The presidential inauguration often includes a National Prayer Service meant to unify the nation. However, this year’s event at the Washington National Cathedral sparked controversy, drawing sharp criticism from Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills.
At the center of the issue was an Episcopal bishop who, instead of offering a unifying prayer, used the moment for a political message. Hibbs called it a “debacle” and questioned, “Is there anything more sinister than this that would be a planned debacle?” He also criticized her credentials, stating, “According to First and Second Timothy and Titus, she’s not a bishop.”
Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!
Beyond critiquing the bishop, Hibbs expressed concern over those advising Trump on religious matters. “Whoever’s picking Trump’s religious exposure makes me cringe. I’m terrified,” he admits. “If I were Trump, I wouldn’t accept another invitation to a church. Wouldn’t do it. It’s too risky.” He urged Trump to surround himself with “a handful of people that say, ‘Mr. President, here’s what’s going on.’” Without proper vetting, he warned, “somebody already screwed up the first day out of the gate. Not good.”
Hibbs made it clear that Trump must be more cautious about who he allows to influence his religious engagements. “We don’t need him to be worried about or thinking about where he goes and speaks next at some church,” he states “He needs a group of solid, Spirit-filled believers who are not in it for the spotlight, who can vet these things properly.” He suggested that many of the so-called faith leaders given access to Trump’s events were politically driven rather than biblically sound. “Who on his team, who in PR, who as a Spirit-filled believer is the one doing this? Or is there a Spirit-filled believer doing it at all? I get a little skeptical. It’s scary.”
Hibbs warned of deceptive leaders, citing 2 Timothy 3:1: “But know this, that in the last days… perilous times will come.” He elaborated, “There’s going to be those in the last days who look religious, but they deny the power of God… and from such people, turn away.” He noted that religious leaders using their platforms for political activism instead of spiritual leadership is a serious concern, particularly when they leverage their influence to manipulate believers.
His core message emphasized Spirit-filled discernment among believers. “She had an opportunity to honor God—if she knows God—but she took the opportunity and turned it into her own show,” he laments about the bishop at the prayer service. Instead of standing for biblical truth, he likened her remarks to “a perfect add-on to the rhetoric at ‘The View.’”
Hibbs also took issue with the broader spiritual climate, noting that many so-called faith leaders today are more focused on ideological battles than spreading the Gospel. “They look religious, but they’re under a different spirit. This is something that every believer in the last days is to be looking out for.” He warns that these false teachers are leading many astray, and Christians must be vigilant in recognizing the difference between biblical truth and political theater.
Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
