All “heaven” has broken out in the Pentagon, and the radical secularists are not happy. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth held an overtly Christian prayer service in the Pentagon’s auditorium on May 21, 2025. A pastor spoke at the event, which was voluntary and well attended. Secretary Hegseth said that his plans are to have such events each month. JDFI commends him.
America needs God now more than ever, as those who want to rip America out of the rich soil of our Christian history are in a complete meltdown.
CNN, citing a “national security legal expert,” claimed the prayer service was a “clear violation”1 of the Constitution’s Establishment Clause. A commentator on MSNBC said that for those concerned about Christian nationalism, “this was a step in an unsettling direction.”2 (Those of us who love Jesus and America are increasingly labeled as Christian Nationalists.)
A publication called Military.com (not an official US military website) claimed the prayer was further evidence of the Trump administration “pushing to blur America’s long-standing traditions that separate church and state.”3
The Freedom from Religion Foundation, an aggressive secular “special interest” group, sent Secretary Hegseth a blistering letter claiming the prayer service was “a blatant violation of the First Amendment and its proscription of religion in government.”4
This is a typical lie progressively repeated by the secular Left. The First Amendment prohibits the government from establishing an official religion in America. A prayer service on government property does not establish an official religion. The First Amendment also guarantees the “free exercise of religion.” Hegseth’s prayer service at the Pentagon is a perfect example of this freedom.
This prayer service is well within the historic traditions of the American Republic. Our first president, George Washington, credited God for the birth of our country and victory in our War of Independence. Our Declaration of Independence states explicitly that our Creator—a reference to the God of the Bible—is the author of our liberty. The American Revolution itself was inspired by colonial pastors who roused their congregations to stand for liberty. President Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address referred directly or indirectly to the Bible a dozen times.
This past Memorial Day, millions of Americans reflected on the sacrifices made on battlefields throughout our history by courageous veterans who gave their lives to preserve and protect our country in time of war.
In World War II, as the US and our allies launched the D-Day invasion to liberate Europe from German Nazi occupation, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) went on national radio to lead the country in prayer. He asked for God’s protection for our brave sons and daughters and prayed for their success. Church bells rang out across the country.
Many of our soldiers carried small Bibles, consisting of the New Testament and the book of Psalms, provided by the Gideons organization with the consent of the US government. FDR wrote a letter that is on the front page of these “heart Bibles.” This is how it read:
As Commander-in-Chief, I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the armed forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a fountain of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul.5
In the back of these Bibles was a message that included the following excerpt, written by US Army Chief of Chaplains William Richard Arnold: “A soldier who knows the Word of God and honestly tries to observe His laws is a man of power and influence among his fellows and exalts his military service to the high level of religious faith, courage and loyalty.”6
The Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, has an exhibition of those WWII Bibles.
Was FDR violating the Constitution of the United States? Was he “establishing” a national religion? Of course not. Anyone suggesting that would have been ridiculed.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, there was a concerted effort to silence voices of faith in the US military. Military chaplains were under severe pressure to not quote the gospel. At the same time, radical social ideas were pushed in the military, including transgender ideology and divisive race theories. Some military bases hosted drag queen shows. The Pentagon started paying for abortion-related travel of active-duty soldiers. The media generally supported this politicization of our armed forces. As God was kicked out and divisive secular ideas were promoted, military recruitment fell dangerously. In recent months, all this has changed – including recruitment, which has dramatically increased.
Over the next year, America will observe multiple events leading up to a big celebration on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the founding of our constitutional republic. Without God’s blessings and protection, America would not have survived over these decades. Our only hope for the future is that we turn our hearts back to Him.
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1. Konstantin Toropin, “Hegseth Starts Evangelical Prayer Services at Pentagon with His Tennessee Church Pastor,” Military.com. May 21, 2025. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/05/21/hegseth-starts-evangelical-prayer-services-pentagon-his-tennessee-church-pastor.html.
2. Steve Benen, “Why Pete Hegseth leading a Christian prayer service at the Pentagon Is so problematic,” MSNBC.com. May 22, 2025. https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/pete-hegseth-leading-christian-prayer-service-pentagon-problematic-rcna208582.
3. Konstantin Toropin, “Hegseth Starts Prayer Services,” Military.com. May 21, 2025. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/05/21/hegseth-starts-evangelical-prayer-services-pentagon-his-tennessee-church-pastor.html.
4. Rowan Hahn, “FFRF Challenges Reported Pentagon Christian Prayer Meetings,” Freedom from Religion Foundation. May 15, 2025. https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-challenges-reported-pentagon-christian-prayer-meetings/.
5. “Honoring Active Military and Veterans | Museum of the Bible.” Museum of the Bible. 2020. https://www.museumofthebible.org/veterans-day-artifacts.
6. Robert Nay, Leadership and Transformation of the Army Chaplaincy During WWII, pp. 38-39 (Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Chaplains, Department of the Army, 2020), https://thechaplainkit.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/leadership-and-transformation-of-the-army-chaplaincy-during-wwii-occh-15-july-2020.pdf.
