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Long-time hospital chaplain Russell Trubey was actually confronted by police for preaching biblical truths and is now having his sermons censored by hospital staff, proving once again that secular forces in America are bent on crushing Christianity wherever it is proclaimed.
Attorneys from First Liberty Institute and the Independence Law Center have sent a formal complaint to U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins on behalf of Army Reserve Chaplain Rusty Trubey, whose sermons are being censored by the VA Medical Center in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
The legal letter demands that Collins take immediate action to eliminate these speech restrictions that are hindering not just Trubey’s ability to preach according to his faith, but other VA chaplains. The attorneys argue that all chaplains must be free to share the Gospel without fear of censorship or reprisal.
“The government has no business censoring anyone’s sermon, including military chaplains,” said Erin Smith, associate counsel at First Liberty Institute. “This is just the kind of woke policy that we anticipate Secretary Collins wants to purge from the VA.”
Randall Wenger, chief counsel for the Independence Law Center, echoed those concerns.
“Chaplains do not give up their First Amendment rights in order to serve,” he added. “Censoring the content of a chaplain’s sermon is an unconstitutional violation of their God-given rights to religious freedom and free speech.”
The conflict arose from a worship service that Trubey led in June 2024 at the Coatesville Medical Center. As part of his pastoral duties, he preached from Romans 1, a passage that describes the consequences of a culture that turns away from God. His message was consistent with the teachings of his endorsing body, the Assemblies of God, and focused on the importance of biblical truth in an increasingly secular society.
“The specific text that he was reading was Romans 1 verses 23 through 32, so before he gave the sermon, he did explain that what he was going to say was going to be hard to hear or uncomfortable for people,” Smith said.
“But he also was explaining that in order to be able to hear the good news of what he was going to be preaching, it’s important that you hear bad news,” she added, noting that Romans 1 describes “behaviors the culture engages in, and one of those behaviors that the Bible describes is homosexual behavior.”
Some attendees reportedly walked out during the message, but Trubey continued preaching. Following the service, as he was cleaning up the chapel, a VA police officer confronted him about complaints that had been lodged against his sermon.
Trubey notified his supervisor, Chaplain Brynn White, of the situation. Instead of receiving support, Trubey became the subject of an investigation spanning several months.
During this period, he was removed from his chaplaincy duties and reassigned to what is informally known among staff as “nurse jail,” where he was responsible for stocking medical supplies and managing inventory, rather than providing spiritual care to veterans.
While the VA ultimately reversed its proposed reprimand, Chaplain White introduced new oversight measures that required Trubey to submit his sermon topics for prior approval — a policy Trubey and his legal team say is a clear violation of the First Amendment.
The legal letter noted that the changes to the standard operating procedure “allow Chaplain White and other supervisors to continue to discriminate against chaplains on the basis of their religious viewpoints simply because they find the viewpoint ‘divisive, cultural, or political,’” Trubey’s attorneys noted.
“‘If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the Government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable,’” the letter added, citing the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Eichman, which emphasized that the First Amendment protects speech even when it is considered controversial or offensive to some.
While the VA hospital has not formally enacted a permanent reprimand against Trubey, the impact of the ordeal raises concerns about the broader implications for chaplains nationwide. If VA supervisors have the power to restrict sermons, the attorneys warned, it could create a limiting effect on religious expression within government institutions.
A representative for the Coatesville VA Medical Center confirmed that officials have received the letter and are reviewing the facts surrounding the incident. “We value every American’s right to freedom of speech and the protections of the First Amendment,” the statement read.
The legal demand letter is on point — newly confirmed VA Secretary Doug Collins needs to take action immediately and rectify this situation. What the officials at the Coatesville VA Medical Center are doing to Chaplain Trubey is not only unconstitutional, but it is a chilling reminder that secular forces in America are not interested in tolerance or liberty. They want to crush Christianity wherever it is lived out or proclaimed — even in a hospital.
That a chaplain was confronted by police for speaking biblical truths that some people didn’t want to hear, suspended from preaching the Gospel or providing spiritual care to patients in need, and ultimately commanded to accept censorship in order to be allowed to continue preaching or ministering to patients should be appalling — and alarming — to everyone in America.
But it shouldn’t be surprising to Christians. Jesus warned His followers in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
Chaplain Trubey’s experience reflects this reality — preaching the full counsel of Scripture, including difficult truths, is not welcomed in a world opposing biblical values.
For some time now, American Christians have been expected to conform to cultural norms at the expense of biblical truth. And many have caved to those expectations, preferring to go along to get along in the belief that being “inclusive” and “tolerant” will somehow save them from harassment and destruction. Spoiler alert: It won’t.
Chaplain Trubey exemplifies the reality that standing for God’s Word will bring opposition and adversity, but we must remain faithful, regardless of the cost.
Instead of reacting with fear or silence, we must see such challenges as an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to Christ and His Word. As Paul instructs in 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”
The Gospel does not change to accommodate cultural trends and neither should our faithfulness in proclaiming it.
This case is also a reminder that those who serve in chaplaincy and other ministry positions in the Armed Forces or among first responders, whether with police and firefighters or in hospitals or other medical facilities, are on the frontlines of spiritual warfare. They face daily attacks even as they work to bring healing, hope, and truth to those in need. Recognizing this, their fellow Christians should be lifting them up continuously in prayer.
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