Missouri faith leaders: Pentagon mixing Christianity and war is blasphemy | Opinion
Disgusted by the bombing of innocent civilians in 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called sanctified violence “a blasphemy against all that America stands for.” Justified by pastors and priests, it was also a blasphemy against our most sacred beliefs.
Scripture warns against taking God’s name in vain. The First Amendment forbids the government from assuming the form of a church.
Both commands were violated when military officers reportedly said the war in Iran would bring about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Both commands were violated when an officer allegedly told his unit that “President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.”
According to the nonprofit Military Religious Freedom Foundation, more than 200 similar complaints have been leveled against military commanders by men and women in uniform from multiple branches of America’s armed services.
Such language is not surprising in a country where the Department of Homeland Security quotes Isaiah 6:8 (“Here I am, send me”) in a social media video on immigration enforcement.
Such language is not surprising in a country where the Pentagon’s top official, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, sports a crusader tattoo and hosts religious services that celebrate white Christian nationalism.
Such language is not surprising, but it is not OK. It is a troubling misrepresentation of Christian values, and a gross violation of the rights of those of other faith traditions, as well as those who profess no religion.
Christians who frame the war on Iran as a conflict between righteous crusaders and our Muslim neighbors betray the values of Jesus.
Such blasphemy is also in sharp contrast to the words of the ancient prophets. In Isaiah 65, the prophet dreams of a world where the “wolf and the lamb shall feed together” and where no one “shall hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.”
We live in a broken world where the lion does not lie down with the lamb. In such a world, people of faith disagree on issues of war and peace.
Some of us believe in the tragic necessity of armed conflict. Some of us are pacifists. The current attack on Iran fails to pass either test.
The Christians at the Pentagon have forgotten the words of Jesus: Love your enemies. Bless and do not curse. You don’t have to be a pacifist to reject the gratuitous celebration of killing as a religious act.
The classic doctrine of the just war requires combat to be in self-defense, have a reasonable chance of success and to avoid the killing of civilians. It also requires a formal declaration of war. The war in Iran meets none of these criteria.
Beyond the morality of the conflict, we are disturbed by the ways that our military officials have violated their oath to support and defend the Constitution.
It is unconstitutional for a commanding officer to preach a sermon in a morning briefing. It is unconstitutional for the Pentagon to conduct services that celebrate one version of one faith to the exclusion of all others.
It is unconstitutional for a military official to impose his personal religious beliefs on the men and women he commands. It is unconstitutional for the military to appropriate the symbols and the scriptures of religion and to pretend it is a church.
The clergy and the lay people of Missouri Faith Voices are disturbed by the unholy alliance between religious nationalism and the U.S. military. As people of faith, we recognize the right of America’s soldiers to freely express their religious beliefs. Some of us are former military chaplains.
The First Amendment protects the free exercise of religion. That is not what we are worried about. We are worried when government officials violate the Constitution by promoting the establishment of religion. We are worried when commanding officers profane our scriptures by justifying violence and hatred.
The current fusion of God talk and war undermines both church and state. Like Dr. King, we call for an end to this blasphemy against all America stands for.
Rabbi Doug Alpert, Board Member, Kansas City
Dr. Michael Dunn, Secretary, Jefferson City
Rev. W.T. Edmonson, Vice President, Jefferson City
Rev. H. Russell Ewell II, Board President, Webster Groves
Dr. Bob Hill, Board Member, Kansas City
Rev. Chelsey Hillyer, Board Member, Jefferson City
Mr. Forestal Lawton, Treasurer, Kansas City
Rev. Susan Schmalzbauer, Executive Director, Nixa
This story was originally published March 5, 2026 at 1:05 PM.