RELIGION
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth belongs to an archconservative church network. Here’s what to know

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently shared a CNN video about the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a conservative Christian network of which he’s a member. The video showed its pastors arguing women should not have the right to vote.

BY TIFFANY STANLEY AND PETER SMITH
Updated 9:54 AM EDT, August 12, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he’s proud to be part of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, an archconservative network of Christian congregations.

Hegseth recently made headlines when he shared a CNN video on social media about CREC, showing its pastors arguing women should not have the right to vote.

Pastor Doug Wilson, a CREC co-founder, leads Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, the network’s flagship location. Jovial and media-friendly, Wilson is no stranger to stirring controversy with his church’s hard-line theology and its embrace of patriarchy and Christian nationalism.

Wilson told The Associated Press on Monday he was grateful Hegseth shared the video. He noted Hegseth’s post was labeled with Christ Church’s motto: “All of Christ for All of Life.” … “He was, in effect, reposting it and saying, ‘Amen,’ at some level,” Wilson said.

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