The US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, shared on social media an article in which representatives of a nationalist Christian church openly advocate for eradicating women’s right to vote, a controversy that the Pentagon chief has not distanced himself from.
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The CNN report includes statements from members of Christ Church of Idaho and one of its founders, Doug Wilson, who goes as far as to say that “women are the kind of people from whom people come out,” limiting their role to the domestic sphere.
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Hegseth shared by writing the note “everything about Christ for a lifetime”. By Monday morning, it had already accumulated over 3,000 replies and 15,000 likes.
Who is the “Christian nationalist” pastor admired by Pete Hegseth?
In the report, CNN spoke with Doug Wilson, the lead pastor of Christ Church in Idaho and self-proclaimed “Christian nationalist”, where he presented, along with other religious leaders, his idea of how society should be structured. The congregation, which has expanded its reach with the opening of a new location in Washington D.C., held its first service in a building of the Conservative Partnership Institute, an organization co-chaired by Mark Meadows, former chief of staff to President Donald Trump, as reported by the network.
According to Christianity Today, Pete Hegseth recently attended a religious service at this church and the Secretary of Defense has publicly praised Wilson, noting that the current generation “stands on the shoulders” of leaders like him.
In the interview with CNN, Wilson responded to questions about the role of women both in the church and in the public sphere. He defined himself as “patriarchal” and said that “the vote should be cast by the household, usually led by men, according to him.” He also argued that women should not hold ecclesiastical positions with authority over men or participate in military confrontations. Secretary Hegseth has said that “he opposes women in the US military participating in combat.”
Other leaders of Christ Church shared their vision on women’s suffrage. Toby Sumpter, one of the lead pastors, stated that in a model of society that he would consider ideal, the right to vote would belong to the household and, generally, it would be he who would exercise it after consulting with his family. Jared Longshore, another pastor of the congregation, expressed that he would be in favor of repealing the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in 1920.
What was the reaction of the State Department?
A spokesperson from the Department of Defense, Sean Parnell, simply stated that the secretary “greatly appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s texts and teachings”, while also admitting to being a “proud member” of a church affiliated with the Congregation of Reformed Evangelical Churches, as reported by NPR.
Hegseth, a veteran of the Armed Forces, arrived at the position burdened by all kinds of controversies, including accusations of sexual abuse and alcohol problems.