Secretary Pete Hegseth boldly displayed his faith in God by hosting a Christian prayer event at the Pentagon, a decision that drew the ire of the secular left, but one that Secretary Hegseth defended nonetheless, saying that asking for God’s protection was a “longstanding tradition” within the government.
For context, in an interview on May 23, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth spoke out in defense of a Christian prayer service he had hosted at the Pentagon the day before, acknowledging that the “dangerous” work of the Department of Defense made it particularly necessary to ask for God’s protection and critiquing the voices on the left that called the service a violation of the seperation of church and state.
In the interview, Secretary Hegseth referred to the prayer service as an act of “appealing to heaven, to God,” which he described as “a longstanding tradition in our military.” Continuing, the defense secretary said that he was proud to be kicking off “a monthly voluntary service at the Pentagon…praying for God’s providence and protection…”
Moving on, Secretary Hegseth emphasized the importance of prayer within the Department of Defense, saying, “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.”
The controversial prayer service, which was broadcast on the DOD’s internal TV network, was centerd around statements from Secretary Hegseth, as well the pastor from Hegseth’s home church in Tennessee. During the service, Secretary Hegseth told the crowd, “As I look out at this audience, this is precisely where I need to be, and I think exactly where we need to be as a nation at this moment: in prayer on bended knee, recognizing the providence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Continuing, Secretary Hegseth reminded the members of the Department of Defense staff that God was “overseeing” all of the world’s events and called for the group to keep joining him for prayer in the coming months to create “”that routine of prayer, of humility, of seeking His grace and His guidance, just like George Washington did on bended knee in the most difficult moments with his troops in impossible circumstances.”
Next, Secretary Hegseth led the room in a prayer that later went viral online, 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.” In addition, Hegseth prayed to “King Jesus” and concluded, “It is in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that we pray. And all God’s people said, ‘Amen.'”
After the service, Secretary Hegseth’s bold display of faith became a lightning rod for backlash from the left. According to press accounts, an anonymous former Pentagon lawyer fiercely criticized the prayer service, calling it “incredibly problematic.” However, when the New York Times wrote a critical article that included a transcription of Hegseth’s entire prayer, the defense secretary celebrated on X, writing, “When the @nytimes is forced to print an entire prayer…”
Watch the interview:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video