In a keynote speech laden with biblical references and patriotic fervor, Secretary of Battle Pete Hegseth addressed the Nationwide Spiritual Broadcasters’ (NRB) Freedom 250 Celebration by drawing a direct line from the Bible to the founding of the USA.
Billed because the headline speaker for the NRB 2026 Worldwide Christian Media Conference on the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Conference Middle in Nashville, Tennessee, Hegseth, 45, started his tackle by crediting God and praising President Donald Trump as “a fierce defender of Christians and people of faith.” He highlighted administration actions like rescinding a so-called gender-affirming care steering, ending taxpayer-funded abortions in sure contexts, and supporting non secular liberty.
Hegseth famous that ideas like particular person dignity, pure rights, restricted authorities and non secular freedom stem from Christianity — not secular or collectivist ideologies. Quoting John Adams, he warned that the U.S. Structure fits solely a “moral and religious people,” and invoked George Washington’s faith-driven management, together with the 1775 institution of the Chaplain Corps.
“You see, without an internal compass, we need the leviathan of big government,” he added. “As we celebrate our nation’s 250th year, it’s important to understand that the very fabric of our founding documents are woven into the threads of Christian and biblical principles.”
Hegseth pointed to what he referred to as a “direct through line from the Old and New Testaments … to the development of Western civilization and the United States of America,” and denounced opposition to the Gospel message by what he termed the “godless left.”
“Ancient and godless societies viewed the individual as subordinate to the state or the collective. The godless left today still sees it that way,” he said. “But the Christian belief that every person is created in the image of God established a new understanding of humanity. It was not a declaration of worldly economic equity or social justice, but a profound recognition of the transcendent inherent dignity of every individual.”
“From this core precept,” he added, “come individual liberty and natural rights.“
Turning to the military, Hegseth celebrated reforms under Trump: monthly Christian prayer services at the Pentagon, revitalizing the Chaplain Corps, and purging what he called “godless and divisive DEI” and “gender-bending equity.”
“Our country is celebrating 1776 this year and rightfully so. But of course, at the War Department, we’re in the 1775 business,” he mentioned. “That’s where we picked up the rifles to defend those ideas, but it’s also when we went to Bended Knee with the founding of our chapel. To serve the spiritual needs of the force, Washington recognized that faith provides comfort, guidance and resilience in the face of hardship and danger.”
He contrasted this with prior steering on gender ideology from earlier administrations, declaring, “we train our troops, we no longer trans our troops,” and affirmed, “We are one military, one fighting force, one nation under God. We are not ‘in woke we trust,’ we are ‘in God we trust.’”
Hegseth urged Christian communicators, together with broadcasters, podcasters and influencers, to withstand efforts to silence biblical views on life, borders, gender and tradition. He insisted such stances are “not political, it’s biblical,” and proclaimed, “Christ is King. He died for our sins. … He will come again in glory. Amen.”
Hegseth concluded by calling for daring, virtuous citizenship rooted in religion, not authorities energy, and invoked Psalm 18: “The Lord is on my side. I will not fear.”
Commissioned as an infantry officer within the U.S. Military Nationwide Guard after graduating from Princeton College in 2003, Hegseth served in quite a few active-duty deployments throughout his time in service, together with operations in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan. Hegseth additionally served in a number of employees positions within the Nationwide Guard.
Along with incomes two Bronze Star Medals, the Joint Commendation Medal, two Military Commendation Medals, the Fight Infantryman Badge (CIB) and the Skilled Infantryman Badge (EIB), Hegseth has authored 5 books, together with the New York Occasions’ 2024 bestseller The Battle on Warriors.
He’s additionally stirred controversy over his hyperlinks to Idaho pastor and theologian Douglas Wilson. Final 12 months, Hegseth attended Wilson’s church plant in Washington, D.C., alongside his spouse and youngsters, which seemed to be an endorsement of Wilson’s outspoken Christian nationalist views that embody advocating for a theocratic U.S., repealing ladies’s suffrage and criminalizing homosexuality.
“Well bless their hearts.”
