From the Capitol to the Cathedral: Global Faith, National Security, and Apostolic Wisdom

The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD), founded in 1981, stands at the sacred intersection of faith and public life. Its founders knew the Church’s witness was never meant to stay behind sanctuary walls but to speak God’s truth into every sphere of society. The IRD exists from the conviction that historic, biblical Christianity holds enduring wisdom about freedom, human dignity, and moral responsibility; truths rooted not in opinion but in the character of God Himself.

What makes the IRD remarkable is its insistence on grounding both religion and democracy in truth rather than ideology. When the Church loses its biblical anchor, it risks trading divine conviction for worldly comfort. The IRD resists that drift, calling Christians to re-engage public life, not as partisans of any earthly cause, but as ambassadors of Christ’s Kingdom, bearing witness to the truth that sets people free.

In a time when both the Church and democracy face confusion and moral strain, the IRD’s mission feels profoundly timely. It reminds us that faith cannot withdraw from culture, and democracy cannot endure without moral and spiritual foundations. By defending religious liberty, promoting human rights rooted in the image of God, and encouraging accountability within the Church, the Institute ensures the Christian voice remains faithful to Scripture and free from coercion.

When Free Speech Meets Faith: Emile Kao and the Crisis of Conscience in the West

Among the first speakers at the Christianity and National Security 2025 Conference, held at the

historic Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C., was Emilie Kao,

Senior Counsel, Vice President of Advocacy Strategy at the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). Her remarks cut to the heart of what’s unfolding across much of the Western world: the steady erosion of free speech, especially around Christian conviction.

Kao described believers across Europe facing arrests, professional bans, and the quiet “canceling” that happens not just online but in courtrooms and classrooms. What once seemed like isolated incidents have become test cases for the future of freedom itself. Her message was simple yet sobering: truth may be eternal, but liberty is fragile. And when believers grow silent out of fear, democracy bends toward ideology instead of truth.

The African Horizon: Ambassador Peter Pham on the Next Great Awakening

If Emilie Kao’s remarks sounded a sober warning for the West,  Ambassador Peter Pham  offered a vision of extraordinary hope rising from the Global South. A former U.S. Special Envoy for the Sahel Region and a leading scholar on African affairs, Pham spoke of a coming “spiritual and demographic awakening” already reshaping the global Church.

By 2050, one in three working-age civilians in the world will be African, a statistic that signals not only population growth but a profound shift in the moral and spiritual center of gravity. He noted that the African Church, especially in nations such as Nigeria, is expanding at a breathtaking pace, producing a generation of believers whose zeal, prayer, and missionary energy are beginning to redefine the future of global Christianity.

Yet Pham reminded the audience that this rise is unfolding amid extraordinary adversity. Nowhere in the world are more Christians persecuted or killed for their faith than on the African continent, and the majority of those lives are lost in Nigeria. This reality underscores both the cost and the courage of African discipleship: revival advances even in the face of suffering, and faith continues to flourish where opposition is most intense.

In Pham’s view, Africa’s witness is not merely inspirational but instructional. The vitality and resilience of the Nigerian Church offer the world a living testimony that spiritual renewal often begins in places marked by struggle. As the old missionary maps are being redrawn, what was once called the mission field has become the mission force, and the future of global Christianity may well be written from Lagos to London, from Abuja to Atlanta.

Faith in the Halls of Power: Dr. Judd Birdsall on Religious Literacy and Strategic Engagement

Dr. Judd Birdsall, former U.S. State Department diplomat, Assistant Professor in Georgetown University’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies, and Senior Research Fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, offered a compelling argument for why religion remains indispensable to understanding global affairs.

Drawing from years of diplomatic and academic experience, Birdsall emphasized that no serious study of international relations can afford to ignore the influence of faith. He introduced religious literacy as a framework composed of three interdependent dimensions:

1. Recognizing religion as a global force that shapes societies, policies, and conflicts.

2. Understanding each faith within its own theological and cultural context, rather than through the lens of Western secularism or superficial generalizations.

3. Engaging religious diversity with conviction and respect, cultivating the capacity to converse across profound moral and doctrinal differences.

   
   

Birdsall observed that even highly educated policymakers often underestimate how deeply religious beliefs inform the motivations of global actors. His call for what he termed “Strategic Religious Engagement” an emerging discipline within U.S. foreign policy, was both timely and transformative. Rather than viewing religion as a source of instability or tension, he argued, diplomats and policymakers should recognize it as a wellspring of moral vision, community resilience, and cross-cultural understanding.

