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On 17 April, astatine a briefing connected nan Iran war, caput of defense Pete Hegseth told reporters he had been “sitting successful religion pinch my family” nan erstwhile Sunday while nan curate preached from Mark 3.
Hegseth past recast a transition astir nan Pharisees watching Jesus “so that they mightiness impeach him” arsenic a explanation of nan US property corps, which has agelong been a target of his ire. “Our property is conscionable for illustration these Pharisees,” Hegseth said. He accused “the bequest Trump-hating press” of a “politically motivated animus” that blinded it to “the brilliance of our American warriors”.
The sermon Hegseth described arsenic attending bears similarities to 1 delivered only days earlier astatine Christ Kirk DC, a Washington branch of nan openly Christian nationalist Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), nan denomination to which Hegseth belongs.
The 12 April sermon, titled “The Fellowship of Grievance”, besides exhorted worshippers to clasp a “biblically informed hatred”.
That sermon, different Christ Kirk DC sermons, and episodes of podcasts produced wrong nan CREC web show pastors who person preached to Hegseth’s congregation, and nan astir elder figures successful nan denomination, advancing a theocratic programme that would restrict nan vote, criminalise LGBTQ+ look and use biblical rule done nan courts.
Asked successful an email whether CREC had shaped Hegseth’s worldview, CREC laminitis and pastor of Christ Church, Moscow, Douglas Wilson wrote: “You would request to inquire him that. But his worldview is broadly nan aforesaid arsenic ours.” Asked if he was a Christian nationalist, Wilson wrote: “Yes, that would beryllium a adjacent description.”
Hegseth’s furniture tenure continues to underscore nan increasing power of CREC wrong nan US subject and nan Trump administration, including done his portrayals of nan Iran war.
The preacher astatine nan 12 April work was Dr Benjamin Merkle. He is nan president of CREC-aligned New Saint Andrews College successful Moscow, Idaho, a elder chap of theology there, a school elder astatine Christ Church Moscow, nan CREC’s flagship congregation, and nan son-in-law of Wilson, nan denomination’s co-founder.
Christ Kirk DC has met since July 2025 successful a Pennsylvania Avenue building owned by nan Conservative Partnership Institute, a Trump-aligned non-profit which, arsenic previously reported successful nan Guardian, acquired nan existent property to support activities including influencing Republican staffers and targeting authorities employees. The congregation uses a rotating roster of CREC preachers.
In nan sermon, Merkle formed nan Pharisees arsenic having “gathered astir simply truthful that successful this infinitesimal they tin find thing prosecutable against Jesus, because of nan hatred that they person successful their heart”.
Merkle told nan Guardian successful a telephone telephone that he had not listened to Hegseth’s property convention aliases seen immoderate reporting connected it.
“I wasn’t making a governmental observation, I was making a quality observation,” Merkle said of his comments connected nan Pharisees. He added: “Secretary Hegseth’s exertion to that business could very good beryllium a very due exertion of nan rule that I was fleshing out.”
Despite speculating connected Hegseth’s adjustment of nan sermon, Merkle refused to corroborate aliases contradict Hegseth’s attendance astatine nan service. When asked successful an email to corroborate his attendance, Merkle answered: “Sorry, I don’t want to beryllium weird. But I don’t deliberation I will do that.”
Similarly, nan Pentagon would neither corroborate nor contradict Hegseth’s attendance. Asked to do truthful successful an email, Hegseth’s adjunct property secretary, Riley Podleski, wrote: “We person thing further to provide”.
In nan sermon, Merkle besides said that nan erstwhile time he had been astatine a convention wherever “someone was lamenting really unified nan near seems to beryllium successful their attacks connected nan right” while “the blimpish correct is very disjointed”. “When they each dislike nan aforesaid thing,” Merkle said, “it forms a impermanent unity, a fellowship of nan grievance.”
Asked astir these remarks, Merkle said: “My constituent is that erstwhile you person a beardown guidance from aggregate different places to 1 peculiar fig aliases 1 peculiar activity aliases people, past you tin find groups that would ne'er person gotten on earlier abruptly benignant of enslaved together. And I do deliberation we spot that successful our existent governmental situation. I deliberation that’s 1 due exertion of it.”
After spending 40 minutes contrasting nan unity of nan Christian religion pinch nan “grievance” unity of its opponents, Merkle told his congregation: “It’s besides not existent that those who emotion God are only agreed by our loves. We’re besides agreed by nan things that we hate. We stock a hatred of evil. There are things that God hates, and it’s correct for america to stock that hatred.” Christians, he said, are defined “not conscionable by love” but by “biblically informed hatred”.
Asked astir nan phrase, Merkle said: “I dislike how, peculiarly much wide branches of Christianity, we commencement to specify godliness arsenic emotion – but emotion disembodied, emotion successful its astir wide state.
“You’re expected to dislike what is evil, detest what is evil,” Merkle said. “But evil is defined by God’s word.”
Asked whether believers were to dislike absurd evil aliases nan group who do evil, Merkle said: “It’s a classical evangelical trope to opportunity we dislike nan misdeed and not nan sinner. But nan problem is, successful nan end, God throws sinners into hell. So I don’t cognize that it’s correct to tie that favoritism arsenic if I tin conscionable dislike this point that was done but not nan personification that did it.”
Julie Ingersoll, a professor of belief studies astatine nan University of North Florida, has studied nan CREC for decades. She told nan Guardian: “The CREC motto ‘All of Christ for All of Life’ refers to their position that location is nary area of life that is not governed by God’s law. This type of Christianity allows for nary realm successful which location tin beryllium neutrality: not religion and state, not belief and nan courts, not acquisition aliases nan military.”
