Preacher Man

Hegseth’s Pentagon is on the way down, and not even God will be able to save it.

Like so many offenses of the current administration, Peter Hegseth’s PrayerFest slipped quickly out of sight. It was there for a moment at the end of May and was swamped almost immediately by other developments. When a venal regime commits wrongdoing almost daily, it’s hard to keep anything in focus.

But that’s the job of a self-appointed critic! The whole purpose of my life in these dangerous times is to hold up the evidence of how far we’ve fallen and to remind us forcefully of what needs to be done. If we don’t mobilize to defend the central values of the country, the barbarians at the gates will mount all our heads on pikes. The process has begun with vulnerable people. Just ask Kilmar Abrego Garcia. It threatens to accelerate to include you and me.

Hegseth’s behavior is entirely unprecedented and represents a frontal assault on the fragile wall of separation. He used the Pentagon’s channels to invite his subordinates to a prayer service led by his hometown pastor, Brooks Potteiger. He made use of an auditorium at the Pentagon itself, and broadcast the event on the Pentagon’s closed-circuit television. He encouraged those who attended to spread the word so that the service would be robustly attended every month. When participants walked in, they were handed a celebratory brochure imprinted with Hegseth’s image and the seal of the department. All of the language was full-bore Christian nationalist, with references to Lord Jesus and Christian calls to faith.

Perhaps most irksome, Potteiger claimed that Trump had been elevated by the sovereign act of God. In case you’re wondering, that’s a theology of government that is not native to the Constitution of the United States.

You don’t need me to tell you what’s wrong here. Let’s just say you’re a Pentagon subordinate who wants to please his new boss, Peter Hegseth. OK, he’s a drunk and a likely abuser. But you’re still dependent on his good opinion for promotion. There’s a chance you might feel a strong compulsion to attend, something that borders on coercion by your superior. All of this departs from a quiet prayer gathering, representing, instead, the manipulative uses of religion. The fact that it took place within the domain of the military means that yet another neutral space has been compromised.

Regrettably we don’t have a senator in Oklahoma (or elsewhere) who would undertake a review of this unnatural incident, but we will soon have a chance to elect new midterm leaders. Let’s make sure that this is an issue in the contest. Preacher Hegseth: up or down?