When Pete Hegseth assumed leadership of what is now being called the Department of War, he made clear from the outset that this would not just be a bureaucratic rebrand. It would be a spiritual one as well.
From recruitment ads quoting scripture to worship services inside the Pentagon, this new era is reshaping how the U.S. military presents itself, and how service members experience their service.
The common denominator? Christianity.
The Department of… Worship?
Some point to the worship habits of those in leadership as a major factor in this military religious revival. Hegseth, for example, is a member of Pastor Doug Wilson’s Christ Church. Wilson is a popular – but wildly controversial – figure who wants to strip women of the right to vote. And so far, it seems Hegseth is taking his faith directly into the halls of military power.
Back in May, he led a Christian prayer and worship service at the Pentagon – reportedly the first time a defense secretary has done so. Hegseth announced that such services would become a monthly voluntary fixture, broadcast over the Pentagon’s internal network. During the service, his pastor prayed for President Trump, thanking God for bringing “stability and moral clarity” to the nation.
Praying With the Generals
Hegseth recently gathered all of the military leaders for a speech at Quantico, Virginia, to condemn “woke garbage” in the military, where he concluded his speech with a Christian prayer. “Lord, please keep my soldiers safe,” he said to the group of more than one-hundred generals. “Lead them, guide them, protect them, watch over them. And as you gave all of yourself for me, help me give all of myself for them.”
Bible-Based Recruitment
It’s not just service. Even recruitment has shifted towards a faith-based approach.
Recent recruitment videos have quoted the Bible alongside action footage of troops. “I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed,” one ad reads, quoting Psalms 18:37. Underneath the scripture, footage of tanks firing rockets, men in combat, helicopters gliding over the desert.
It was posted with the caption, "We Are One Nation Under God":
Bringing Jesus Up From the Basement
There is a symbolic element to these efforts, too.
Earlier this year, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called for a painting of Jesus to be hoisted up from the basement in the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The painting – “Christ on the Water” by U.S. Maritime Service Lt. Hunter Wood – had previously been put downstairs by the Biden Administration.
“Can we bring Jesus up from the basement?” Duffy asked. “Let’s not put Jesus in the basement! Let’s get him out! Let’s bring him up!”
Duffy recently delivered on that promise.
Bigger, Stronger, and More Devout?
It appears leaders in Washington don't simply want a bigger and stronger military, they want it to be more Christian, too.
But critics aren't happy with this larger narrative: that the United States is not a secular republic with a powerful military, but a Christian nation with a Christian army. They say such messaging actually undermines efforts to build a unified fighting force.
While Christianity is indeed the dominant faith in the armed forces (roughly two-thirds of active-duty personnel identify as Christian), hundreds of thousands of troops identify with other religions, or with none at all. It is those service members who will most feel the strain of this religious overhaul, skeptics point out.
“I have certainly heard from friends of mine who are still in service expressing frustration about the way that their role is being cast as political,” said navy veteran Mike Pruitt. “It is not their job to speak out and therefore, that kind of concern and frustration within active service right now, folks on the ground, is just completely invisible to the media narrative.”
Others fear that this new faith-forward approach may attract the wrong sorts of troops.
“We’re gonna see a lot of Christian Nationalists join the military,” explained Iraq War veteran Kristofer Goldsmith, who also heads an anti-fascist government watchdog. “They’re not gonna perform very well, and our national security will suffer for a generation for it, because those that don’t wash out will be toxic leaders.”
What is your reaction?
The United States Military, has been mostly volunteer Christian soldiers. Go to any US Military Cemetery, around the world, and you will see, mostly Christian identifications on all of the Christian soldiers.