In the latest example of left-wing media hostility toward faith in the public square, MSNBC’s Steve Benen has taken aim at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, an outspoken Christian, for leading a prayer service in the Pentagon, describing Sec. Hegseth’s open display of faith as “problematic” and “misguided” in a an op-ed that criticized the Trump Administration for working to eradicate anti-Christian bias within the federal government.
For context, in a piece written for MSNBC’s Maddow Blog on May 22, 2025, Steve Benen ripped into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for holding a Christian prayer service at the Pentagon on May 21. Benen described the event as a violation of the Constitution, arguing that the Pentagon “belongs to all of us,” referring to American citizens.
Moreover, Benen criticized Secretary Hegseth for having his pastor, Brooks Potteiger, pray at the event, saying that the pastor’s prayer was “a step in an unsettling direction” towards “the emergence of Christian nationalism.” Benen zeroed in on Poitteger’s prayer that God would surround President Trump “with faithful counselors who fear your name and love your precepts.”
In addition, Benen argued that the prayer service sent a clear message that the Trump Administration was pushing Christian Nationalism, saying, “The message hardly seemed subtle: Pentagon officials were notified that their boss was poised to lead a midday Christian prayer service — on the premises — and department personnel were invited.”
Importantly, Benen was far from the only woke journalist who criticized Secretary Hegseth’s public display of faith. The New York Times’s John Ismay wrote a similar op-ed, calling out Secretary Hegseth and his pastor, Brooks Potteiger, for belonging to a Communion of Refromed Evangelical Churches (CREC) congregation that holds to traditional biblical views on marriage and sexuality.
In response to the woke media’s critique of his prayer service, Secretary Hegseth defended his decision, telling an interviewer that the “dangerous” work of the Department of Defense made it necessary to ask for God’s protection and guidance. The secretary said, “Christians and people of faith across generations have prayed because the business that we’re in is a dangerous one.” He continued, “We appeal to God for that protection. We’re going to speak about that at the Pentagon. If they want to criticize that, they’re on the wrong side of a very important issue.”
In addition, Secretary Hegseth celebrated the controversy and backlash generated by his prayer service in an X post, pointing out that Ismay’s NYT article had quoted his prayer. Hegseth wrote, “When the @nytimes is forced to print an entire prayer…” He added, “Since our founding, America’s leaders — and warriors — have sought God’s providence and protection. We seek to glorify Him as we serve our country.”
During the prayer service, which was broadcast on the Department of Defense’s internal TV network, Secretary Hegseth led the room in a moving prayer to “King Jesus,” asking God for wisdom “to see what is right, and in each and every circumstance, the courage to do what is right in obedience to your will.”
Watch Hegseth’s response to the woke media:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video