Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, hosted a Christmas worship service at the Pentagon, featuring Rev. Franklin Graham and Christian singers Matthew West and Anne Wilson.
“I want to thank you all for sharing in this first Christmas Worship Service here at the Pentagon,” Hegseth said during the event. “It’s the least we could do in this season. We do it monthly as well — a prayer service — which we will continue to do, because, as George Washington did that first year, he went on bended knee for providence in impossible tasks.”
Describing the meaning of Christmas, Hegseth stated, “It’s a true story of a King who arrived not on a throne, but in a humble manger. Became man, but yet lived perfectly. And all He asked of us is to believe. To honor Him in who we are and what we do, and so we rejoice today in this place, at this time…grateful for this incredible Republic, for a Savior.”
“You each day are asked to do impossible things, work impossible hours, at impossible odds, which mere men and women could not do,” added Hegseth, addressing the service members, civilians, and contractors of the Department of War. “And that’s why we bend the knee, because we know where our strength comes from, and we need that wisdom and that guidance, that providential guide in our own lives as we try to act on behalf of our nation.”
The Secretary of War has also taken measures to bolster Christian chaplains in the military. “Chaplains are intended to be the spiritual and moral backbone of our nation’s forces,” he said in a video statement, 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.
