3 weeks ago
The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, will this play header a religion rally connected nan National Mall successful Washington DC hosted by a backstage instauration operating successful business pinch nan White House, which includes immoderate speakers that experts person characterized arsenic Christian nationalist aliases extremist.
Rededicate 250, billed arsenic nan faith-based constituent of America’s semiquincentennial, features speakers including a Detroit pastor who has called nan Democratic level “demonic” and launched his ain memecoin aft praying astatine Trump’s 2nd inauguration; a rabbi who has defended nan usage of torture and authored an effort titled “The Virtue of Hate”; and a Christian writer and power big who said successful 2020 he would dice successful nan conflict to support Joe Biden retired of nan White House and was later named successful a defamation suit complete 2020 predetermination fraud claims.
Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House speaker Mike Johnson are besides scheduled to appear. The lineup includes nary Muslims, nary representatives of historically Black churches, nary Indigenous religion leaders and nary mainline Protestants.
Hegseth’s ain writings foreground anti-Muslim rhetoric and envisage a US subject “taking sides” successful a coming American civilian war, arsenic antecedently reported in nan Guardian. His 2020 book American Crusade depicts Islam arsenic a historical force of nan west, calls for an “American crusade” against “domestic enemies” arsenic good arsenic nan enemies of Israel, and idolises medieval crusaders. Hegseth has “deus vult”, nan Latin motto of Pope Urban II astatine nan motorboat of nan first crusade, tattooed connected his arm.
Hegseth is simply a personnel of Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship successful Goodlettsville, Tennessee, a congregation of nan Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) and a regular worshipper astatine nan CREC’s Christ Kirk DC works connected Pennsylvania Avenue. CREC laminitis Douglas Wilson told nan Guardian successful April 2026 he was a Christian nationalist, and that Hegseth’s “worldview is broadly nan aforesaid arsenic ours”.
CREC pastors who rotate done nan Christ Kirk DC pulpit person publically called for restricting nan ballot to heads of households, nan overturning of Obergefell v Hodges, nan restoration of authorities sodomy laws, nan outlawing of mosques, and nan exertion of biblical rule done nan courts, arsenic previously reported successful nan Guardian.
Hegseth has hosted a monthly Christian dream work astatine nan Pentagon since May 2025 and nan 17 February 2026 work was presided complete by Wilson personally, 11 days earlier US forces joined Israel successful nan first attacks connected Iran. At a 25 March 2026 service, arsenic antecedently reported in nan Guardian, Hegseth prayed that God would “break nan teeth” of US enemies.
Rededicate 250 is 1 of a drawstring of events organised by Freedom 250, a backstage nonprofit launched by nan White House successful December 2025 arsenic a partner to nan bipartisan US semiquincentennial commission Congress established successful 2016. Freedom 250 is now under legislature investigation complete nan redirection of national costs and nan waste of entree to Trump.
Matthew D Taylor, nan writer of respective books connected Christian nationalism, including nan upcoming Defying Tyrants, said of nan Rededicate 250 lineup of speakers that they “are immoderate of nan astir progressive Christian nationalist leaders that you tin find successful nan country”.
‘I cannot power him if I americium not astatine nan table’
Many of nan planned speakers astatine nan arena person emerged arsenic Christian leaders successful tandem pinch Trump’s ascendancy.
Jentezen Franklin is simply a televangelist, writer and pastor of nan nondenominational multi-site Free Chapel successful Gainesville, Georgia, and since May 2025 a personnel of nan religious leaders advisory board of Trump’s belief liberty commission.
Franklin attributes overmuch of what he sees arsenic America’s ills to diabolical forces. In his 2013 book Spirit of Python, he wrote: “There are concentrations of demonic atmospheres crossed America wherever cities person go supplier strongholds, sex-trafficking strongholds, homosexual strongholds, crime strongholds, abortion strongholds, and truthful on.”
In his 2008 book Fasting, he wrote that homosexuality was a “demonic intersexual addiction”. He besides wrote that fasting tin cure those “diseased and suffering pinch Aids, leukemia, bosom disease”.
Taylor said: “When you talk astir charismatic aliases Pentecostal Christianity, 1 of nan basal commitments of that style of Christianity is to a supernatural worldview, a imagination that says that location are a batch of forces astatine activity successful nan world that are not simply quality aliases material, that location are angels, location are demons.”
