Overview

• On August 8, Hegseth reshared a Canon Press video of a CNN interview featuring Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches pastors urging repeal of the 19th Amendment, household voting and recriminalization of consensual gay sex under the caption “All of Christ for All of Life.”
• Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell described Hegseth as “a proud member of a church” affiliated with Doug Wilson’s network who “very much appreciates” Wilson’s writings without saying whether the defense secretary endorses those specific policy proposals.
• The episode has revived scrutiny of Hegseth’s narrow 51–50 Senate confirmation, past sexual misconduct allegations and a confidential $50,000 settlement he denies signifies wrongdoing.
• Since taking office, Hegseth has enacted socially conservative measures such as a transgender enlistment ban and the removal of Harvey Milk’s name from a Navy ship, fueling concerns over religious influence on Pentagon policy.
• The repost drew widespread media and public backlash, with advocacy groups warning that amplifying Christian nationalist theology by the defense secretary undermines military inclusivity and church-state separation.