“I’m here to tell you about a real problem facing our nation’s military,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth began in a video with a Christmas tree and a Department of War flag behind him. “It’s one you’re probably not aware of. But it’s a really important one. And it’s been going on for far too long.”
Was Hegseth referring to challenges with recruitment, equipment readiness, aging infrastructure, the evolution of warfare strategy, bureaucracy or the blunders and war crimes his department is involved in?
No.
Pete Hegseth on July 4, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)
According to Hegseth, this dire problem that must be addressed is “the weakening of our chaplain corps.”
The next day, Hegseth hosted a “Christmas worship service” at the Pentagon that featured Franklin Graham preaching a message that “God loves … but … God also hates” and that “God also is a God of war.”
Apparently, Hegseth wants to bring Graham’s God of hate and war theology to the chaplaincy.
“We’re going to restore the esteemed position of chaplains as moral anchors for our fighting force,” Hegseth promised. “The 1956 Army Chaplain’s Manual states, ‘The chaplain is the pastor and the shepherd of the souls entrusted to his care.’ This is a high and sacred calling. But this only works if our shepherds are actually given the freedom to boldly guide and care for their flock.”
Then he added, “There will be a top-down cultural shift, putting spiritual well-being on the same footing as mental and physical health as a first step toward creating a supportive environment for our warriors and their souls.”
What Hegseth seems to ignore is that the U.S. military already has a robust chaplaincy program that serves the needs of service members of all faiths or no faith. Evangelical groups such as the Southern Baptist Convention, are significantly represented in that corps.
Col. Pat Hash, command chaplain, Multi-National Corps – Iraq, givex the sermon at the Easter Sunrise Service at Al Faw Palace in Iraq on March 23, 2022. (U.S. military photo by Sgt. Eric Glassey via Baptist Press)
‘The spiritual and moral backbone’
“Chaplains are intended to be the spiritual and moral backbone of our nation’s forces,” Hegseth said.
U.S. military chaplains first formed on July 29, 1775, when the fledgling Army allowed the regiments to include chaplains. The Army currently has about 1,500 active-duty chaplains and an equal number of National Guard and reserve chaplains.
The U.S. Navy has more than 800 active-duty chaplains who serve the Navy and Marine Corps. The U.S. Air Force has more than 500 active-duty chaplains, with nearly 600 more in the Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard. The Air Force Chief of Chaplains also serves as the Chief of Chaplains for the U.S. Space Force. The U.S. Coast Guard currently has about 45 chaplains who work with a volunteer-based Auxiliary Chaplain corps of about 100.
The army enlisted its first female chaplain in 1979. Given Hegseth’s aversion to women in ministry and in the military, it wouldn’t be too shocking if he proposed getting rid of female chaplains at some point. Religious identity among chaplains include Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and others. All major Christian denominations — including the Roman Catholic Church — have processes in place to endorse military chaplains.
Currently, the two top chaplains in the Air Force are Southern Baptists.
“Faith and virtue were traded for self-help and self-care.”
What does Hegseth think these thousands of military chaplains are doing, then?
As usual, he seems to think they’re all “woke.”
“Sadly, as part of the ongoing war on warriors, in recent decades, its role has been degraded,” Hegseth claimed. “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 went on to criticize the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide. “In well over 100 pages, it mentions God one time. That’s it,” he complained.
In contrast, he said, “it mentions ‘feelings’ 11 times. It even mentions ‘playfulness,’ whatever that is, nine times. There’s zero mention of virtue. The guide relies on New Age notions, saying the soldiers’ spirit consists of consciousness, creativity and connection.”
According to the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide Hegseth is mocking: “Consciousness refers to the state of being aware of and able to evaluate one’s thoughts, feelings and surroundings. It encapsulates the ability to understand oneself and one’s place in the world.” It goes on to say: “Art provides a therapeutic outlet, helping soldiers articulate feelings that may be difficult to express verbally. Studies in psychology have shown that artistic engagement can foster emotional healing, reduce stress and enhance overall well-being.”
Apparently, Hegseth doesn’t think soldiers need to be aware of and able to evaluate their surroundings. He also doesn’t seem to think soldiers need to be healed. Because healing and awareness equate to secular humanism in his mind.
“Self-awareness and healing are ideas that angry violent men like Hegseth don’t tend to resonate with.”
And given Hegseth’s constant drumbeat for the violent, toxic masculinity that is a feature of the conservative Reformed movement associated with men like Doug Wilson, this makes sense. Self-awareness and healing are ideas that angry violent men like Hegseth don’t tend to resonate with.
So Hegseth is throwing the whole thing out.
“The guide itself reports that around 82% of the military are religious,” he explained. “Yet, ironically it alienates our war fighters of faith by pushing secular humanism. In short, it’s unacceptable and unserious. So we’re tossing it. I have a directive right here that I will sign today to eliminate the use of the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide effective immediately. These types of training materials have no place in the War Department. … Our chaplains are chaplains, not emotional support officers.”
The Faith and Belief Coding System
Unfortunately, self-awareness and healing aren’t the only values Hegseth thinks are “unserious” for manly military people. He’s also going after the Faith and Belief Coding System.
That’s basically a documentation system of codes that record the religious identity of service members so the military can provide more accurate and helpful support.
For many years, this coding system was very basic and included such terms as “Protestant” and “Catholic.” But as most people with self-awareness know, religious identity is far more nuanced these days. So in 2017, the military created a new coding system with more than 200 options for military personnel to choose from. There are no religious or theological requirements for these categories. They are simply administrative tools for demographic analysis that help the military serve their members more effectively.
But Hegseth thinks the coding is woke and needs to be stripped back down again.
“In recent years, it ballooned to over 200 overly complex faith and belief codes,” he said. “An overwhelming majority of the military population only uses six codes. Eleven are not used by anyone. So we’re going to streamline it and move it to a new list of religious affiliation codes so that our chaplains can actually use it to minister better to the flock.”
And that’s not all. Hegseth thinks he has all kinds of really good ideas for chaplains to follow. Getting rid of their coding system, and any reference to feelings, is just the start for enforcing the Franklin Graham-inspired God of hate and war spirituality he thinks is biblical.
He concluded his video by promising: “More reforms will be coming in the days and weeks ahead. … Stay tuned for more. We are going to make the chaplain corps great again. And merry Christmas.”
Rick Pidcock
Rick Pidcock is a 2004 graduate of Bob Jones University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible. He’s a freelance writer based in South Carolina and a former Clemons Fellow with BNG. He completed a Master of Arts degree in worship from Northern Seminary. He is a stay-at-home father of five children and produces music under the artist name Provoke Wonder. Follow his blog at www.rickpidcock.com.