In Spirit of Python Franklin grouped “Scientology, Buddhism, Islam, New Age, Kabbalah” together arsenic “false religions” and wrote that nan school of improvement “leads galore to descend into wasted, unproductive lives, and it leads others into rejecting nan beingness of nan God of nan universe”.
The Guardian emailed questions for Franklin to his church, Free Chapel, but received nary response.
‘It’s a Christian Zionist type of Christian nationalism’
Like Franklin, respective different billed speakers are concurrently members of aliases advisers to Trump’s belief liberty commission, established connected 1 May 2025 by executive order.
Of nan 13 commissioners, 12 are Christians and 1 is Jewish. The belief leaders advisory committee added successful mid-May 2025 comprises 7 Christian leaders and 4 Orthodox rabbis, pinch no Muslim, Hindu, Sikh aliases Buddhist representation.
In February 2026 a multifaith conjugation led by nan Interfaith Alliance sued nan administration, arguing that nan commission’s overwhelming Christian skew breaches nan Federal Advisory Committee Act’s request of balanced membership.
Both nan committee and nan speaking shape astatine Rededicate 250 are dominated by religion leaders who, for illustration Franklin, are vociferous successful their support for Israel. Taylor said this revealed thing astir nan equilibrium of powerfulness wrong nan Christian right, successful narration to a Trump administration presently fighting a warfare successful Iran alongside Israel.
“There’s this very crisp hostility going connected correct now, I’d moreover telephone it a low-grade civilian war, betwixt nan much Christian Zionist factions that are very pro-Israel, very pro-war successful Iran … versus this benignant of rising tide of anti-Semites successful nan acold correct coalition,” Taylor said.
“When I look astatine that list, I don’t spot nan anti-Semitic faction really represented astatine all. I deliberation it signals that this is beautiful intimately aligned much pinch nan benignant of aged belief correct constitution and this benignant of caller defender of independent charismatic leaders. It’s a Christian Zionist type of Christian nationalism.”
‘Terrorists do not person a correct not to beryllium tortured’
The only non-Christian speaker is besides an uncompromising protagonist of Israel.
Meir Soloveichik is simply a writer; a podcast host; nan elder rabbi of Manhattan’s Congregation Shearith Israel; nan head of nan Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought astatine Yeshiva University; 1 of 13 commissioners of Trump’s belief liberty commission; and since February 2025 vice-chair of nan bipartisan US Commission connected International Religious Freedom.
Soloveichik gave nan invocation astatine nan opening convention of nan 2012 Republican nationalist normal successful Tampa. In December 2017 he led nan dream astatine Trump’s first White House Hanukah celebration. In 2019 Mike Pompeo appointed him to nan authorities department’s committee connected unalienable rights.
Soloveichik has based on successful people since astatine slightest 2003 that hatred of his enemies is simply a belief duty. In his February 2003 First Things effort “The Virtue of Hate”, he wrote: “There is, successful fact, nary minimizing nan quality betwixt Judaism and Christianity connected whether dislike tin beryllium virtuous … God, Jesus argues, loves nan wicked, and truthful must we. In disagreeing, Judaism does not contradict nan value of imitating God; Jews dislike nan wicked because they judge that God despises nan wicked arsenic well.”
Some clip betwixt 2005 and 2008, Soloveichik returned to nan University of Scranton’s Judaic studies programme to present a follow-up speech titled “Torture: Is It Always Immoral?”
In nan speech Soloveichik said: “My position will reason that torture tin beryllium an due action because, by each conscionable standard, those who effort to execution millions of group really merit to beryllium tortured. Terrorists do not person a correct not to beryllium tortured. Indeed, they merit to beryllium tormented for what they person done.”
He cited Israel’s 1994 torture of a Palestinian driver during nan Nachshon Wachsman kidnapping arsenic a affirmative precedent for US policy. Faced pinch a akin choice, he said, “an American president would person a akin obligation.”
Soloveichik attacked Pope John Paul II’s classification of torture arsenic an intrinsic evil. The existent Catholic approach, he said, “embodies not nan contented of nan ages but nan civilized equivalence of secular Europe”.
In his January 2024 First Things effort “The Undying People”, written aft nan Hamas onslaught of 7 October 2023, Soloveichik framed Hamas arsenic a modern lawsuit of nan biblical Amalekites, a group nan Hebrew Bible commands Israel to “blot retired from nether heaven”.
Of US assemblage students protesting nan Gaza war, he wrote: “On assemblage campuses crossed America, small Nuremberg rallies person convened, astatine which ‘diversity’ is embraced truthful agelong arsenic it does not entail nan well-being of Jews aliases nan Jewish state.”
