Gordon Klingenschmitt

Gordon James Klingenschmitt (born 1968) is an American religious figure, former chaplain in the US Navy, and former politician.

A 1991 graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Klingenschmitt spent eleven years as an officer and missileer before accepting a demotion and transferring to the US Navy in 2002 to become a chaplain. There, his strong evangelical drive repeatedly conflicted with the military's religious pluralism, and he received rebuttals from Navy leadership, including his immediate supervisor, his captain, and the commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic. This led to his receiving lowered evaluations and reprimands, against which he protested by hunger striking in front of the White House. In 2006, Klingenschmitt was court-martialed for refusing to obey explicit orders prohibiting wearing his uniform "at media events or political protests"; he was issued a formal reprimand. After switching churches that same year, he automatically triggered a review of his professional qualifications which ultimately led to his dismissal from the military after a 15.8-year career.

Klingenschmitt's religious career is centered around his two organizations: the for-profit Pray in Jesus Name Project and the non-profit Pray in Jesus Name Ministries. The latter is designated as an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and also publishes Klingenschmitt's TV show, Pray in Jesus Name. He was also the target of an unsuccessful lawsuit in 2009 after praying for the cursing and deaths of two men, who subsequently were targeted by harassment and vandalism.

He was elected into the Colorado House of Representatives for District 15 for the 2015–2017 term with 69.88 percent of the vote. There, he caused controversy and was briefly removed from his house committees by both suggesting that the Boy Scouts of America were inviting molestation by allowing homosexual leaders, and for repeatedly suggesting a woman's killing and the theft of her fetus was a punishment by his god for abortion in the United States. Legislatively, he opposed the prohibition of conversion therapy, opposed legal penalties for defendants guilty of religious discrimination, and sponsored one successful bill (about educational testing). Since his single two-year term in office, Klingenschmitt has failed to be elected into the Colorado Senate (2016), the vice-chairship of the El Paso County Republican Party (2017), and the Colorado Springs city council, twice (2019 and 2023).

Personal life

Gordon James Klingenschmitt