2026年10月22日 美国东部时间下午2:42 / 福克斯新闻
转向点美国组织信仰事务副总裁敦促特朗普对澳大利亚总理安东尼·阿尔巴内塞施加外交压力
作者：贾斯敏·贝尔
转向点美国组织信仰事务副总裁卢卡斯·迈尔斯告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，他已联系特朗普政府官员，警告称政府对某教会宗教习俗的审查可能会为美国基督徒树立危险先例。
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一名转向点美国组织的信仰领导人呼吁唐纳德·特朗普总统介入此前澳大利亚议员就一名基督教教会领袖的宗教信仰进行质询一事，其中包括质询他是否会影响教友的婚姻、发型甚至宠物饲养选择。
转向点美国组织信仰事务副总裁卢卡斯·迈尔斯告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，他已联系白宫信仰事务办公室和多名政府官员，就他所称的对普利茅斯弟兄会基督教教会的政治动机调查发声。
“我们已经联系了信仰事务办公室，也联系了多名政府官员，确保他们了解此事，”迈尔斯说，“我们希望能尽快看到相关回应和行动。”
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这场争议在10月16日的议会听证会期间升级，听证会旨在调查教会成员在澳大利亚2025年联邦大选期间开展协调政治活动的指控。
独立议员莫妮克·赖恩就教会全球领袖布鲁斯·黑尔斯是否被教友视为“上帝所选的器皿”或上帝的直接使者向其发问。她还询问教友是否会就婚姻、住房、宠物、衣着和面部毛发问题寻求他的指引。
自由党议员本·斯莫尔对此次质询提出反对，称其“显然荒谬”且“完全偏离了本次调查的职权范围”。
另一名议员插话称发型与选举事务毫无关联，但委员会主席仍允许质询继续进行。
“当一个负责调查选举事务的澳大利亚议会委员会开始审讯一名基督教领袖的神学信念时，我们必须严肃质疑本次调查的目的，”迈尔斯在提供给福克斯新闻数字频道的一份声明中说道。
“布鲁斯·黑尔斯是被传唤来回答有关选举行为的问题，而非在政府面前为普利茅斯弟兄会基督教教会的教义辩护，”他补充道。
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迈尔斯认为，这条质询路线可能揭示了对宗教自由的更广泛威胁。
“从选举监督转向宗教审查的令人不安的转变，完全像是一场出于政治动机的政治迫害，”他说。
黑尔斯否认曾指导、资助或协调2025年大选期间的政治竞选活动，坚称教友的行为都是独立的。
“我完全没有参与任何自愿或参与2025年联邦大选任何环节的教友相关事务，”黑尔斯告诉委员会。
议员们还质询黑尔斯在一次布道中称澳大利亚需要“再次快乐、再次微笑”的言论是否影响了教友的政治活动，并援引了随后与他的话呼应的竞选信息作为证据。
他的儿子加雷斯承认曾鼓励已经参与竞选的人，但否认指挥过有组织的教会竞选活动。
基督教女性对新的“奥威尔式”指控不认罪，该指控针对其站立静默祈祷行为
委员会同时也在调查大选期间的恐吓和协调竞选活动指控。教会领袖否认组织或纵容不当行为。
黑尔斯表示他不支持骚扰或恐吓行为，并坚持认为个别教友应为自己的行为负责。
“在自由社会中，政府完全有权调查选举法的违规行为，但它无权将基督教教义送上审判台，”迈尔斯说。
普利茅斯弟兄会基督教教会的历史可追溯至约200年前，该教会称其全球约5.5万名教友遵循“分离教义”，远离他们认为与圣经教导冲突的某些世俗活动和习俗。
该教会否认被称为邪教的说法，坚称其教友自由践行信仰，并通过商业和慈善举措为社区做出贡献。
听证会还涉及美国议题：参议员斯特凡·霍奇金斯-梅向黑尔斯询问转向点美国组织对该教会的支持，以及教会领袖是否曾与特朗普政府会面。
黑尔斯表示他从未见过特朗普，但了解纽约的一些教友曾短暂与总统会面。
并非该教会成员的迈尔斯表示，他希望特朗普对澳大利亚总理安东尼·阿尔巴内塞施加外交压力，并敦促终止此次调查。
“首先，我希望看到施加一些压力，无论是通过外交渠道还是总统亲自出面，”迈尔斯告诉福克斯新闻数字频道。
迈尔斯表示，他仍对政府采取行动抱有希望，并警告这场争议可能会为美国教会树立令人不安的先例，他援引了美国过去涉及宗教组织和政府限制的争端。
“他们之所以这样做，是因为该教会所持的特定教义而试图诋毁它，我认为这是全球宗教自由的煤矿里的金丝雀——当我们看到像澳大利亚这样的西方国家，”迈尔斯说，“政府与教会为敌，尤其是与基督教教会为敌，我认为这值得全世界警醒。”
“如果这种事能在澳大利亚发生，能在英国和加拿大这样的地方发生，如果我们不保持警惕，它当然也可能在美国发生，”他说。
迈尔斯强调，基督徒应自由参与政治，而不必让教会自动为其个人选择负责。
“仅仅因为碰巧去同一间教堂的个别普通公民持有相似的政治观点，并不构成重大阴谋，”他说。
他敦促特朗普推行他所谓的“基于信仰的外交”，以捍卫海外的宗教自由。
“如果宗教自由只保护那些政府认可其信仰的人，那它就毫无意义，”迈尔斯说。
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贾斯敏·贝尔是福克斯新闻数字频道突发新闻撰稿人，报道政治、军事、围绕生命和家庭政策的法律辩论以及信仰与文化议题。
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6407154439112
Australia pastor case ‘canary in the coal mine’ for American Christian freedoms: TPUSA leader
October 22, 2026 2:42pm EDT / Fox News
Turning Point USA’s vice president of faith is urging Trump to apply diplomatic pressure on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
By Jasmine Baehr
Turning Point USA Faith VP Lucas Miles tells Fox News Digital he’s contacted Trump administration officials, warning that government scrutiny of a church’s religious practices could set a dangerous precedent for American Christians.
