Over the weekend, the Department of Defense waded into one of the most sensitive questions in American religion: who is called a “Christian.”
More specifically, does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church), fit the bill?
The talks began with Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to simplify and reform the work of military chaplains — the religious and spiritual advisers who serve loyalists in the ranks of the military.
A Pentagon spokesman on Friday published a new list of religious groups for members of the military, which had decreased from more than 200 labels to 31. In reviewing this reform, Hegseth had said that it was part of the Trump administration’s fight against secular humanism and for the role of religion in public life. By reducing the number of religions, and removing some of the original identity groups Hegseth’s Pentagon found offensive, officials argued that it would be easier to assign chaplains to units.
“This brings the code back to its original purpose, to provide chaplains with clear, actionable information so they can serve service members in a manner consistent with the service member’s faith background and religious practices,” Hegseth said in a video statement in March.
They did not have “atheists” and “Wicca” from the new list – and although the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was included as a religion, it was not called “Christian.”
That drew strong reactions from Mormon elected officials, including some who are normally involved in governance. To them, the government seemed to be saying that Mormons are not Christians – a statement that is particularly offensive to members of the LDS Church, who see Jesus Christ as the center of their faith.
“I can say with confidence that the United States government has no business recognizing the Christianity of every other religious denomination that worships Jesus Christ – except one,” Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has been published on X, one of the many complaints he raised over many days.
On Monday, the Pentagon he said the action was not intended – and revised the original document that opened this controversy. “The Pentagon’s job is not to judge theological debates, but rather to ensure that sincerely held faith is respected and encouraged within our ranks,” the official statement read. Lee said he was “to be happy” and Trump’s response after discussing the issue with the president over the phone.
But the strong response spoke to the LDS church’s long-running battle for acceptance in the American faith community, and heightened tensions within the religious right in President Donald Trump’s second term. Even if the administration tries the privilege of Christianity in Americahis union suspects which type is leading.
Mormons have many times they face a hostility reception in ordinary religious life since the founding of their church in the 19th century, a wound that the Pentagon’s decision reopened.
Despite the history of tensions between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the US government and other religious groups, there has been some form of rebellion in the 21st century.
Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign was largely seen as a time of whirlwind acceptance of Mormonism, especially among conservative Christian voters of the Republican Party, even if his faith was sensitive topic in points during that race.
“It’s not like the theological concern about Mormonism disappeared in 2012, but by 2012, the issue was no longer Romney’s Mormonism,” David Campbell, a professor of American politics and religion at the University of Notre Dame, told me. “And so many members of the LDS church thought, well, this issue is over now.”
As Campbell noted, however, there were still significant doctrinal differences between the LDS and the major branches of Christianity. For example, LDS theology does not accept the Trinity – the idea that God is one being and is manifested in three natures (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Basically, LDS believers see Jesus Christ as the Son of God and a separate person from God the Father, who has a different physical body.
More simply, the LDS Church rejects the Nicene Creed – the creed that has united many Catholic, Orthodox, and mainline Protestant churches for over a thousand years and the Apostles’ Creed (which most western Christians accept). For these reasons, many Catholics and Protestants without calling Mormons Christianseven if they believe in God and follow Jesus Christ.
The Pentagon dustup brought this division back to mind.
“When Mormons have come into the public arena and wanted to build bridges politically, that has been accepted,” Campbell said. “But when that theological question comes up, maybe some have won, but not many. And this is another reminder of that.”
One example of this simmering tension came during Romney’s 2012 campaign, when a prominent Texas evangelical pastor, Robert Jeffress, called. Mormonism is a “cult” and said Romney is “not a Christian.” But so does Jeffres endorsed Romney in the general election, citing their shared values apart from theology — and is now a prominent Trump supporter.
Some LDS voices on the left argued that Mormon Republicans were too naive to think that a White House that elevated people like Hegseth, an evangelist who crossed borders with his wife. Christian words in public rolesit would protect religious freedom rather than elevate political allies. Others linked the Pentagon list to the administration’s embrace “National Christians” evangelical leaders who have called to tear down the walls between the church and the state.
“For us on the left, it’s like, yeah, of course the Trump administration doesn’t believe in our version of Christianity,” Eric Biggart, chairman of the LDS Dems Caucus, told. ABC4Salt Lake City news station. “That’s been clear to us for 10 years now.”
Republican lawmakers who opposed the Pentagon’s decision did not make this point themselves and appeared to accept the official explanation on Monday. But it also seems that they didn’t give Hegseth the benefit of the doubt when the story first broke – the response to the Pentagon list was quick and public, rather than quietly released behind the scenes. Loyal Republican politicians like Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis immediately criticized the decision and spent the weekend discussing theology, engaging other Christians, and calling the Defense Department.
This episode probably won’t be transformative, Campbell told me, but it’s another crack in the religious right coalition. Many LDS members already view Trump and MAGA with suspicion in comparison to other conservative religious communities, though he has entered and LDS voters since his first election. For others, the episode was a sign that members of the faith should be skeptical about connecting their religion with a political alliance.
“I say this with love to my fellow Latter-day Saints: once you give up trying to convince the religious right to justify your faith, you will soon know peace,” said McKay Coppins, an LDS journalist who has written extensively about the church. has been published on X.
“Are we real Christians? Only one opinion matters – and it’s not Pete Hegseth’s.”
