Ex-Army commander slams MAGA’s push to force Christian fundamentalism on the military

Ever since the religious right made its presence felt in Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign, far-right white Christian fundamentalist evangelicals and their opponents have been having an intense debate over the role of religion in government.

The religious right claims that the United States was founded on fundamentalist Christianity, while their opponents — who have ranged from People For the American Way to the late conservative Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) — counter that the U.S. Constitution promises freedom of religion but forbids government to favor one religion over another.

In 2025 — 45 years after Reagan's 1980 campaign — that debate rages on. And retired Gen. Mark Hertling, who served as commander of U.S. Army Europe during Barack Obama's presidency, offers scathing criticism of MAGA Republicans' efforts to impose Christian nationalism on the military in an article published by the conservative website The Bulwark on December 22.

"Last Week, Secretary Of Defense Pete Hegseth released a video on social media asserting that 'a real problem facing our nation's military' is 'the weakening of our chaplain corps,'" Hertling explains. "In the clip, he cited parts of the Army's newly published Spiritual Fitness Guide — the online version of which has since been un-published — as evidence of the decline, arguing that the religious role of chaplains had 'degraded' into what he characterized as 'self-help and self-care' with too much attention toward 'feelings.' In doing so, he made two fundamental mistakes: One about the chaplain corps and the Army document he attacked, and the other about the composition and needs of the force he is tasked with leading."

The U.S. Constitution's First Amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Herling notes that military chaplains aren't necessarily Christians. For example, Muslim chaplains offer spiritual support to Muslims serving in the U.S. military.

"If Hegseth's objective is to strengthen moral grounding and spiritual resilience in the Army," Hertling argues, "the answer is not to misread guidance documents or narrow a role that has never been narrow…. About one in five Americans doesn't believe in God. Less than two thirds are sure God exists. The purpose of a chaplain isn't to preach a particular faith to the force, but to look after their spiritual needs at the extreme of human stress and experience, up to and including death. That goes as much for the atheists or the soldiers who believe in many gods as for those who share the secretary's religion."

Mark Hertling's full article for The Bulwark is available at this link.