Gordon Klingenschmitt

Born in 1968 to a single mother in Buffalo, New York, he was adopted at age three by Joanne and Carl Klingenschmitt, Roman Catholics who had him baptized. He was raised in suburban Akron, New York.[3]

Klingenschmitt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the United States Air Force Academy, followed by a Master of Divinity, Master of Business Administration, and Doctor of Philosophy in theology from Regent University.[4]

At the Air Force Academy, he attended a Pentecostal Bible study. Klingenschmitt says he was "born again" on December 13, 1986, stating that he "invited Jesus Christ to rule my heart in ways he had never previously done."[3] He entered into active duty in the United States Air Force on May 29, 1991 and continued his service with the Air Force until September 2, 2002. He served in the United States Navy as a military chaplain.[5]

Klingenschmitt ran for the 15th district seat in the Colorado House of Representatives in the 2014 elections. He received 70% of the vote in the general election to win the seat.[6]

During his time as a Navy chaplain, Klingenschmitt was "a vocal critic of the Navy's policies on prayer in ceremonial settings"[7] engaging in "a long-running battle with the military over regulations requiring chaplains to deliver inclusive prayers at military events other than religious services."[8] Klingenschmitt "accused his superiors of pressuring chaplains to offer generic, nonsectarian prayers" and as a result "gained wide attention and sympathy among religious conservatives."[7]

During a 2012 appearance on The David Pakman Show, Klingenschmitt debated Jonathan Phelps, of the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church.[10][11]

Klingenschmitt is also known for his efforts to shut down the YouTube channel of one of his most vocal critics, Right Wing Watch, which uses video clips of his statements.[12]

In 2012, Colorado attorney, businessman, and former Air Force officer Michael L. Weinstein, sued Klingenschmitt for issuing an imprecatory prayer that Weinstein claimed amounted to a fatwa. The suit was dismissed by the judge, ruling Weinstein had failed to connect the prayer to any subsequent threats or actions against him.[13]

In 2014, Klingenschmitt wrote in an email that U.S. Representative Jared Polis (D-CO), who is openly gay, wanted to execute Christians; both political parties in Colorado disavowed Klingenschmitt, who then claimed his statement was "hyperbole".[14]

In 2014, Klingenschmitt (then a Republican candidate for Colorado state representative in an eastern El Paso County district) frequently compared President Barack Obama to a demon, saying on one occasion that he was a "demon of tyranny" and was among "the domestic enemies of the Constitution." Klingenschmitt also asserted that "Obamacare causes cancer."[15]

In March 2015, in response to an assault where a woman from Longmont, Colorado, had her 34-week-old fetus cut out of her womb,[16] Klingenschmitt said the incident was evidence of the "curse of God" for abortion. Other Republicans denounced his comments.[17] Despite Klingenschmitt's apology and recanting of the remarks,[18] he was removed from the Health, Insurance and Environment Committee for two weeks. He voluntarily suspended his television ministry for six weeks.[19]

In July 2015, Klingenschmitt responded to the Boy Scouts of America lifting their ban on gay scoutmasters by saying that this would lead to an increase in child molestation in the organization.[20][21] The following month, Klingenschmitt reportedly stated that gays and pedophiles are influenced by different demons.[22] In January 2017, he stated that gay men should be disqualified from teaching positions because of "their immorality."[23]

Klingenschmitt leads Pray In Jesus Name Ministries, which broadcasts PIJN News on NRB Network.[24]

After a watchdog organization criticized Klingenschmitt for improper separation of profit and non-profit endeavors, Klingenschmitt allowed the Colorado Springs Gazette in 2016 to review certain Pray In Jesus Name Ministries financial documents. The newspaper found that the non-profit "spent almost all of its donations sending mailers and soliciting funds" but that Klingenschmitt "doesn't accept a salary or other compensation from the charity, and he appears to be keeping the finances separate from his for-profit entity."[25]