Dear Editor,
On April 6, The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization, published online “What is CREC and how does it shape Pete Hegseth’s religious rhetoric?” an article by Samuel Perry, a Baylor University professor.
Perry notes, “Even before his confirmation hearings in January 2025, Pete Hegseth’s conservative evangelical religious beliefs drew attention. He is a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches – CREC – whose beliefs have been influenced by a 20th-century movement called Christian Reconstructionism.”
What is Christian Reconstructionism? “Many CREC leaders call for a theocratic state structured on Christian patriarchy in the United States,” states Perry. They claim to have over 160 churches in North America, Europe, Asia, and South America.
Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, the flagship church of the CREC, was founded by Doug Wilson in 1993.
“CREC theology includes the belief that the establishment clause of the Constitution does not require a separation of church and state,” reports Perry. In actuality, the establishment clause declares that our right to freedom of religion prohibits the installation of a state religion or religious tests to hold state office, whereas CREC believes our government and anyone serving in it should be Christian.
Religious scholar Matthew Taylor explained, “They believe the church should be a militant Christian force that conquers and reforms the world.”
Defense Secretary Hegseth uses religious language to justify America’s military conflicts around the globe. “In March 5, 2026, Hegseth justified U.S. intervention in Venezuela, the blockade of Cuba, and attacks on boats across the region by invoking a shared Christian identity,” Perry noted.
When Hegseth invited Wilson to give a prayer service at the Pentagon in February 2026, Wilson told the assembled military members, “If you bear the name of Jesus Christ, there is no armor greater than that.”
Perry noted, “He tied the success and safety of military members and their missions to a belief in Jesus Christ and the military’s enemies as agents of the devil.”
When advocating for the use of overwhelming force in Iran, Hegseth has said, “We’re fighting religious fanatics who seek a nuclear capability in order for some religious Armageddon.”
On March 25, Hegseth encouraged soldiers to join him in praying, regarding the on-going war in Iran, “Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give us wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”
I wonder why he did not invite a military chaplain to provide an appropriate prayer. Our service members come from many different religious backgrounds.
Nationalism, driven by religion, has caused dangerous, destructive conflict in our day, as well as in the past. The fight to annihilate Nazism, as it threatened to overrun Europe, ensnared many nations, including our own. Right now, Israel is attacking its Muslim neighbors with munitions purchased from U.S. weapons manufacturers. Iran seeks to stockpile nuclear weapons in response. What can you and I do? A return to confidence in the rule of law and secular measures of democratic procedures once revered and protected will make America great and the leader of the free world again, in my opinion.
Sincerely,
Amy E. Clark
Gallup citizen
