U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is drawing attention after attending a church service affiliated with Pastor Doug Wilson, a self-described Christian nationalist whom Hegseth reportedly admires.
According to The Independent, Hegseth and his family attended Christ Church in Washington D.C. last month.
“The Secretary is a proud member of a church affiliated with the Congregation of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), which was founded by Pastor Doug Wilson,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell told the outlet. “The Secretary very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings.”
As Politico reports, Wilson has built an international network of churches since the 1990s under the CREC banner, now numbering more than 150 congregations across four continents. He has also founded educational institutions, authored books, and cultivated a significant online following.
By his own account, Wilson believes American society — including its government — should be governed by a conservative interpretation of biblical law. He has also expressed ultra-patriarchal views on gender.
In a widely criticized video, Wilson argued that granting women the right to vote weakened the family dynamic. Discussing masculinity and men’s duty to represent the family, he said:
“When women were granted the right to vote, the nation had already accepted the lie that a nation is nothing more than a collection of individuals. … We thought we were giving the franchise to women when we were in fact taking it away from families.”
Before joining the Trump administration, Hegseth reportedly moved his family to Nashville, Tennessee, to enroll his children in Jonathan Edwards Classical Academy, according to The New York Times. The school is affiliated with the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS), which Wilson co-founded.
Hegseth has attended other services in Washington, D.C., including at the Washington National Cathedral. He also hosted a Christian prayer service at the Pentagon, which he reportedly plans to make a monthly event.