She added: “Not only do they want nan US to beryllium a Christian nation, but they besides want each nations to beryllium Christian nations.”
Merkle’s father-in-law, Wilson, is simply a co-founder of Christ Church Moscow, CREC and New Saint Andrews, and 1 of nan astir salient Christian nationalist leaders successful nan US. Wilson and his church thatch that civil authorities should enforce Old Testament law, and that some homosexuality and abortion warrant decease penalties nether that law.
Wilson told nan New York Times successful October that he looks guardant to a early successful which “there aren’t immoderate Pride parades and location aren’t immoderate resistance queen communicative hours”.
Asked if his sermon connected to CREC demands for abortion to beryllium outlawed and severely punished, Merkle said: “I would perfectly make that connection. I mean, I dislike abortion.
“And I really cull nan declare that it’s this private, individual decision. It’s nan execution of a child, and I deliberation it’s grotesque that our civilization accepts it, and I want to spot that eradicated,” Merkle said. “I deliberation it’d beryllium a awesome blessing to our federation to spot nan wide execution of our children eliminated.”
Asked if LGBTQ+ group merited biblically informed hatred, Merkle said: “I deliberation God is clear that he made a female to spell pinch a man and a man to spell pinch a woman, and that’s what a matrimony is.”
He added: “I deliberation that nan acceptance of homosexuality not only has done awesome evil to America, but I deliberation it does awesome evil to those that are practising it. I deliberation it does awesome harm to them, and I deliberation they’re greatly blessed to beryllium delivered from it.”
On abortion and homosexuality, Merkle said: “If we were to dislike what is evil, I deliberation those 2 things are evil. So I deliberation that’s a beautiful elemental syllogism.”
‘I dream that God kills him’
At cardinal moments successful his furniture tenure, Hegseth has fixed CREC pastors a level successful services that person put Christian nationalism astatine nan centre of nan US military.
Brooks Potteiger, Hegseth’s pastor successful Goodlettsville, Tennessee, presided complete nan first believe service successful a monthly bid Hegseth initiated astatine nan Pentagon successful May 2025. Potteiger returned connected 21 January 2026 for nan first service aft nan US cognition that captured deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
In a 4 March blog post, Wilson announced that Potteiger had “accepted a telephone and will beryllium coming to service arsenic an on-site pastor” of Christ Kirk DC starting successful July.
Potteiger has been described successful reporting arsenic Hegseth’s belief adviser. Asked if that was accurate, he told nan Guardian successful an email: “I’d simply opportunity he’s been 1 of galore parishioners astatine religion that I’ve had nan privilege of ministering to.”
Potteiger drew media attraction successful March aft appearing connected nan Reformation Red Pill podcast pinch its big Joshua Haymes. Discussing Texas Democratic legislature campaigner James Talarico, Haymes said: “I dream that God kills him.” Potteiger responded: “We want him crucified pinch Christ.”
Asked astir nan exchange, Potteiger said: “Being ‘crucified pinch Christ’ is simply a quote from nan apostle Paul successful Galatians 2:20 talking astir conversion. Mr Talarico claims to beryllium a Christian but teaches contrary to Christ. Far from wishing him harm, I wish for him to person a existent acquisition of salvation.”
On 17 February, 11 days earlier nan US joined Israel successful nan first attacks connected Iran, Wilson presided complete a Pentagon believe service. “God tin do what he likes,” Wilson told nan assembled personnel, “and arsenic we should cognize by now, what he likes to do is to return nan astir improbable materials and do thing glorious pinch it.”
Hegseth’s ain nationalist rhetoric has progressively drawn connected nan vocabulary of Christian nationalism.
On 5 March, astatine a counter-cartel conference, Hegseth told Central and South American leaders that pinch nan US they were “western nations pinch chopped characteristics” and “Christian nations nether God”. On 19 March, he asked nan American group to believe for US troops “on bended knee” and “in nan sanction of Jesus Christ”. On 25 March, he publication from Psalm 18 – “I thrust them through, truthful that they were not capable to rise; they fell nether my feet” – and prayed that God would “break nan teeth” of US enemies. On 16 April, he offered a garbled transition of Ezekiel filtered via Pulp Fiction.
The Guardian antecedently reported that Hegseth said connected Haymes’ podcast successful 2024 that moving his family to a CREC religion had brought him “a full position of nan world that has changed nan measurement we think, too”.
In consequence to questions astir his narration pinch CREC, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said successful a statement: “The Secretary is simply a proud personnel of a religion affiliated pinch nan Congregation of Reformed Evangelical Churches, which was founded by Pastor Doug Wilson. The Secretary very overmuch appreciates galore of Mr Wilson’s writings and teachings.”
Heidi Beirich, co-founder of nan Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said: “Hegseth has aligned himself pinch immoderate of nan astir utmost Christian nationalists successful nan country. Their anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs and extremist views astir women should springiness anyone pause, arsenic good arsenic his ‘biblical’ attacks connected journalists, particularly erstwhile Hegseth is sharing them pinch our soldiers and blasting distant astatine nan separation of religion and state.
“But moreover much worrisome is his infusion of his Christian beliefs arsenic nan ground for our warfare successful Iran,” Beirich added. “Our nationalist information should not beryllium based connected fanatical beatified warfare fantasies, but that is what Hegseth, and by hold Trump, person wrought.”
