WASHINGTON, June 7, 2026 — Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, a physician and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, joined a growing chorus of Utah lawmakers demanding the Pentagon reverse its decision to list the LDS Church separately from other Christian denominations in the military’s newly reduced religious affiliation code system.
“I’m a Latter-day Saint, and I am a Christian,” Kennedy wrote on X Friday. “Christ’s name is on our Church for a reason. This must be corrected.”
Kennedy followed up Saturday with a longer statement, calling the Pentagon’s decision “wrong” and urging the Department of War to fix the record. “The Pentagon’s decision to list The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints apart from other Christian faiths is wrong and needs to be corrected,” Kennedy wrote. “No one needs to wonder where members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stand. We stand with Christ. We are Christians.”
Kennedy’s Personal and Professional Standing
Kennedy, who represents Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, is a family medicine physician and a lifelong member of the LDS Church. He was first elected to Congress in 2022 and sits on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. His dual identity as a medical professional and a person of faith gave his statement a particular directness — framing the classification not as a political dispute but as a straightforward factual error.
“On that ground, and on the much larger ground of shared faith, values, and purpose, Latter-day Saints stand alongside many Christians of every tradition in following the teachings of Christ,” Kennedy wrote. “We only ask to be accurately portrayed. I strongly urge the Department to correct the record.”
The Classification at Issue
The controversy stems from a May 20, 2026 memorandum signed by Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata, which reduced the U.S. military’s religious affiliation codes from more than 200 to 31. Under the new system, most Christian denominations — including Baptists, Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Pentecostals — are grouped under a “Christian —” prefix. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is assigned its own standalone code, CJ, without that prefix.
The omission drew immediate criticism from Utah’s two Republican senators. Sen. Mike Lee publicly asked why the church had been “left out of the list of Christian churches.” Sen. John Curtis called the classification “unacceptable” and said he was working to force a correction, arguing it is not the government’s place to define a religion in a way that contradicts its own foundational beliefs.
The Church’s Self-Identification
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints explicitly identifies itself as a Christian faith. Its official website states the church is “a Christian church but is neither Catholic nor Protestant,” describing itself as a restoration of the church established by Jesus Christ during the New Testament era. Kennedy’s posts both leaned heavily on the church’s full name as the clearest possible evidence of its Christian identity — “Christ’s name is on our Church for a reason,” he wrote.
Approximately 18,200 active-duty service members identify as Latter-day Saints, representing roughly 1.3 percent of the nation’s 1.4 million active-duty personnel, according to Pentagon data. Utah has historically produced disproportionately large numbers of military officers and volunteers.
Pentagon’s Position
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell defended the new system as purely administrative, saying it was “not designed to make any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religious belief” and was intended only to help chaplains assess unit composition and allocate spiritual care resources. The department said the change does not affect what service members may write on their dog tags or how they practice their faith.
No public announcement of a correction has been made as of publication. Kennedy, Lee, and Curtis have all indicated they will continue pressing the Department of War for a revision. The growing number of Utah lawmakers speaking out — now spanning both Senate seats and at least one House member — signals the issue is unlikely to fade without a formal response from Hegseth’s department.