Saint Martin's Cloak

Performative civil religion was on full display this week during the America Reads the Bible series of public Bible readings. The performance is supposed to commemorate the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence. During the event, a series of politicians, MAGA supporters, and other ostensibly notable figures will read aloud the entire Protestant Bible in piecemeal fashion. The readers are using the King James Easy Read Bible, one of many obscure revisions of the KJV. The live readings take place at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. Tickets are $50. You can also register to watch a live stream. I cannot understood why anyone thinks merely reading the words of the Bible aloud will mean anything to God, have a positive effect on the nation, or draw anyone to Jesus. On Tuesday, President Trump read from Second Chronicle. The organizer's website features a recording of the president's reading on the home page of it's website and declares, As...

When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:33-34) Don’t oppress the alien who has come to live among you. In fact, love the alien as yourself. That last part is an echo of Leviticus 19:18, which Jesus identified as the second great commandment.  Does Leviticus 19:33-34 only apply to some immigrants? Of course not, but like the lawyer who asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor,” (Luke 10:29) some people will always look for ways to excuse themselves from love’s demands. John Piper recently posted these verses in his social feed and the online pushback from a certain sphere of American Christians was immediate. Piper is Reformed and Baptist in his theological outlook. Until recently, Piper has been a popular writer in those circles. I am neither, so I do...

At the Secretary of Defense’s personally-led, monthly worship service in January, he quoted Psalm 144 in conjunction with a military operation.  Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle, my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues the peoples under me. … Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains so that they smoke. Make the lightning flash and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them. … May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars, cut for the building of a palace. May our barns be filled with produce of every kind; may our sheep increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields, and may our cattle be heavy with young. May there be no breach in the walls, no exile, and no cry of distress in our streets. Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are the people whose God is the LOR...

The president spoke to the National Prayer Breakfast on February 6, 2026. The event is sponsored by a Christian organization, but its official website says that it is open to people of all faiths. It is supposed to bring national leaders of faith together regardless of political affiliation.  As a Christian pastor, I would like to respectfully offer some reflections on the president’s 77 minute speech. This essay is long because the speech was long. What’s In the Speech What was the tone of the speech? Uplifting? Inspiring? Unifying? Spiritual? I would characterize it as political. It’s tone matched the tone of all his speeches, if you know what I mean. Most of it echoed themes and talking points common to every speech he makes. Little of it had any bearing on on the purpose of the assembly, and I can’t begin to address those parts of the speech. Simply put, I found much of it objectionable.  But what about the rest, the parts that talked about religion? In over 12...

I understand that the president spoke for 77 minutes at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington this week. We frequently held National Prayer Breakfast observances on post when I served as a chaplain. We brought in big name guest speakers and the whole base was invited. The Washington observance is the original. It is designed to bring members of Congress, the presidential administration, and other national leaders together. If I were speaking at a National Prayer Breakfast observance in 2026, here is the text I would use. It’s the Old Testament reading for this Sunday (5th Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A).  Shout out; do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they want God on their...

The Secretary of Defense has promised to make the military chaplain corps great again. I have been associated with the military chaplaincy for 35 years. I can tell you that it is already great. Foundations Here are some basic truths about the chaplaincy that I did not hear the secretary mention. Military chaplaincy is rooted in the first amendment. Congress shall make no respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting thereof . The chaplaincy exists first and foremost to facilitate the free exercise of religion for those whom the government has ordered away from home. In Army language, chaplains perform religious ministry for those who wish to receive what they have to offer and provide opportunities for religious life for members of other faith groups. Chaplains are advocates within the command for the free exercise of religion. That includes protecting those who do not wish to participate in religious activities from religious coercion. The United States governmen...

The social media account of an Army infantry battalion recently praised its chaplain for strengthening its lethality by fostering spiritual resilience through religious worship. This characterization of the chaplain’s ministry is inconsistent with the chaplain’s unique calling and non-combatant status. Through nearly 27 years of chaplain ministry, my church frequently reminded me that it did not send me to the Army to bless or facilitate violence. The Army (FM 3-0) defines lethality as “the capability and capacity to destroy” and firepower as its primary source. It is an attribute of Army formations. Insofar as the Army associates lethality with individual fitness (FM 7-22), it does so only in terms of physical training for strength, endurance, and speed. The Army becomes more lethal by training to become more lethal. The means include individual and collective training, training center rotations, command post exercises, professional military education, and other means, none of whic...