In his view, faith is not an obstacle to diplomacy but a critical dimension of it, a lens through which nations discern purpose, legitimacy, and human dignity in the global order.

Faith and Statecraft: Aaron MacLean on Moral Clarity in Foreign Policy

At the conference, Aaron MacLean, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and host of the School of War podcast, offered a compelling reflection on the intersection of faith, ethics, and national strategy. Drawing on his experience as a former U.S. Marine and policy advisor with the Hudson Institute, MacLean argued that the West must rediscover its foundational Christian principles: truth, freedom, and human dignity, to restore both intellectual authenticity and strategic leadership.

He observed that many Western nations today struggle not only from strategic dilemmas, but from a deeper moral drift: when a society loses sight of the transcendent truths that once undergirded its conception of justice, policy becomes detached, reactive, and incoherent. MacLean proposed that a renewed paradigm mind-shift, one where foundational religious and moral convictions inform foreign-policy frameworks, can allow these nations to lead not merely by power, but by principled purpose.

In his analysis, the return to authenticity in foreign policy does not mean a retreat into theocratic nostalgia, but an alignment of national strategy with the deeper wells of human purpose and dignity.

Faith, in this view, becomes neither a sidebar nor a private matter, but an axis around which diplomacy, defense, and global leadership may coherently turn.

The Big Picture: A Church Awake in a Changing World

Across these sessions, one truth echoed again and again: the Church cannot afford to retreat. The Christian vision of human dignity and freedom is as relevant to national security as it is to Sunday worship.

From defending free speech in Europe to witnessing revival in Africa to embedding faith in diplomacy, the message was clear: our calling is not private. It is public, prophetic, and unashamed.

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN)

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), established in 1985, functions as a national coalition of Pentecostal denominations and ministries and stands today as one of the most influential Christian movements on the African continent. The PFN not only unites diverse expressions of Pentecostalism under a shared moral vision, but also provides a structured platform for theological dialogue, civic engagement, and national intercession.

The movement’s impact extends well beyond Nigeria’s borders. Its emphasis on prayer, discipleship, and public witness reflects a distinctly African expression of Christianity, one that integrates spiritual vitality with civic responsibility. In this sense, understanding how institutions like the PFN form believers, engage governance, and cultivate social cohesion is essential for grasping the future trajectory of global Christianity in the twenty-first century.

The PFN: Unity, Integrity, and the Future

The PFN represents more than a network of churches, it’s a living testimony to the transformative power of the Gospel across Nigeria. It has long served as a bridge of unity, linking diverse voices and denominations under the banner of Christ.

Beyond worship, the PFN is deeply rooted in civic service, moral leadership, and nation-building. It calls believers not only to prayer but to action, to build strong communities, uphold integrity, and be instruments of peace wherever they are.

Today, as the PFN celebrates over four decades of ministry, it carries a renewed call: to be salt and light in a generation yearning for truth.

Apostle Joshua Selman’s Recommendations for the PFN’s Next Chapter

During the 40th Anniversary gathering, Apostle Joshua Selman, Founder of Eternity Network International, and Senior Apostolic Pastor for Koinonia Global, offered deeply spiritual and strategic counsel for the PFN’s next phase.

Apostle urged the establishment of a structure to address practices contrary to Scripture, calling for courage, in love and truth, to engage such matters through meaningful dialogue. “There is no point watching people betray the name of Christ indefinitely,” he said. “If we allow error to thrive for the sake of peace, it will eventually destroy the body.”

Apostle Selman also proposed that the PFN, in partnership with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), create a unified doctrinal framework, defining “What does the Nigerian Christian believe?” He emphasized the need for an institute to train pastors who lack access to formal theological education: “Most of the disorder we see on the altar is not demonic, it is a reflection of the lack of training. These things can be corrected.”

As the PFN moves into this new season, these recommendations serve as a divine invitation, to rise in unity, wisdom, and love. With God’s grace as our compass, Nigeria’s Body of Christ is being positioned not only to speak to the nation, but to lead the nations.

As Ambassador Peter Pham observed, Africa’s expanding demographic and spiritual influence is reshaping the global Christian landscape. The PFN embodies this transformation, its growth illustrating how African churches are increasingly serving as moral anchors, training grounds for leadership, and engines of social renewal.

May the Lord bless the Institute of Religion and Democracy, The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and Our Anointed Leaders in Righteousness and guide every step of this glorious new chapter, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.