Challenges of dead god (5)
I believe the answer is:
dares
'challenges' is the definition.
(dare is a kind of challenge)
'dead god' is the wordplay.
'dead' becomes 'd' (abbreviation in government records).
'god' becomes 'ares' (Greek god of war).
'd'+'ares'='DARES'
'of' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for dares that I've seen before include "''Who ..., wins'' (SAS motto)" , "Has the courage to do brave or dangerous thing" , "Ventures" , "Makes bold, challenges" , "Challenges to do something dangerous" .)