War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the military will end its use of the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide, instead bolstering the Christian faith through the use of chaplains.
“Chaplains are intended to be the spiritual and moral backbone of our nation’s forces,” Hegseth said, noting that George Washington founded the Chaplain Corps in 1775.
“In an atmosphere of political correctness and secular humanism, chaplains have been minimized, viewed by many as therapists instead of ministers. Faith and virtue were traded for self-help and self-care,” Hegseth added. “If you need proof, just look at the current Army Spiritual Fitness Guide. In well over 100 pages, it mentions God one time. That’s it. It mentions ‘feelings’ 11 times. It even mentions ‘playfulness,’ whatever that is, nine times. There’s zero mention of virtue.” He further explained that the guide contains New Age content.
“These types of training materials have no place in the War Department,” Hegseth declared.
Religious Liberty Commission Chairman, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, celebrated the announcement.
“The Religious Liberty Commission applauds Secretary Hegseth and the Department of War’s quick action to restore the military chaplaincy to its full strength and influence in our armed forces,” he said. “As we were reminded at our Commission hearing last week, the chaplaincy is foundational to the American military—a source of spiritual strength so that our servicemembers continue to serve as a force for good in the face of evil and oppression. Tragically, past administrations sought to undermine the spiritual and strategic role of the military chaplaincy.”
Hegseth has implemented several faith-based practices back into the military. In May, the War Secretary defended the Pentagon’s prayer service, asserting that the department will continue to honor the tradition of “appealing to Heaven.”
“I’ve gotten some criticism for the Christian prayer service at the Pentagon yesterday. We said it very publicly, said it very proudly,” Hegseth told reporters at the time. “Appealing to Heaven, to God, is a longstanding tradition in our military. I’m very proud of starting a monthly voluntary service at the Pentagon.”
