Pentagon ducks questions on Hegseth’s support for Christian nationalist pastor’s beliefs

15 August

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on at a White House press briefing on January 30, 2025 (Joshua Sukoff/ Shutterstock.com)

The U.S. Department of Defense is on the defensive after outrage erupted over Secretary Pete Hegseth’s repost of a CNN video last week featuring the head of his church — a hardline Christian nationalist pastor who says he wants the nation, and ultimately the world, to be ruled by Christianity. Hegseth’s caption: “All of Christ for All of Life.”

Pastor Doug Wilson, according to a CNN video (below), also believes in a patriarchal society where women submit to their husbands, believes homosexuality is a crime and should be re-criminalized, believes women should not have the right to vote and should not hold certain positions of leadership, and that they should not be in combat roles.

“Women are the kind of people that people come out of,” Wilson unapologetically told CNN, specifying: “it doesn’t take any talent to simply reproduce biologically.”

On Thursday, several reporters grilled Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson (full transcript), who also grew defensive when asked to account for her boss’s beliefs.

Asked by a reporter, “is it your belief and is it the Secretary’s belief that those women, if they are serving, and women across the United States should have the right to vote?”

Wilson responded angrily, telling the reporter, “of course the Secretary thinks that women should have the right to vote. That’s a stupid question.”

That was just the start of the questioning focused on Secretary Hegseth’s support for Pastor Wilson and his beliefs.

“Well, why did he retweet the pastor who does support taking away that right from women?” the reporter asked.

“The Secretary very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings,” the press secretary replied.

“Including taking away the right to vote?” the reporter pressed.

“I’ve already answered that question,” was the response.

“So, including taking away the right to vote?” the reporter again pressed. “You have not been clear. I mean, he retweeted her — or him. Why retweet someone that wants to take away the right to vote?”

“I have been correct on that the Secretary supports the 19th Amendment. Next question,” the press secretary insisted.

When asked if Secretary Hegseth is “in disagreement” with Pastor Wilson, the press secretary would only say that Hegseth “appreciates” many of his pastor’s “writings and teachings.”

“I’m not going to litigate every single aspect of what he may or may not believe in a certain video,” the press secretary declared.

Later, another reporter brought up the Wilson video, this time diving into more of the pastor’s beliefs.

“What was the point of posting that video? I know you said that he respects him, but you mentioned that all of these women are joining the recruitment. What does a video like that, that mentions women submitting to their husbands, what does that say to women service members? Or we should be a Christian nation like Saudi Arabia is a Muslim nation,” the reporter said, grilling the press secretary. “What does that say to Muslim service members or Jewish service members or people who don’t believe? I mean, what message is that sending as the Secretary of Defense reposting something like that? He’s not just a person; he’s a government official now.”

Press Secretary Wilson was not having it.

“So, I reject the premise of the question. I think what he had said, ‘all of God for all of time’ — I think that is a non-controversial statement.”

The grilling grew more intense, with the reporter diving deeper into some of the beliefs revealed by the CNN profile, and the press secretary refusing to discuss them.

“I’m not going to litigate what he may or may not think about real presence in communion. We’re not going to get down to the nitty gritty on all of that stuff, right. But what I can tell you is that he is a Christian. He appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings.”

The Daily Beast, reporting on the Pentagon press conference, noted that “Hegseth’s social media promotion of Wilson’s church network, the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches—which Doug Wilson co-founded—came after he railed that the military ‘allowed itself to go woke,’ declaring that generals and admirals ‘involved in any of the DEI woke s— has got to go.'”

The Beast also noted that “high-profile moves have targeted senior women across the services. Last month, Hegseth removed Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, the first woman to lead the U.S. Naval Academy, before the end of her expected term.” Also, “Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield was fired from her NATO billet, and Adm. Linda Fagan—history’s first female service chief—was ousted from the Coast Guard by Homeland Security.”

The crisis created by Hegseth posting the CNN video is not just one of public perception or public relations.

Veterans have told The Guardian, the news outlet reported on Thursday, “that Hegseth’s religiosity – rubbing off in new recruitment ads and official US Department of Defense social media activities – is dividing the ranks and doing untold damage to the future of the US military.”

Watch the video Hegseth reposted below or at this link.

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