With just a few incendiary words, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has opened up a fraught public discussion. He had it right. He reposted this CNN segment with reformed pastor Doug Wilson advocating against letting women vote. The recent repost of the social media platform X raises some fundamental issues. It’s a look at the intersection of religion and politics under the new U.S. administration.
The CNN segment features Wilson, one of America’s leading Christian nationalists. He’s a co-founder of the Idaho-based Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC). As a passionate opponent of woman suffrage, he contends that voting must remain a male privilege. He does not think decisions should be made by individual citizens, but rather collectively within households. “In my ideal society, we would vote as households. I would ordinarily be the one to cast the vote, but I would cast the vote having discussed it with my household,” said Toby Sumpter, a congregant of Wilson’s.
Hegseth’s repost plus the hashtag #AllofChristforAllofLife has raised eyebrows among many Christians and Christian organizations of all stripes. His critics say that’s a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. This amendment prevents the federal government from declaring a national religion. Pastor and executive director of the progressive evangelical organization Vote Common Good Doug Pagitt, among others, echoed those concerns. He challenged Hegseth’s acceptance of Wilson’s ideas.
The incident comes as former president Donald Trump doubles down on his relationships with the Christian right. This reincarnated partnership demonstrates a dramatic change in their political fortunes. During his second presidential term, though, Trump launched a federal task force. This is the team whose current priority is investigating “anti-Christian bias” in government agencies. This political moment highlights how the ideologies of religious nationalists are wielding a growing impact on federal governance.
It was Hegseth who first arranged for his longtime minister and personal pastor, Brooks Potteiger. Together, they orchestrated a series of Christian prayer services inside the Pentagon during working hours. One of these practices has set off alarm bells among citizen advocates and those who uphold our founding principle of separation of church and state. The U.S. courts’ administrative office has noted that the precise definition of “establishment” in this context has historically been unclear.
In retrospect, Wilson’s comments on this CNN segment eerily presage the version of America they seek to build—a place secure in its Christian nationalism. “I do want to see this country become a Christian country, and I do want the world to become a Christian world,” he said.
The White House recently announced initiatives aimed at “combating antisemitic, anti-Christian and additional forms of anti-religious bias.” This announcement is meant to underscore this administration’s dedication to protecting Americans’ religious freedoms. Simultaneously, it addresses the nuanced challenges of religion’s place in public life.
We’re seeing public reaction develop in real time, so that’s still happening. Hegseth’s shared post ignited a blazing conversation between faith, American democracy, and women’s rights.