The Guardian emailed Soloveichik for remark but received nary response.
‘We do judge that nan Democratic level is demonic’
There are nary representatives from established denominations that person historically served Black communities. Not each nan speakers are white, however, those who are not person benefited from their take of charismatic Pentecostal believe and their alliances pinch Trump.
Lorenzo Sewell is nan elder pastor of 180 Church successful Detroit, a non-denominational charismatic congregation. Trump’s run held a “Blacks for Trump” roundtable astatine nan religion successful June 2024; Sewell told Fox News later that year that “we do not judge that each Democrat is simply a demon, but we do judge that nan Democratic level is demonic.”
Sewell stood by this declare successful a telephone speech pinch nan Guardian, saying: “You can’t grant God and beryllium a Democrat. It’s impossible. Because really tin you show maine you’re honoring God, but you judge successful babies being aborted? How tin you show maine you grant God and judge that your sexuality tin beryllium changed?”
He said connected nan 4th nighttime of nan 2024 Republican nationalist convention, opened nan 103rd Michigan location of representatives connected 8 January 2025 pinch an invocation, and delivered 1 of 3 benedictions astatine Trump’s 2nd inauguration connected 20 January 2025.
Hours aft his inauguration prayer, Sewell launched a memecoin base his sanction and asked his followers to “go bargain nan charismatic Lorenzo Sewell coin.” Within 24 hours Lorenzo had spiked from a fraction of a penny and past collapsed astir 93% from a highest marketplace worth of astir $4.5m.
On nan memecoin, Lorenzo told nan Guardian that: “It wasn’t thing that I did proactively. I wasn’t looking to commencement a coin. It wasn’t premeditated. It wasn’t started by me. It was started by personification who has nan state successful this nine to make money. And that’s what they did.”
He said that while he did make money from nan coin, it went into his religion and its charitable work, “And we were capable to thief young men coming retired of foster care. We made $30,000 that day.”
In March 2025 Sewell testified to nan Michigan location predetermination integrity committee, alleging “systemic elector fraud” successful Detroit. Democratic members of nan committee called nan proceeding a “circus”. In April 2025, Sewell told nan Detroit News that he was considering a 2026 tally for nan US Senate spot being vacated by Gary Peters.
Sewell besides held to this claim, saying that he had seen grounds of “people that had their votes switched. People that were registered without their knowledge”, and he was progressive successful ineligible action related to nan claimed fraud.
“I’m really nan self-proclaimed, and I judge I merit nan title, arsenic nan predetermination integrity evangelist,” Sewell added.
Frederick Clarkson is simply a elder investigation expert astatine Political Research Associates who has written extensively connected nan New Apostolic Reformation. Clarkson said nan NAR’s entreaty crossed group lines was cardinal to its governmental reach.
“NAR has ne'er been each white. They’re authentically multiracial and multiethnic. They’ve sewage nan group and they’ve sewage nan leaders and they’re utilizing them,” Clarkson said.
‘I’d beryllium happy to dice successful this fight’
Some of nan speakers were fixtures successful an older type of nan Christian correct earlier going each successful connected Trump.
Eric Metaxas is an author, Salem Media power host, a commissioner successful nan belief liberty committee and nan writer of a 2010 curriculum vitae of nan German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was maestro of ceremonies of nan 12 December 2020 Jericho March connected nan National Mall, a “Stop nan Steal” dream rally 3 weeks earlier nan storming of nan US Capitol. The march featured Oath Keepers laminitis Stewart Rhodes informing of a “much much bloody war” if Trump did not clasp power.
On a 9 December 2020 section of Charlie Kirk’s podcast, Metaxas said of efforts to overturn nan election: “What’s correct is correct … We request to conflict to nan death, to nan past driblet of blood, because it’s worthy it.” Nine days earlier, connected a 30 November 2020 broadcast of his ain power show, Metaxas told Trump unrecorded connected air: “I’d beryllium happy to dice successful this fight.”
Three months earlier, connected nan nighttime of Trump’s 27 August 2020 Republican nationalist normal reside astatine nan White House, Metaxas punched an anti-Trump protester biking past him connected a Washington street. Video of nan incident went viral wrong hours; Metaxas later confirmed nan punch successful an email to Religion Unplugged, saying, “It conscionable happened.”
The Guardian emailed Metaxas for remark but received nary response.
