Hegseth hosts first monthly Christian service in Pentagon

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday morning hosted a prayer and worship meeting in the Pentagon. The 30-minute service, held during work hours, was the first in what Hegseth said will be a monthly tradition.

The service was not held in the Pentagon’s chapel, which routinely hosts services for many different faiths, but in an auditorium filled with defense and military personnel. Standing at a lectern bearing the Defense Department seal, Hegseth said Christian worship and prayer equip him to make big decisions he couldn’t make alone. Hegseth prayed that his personnel would make the right decisions in accordance with God’s will.

A different pastor will give brief remarks each month, Hegseth said. Hegseth’s own former pastor, Brooks Potteiger of Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, preached at the inaugural service. The attendees also sang Amazing Grace and A Mighty Fortress and prayed the Lord’s Prayer. They ended by singing “The Doxology.” No government funds were used to facilitate Potteiger’s Pentagon visit, a defense official told CNN.

What was Potteiger’s message about? The pastor preached from Psalm 46:10, which states, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” He asked defense personnel to remember that God was with them and was in control of final outcomes. He also urged them to seek spiritual mentors and regularly pray, attend church, and read Scripture. He said the new monthly service was proof that God’s blessing was still on the nation. Potteiger also prayed, thanking God for appointing President Donald Trump and using him to bring moral clarity and stability to America.

What did opponents of the service say? The Freedom From Religion Foundation said the military should serve all Americans, not promote Christianity. It sent a letter to Hegseth before the meeting, saying the service would violate the First Amendment by coercing people to participate in worship. Holding only a Christian service would signal that Christian personnel are favored above their colleagues, the foundation said.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on Hegseth’s recent order for a full review of the military's withdrawal from Afghanistan.