Pete Hegseth Criticized for Public Prayer to King Jesus at Pentagon Event
Several critics accused Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth of violating the U.S. Constitution after he led a prayer during a voluntary event at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday that referenced Jesus as king.
"King Jesus, we come humbly before You, seeking Your face, seeking Your grace, in humble obedience to Your law and to Your word," Hegseth prayed. "We come as sinners saved only by that grace, seeking Your providence in our lives and in our nation."
Pete Hegseth leading a prayer to 'King Jesus' in the Pentagon is 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/CmoFm2Won3
— Protestia (@Protestia) May 22, 2025
"Lord God, we ask for the wisdom to see what is right and in each and every day, in each and every circumstance, the courage to do what is right in obedience to Your will. It is in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that we pray. And all God's people say amen," Hegseth added, to which some in the audience replied, "Amen."
As reported by The New York Times, Hegseth noted that the voluntary 30-minute prayer meeting, titled "Secretary of Defense Christian Prayer & Worship Service," may become a monthly occurrence.
Hegseth seemed to make fun of The Times for its coverage of the event, pointing out that the left-leaning publication was basically coerced to publish a complete prayer to Jesus.
"When the @nytimes is forced to print an entire prayer…," Hegseth wrote on X.
When the @nytimes is forced to print an entire prayer… https://t.co/qyxoNkjHob pic.twitter.com/KsNMk8LCxa
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) May 21, 2025
The New York Times previously criticized Hegseth, stressing his Latin "Deus Vult" tattoo, which attracted attention as the rallying cry of the First Crusade in 1095, and publishing articles claiming he wanted to launch a new Crusade.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also complained about Hegseth's tattoo in a 33-page letter, which she argued he is an "insider threat."
Additional critics suggest that Hegeth's prayer was a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Per CNN, Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rachel VanLandingham, a former Pentagon lawyer and now a law professor at Southwestern Law School, called the service "incredibly problematic."
The "core of the Establishment Clause is the state not endorsing a particular religion, but having a broadcast event is obviously an endorsement even if they don't officially say, 'this is a Pentagon event,'" VanLandingam said.
"I think it's sponsorship in the true sense of the word, outside of funding — he's advocating for this, he is putting his weight of the official Office of the Secretary of Defense behind a particular religious event and inviting someone to the Pentagon to conduct it," she added. "That's wrong."
Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, whose nonprofit has word to remove explicit religious symbols from the military for 20 years, referenced the Holocaust to criticize the prayer service.
"I've been asked by the media what I think this means and what the impact is, and my response is simple: it's a holocaust, and I speak to you as somebody who suffered the fact that members of my family were actually slaughtered in the Nazi Holocaust. It's beyond description. It rips us under our Constitution [sic], and it's something we can't let happen," he said in a video posted to his website.
Erin Smith, who serves as associate counsel at First Liberty Institute, supported Hegseth, likening the matter to that of the 26 U.S. Navy SEALs who sued the U.S. Department of Defense after being discharged from service for refusing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate on religious grounds following a denial of a religious exemption.
"Secretary Hegseth's exercise of his religious faith is protected just like it was for the Navy SEALs we represented against the prior administration when it tried to kick them out for their faith objection to Covid requirements," Smith told The Christian Post in a statement. "We commend Secretary Hegseth for standing up for the Constitution and against censorship."
Evangelist Franklin Graham also expressed support for Hegseth, thanking him "for not being afraid to stand up for Jesus Christ in the Pentagon. May God bless you."
Hegseth thanked Graham for his support and also extended an invitation for him to attend the monthly prayer meeting.
"We'd be honored to have you," he wrote.
Thank you sir. The least we can do, for Him & the country.
I hope you will join us soon for one of our monthly services. We’d be honored to have you. https://t.co/HJtb2PEgEV— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) May 23, 2025
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Andrew Harnik/Staff
Originally published May 23, 2025.
