SojoMail - Pete Hegseth’s high testosterone holy war

View this email in your browser By Betsy Shirley Editor in Chief, Sojourners Yesterday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced his “Department of War” would begin testing troops for low testosterone. In a video posted on X, Hegseth quoted dubious science to claim this would ensure troops had the “biological foundation required to sustain the fight” and remain on the “leading edge of lethality.” This weird move isn’t even the most alarming news out of the Pentagon lately. In our latest issue, religion scholar Carmen Celestini traces how Hegseth’s “Christian Crusade mentality” has turbocharged long-present Christian nationalist influence in the military. The result? Troops who report they’ve been told the Iran war is “part of God’s divine plan” or that Trump is anointed by God to cause Armageddon. And if you’re thinking this “holy war” language feels exaggerated, consider that Hegseth has not one, but two tattoos evoking the 11th-century Crusades. Speaking of political figures with bad tattoos: Graham Platner has dropped out of the Maine senate race following credible allegations of sexual assault—and forgiving him isn’t our business, argues Tyler Huckabee. Elsewhere this week, we’re thinking about why some Christians use the word “empire,” the theological implications of Trump’s “might makes right” approach to foreign policy, and how two Christian rappers approach their music (and the wild messages they get in their DMs) with grace and humor. How Christian Nationalists Took Control of the U.S. Military (by Carmen Celestini) The conflation of God, war, and country did not begin with Pete Hegseth. Read the full article Advertisement Our Latest Stories Empire Is More Than a Political System. It’s a Spiritual Reality (by Yanan Melo) When Christians talk about “empire,” we are not just describing a structure of domination but contrasting the politics of empire with the true meaning of the kingdom of God. Read more Andy Mineo and Wordsplayed Are Having the Most Fun in Christian Hip-Hop (by Mitchell Atencio) After releasing a second collaborative album, the rap duo known as “Magic & Bird” talk comedy, interior design, and misogyny in CHH. Read more Forgiving Graham Platner Isn’t Our Business (by Tyler Huckabee) Platner’s downfall is a case study in what forgiveness isn’t. Read more Trump’s Foreign Policy Is a Rejection of Jesus' Teaching (by Adam Russell Taylor) A "might makes right" approach contradicts what Jesus taught. Read more Advertisements Rest that Your Soul Has Been Craving The new book Light for the Way brings together 50 years of wisdom from Sojourners magazine on how contemplation, rest, and community fuel justice work. With voices like Julia Alvarez, Walter Brueggemann, and Richard Rohr, this is your guide to sustaining prophetic resistance. Action Alert: No War With Iran! Contact Congress now to demand peace and an end to the war with Iran. As Christians, we know that each and every life is precious and every step must be taken to avoid bloodshed. Instead of recklessly pursuing a policy of escalation, we demand an end to violence and vigorous oversight from Congress in pursuit of peace. Donate Subscribe Unsubscribe or update email preferences Copyright © 2026 Sojourners. All rights reserved. 611 Pennsylvania Ave SE #342, Washington, DC 20003 Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842

WCC news: WCC to lead solidarity delegation to Zimbabwe

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay will lead an ecumenical solidarity delegation to the Zimbabwe Council of Churches General Assembly, which is convening 22-24 July under the theme “Breaking Walls: Discerning the Signs of the Times.” Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC  15 July 2026 Accompanying Pillay, the delegation will include Rev. Dr Suzanne Matale from Zambia, representing the All Africa Conference of Churches general secretary; Rev. Dr Hanns Lessing, Executive Secretary for Theology, Communion and Ecumenical Relations of the World Communion of Reformed Churches; Rev. Mzwandile Molo, South African Council of Churches general secretary and current chair of the Fellowship of Church Councils in Southern Africa, and Dr Masiiwa Gunda, WCC programme executive and Ecumenical Institute at Bossey adjunct professor. Pillay will deliver the assembly’s opening address, “The Church's Prophetic Responsibility in Promoting Peace, Social Cohesion, Justice, and Sustainable Development,” on 22 July. On 24 July, he will preach at the morning service under the theme “Envisioning the Future.” Molo will deliver a public lecture "From Conflict to Cohesion: Churches as Agents of National Healing" on 21 July. Lessing will speak on 22 July on "The Church's Prophetic Voice in a Broken Society" during the Theology Conference component of the assembly. Matale will preach during the morning service on 23 July.  The delegation is scheduled to meet other church and community leaders during their four-day stay in Harare. WCC member churches in Zimbabwe See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

