Pentagon's Hegseth Prays for Violence in Christian Service Amid Chaplain Reforms
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth conducted his inaugural monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon on Wednesday, delivering a prayer that invoked divine intervention for military action against adversaries. The service, broadcast live to a broad audience, occurred against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts, with Hegseth emphasizing the timing as particularly significant given current American military engagements.
Prayer for 'Overwhelming Violence' and Divine Guidance
During the ceremony, Hegseth recited a prayer attributed to a military chaplain, calling for "every round to find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation." He further petitioned for "wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy." Quoting from the Psalms, Hegseth declared, "I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed."
Hegseth, who frequently integrates his evangelical beliefs into his role as head of the armed forces, has consistently portrayed the United States as a Christian nation confronting foes through military strength. His rhetoric has attracted increased scrutiny during expanding global conflicts, especially considering his historical defense of the Crusades. While expressions of faith are commonplace in American public life, Hegseth often surpasses conventional appeals for divine blessing, recently urging prayers for service members "in the name of Jesus Christ."
Shift Towards Specific Christian Language Raises Concerns
Ronit Stahl, a historian at the University of California at Berkeley and author of "Enlisting Faith: How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America," observed that while broad religious language is not unusual, "the shift towards the specificity of Jesus Christ and therefore Christianity and in Hegseth’s case, a particular form of Protestant Christianity, is new, especially coming from the defense secretary." Stahl questioned the implications for a nation without an established religion, pondering, "what does it mean to have a leader being not just broadly religious or religious in a pluralistic sense, but religious in a very particular sense?"
Lawsuit Challenges Pentagon Worship Services
An advocacy group, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, filed a lawsuit on Monday contesting the Pentagon services. The group also initiated a similar legal action against the Labor Department, where Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer hosts monthly prayer gatherings reportedly inspired by Hegseth. The lawsuit aims to enforce a public records request from December, demanding internal Pentagon communications regarding the worship services, their costs, guests, and any employee complaints.
Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, alleged in a statement: "Secretaries Hegseth and Chavez-DeRemer are abusing the power of their government positions and taxpayer-funded resources to impose their preferred religion on federal workers. Even if these prayer services are presented as voluntary, there is pressure on federal employees to attend in order to appease their bosses."
Chaplain Reforms: 'Making the Chaplain Corps Great Again'
Hegseth announced two significant reforms on Tuesday, describing them as "making the chaplain corps great again." He expressed a desire for chaplains to concentrate more on spiritual matters rather than therapeutic "self-help and self-care," despite the military's growing reliance on chaplains to address escalating mental health issues among troops.
In a video message, Hegseth revealed that chaplains would no longer wear their rank on their uniforms, instead being identified by religious insignia. He argued this change would alleviate "unease or anxiety" service members might experience when approaching officers for spiritual care. Additionally, he disclosed that the military is reducing the number of recognized faith codes, or religious affiliations, from over 200 to 31. This reduction eliminates many small Protestant denominations, as well as identifications for Wiccans, atheists, and agnostics. The Pentagon has not responded to requests for further information about these changes, and the updated list of religious affiliation codes has yet to be released.
Religious Diversity in the Military
The military exhibits considerable religious diversity; a 2019 congressional report indicated that nearly 70% of troops identify as Christian, while almost a quarter were categorized as "other/unclassified/unknown," with smaller percentages of atheists/agnostics, Jews, Muslims, and adherents of Eastern religions.
Hegseth's Personal Faith Journey and Service Leadership
At Wednesday’s worship service, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, an Air Force chaplain and Southern Baptist pastor, delivered a message on overcoming fear and following Jesus. Collins, a former congressman, continued a pattern of only evangelicals presiding at Hegseth’s services.
Hegseth began hosting worship at the Pentagon in May 2025, with his Tennessee pastor, Brooks Potteiger, preaching. Potteiger is scheduled to relocate to Washington, D.C., to lead Christ Church DC, a new congregation affiliated with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), which Hegseth attends. Hegseth is a member of CREC, a conservative network co-founded by self-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson, whose pastors have frequently preached at Hegseth’s Pentagon services.
Raised Baptist, Hegseth has stated that he experienced a pivotal moment in his faith in 2018, after which he began attending an evangelical church in New Jersey. He and his wife later moved to a Nashville suburb to enroll their children in a classical Christian school affiliated with the CREC, and started attending Potteiger’s CREC church, Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship.
Hegseth addressed his Pentagon worship services at a gathering of Christian broadcasters in February, remarking, "We mostly do it because I need it more than anybody else." He added, "We hear a lot from the ‘freedom from religion’ crowd. They hate it. The left-wing shrieks, which means we’re right over the target."
