MaddowBlog-Hegseth welcomes radical Christian nationalist to lead an official Pentagon prayer service

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Pastor Doug Wilson’s role at an official event at the Defense Department should be seen as a scandal worthy of scrutiny.

Pastor Doug Wilson wants to ban women from voting and end First Amendment protections for minority faiths he doesn’t like.

Hegseth invited this fringe Christian nationalist to the Pentagon yesterday to lead an official prayer event.

How is this not a scandal?
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-02-18T18:16:25.645Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/hegseth-welcomes-radical-christian-nationalist-to-lead-an-official-pentagon-prayer-service

In a country that’s supposed to honor the separation of church and state, Hegseth’s events raise all sorts of legal, political and theological questions, but complicating matters further is who, exactly, the former Fox News host is welcoming to the Defense Department to help lead these Christian events.

This week, for example, Hegseth brought in pastor Douglas Wilson, a radical Christian nationalist, to lead an audience in prayer. We know this for sure because the Pentagon published a photo from the gathering, held on Tuesday.

Link to tweet

For those unfamiliar with Wilson, he’s not just another Christian conservative advocating for and against the usual culture war issues. Rather, as The Wall Street Journal reported in September, the right-wing pastor endorses a vision “in which same-sex relations are illegal, Muslims are barred from the public square and the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, is repealed.”.....

Wilson isn’t accused of being a Christian nationalist; it is a label he embraces with enthusiasm.

Common sense may suggest that leading American political figures would keep a guy like this at arm’s length. And yet, there was Hegseth, not only inviting Wilson to the Pentagon to lead an official event, but also standing alongside the radical pastor at the gathering, praying with his hand on Wilson’s back.

This was the same Hegseth who sparked a controversy last summer by promoting an online video that, among other things, included a pastor from Wilson’s church arguing that women in the U.S. shouldn’t be allowed to vote.....

Obviously, Hegseth, in his personal capacity, is free to pursue whatever religious practices he wishes. It’s a free country, and his theological beliefs are his own business. But when the secretary of defense makes a conscious decision to invite a radical Christian nationalist to lead an official prayer event at the Pentagon, that deserves to be seen as a scandal worthy of scrutiny.

[SamKnause]

1. Disgusting evil fucks !!!!!!

Christian Nationalists are the enemies of this country.

They don't believe in democracy.

They want the U.S. to be a 'Christian' theocracy run by corporations that force their policies and
beliefs down our throats.

They are my enemies.

Fuck 'Christian' nationalists !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuck theocracy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[musette_sf]

2. Ugh, Wilson is one of the worst

[JohnnyLib2]

3. Kick; this needs to be read.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

4. Cheap theatrics. They know the shit is a con.

[kwolf68]

5. Media yawns

No words

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. 'This must end': Candidate calls on Pete Hegseth to be investigated over DOD guest

This christian nationalist is crazy

'This must end': Candidate calls on Pete Hegseth to be investigated over DOD guest

— #TuckFrump (@realtuckfrumper.bsky.social) 2026-02-19T14:15:15.000Z

https://www.rawstory.com/pete-hegseth-pentagon-2675282854/

A Congressional candidate has called for an investigation into Pete Hegseth after the Department of Defense head invited a Christian nationalist to the department.

Pastor Doug Wilson, who believes women should not be allowed to vote, led a worship service at the Pentagon after being invited by Hegseth to do so, the Washington Post reported. Catholic writers and political hopefuls have called out Hegseth for inviting the divisive figure into the Pentagon to deliver a worship service.

Speaking to military personnel gathered at the Pentagon, Wilson told attendees that "stranger things had happened" than a sermon in the Pentagon. He added, "God can do what he likes — and as we should know by now, what He likes to do is to take the most unlikely materials and do something glorious with it."

Fred Wellman, a West Point graduate and 20-year Army veteran running for Congress from Missouri, called Wilson’s appearance this week an “unconstitutional and extreme attack” on the First Amendment.

Taking to X to criticize the decision to invite Wilson, Wellman wrote, "Hegseth is using his official position to make his religion the official one of the Department of Defense using official facilities, communications channels and personnel. This must end and be investigated."

Catholic writer and Democratic operative Christopher Hale also took to social media to criticize Wilson's appearance. He wrote, "Doug Wilson routinely mocks the pope and the Catholic Church.