Pete Hegseth’s holy war: the militant Christian theology animating the US attack on Iran

Key Points:

• The US Department of Defense, led by Secretary Pete Hegseth, has intertwined Christian evangelical beliefs with military actions, notably framing the recent war with Iran and the tragic bombing of an Iranian school as divinely sanctioned events under "God's almighty providence."
• Hegseth, influenced by a Calvinist evangelical church and its pastor Brooks Potteiger, has openly expressed militant religious rhetoric, including prayers for "overwhelming violence" and invoking Crusader imagery, reflecting a belief in predestination and divine authority over warfare.
• This religious-military fusion is linked to a broader Christian nationalist movement in the US, which advocates for a theocratic vision of governance rooted in biblical law, with figures like pastor Douglas Wilson promoting extreme views on patriarchy, governance, and Christian dominion.
• The rise of such ideologies within US leadership raises concerns about the erosion of the separation of church and state, the justification of aggressive foreign policies, and the potential for long-term cultural and political shifts toward Christian nationalism.
• Historical parallels are drawn with past US episodes of religiously justified violence and nationalism, with calls for reflection on the dangers of conflating divine will with military and political objectives, contrasting with Abraham Lincoln's 1865 call for humility and peace after civil war.