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A Turning Point USA faith leader is calling on President Donald Trump to intervene after Australian lawmakers grilled a Christian church leader about his religious beliefs, including whether he influences members’ marriages, hairstyles and even pet ownership.
Lucas Miles, vice president of faith at Turning Point USA, told Fox News Digital he contacted the White House Faith Office and several administration officials over what he described as a politically motivated investigation into the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.
“We’ve reached out to the faith office, we’ve reached out to several members of the administration to make sure that they’re aware of this,” Miles said. “We’re hoping to see some response and action soon.”
Senior Leader Bruce Hales of Plymouth Brethren Church and family pictured in this undated photo.(Courtesy Plymouth Brethren Christian Church)
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The controversy intensified during an Oct. 16 parliamentary hearing examining allegations of coordinated political activity by church members during Australia’s 2025 federal election.
Independent MP Monique Ryan questioned the church’s global leader, Bruce Hales, about whether members considered him an “elect vessel” or a direct messenger from God. She also asked whether members sought his guidance on marriage, housing, pets, clothing and facial hair.
Liberal MP Ben Small objected to the questioning, calling it “patently ridiculous” and “so far off the terms of reference for this inquiry.”
Another lawmaker interjected that hairstyles had no bearing on electoral matters, while the committee chair allowed the questioning to continue.
“When an Australian parliamentary committee tasked with investigating election matters begins interrogating a Christian leader about his theological convictions, serious questions must be asked about the purpose of the inquiry,” Miles said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
“Bruce Hales was summoned to answer questions about electoral conduct, not to defend the doctrines of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church before the government,” he added.
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Pastor Lucas Miles, vice president of faith at Turning Point USA, told Fox News Digital he contacted the White House Faith Office regarding an investigation into the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.(Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Miles argued that the line of questioning may illustrate a broader threat to religious freedom.
“The troubling shift from election oversight to religious scrutiny gives every appearance of a politically motivated witch hunt,” he said.
Hales denied directing, funding or coordinating political campaigning during the 2025 election, maintaining that church members acted independently.
“I had no involvement whatsoever in relation to any members who volunteered or took part in any aspect of the 2025 federal election,” Hales told the committee.
Lawmakers questioned whether a sermon in which Hales said Australia needed to be “happy again, smiling again” influenced members’ political activities, citing subsequent campaign messaging that echoed his words.
His son, Gareth, acknowledged encouraging people already involved in campaigning but denied directing an organized church campaign.
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Rapid Relief Team volunteers, part of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church’s charitable arm, deliver food for police and first responders in Washington, D.C., in 2026. TPUSA Faith leader Lucas Miles is urging President Donald Trump to address an Australian parliamentary investigation involving the denomination.(Courtesy of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church)
The committee is also examining allegations of intimidation and coordinated campaigning during the election. Church leaders have denied organizing or condoning improper conduct.
Hales said he did not support harassment or intimidation and maintained that individual members should be accountable for their own actions.
“In a free society, government has every right to investigate violations of election law, but it has no business putting Christian doctrine on trial,” Miles said.
The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, which traces its roots back roughly 200 years, says its roughly 55,000 members worldwide follow a “Doctrine of Separation,” distancing themselves from certain secular activities and practices they believe conflict with biblical teachings.
The church rejects descriptions of the denomination as a cult, maintaining that its members freely practice their faith and contribute to their communities through businesses and charitable initiatives.
The hearing also turned to the United States when Sen. Steph Hodgins-May questioned Hales about Turning Point USA’s support for the church and whether church leaders had met with the Trump administration.
Hales said he had never met Trump but understood that some church members in New York had briefly met the president.
Miles, who is not a member of the denomination, said he wants Trump to apply diplomatic pressure on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and urge an end to the inquiry.
“What I would like to see, first of all, is some pressure applied, whether that be through diplomatic channels or through the president himself,” Miles told Fox News Digital.
Miles said he remains hopeful the administration will take action and warned that the controversy could establish a troubling precedent for American churches, pointing to past disputes involving religious organizations and government restrictions in the United States.
“They’re making this about trying to really smear the church because of specific doctrines that they might hold to, and I think this is a canary in the coal mine for religious liberty across the globe that when we see a Western nation like Australia,” Miles said. “The government [is] against the church and against the Christian church in particular, I think this is reason for the rest of the world to wake up.”
“If this can happen in Australia, if it can happen places like England and Canada, it certainly can happen America if we don’t stay alert,” he said.
Miles emphasized that Christians should be free to participate in politics without their churches automatically being held responsible for their individual choices.
“Just because individual private citizens who happen to go to a church have a similar opinion about politics, that does not constitute a grand conspiracy,” he said.
He urged Trump to pursue what he called “faith-based diplomacy” to defend religious liberty abroad.
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“Religious liberty means nothing if it only protects those whose beliefs the government approves of,” Miles said.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Jasmine Baehr is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, legal debates surrounding life and family policy, as well as faith and culture.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6407154439112
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