Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Apr 26
Secretary Pete Hegseth brings Christian nationalist rhetoric from CREC church into Iran war briefings
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Apr 26

Secretary Pete Hegseth brings Christian nationalist rhetoric from CREC church into Iran war briefings

13 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Apr 26
  • At an April 17 Iran war briefing, Hegseth likened the US press to biblical Pharisees and referenced sermons from Christ Kirk DC, a CREC church with openly theocratic views.
  • CREC leaders, including Dr Benjamin Merkle and Douglas Wilson, advocate restricting voting rights, criminalizing LGBTQ+ expression, and enforcing biblical law, with their influence growing inside the US military and Trump administration.
  • Hegseth’s public statements and Pentagon worship services increasingly reflect CREC’s ideology, raising concerns about the erosion of church-state separation and the use of religious rhetoric to justify military actions.
How will 'biblically informed hatred' reshape US military rules of engagement?
Is the Pentagon's new religious focus creating a modern-day holy war?
Could lawsuits reverse the military's official shift away from religious pluralism?
What does the purge of military chaplains mean for religious freedom?
How might adversaries react to America's 'divinely sanctioned' military actions?
Can non-Christian soldiers serve freely under a 'Christian nationalist' leadership?