noem and Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard, according to evangelist Franklin Graham. In a Jan. 14 interview on CBN, Graham issued the national call to prayer…
What Worship Looks Like in a Government-Run Church Service
A controversial new leader in Washington, D.C., organizes worship services in a federal building, hosts the services, picks preachers to speak, invites staff and special guests to attend, and claims to do it to advance religion. That could describe Secretary…
America’s dangerous double standard in war and law
More than 20 years ago, Queen Padmé Amidala, portrayed by Natalie Portman in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, delivered a line that has aged like prophecy: “So this is how liberty dies — with thunderous applause.”…
What to know about Trump’s Christmas airstrikes in Nigeria
On Christmas Day, while many Americans were unwrapping gifts, the United States military was unwrapping a new phase of engagement in West Africa. At the direction of President Donald Trump, U.S. forces launched Tomahawk cruise missiles into Northwestern Nigeria, targeting…
‘When the wicked are in power …’
“Advent is the season that, when properly understood, does not flinch from the darkness that stalks us all in this world,” Fleming Rutledge says in Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ. In these final days of Advent, we…
Hegseth plans ‘cultural shift’ for military chaplains
“I’m here to tell you about a real problem facing our nation’s military,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth began in a video with a Christmas tree and a Department of War flag behind him. “It’s one you’re probably not aware…
Trump and Hegseth cut news media access
The White House and Pentagon are limiting press access by veteran reporters, favoring small right-wing media outlets over the Associated Press and legacy outlets that serve much larger audiences, and dishing out insults instead of answering questions. Most administrations have…
The unholy alliance that’s OK with bringing back slavery
A chilling and terrifying convergence is under way on the American religious right. On one side comes raw, unfiltered and vitriolic bigotry straight from the gutter. The most recent display of this came in the form of leaked Telegram chats…
A faithful response to the Wounded Knee decision
On Sept. 26, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the 20 soldiers who participated in the 1890 massacre of hundreds of Lakota men, women and children at Wounded Knee would retain the Medals of Honor awarded to them….