Pete Hegseth's Christian Rhetoric Draws Renewed Scrutiny After US Goes to War with Iran
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has brought his conservative evangelical beliefs into the Pentagon with increasing visibility, hosting monthly Christian worship services for employees and incorporating Bible verses into promotional military videos. In speeches, he frequently asserts that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and encourages troops to embrace God, actions that critics argue jeopardize the military's secular mission and hard-won pluralism.
Religious Language Intensifies Amid Conflict with Iran
Now, Hegseth's Christian rhetoric has taken on heightened significance following the outbreak of war between the United States, Israel, and Iran, an Islamic theocracy. At a recent Pentagon press briefing, Hegseth referred to Iran's Shiite Muslim clerics as "desperate and scrambling," later reciting Psalm 144, a scripture shared by Jews and Christians: "Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle."
Hegseth has a documented history of defending the Crusades, the medieval wars between Christians and Muslims. In his 2020 book "American Crusade," he wrote that those who benefit from Western civilization should "thank a crusader." His tattoos include crusader imagery like the Jerusalem Cross and the phrase "Deus Vult" ("God wills it"), which he describes as "the rallying cry of Christian knights as they marched to Jerusalem."
Critics Warn of Inflaming Religious Tensions
Matthew D. Taylor, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University who studies religious extremism and has frequently criticized Hegseth, expressed concern. "The U.S. voluntarily going to war against a Muslim country with the military under the leadership of Pete Hegseth is exactly the kind of scenario that people like me were warning about before the election and throughout his appointment process," Taylor said.
He added that Hegseth's rhetoric and leadership "can only inflame and reinforce the fears and deep animosity that the regime in Iran has towards the U.S." When questioned whether Hegseth views the war in religious terms, a Defense Department spokesperson referenced a recent CBS interview where Hegseth seemed to confirm this perspective.
"We're fighting religious fanatics who seek a nuclear capability in order for some religious Armageddon," Hegseth said of Iranian leaders. "But from my perspective, I mean, obviously I'm a man of faith who encourages our troops to lean into their faith, rely on God."
Unverified Claims of Biblical Prophecies in Military
Generations of evangelicals have been influenced by interpretations of Armageddon and the end times, popularized by works like the "Left Behind" series and "The Late Great Planet Earth." Some evangelicals believe prophecies involving Israel are key to Jesus's return. Christian Zionist pastor John Hagee, head of Christians United for Israel, remarked on the Iran war, "Prophetically, we're right on cue."
However, the co-founder of Hegseth's denomination, Pastor Doug Wilson of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, identifies as a postmillennialist, believing most biblical apocalyptic events have already occurred, leading to gradual Christianization before Christ's return. Hegseth has not explicitly stated the Iran war is part of Christian prophecy.
Days after the conflict began, claims circulated that U.S. military commanders were telling troops the war fulfilled biblical prophecies about Armageddon and Christ's return. The Associated Press has been unable to verify these claims, which originate from Mikey Weinstein, head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation watchdog group.
Based on allegations Weinstein said he received from hundreds of troops, 30 Democratic members of Congress requested a Pentagon inspector general investigation. In an AP interview, Weinstein declined to provide documentation or original emails from service members, citing fears of retaliation. Three major religion watchdog groups—the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations—reported no similar complaints. The Pentagon declined to comment on the allegations.
Hegseth's Policy Changes and Chaplain Corps Reform
Hegseth's church network, the CREC, advocates a patriarchal form of Christianity where women cannot serve in leadership and pastors argue for criminalizing homosexuality. Hegseth reposted a video last year in which a CREC pastor opposed women's right to vote. Wilson, a prominent CREC leader and Christian nationalist, preached at the Pentagon in February at Hegseth's invitation. Both have questioned Muslim immigration to the United States, with Wilson advocating restrictions to maintain a predominantly Christian nation.
In "American Crusade," Hegseth lamented growing Muslim birth rates and the popularity of the name Muhammad for boys in the U.S. As defense secretary, he has implemented policies aligning with his conservative Christian worldview, including banning transgender troops, curtailing diversity initiatives, and reviewing women in combat roles.
Youssef Chouhoud, a political scientist at Christopher Newport University, noted, "The intrusion of Christian nationalist policy, not just Christian nationalist rhetoric … that is what's troubling."
Hegseth has pledged to reform the military's chaplain corps, which provides spiritual care to troops of all faiths and none. He scrapped the 2025 U.S. Army Spiritual Fitness Guide and aims to renew chaplains' religious focus, arguing it has been minimized "in an atmosphere of political correctness and secular humanism."
Rabbi Laurence Bazer, a retired U.S. Army colonel and chaplain, warned that exclusive use of one faith tradition's language by military leadership risks making service members feel like outsiders. "The U.S. military reflects the full diversity of this country—people of every faith step forward to serve," Bazer said. "That diversity is a strength worth protecting."
