Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing backlash after reposting a video featuring pastors calling for women to lose the right to vote.
“All of Christ for All of Life,” Hegseth wrote in his post on X, echoing the slogan of the church in the video.
The nearly seven-minute CNN report dives into the teachings of Doug Wilson, a Christian nationalist pastor and cofounder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC). The video includes pastors from Wilson’s church openly stating that women should no longer vote.
One pastor says flat out that the Constitution should be changed to take away women’s voting rights. Another says in his “ideal world,” only households would vote — meaning the husband would speak for the family. A female church member also says in the clip, “I submit to my husband.”
Hegseth’s decision to repost the video has stunned many — not just because of the content, but because of his position. He oversees the U.S. military. His post has racked up over 12,000 likes and 2,000 shares. Some praised it. Others were outraged.
Doug Pagitt, an evangelical pastor and leader of Vote Common Good, slammed the video and Hegseth’s support for it. “These are views that small fringes of Christians keep,” Pagitt said. “It’s very disturbing that Hegseth would amplify them.”
A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed Hegseth belongs to a church affiliated with CREC. “He very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings,” said Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell.
This isn’t the first time Hegseth has brought religion into the Pentagon. In May, he invited his own pastor, Brooks Potteiger, to lead a Christian prayer service inside the building. Employees and service members were invited through their government emails.
In the CNN report, Wilson doesn’t hide his goal: “I’d like to see the nation be a Christian nation, and I’d like to see the world be a Christian world.”
The message Hegseth is sending as a public official is loud and clear — and it’s raising serious questions about where the line is between church and state.
