Hegseth hosts first Pentagon prayer service since Iran war began

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth led his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon on Wednesday since the outbreak of war with Iran, offering prayers that included asking for “every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness.”

During the livestreamed service, Hegseth read a prayer he said was first given by a military chaplain to troops who captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. “Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy,” he prayed.

Since taking office, Hegseth has frequently incorporated his evangelical Christian faith into his role as head of the armed forces, often framing military conflicts in religious terms. On Wednesday, he quoted from the Psalms: “I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed.”

His explicitly Christian rhetoric has drawn increased scrutiny amid the expanding conflict with Iran and other global tensions. Critics have pointed to Hegseth’s past defense of the Crusades, the medieval wars between Christians and Muslims, as particularly concerning given his current position.

While expressions of faith are common in American public life across political affiliations, historians note Hegseth’s approach differs from his predecessors. Ronit Stahl, author of “Enlisting Faith: How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America,” observed that broad references to God are not unusual in military contexts, but “the shift towards the specificity of Jesus Christ and therefore Christianity… is new, especially coming from the defense secretary.”

Hegseth belongs to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), a conservative network co-founded by self-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson. CREC pastors, including Wilson himself who preached at the Pentagon in February, have appeared at Hegseth’s services at least three times.

The services have sparked legal action. On Monday, Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a lawsuit seeking to enforce a public records request about the worship services, their costs, and any employee complaints. The same group filed a similar suit against Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who hosts monthly prayer gatherings reportedly inspired by Hegseth.

“Secretaries Hegseth and Chavez-DeRemer are abusing the power of their government positions and taxpayer-funded resources to impose their preferred religion on federal workers,” alleged Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, in a statement. “Even if these prayer services are presented as voluntary, there is pressure on federal employees to attend in order to appease their bosses.”

Hegseth is also making significant changes to the military chaplaincy. On Tuesday, he announced two reforms in what he calls “making the chaplain corps great again.” He wants chaplains to focus more on spiritual matters and less on therapeutic “self-help and self-care,” despite the military’s increased reliance on chaplains to address growing mental health concerns among troops.

Additionally, chaplains will no longer wear their rank on uniforms, instead displaying religious insignia, a move Hegseth claims will remove barriers for service members seeking spiritual care. The Defense Department is also reducing its recognized faith codes from over 200 to just 31, though the Pentagon has not yet released the updated list of religious affiliations.

The U.S. military remains religiously diverse, with a 2019 congressional report indicating nearly 70% of troops identify as Christian, while about a quarter are listed as “other/unclassified/unknown.”

At Wednesday’s service, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, an Air Force chaplain and Southern Baptist pastor, delivered a message on overcoming fear and following Jesus. Collins continues the pattern of evangelical leaders presiding at Hegseth’s services since they began in May 2025.

Hegseth, who was raised Baptist, has described experiencing a spiritual turning point in 2018. He subsequently relocated his family to Tennessee to enroll his children in a classical Christian school affiliated with the CREC and began attending a CREC church led by Brooks Potteiger, who is now relocating to Washington to lead Christ Church DC, a new CREC congregation that Hegseth has attended.

Speaking to Christian broadcasters in February, Hegseth addressed criticism of his Pentagon worship services: “We hear a lot from the ‘freedom from religion’ crowd. They hate it,” he said. “The left-wing shrieks, which means we’re right over the target.”