FFRF Action Fund’s “Theocrat of the Week” is Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, a fervent Christian nationalist, for holding monthly prayer services in the Pentagon.
Last week, during working hours, federal employees congregated in the Pentagon auditorium to attend a prayer service where President Trump was praised as a “divinely appointed” leader. Hegseth is palpably using his position in Trump’s administration to promote and spread his extremist brand of Christianity.
Hegseth and the Pentagon invited all staff earlier this month to attend a Pentagon-sponsored “Secretary of Defense Christian Prayer & Worship Service” on government property during official working hours. The first service took place last week and was reportedly attended by hundreds of Department of Defense employees and broadcast across military channels. Despite claiming that attendance was voluntary, Hegseth reportedly “encouraged” military personnel and employees to “tell their co-workers about it.”
The service was conducted in the Pentagon’s main auditorium and included sectarian sermons, worship songs, bible readings and the Lord’s Prayer. Hegseth spoke, saying, “This is precisely where I need to be, and I think exactly where we need to be as a nation, at this moment, in prayer, on bended knee recognizing the providence of our lord and savior Jesus Christ.” He continued, “Knowing that there’s an author in heaven overseeing all of this, who’s underwritten all of it, for us, on the cross, gives me the strength to proceed.”
Hegseth also offered a prayer to “King Jesus,” stating: “We come as sinners saved only by that grace, seeking your providence in our lives and in our nation. Lord God, we ask for the wisdom to see what is right and in each and every day, in each and every circumstance, the courage to do what is right in obedience to your will. It is in the name of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ, that we pray. And all God’s people say amen.” The crowd, including at least one general, repeated “Amen” back to Hegseth.
Also featured in the service was Hegseth’s personal pastor, Brooks Potteiger, who is well-known for promoting Christian nationalism and political partisanship. Potteiger opened his sermon by thanking God for Trump and other officials who were “sovereignly appointed.” He praised Trump for bringing “stability and moral clarity to our lands” and asked God to “continue to protect” Trump and “give him great wisdom.” Potteiger continued, “We pray that you would surround him with faithful counselors who fear your name and love your precepts.”
Closing the service, Potteiger called on God to spread the influence of the prayer meeting: “May this become a place where Christians come together to do just this, and we see you move in power, not just through the Pentagon, but through our nation’s capital and down throughout this great nation.”
Potteiger’s church, the Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, located in Goodlettsville, Tenn., is a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. Its doctrine claims that church leadership roles are solely reserved for men, that homosexuality is “unbiblical,” and that women should not participate in military combat, among other troubling beliefs. Hegseth’s beliefs about women serving in the military were spotlighted during his Senate confirmation.
Hegseth has stated his intent to make these prayer services a monthly occurrence, an overt example of Christian nationalism intertwining with official government events in Trump’s second term. He shared that he has routinely participated in bible studies with Potteiger “long before anything like this seemed possible,” referring to a prayer service being held on government property during work hours. “And now here we are,” said Hegseth. This points to the unprecedented fusion of Christianity and the U.S. government under Trump’s guidance.
Hegseth is using his position in Trump’s cabinet to promote his radical and dangerous form of Christianity. A former Fox News anchor, Hegseth has been on the radar of FFRF Action Fund since before his Senate confirmation proceedings. His controversial tattoos, featuring a crusaders’ cross, reportedly prevented him from being part of the security detail for President Biden’s inauguration. We will continue to closely monitor Hegseth’s Christian nationalist efforts.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.