“Real Battle Is Spiritual”: Pentagon Chief Unveils Religious Affairs Office to Strengthen Chaplain Support

“Real Battle Is Spiritual”: Pentagon Chief Unveils Religious Affairs Office to Strengthen Chaplain Support

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the creation of a new Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs during his “State of the Force” address at Marine Corps Base Quantico. Speaking to junior officers and enlisted leaders, Hegseth said technology, infrastructure and personnel development are not enough without faith, which he described as “the most essential component of our Republic.”
  • Senators Press Trump to Confront Xi Over Detained Pastors, Religious Minorities
    A bipartisan group of 10 U.S. senators called on President Donald Trump to raise China’s persecution of Christian pastors and other religious minorities during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington this week. Led by Sens. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., the lawmakers thanked Trump for diplomatic pressure they said helped secure the July 3 release of Beijing Zion Church founder Ezra Jin after 266 days in detention.
  • DOJ Defends IRS Agreement Limiting Johnson Amendment Enforcement for Churches
    The U.S. Department of Justice is backing Christian organizations and the Internal Revenue Service in an appeal involving a proposed agreement that would limit enforcement of the Johnson Amendment against certain religious groups. The Trump administration filed a brief Monday with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in National Religious Broadcasters et al. v. Scott Bessent et al., a case challenging whether the Internal Revenue Service had authority to submit an agreement in court stating it

Trump Highlights Global Christian Persecution at UN, Warns Iran of “Annihilation” Without Deal

President Donald Trump used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to draw attention to the persecution of Christians worldwide, criticizing the U.N. Human Rights Council for giving the issue little attention while condemning some of the world’s most repressive governments. “Christians are being persecuted all over the world; it's not even believable. I never thought I'd say it, but it's been happening for a long time.”
  • Charlie Kirk Among Most “Difficult” Topics for College Students to Discuss on Campus, Survey Finds
    Christian political activist Charlie Kirk ranks among the subjects U.S. college students say are most difficult to discuss openly on campus, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s 2027 College Free Speech Rankings. FIRE also reported that several Turning Point USA chapters faced challenges to their status as recognized student organizations following Kirk’s assassination, including denials of recognition or calls for chapters to lose official standing.
  • ERLC Calls on Trump to Confront Xi Over China’s Religious Persecution During Washington Visit
    The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is urging President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to raise religious freedom concerns with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of his expected Sept. 24 visit to Washington. The Southern Baptist entity is calling on U.S. officials to press China over its treatment of religious minorities and imprisoned Christian leaders.
  • Sam Brownback Criticizes South Korea’s Treatment of Former Trump Diplomat as “Shocking”
    Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback called on the Trump administration to intervene for Morse H. Tan, his former diplomatic colleague who has been barred from leaving South Korea for months. "I was shocked, I really was," Brownback told The Christian Post about the exit ban against Tan, who served with him in the U.S. State Department as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice during President Donald Trump's first term.
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  • Robert Jeffress Condemns James Talarico’s Beliefs as “Blasphemous” at Dallas GOP Convention

    First Baptist Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress sharply criticized Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico’s theological and political views during the second night of the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas, describing them as “blasphemous,” “evil” and incompatible with Christianity. Speaking Thursday at the American Airlines Center, Jeffress told attendees that although he did not believe “all Republicans are saints.”

  • Hispanic Pentecostal Leaders Urge Trump Administration to Extend TPS for El Salvador

    Hispanic Pentecostal leaders gathered near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday to urge the Trump administration to extend Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador and to show greater leniency toward immigrant families facing detention and deportation. The gathering came as protections for roughly 170,000 Salvadorans approached a Sept. 9 deadline.

  • Most Churchgoers Satisfied With Churches’ Spiritual Growth Efforts, Study Finds

    Most U.S. churchgoers say they are satisfied with how their congregations promote spiritual growth, help them understand the Bible and encourage service. However, levels of confidence vary notably by gender and Scripture engagement, according to a recent American Bible Society study. When asked whether their churches challenge them to “grow and take next steps,” 43% of churchgoers said they were “very satisfied,” 31% said they were “satisfied” and 26% said they were “not satisfied.”

  • Report Warns U.S. on Track to Admit No Persecuted Christian Refugees in FY2026

    The United States is on pace to admit no Christian refugees fleeing persecution from the world’s most severe countries of concern in fiscal year 2026, according to a new report from Open Doors US and the evangelical humanitarian organization World Relief. According to the report, refugee admissions from the 50 countries included on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List have effectively fallen to zero during fiscal year 2026.

  • Maine High Court Allows Father to Bar Daughter From Attending Church With Mother

    Maine’s highest court has upheld a custody order allowing a father to prevent his daughter from attending a Calvary Chapel congregation with her mother, rejecting arguments that the restriction violated the mother’s religious liberty rights. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court issued a unanimous decision Tuesday in Emily A. Bickford v. Matthew A. Bradeen, with Chief Justice Valeria Stanfill writing for the court.

  • 11 U.S. Lawmakers Urge Pakistan to Protect Christian Woman Allegedly Abducted and Forced to Convert

    Eleven members of the U.S. Congress have called on Pakistan’s government to protect an 18-year-old Christian woman whose family says she was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam. In an Aug. 20 letter to Pakistan’s Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, the lawmakers raised concerns about the legal process surrounding the disappearance of Neha Faqir and her later court appearance after she was found in Lahore.

  • Religious Youth Turn to Online Content but Still Distrust Media Portrayals of Faith

    Most religious young people say media depictions of faith and spirituality do not accurately reflect their beliefs, even as many regularly turn to online content to explore religious questions, according to new research from UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers. Both religious and nonreligious respondents frequently described online media as an important part of exploring questions of faith and spirituality.

  • Court Backs Faith Groups in Challenge to ICE Church Enforcement Policy

    A federal appeals court has upheld a temporary restriction preventing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from carrying out enforcement operations at certain houses of worship under a policy allowing actions at churches, schools and other community sites. A unanimous three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a coalition that includes several Quaker meeting groups, a Sikh temple and a Cooperative Baptist congregation.
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