At Pentagon Christian service, Hegseth prays for violence 'against those who deserve no mercy'

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosting his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed Wednesday to have "every round find its mark." "Every month it is fitting to be right here," he told the gathered civilian employees and uniformed military personnel. "All the more fitting this month, at this moment, given what tens of thousands of Americans are doing right now." He read a prayer he said was first given by a military chaplain to the troops who captured then-President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela. "Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation," Hegseth prayed during the livestreamed service. "Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy." Hegseth frequently invokes his evangelical faith as head of the armed forces, depicting a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might. "I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed," he read from the Psalms on Wednesday. During the expanding Iran war and global conflicts, Hegseth's Christian rhetoric has drawn renewed scrutiny, including his past defense of the Crusades, the brutal medieval wars that pitted Christians against Muslims. Statements of faith are common in American public life, across political parties and religious traditions. Pentagon aides and Hegseth's defenders pull examples from history, such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's support of giving Bibles to troops. Hegseth regularly cites George Washington, who pushed to establish the military chaplain corps. Hegseth often goes beyond standard calls for God to bless the country or its troops. Last week, he asked Americans to pray for service members "in the name of Jesus Christ." On Wednesday, he again prayed in Jesus' name. Ronit Stahl, author of "Enlisting Faith: How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America," said referring to God in broad language is not unusual in this context. "But the shift towards the specificity of Jesus Christ and therefore Christianity and in Hegseth's case, a particular form of Protestant Christianity, is new, especially coming from the defense secretary." Stahl, a historian at the University of California at Berkeley, said, "In a nation with no establishment of religion per the Constitution, what does it mean to have a leader being not just broadly religious or religious in a pluralistic sense, but religious in a very particular sense?" Advocacy group files lawsuit Hegseth belongs to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a conservative network co-founded by the self-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson. CREC pastors have appeared at Hegseth's Pentagon services at least three times, including Wilson who preached there in February. A lawsuit was filed Monday over the services by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The advocacy group filed a similar suit against the Labor Department, where Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer hosts monthly prayer gatherings inspired by Hegseth. The suit seeks to enforce a public records request from December, asking the Pentagon for internal communications about the worship services, their cost, guests and any complaints received from employees. "Secretaries Hegseth and Chavez-DeRemer are abusing the power of their government positions and taxpayer-funded resources to impose their preferred religion on federal workers," Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, alleged in a statement. "Even if these prayer services are presented as voluntary, there is pressure on federal employees to attend in order to appease their bosses." 'Making the chaplain corps great again' Military chaplains typically provide worship services within the defense department. As ordained clergy and commissioned officers, they minister from their specific tradition, but provide spiritual care to troops of any faith or no faith. Hegseth announced Tuesday two reforms in what he has described as "making the chaplain corps great again." He wants chaplains to focus more on God and less on therapeutic "self-help and self-care." In recent years, the military has become increasingly dependent on chaplains to help address the growing numbers of troops in mental health distress. In a video message, he said chaplains would no longer wear their rank on their uniform but instead be identified by religious insignia. He argued the move would remove "unease or anxiety" service members have about approaching officers for spiritual care. He also said the military is reducing the number of faith codes, or religious affiliations, that it recognizes. The military will now use 31 religious affiliations, down from more than 200, which included many small Protestant denominations as well as identifications for Wiccans, atheists and agnostics. The Pentagon did not respond to several requests for more information about the changes. The Defense Department has not yet released the updated list of religious affiliation codes. The military is religiously diverse, and nearly 70% of troops identify as Christian, according to a 2019 congressional report. Nearly a quarter of troops were listed as "other/unclassified/unknown," with small percentages of atheists/agonistics, Jews, Muslims and adherents of Eastern religions. A turning point in Hegseth's faith At Wednesday's worship service, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, an Air Force chaplain and Southern Baptist pastor, preached a folksy message on overcoming fear and following Jesus. Collins, a former congressman, continues a pattern of only evangelicals presiding at Hegseth's services. Hegseth began hosting worship at the Pentagon in May 2025, when his Tennessee pastor, Brooks Potteiger, preached. Potteiger will soon relocate to Washington, D.C., to take the helm of Christ Church DC, a new CREC congregation that Hegseth has attended. Hegseth, raised Baptist, has said he experienced a turning point in his faith in 2018. He started attending an evangelical church in New Jersey; its pastor preached at the Pentagon last year. He and his wife soon relocated to a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee, to enroll their children in a classical Christian school affiliated with the CREC. They began attending Potteiger's CREC church, Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship. Hegseth mentioned his Pentagon worship services at a gathering of Christian broadcasters in February: "We mostly do it because I need it more than anybody else." "We hear a lot from the 'freedom from religion' crowd. They hate it," he said. "The left-wing shrieks, which means we're right over the target." AP reporter Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report. Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.