Overview

• On August 8, Hegseth reshared a CNN segment of Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches pastors calling for the repeal of the 19th Amendment and recriminalization of consensual gay sex, endorsing it with “All of Christ for All of Life.”
• Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that Hegseth is a member of a church affiliated with Doug Wilson’s CREC network and said the secretary “very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings.”
• Critics point to Hegseth’s previous actions—such as the transgender enlistment ban, orders to rename the USNS Harvey Milk and plans to reinstall a Confederate memorial—as evidence of theological views translating into defense policy.
• Doug Wilson’s Christian nationalist network has expanded into Washington, D.C., with a new Christ Church plant attended by Hegseth in a building owned by the Conservative Partnership Institute.
• Legal and military experts warn that the overt infusion of Wilson’s theology into Pentagon leadership challenges church-state separation and risks undermining inclusivity and morale among women and LGBTQ+ service members.