US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has been criticised for reposting and praising an interview with pastors who argued that women should not be allowed to vote and expressed controversial views on slavery.
In the published video, Pastor Toby Sumpter said in an interview with CNN: “In my ideal society, we would vote as a family. I would usually vote, but I would only vote after discussing it with my family.”
Idaho pastor Doug Wilson, who was also interviewed, defended his past comments about the “mutual affection between slaves and their masters.”
On his Friday repost of a seven-minute excerpt on X, Hegseth wrote, “All things in Christ for all of life.”
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told NPR that Hegseth is a “proud member” of a church affiliated with the denomination founded by Wilson and “highly values many of Mr. Wilson’s works and teachings.”
Andrew Whitehead, a sociology professor at Indiana University in Indianapolis, said the pastor’s movement aims to “instil these (beliefs) in everyone.”
Prior to his current position, Hegseth had been criticised for allegations of sexual harassment and public intoxication — both of which he denied — as well as for Islamophobic remarks.
Hegseth’s repost came as the Trump administration steps up efforts to promote Christian nationalism. This push followed the renewal of Donald Trump’s alliance with right-wing Christians during his second presidential term, which saw the issuance of an executive order to create a federal task force to investigate what he calls “anti-Christian bias” in government agencies.
In February, President Trump also created a White House religious affairs office, saying it would advise him “on changes in policy, programmes and practices” and consult with outside experts on “combating anti-Semitic, anti-Christian and additional forms of anti-religious prejudice.”
In May, Hegseth invited his personal pastor, Brooks Potteiger, to the Pentagon to lead the first of several Christian prayer services that the defence secretary is holding in the government building during working hours. Defence Department employees and military personnel said they received invitations to the event by email from the government.
