Faith Under Fire: First-Amendment controversy for a PA VA Chaplain - 2/20/25

The VA suspends one of it PA chaplains from preaching

Faith Under Fire from Family Life News

A Pennsylvania chaplain at the Veterans Administration was restricted from religious leadership for the summer and fall. Chaplain Rusty Trubey's supervisor reassigned him for multiple months at the Coatesville VA.

A legal challenge is in progress after a supervisor there suspended the chaplain over the content of his sermon. The sermon that drew complaints focused on warnings against sexual sin described in Romans, chapter one. Although after five month of not preaching Trubey is now back leading worship and teaching Scripture, his sermons are still drawing review by local VA leadership.

The chaplain's attorney Randall Wenger is Greg Gillispie’s guest on this week’s edition of “Faith Under Fire”, the Family Life News feature and podcast, which brings you the voices from religious battlefields in today’s culture.

Wenger tells Family Life News that his Christian law firm is working with the VA, hoping to resolve the complaint amicably, without the need for a lawsuit. Chaplain Trubey is back preaching at the VA, and Wenger hopes the new secretary of the VA  -- himself a former military chaplain --  will set new policy that assures First Amendment rights.

Randall Wenger is chief counsel for the Independence Law Center, based at the offices of the Pennsylvania Family Institute in Harrisburg. 

They have described the latest on this situation in a public statement, and posted a copy of the "demand letter" Trubey's attorneys sent to the newly-installed secretary of the U.S. Veterans Administration.

A special news feature from Family Life that examines some of the religous battle grounds in our country and the efforts to protect religious freedom.