US Defense Chief Hegseth Launches Pentagon Religious Affairs Office Amid Christian Nation Debate (Worthy News In-Depth)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, an outspoken evangelical Christian, is launching an Office of Religious Affairs at the Pentagon as part of efforts to strengthen the spiritual role of military chaplains and faith-based support for U.S. troops and their families.

Hegseth, 46, who oversees U.S. forces amid the ongoing armed conflict with Iran and is referred to as secretary of war by the Trump administration, said the new Defense Department office would provide “first-class religious support” and report directly to him.

“Our department is, you might say, putting on the full armor of God, because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual,” Hegseth said during his State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

The Office of Religious Affairs will advocate for military chaplains and religious support at the highest levels of the Pentagon while coordinating spiritual resources across the armed forces. Its responsibilities include faith-based homeschool support for military families and faith-based initiatives aimed at reducing suicide among service members.

The Pentagon said the initiative is intended to strengthen the “moral, ethical and spiritual readiness” of U.S. troops. No director for the new office has yet been announced.

SPIRITUAL READINESS

Officials stressed that the office would not compel religious participation, favor one faith, or diminish the rights of military personnel and civilian employees belonging to another faith or having no faith.

Hegseth has brought his Christian faith prominently into his Pentagon leadership, including by hosting Christian worship services for employees and speaking of the United States as a Christian nation.

Hegseth’s focus on faith has also extended into education. Pentagon-run schools for military families are introducing coursework emphasizing Western civilization and Christianity.

The Pentagon school system operates about 160 schools across 11 countries, educating roughly 70,000 children of active-duty military personnel and civilian employees.

He has also urged military chaplains to focus more on God and less on therapeutic “self-help and self-care,” saying they should return to their primary spiritual calling.

CHRISTIAN NATION DEBATE

Yet Hegseth’s approach has fueled debate both outside and within Christian circles over the relationship between Christianity and American national identity.

Pastor Loran Livingston, longtime pastor of Central Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, strongly rejected the description of America as a Christian nation in a recent sermon, excerpts of which have since been extensively shared on social media.

“There has never been a Christian nation, and never will be. You don’t live in one now,” Livingston said.

“A Christian nation would never have killed and displaced 20 million Native Americans,” he added. “A Christian nation would never have thought that owning slaves was pleasing to God — or that it lined up with Scripture in any way, shape, or size.”

Yet Livingston acknowledged that “godly people” boarded ships and came to America so they could worship freely. He also pointed to influential Bible preachers of earlier centuries and said some of those who helped build the country were godly.

AMERICA AND SALVATION

But Livingston maintained that the presence and influence of devout Christians did not make the United States a Christian nation.

Reverend Mark H. Creech, Director of Government Relations for the Christian advocacy organization Return America, challenged Livingston’s interpretation.

Creech, who previously led the Christian Action League of North Carolina for 25 years and spent two decades as a pastor, acknowledged America’s grave historical sins but argued they do not erase Christianity’s influence on the nation’s founding principles and understanding of liberty.

“No serious Christian claims America is a redeemed nation or that citizenship is the same as salvation,” Creech wrote, stressing that “America is not the Kingdom of God.”

“America is not saved by patriotic sentiment. America needs the Gospel,” Creech added. “Americans need to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

FOUNDING PRINCIPLES

However, he pointed to the Declaration of Independence’s references to a Creator, “Nature’s God,” the “Supreme Judge of the world” and “divine Providence” as evidence that America’s founders acknowledged God’s authority above government.

Creech also argued that nations remain accountable to God, citing Proverbs 14:34: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”

The disagreement reflects a longstanding debate over whether describing America as a “Christian nation” means the nation represents Christianity or refers to Christianity’s historical influence on American institutions, culture and political thought.

That debate comes as Hegseth’s Pentagon initiative has also drawn criticism from advocates of a strict separation between church and state.

Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the Pentagon “owes it to the nation’s service members to defend religious freedom,” but argued Hegseth’s initiative instead elevates Christianity in U.S. military policy.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONCERNS

The Pentagon rejects suggestions that the office is intended to impose Christianity, saying personnel of every faith, as well as those professing no religion, retain their religious-freedom rights.

Yet Hegseth has made clear he will continue pursuing changes within the military chaplain corps despite criticism of his approach.

He ordered chaplains, who are commissioned officers, to stop displaying their military rank on uniforms and instead be identified by religious insignia.

The Defense Department has also reduced the number of religious affiliations it officially recognizes from more than 200 to 31. The revised list no longer includes atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans.

At Quantico, Hegseth urged military chaplains to embrace what he views as their primary spiritual mission.

FAITH AND SERVICE

“Live your calling. Stand firm. Preach truth. Minister to the flock,” he told them.

The former Fox News television host is no stranger to combat. Hegseth served as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard, a U.S. military reserve force, and deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan. His service earned him two Bronze Star Medals and the Combat Infantryman Badge, a decoration for infantry soldiers who served in ground combat.

He later entered conservative media and became a co-host of Fox & Friends, a popular morning program on the Fox News Channel, before taking charge of the U.S. Defense Department.

Hegseth made clear to troops that biblical principles have guided his approach to military service and leadership.

Hegseth then quoted Scripture: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do unto me?” It is that faith, Hegseth suggested, that inspires him to continue serving the nation.