Reddit: I infiltrated one of the churches affiliated with Pete Hegseth's christian "revival" [CREC] Here's what I found

[AStern]

I infiltrated one of the churches affiliated with Pete Hegseth's christian "revival" [CREC] Here's what I found [TLDR at the end]

These are raw thoughts so I'm sorry if this isn't a very cleanly written post. I've titled the sections to make it easy to skip around, and a TLDR at the end. I'll be happy to elaborate in the comments if anyone asks me to dig into any particular detail.

We've been hearing that there have been references within the Pentagon to this being a "Holy War", and that Hegseth's faith is based largely on the philosophy of a lesser-known church denomination known as the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches or the CREC. And yet, no one is talking about his church and what the believe.

So I decided to do some investigative journalism of my own.

*What I expected*

I grew up attending Baptist and Non-denominational churches. I am well aware of how catty christian denominations can be, especially the evangelical ones, who all think THEY are the only ones who Do Things Right and everyone else is misguided and foolish. Still, I expected it to be similar to what I was accustomed to in the communities I was raised in (which based their end-times beliefs on Zionism) but I also knew that the pastor definitely wouldnt be screenching about Iran right from the pulpit to the broad church body. Sermons are written with the intent of subtext based on community beleifs, so I knew I would be staying after hours and blending in as much as possible to get the real context.

*The Sermon itself*

While the congregation was much smaller than I expected (there was no greeting area or vestibule) the general tone and friendly nature of the members upon seeing a new face was exactly what I expected. Of course I had removed all of my piercings, covered my tattoos, and fashioned my hair and make-up in as simple and non-threatening way as possible. I arrived alone, but wearing my wedding ring knowing they would be interested in pulling my husband in as well, giving me an extra edge in conversation and gaining trust.

The sermon as well was mostly in line with what I am accustomed to... except for one word that kept popping up. Hate.

The churches I grew up in always preached "turn the other cheek". We may live in a "fallen world", but redemption is possible for all and the only way to help our enemies is to love them. Not here, no no no. We HATE the lord's enemies, with the lord's pure fury. There was a sense of pride in the word "hate". It was uncanny hearing it spoken over and over in such a gentle voice, like it had always belonged in the hymns being sung by the many, many children lining the pews.

Another notable shift in tone that caught me off guard was a fixation on suffering. During prayer requests, the church leader ended every single prayer with an appeal to "let this [bad thing that happened] bring suffering that brings them closer to god".

continues: https://www.reddit.com/r/50501/comments/1sbo7qf/i_infiltrated_one_of_the_churches_affiliated_with/

a few great responses:

"Dude talks about hatred (enemies, groups of people, ideals) like it’s sexual in nature to him. This makes a lot of sense."

"and for as long as I can remember...I immediately labeled Maga a sexual fetish for this reason above all others"

[wnylib]

1. And these are the religious beliefs of the guy who is Secretary of Defense.

He supervises a war against Iran, which he probably perceives as a zealous holy war.

[Skittles]

2. delusional fucking nonsense

same old same old

[Seinan Sensei]

3. James Talarico challenges Nationalists Christians, their pastors and their followers

… to show how their beliefs and actions align with the teachings of Jesus

Hint: they don’t

It makes the Nat C’s very, very angry when he does this

[Blue Full Moon]

4. Church of the Antichrist

[Baitball Blogger]

5. We need more of this!

[Javaman]

6. The church of the death cult, with one philosophy:

All or nothing

[BlueWavePsych]

7. Kick

[OhioBack2Blue]

8. TY, so critical to our understanding of Nat-Cs

...."labeled Maga a sexual fetish"
Sexual assault fetish in a nihilist cult

We too often look at them through our own lenses and wonder, "my god, how can these people think this way or be like this." We really need to stop doing this.

They developed in their own culture, a white, male supremacist culture that conditions adherents to oppress and kill difference, while rewarding strict obedience and demanding absolute loyalty, and we must see it as it is and address it as it is, if we are to defeat it.

[AllyCat]

9. Oh wow! This explains why they follow ZERO teachings

Of Christ and are the most hateful people on the planet.

[Gore1FL]

10. They seek to accept the very deal that Jesus rejected in the desert. nt