New York Magazine: “One of the problems with abandoning the separation of church and state, as Christian nationalists like Pete Hegseth are attempting to do, is that it puts government in the position of adjudicating the legitimacy of various religions. It can be tricky. Hegseth has inaugurated unprecedented monthly worship services at the Pentagon, and presumably he makes the call as to who officiates.”

“These aren’t open to the public, but at least two services have been presided over by ministers of the Defense secretary’s own ultra-conservative, neo-Calvinist Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches denomination, which was founded by the very controversial Rev. Doug Wilson of ‘men should have the vote for their families’ fame.”

“At least attendance at those services is voluntary. But now Hegseth’s religious views are impacting how chaplains are assigned to men and women in the military.”

Washington Post: “The Defense Department on Monday edited its new list of religious ‘codes’ for service members so that no group is labeled ‘Christian’ — drawing praise from Mormon lawmakers who were angered last week when their faith was categorized as outside of Christianity.”

Indiana Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith (R) doubled down that he “hates Islam” and wants all Muslims in Indiana to convert from the “demonic death cult” to Christianity, NewsNation reports.

Said Beckwith: “I am going to call on others to hate it, because I hate Islam. It is a death cult. Now I love Muslims, because they make great Christians when Jesus gets a hold of them, but I hate Islam. And we need to be okay with hating again.”

“America’s fastest-growing religious group is also one of the hardest — and costliest — to reach: the ‘nones,’” Axios reports.

“Religiously unaffiliated Americans now make up a large and growing share of the electorate. But without church-based networks, they’re significantly more expensive for campaigns to reach and mobilize.”

“Evangelical preacher Franklin Graham claimed America is a morally bankrupt nation that is headed down the tubes because it has shunned the Bible in favor of ‘sick’ modern trends like transgenderism and gay marriage,” Mediaite reports. 

“A crowd of thousands, many in red, white and blue, transformed a block of the National Mall into an evangelical-style worship service Sunday morning at a White House-led, day-long prayer festival for the country’s 250th anniversary,” the Washington Post reports.

“The event, supported with millions of dollars in public funding, featured Christian clergy, music and appearances by multiple senior government officials, including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson.”

“Americans are deeply uncomfortable with recent religion-related statements by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — a striking rebuke in a closely divided country,” according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.

“The poll finds positive ratings for Pope Leo XIV, who has criticized U.S. actions on immigration and in Iran, clashing with Trump.”

“Eighty-seven percent of Americans have a negative view of Trump’s social media post appearing to depict himself as Jesus.”

“President Trump escalated his public feud with Pope Leo XIV, accusing the pontiff of endangering Catholics by opposing U.S. military action against Iran,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The Justice Department on Thursday accused the Biden administration of pushing policies that were unfair to Christians, releasing a report that amounted to the latest rhetorical broadside by the Trump administration over what it calls the ‘weaponization’ of government,” the New York Times reports.

New York Times: “The Republican Party is struggling to hold onto the support from Hispanic voters who helped propel Mr. Trump back into the White House in 2024. Yet as many party leaders have acknowledged the urgent need to stop the backsliding among Latinos, the president has enraged many of even his strongest supporters by clashing with the pope.”

President Trump’s new acting Navy secretary, Hung Cao, warned in 2023 that “witchcraft” had “taken over” the Californian city of Monterey and was threatening Christianity, Mediaite reports.