WCC news: Webinar will explore relevance of international law in Cuba, Venezuela

The Peace and Security Working Group of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) will present, on 16 July, a webinar on “The relevance of international law in today's world: untangling the situation in Cuba and Venezuela.” A magazine seller on a street in Santiago de Cuba, on the eastern end of the Caribbean island of Cuba. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth 14 July 2026 In addition to offering perspectives from Cuba and Venezuela, the webinar will explore how the ecumenical movement can make a renewed commitment to international law mechanisms. For Peter Prove, director of the WCC's CCIA, Latin America is, once again, the focus of great power politics. "US intervention in Venezuela, the ongoing blockade and escalating threats against Cuba, and political changes in Colombia, among others, signal a shift in the terrain of hemispheric hegemony", he said. "What role does international law play in this context, what impact might these events have on the rules-based order internationally, and what do they portend for the future of the region? These questions set the stage for this webinar, with perspectives from representatives of WCC member churches and partners from the region, and from a leading expert in international law”, added Prove. The webinar is second in a series on regional trends with global impact and perspectives in the ecumenical movement. Webinar discussions will serve as inputs for the upcoming Joint Biennial Conference of the WCC Commissions and Reference Groups for Life, Justice, and Peace, to be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 4-10 October. To register for this webinar See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

WCC news: WCC speaks out against systemic, structural injustices in the context of xenophobia in South Africa

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed grave concern about the developments of violence in South Africa targeting migrants from other African countries. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC 14 July 2026 “The WCC recognizes that the violence experienced by African migrants in South Africa is instigated and perpetrated by a minority of South Africans, who are misdirecting their anger and frustration or are hijacking and misdirecting legitimate public frustrations by the majority of ordinary South Africans,” said Pillay. “The WCC refuses to erase the diverse people of South Africa by erasing their good deeds and radical hospitality toward siblings from across the continent.” Pillay acknowledged and lamented the fact that South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. “Yet the sources of this suffering are too often obscured,” he said. “Through intentional and rigorous processes of moral discernment, we in the WCC name the situation in South Africa as one of the continuing legacies of apartheid and colonization.” The central concern, Pillay said, is one of justice rather than merely compassion. "Sociologically and politically, xenophobia functions as misdirected anger,” he said. “Xenophobia performs an ideological function, redirecting legitimate frustrations from power structures toward vulnerable communities with limited protection.” Pillay calls on the government, member churches, ecumenical partners, and all people of goodwill to protect the rights and human dignity of all migrants in the country. He also urged people to “name xenophobia and Afrophobia as sins against God and crime against humanity” and to move beyond “charitable responses to active justice work.” Pillay concluded: “Churches must challenge narratives criminalizing migrants, expose structural factors behind migration and xenophobia, and stand publicly with targeted communities.” The statement was issued by Pillay in consultation with the WCC Reference Group on Overcoming Racism, Xenophobia, Casteism, and all other forms of Discrimination. Read the full statement See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

Action Alert: Protect Haitians with TPS Legislation

Act Now

[Jesus] said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?”  He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:26-27 Love, the central commandment, “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 10:7). The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) practices this deep love of God and neighbor by accompanying and advocating together with migrants for policies that protect human dignity. Through decades of General Assembly policy, the denomination recognizes that faithfulness requires standing alongside those who face displacement, persecution, and uncertainty. It is the practice of caring for neighbors that allows our communities to be stronger together as this love bears all things and hold witness to God’s wholeness. On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision allowing the administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for more than 330,000 Haitians living in the United States. As a result, longtime church members, community leaders, neighbors, workers, and parents face the threat of losing legal protection and work authorization. Haitians offer key voices to advocacy efforts and contribute crucial ways of supporting local communities and standing with them. As scripture teaches, when one member suffers, we all suffer together.   As our nation threatens their deportation, Haiti continues to experience severe humanitarian and security challenges, including escalating violence and political instability.  Congress must act. Congress can stop this devastating policy reversal. Congress can allow our neighbors to continue working and worshiping safely alongside us.   The House has passed legislation extending TPS protections for Haitians through 2029, and an identical bill, S. 4814, has been introduced in the Senate. Senate leadership needs to hear from people of faith now.  Take Action Today Pray for our Haitian members, community leaders, and neighbors  Contact your two U.S. Senators and urge them to: Support and co-sponsor S. 4814. Vote to extend and redesignate TPS for Haiti. Oppose policies that strip humanitarian protections from vulnerable immigrants. Uphold the dignity and safety of Haitian families and communities.  Learn More:  Presbyterian Church (USA) Social Witness Policy  Presbyterian Ministry with Immigrants, Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and People on the Move Presbyterian Advocacy at the Supreme Court

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