A federal agency faced criticism for sharing an explicitly Christian social media post.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security posted a Bible verse Sunday afternoon as thousands gathered on the National Mall for an evangelical-style worship service called "Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving" and endorsed by President Donald Trump.
DHS posted the following on its X account: “'But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.' 2 Peter 3:18. May our nation continue to be guided by the light of our Savior."
Critics said the post raised troubling concerns about the separation of church and state.
"I see your 2 Peter 3:18 and raise you one Article VI Clause 3 Part 2: '... no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States,'" challenged Georgetown law professor Matt Blaze.
"When a federal agency tasked with protecting all Americans decides to mandate a specific religious worldview, it ceases to protect democracy and begins to threaten it," warned Andrew Weinstein, a former public delegate to the United Nations.
"I know we're long past the point where this should be shocking anymore, but I still can't get over official government accounts stating that Jesus is 'our Savior,'" posted Joel Swanson, assistant professor of Jewish studies and religion at Sarah Lawrence College.
"Is it the official policy of the US Dept. of Homeland Security that no Jews serve there?" wondered Johns Hopkins economist Michael Clemens. "If not, who is the 'we' defined by belief in Jesus Christ as savior? Or does the 'our' refer to the Americans whose security the Department has a duty to protect, none of whom are apparently Jews?"
"An agency of the federal government posting about 'our Savior' is deeply shocking and offensive to millions of Americans," said Georgetown history professor Adam Rothman. "If the founders taught us anything, it's that people have a right to believe whatever they want but the government must not endorse one religious view over another."
"To be fair, when anyone in the Regime speaks of 'our Savior,' they mean Trump, not their imaginary friend," observed Bluesky user Dinsdale Piranha.
"Jesus Christ is our Savior? Since this is an official post from the Trump administration, it's strange that 'our Lord and Savior' isn't identified as Donald Trump," agreed journalist Steffen White. "Oh, well, there's plenty of time for that. Maybe next week."
"What's weird about all this stuff is that it doesn't even seem like they believe it any more than they believe Trump is a brilliant leader," opined writer Rebecca Solnit. "They're just to political commitment what, I dunno, AI slop is to Shakespeare."
"Pretty sure Our Savior Jesus Christ isn't about beating, imprisoning, starving, denying medical care and murdering unarmed nonviolent people," noted popular Bluesky user Ms Kitty. "That doesn't seem like grace to me."
"I know there's lot of horrible things happening in government – but I just have to say that as a fed employee for 35 yr who for the last 2 decades was responsible for the overall messaging – and legality – of various fed social media accounts, this is one of the most horrifying things I've seen," pointed out veteran meteorologist Alan Gerard.