@briankaylor
Baptist minister with PhD in political communication. New book: 'The Bible According to Christian Nationalists.' President & Editor-in-Chief - @WordAndWay.bsky.social bkaylor@wordandway.org http://publicwitness.wordandway.org
This was not the first time Hegseth has turned to Psalm 144. He read a longer excerpt during the January worship service at the Pentagon, adding that he had studied the passage as part of the preparations for the Venezuela operation: publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/hegseth-sh...
#ChristianNationalists seek to establish their version of Christianity, which then excludes other Christians (& those who aren't). So while Wilson preached at Protestant service at Pentagon, Labor Department services instead establish Catholicism: publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/department...
#ChristianNationalism doesn't work for all Christians since the gov't will make theological decisions that mark 1 tradition as "right," even on simple things like picking a Bible verse or prayer. Worship services at Department of Labor show this problem: publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/department...
This isn't about 1 missing fact. Writing about the "moral beliefs" of a religious person without considering their religious beliefs is to misunderstand their moral beliefs.
Yep! Only when it's an opponent does Cornyn expect them to act morally. Which is of course not actually taking a stand for morality.
Sen. John Cornyn goes biblical in attack ad on Ken Paxton, with warning of "judgment day" & a voice of God (?) offering some of the Ten Commandments.
Only other coverage of Labor Department services was MS NOW & CNN on 1st service (but based on what people told them since they didn't see it). So follow our "Government Worship Watch" as only place to track this significant #ChristianNationalist effort: publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/government...
Department of Labor is hosting monthly worship services, using public resources for gov't-run services. There's been only 1 report after each service based on watching it. I wrote all 4. Here's latest: publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/department...
This #ChristianNationalism deserves more attention.
NY Times piece on Hegseth's evolving views of "moral purpose" of war oddly doesn't mention his religious beliefs at all www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/u...). He's reading Bible to justify war (publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/hegseth-sh...), which seems like a vision of morality to me.
Pentagon says first week of Iran war has cost $11.3b.
That's 2x the entire annual budget of PEPFAR, which keeps 20 mil people alive and which DOGE tried to shutter last year for wastefulness
Appreciate shout-out by @katherinestewart.bsky.social on @npr.org 1A today! Whole episode on "The role of religion in the war on Iran" is worth listening to: the1a.org/segments/the...
She pointed to my reporting on worship services at Pentagon. More here: publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/government...
Latest monthly worship service at Department of Labor occurred today. Here's my report:
publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/department...
“Wilson and Hegseth aren’t hoping to blow up the world but control it.”
@briankaylor.bsky.social explains about Hegseth's religious foundation for the war in Iran. And it's so very helpful.
As Missouri lawmakers this week once again consider a bill that would abolish the death penalty, religious leaders, advocates and a former lawmaker urged them to heed the financial and human costs of capital punishment in the state. #moleg #mogov
Many are surprised Hegseth read Psalm 144 today. Alternet said it "stuns experts" & New Republic said #ChristianNationalism "getting even more obvious."
It's dangerous but shouldn't be surprising. He literally read Psalm 144 at Jan. Pentagon worship service. Oh, but I was only 1 who reported on that
Wilson preaches postmillennialism (not dispensational premillennialism of Armageddon-rapture theology). Wilson & Hegseth aren't hoping to blow up the world but control it (as I've explained: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wf8...). Influencers pushing false narratives to get clicks aren't helping. 3/3
Doug Wilson is dangerous #ChristianNationalist (as is Hegseth, who's part of his church & had him preach at Pentagon), but for him ideas of Armageddon & rapture have been left behind. Anyone saying Hegseth's hearing this at church doesn't know what they're talking about. But it's good for clicks. 2/
Many progressive Christian influencers not only pushed unproven claim of military leaders saying Iran would spark "Armageddon" but also claimed this proves danger of Pete Hegseth & Doug Wilson. Like this from John Pavlovitz, who insisted Hegseth is "undoubtedly hearing" this in church. Not true! 1/
Until this morning, Alabama was preparing to execute a Muslim during his faith’s holiest time of the year.
Gov. Kay Ivey just commuted Sonny Burton’s sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Read about the context surrounding that shocking decision in our latest piece:
This is significant as Trumpian evangelicals in Texas are lining up with Sen. Cornyn, including (as Kennedy notes) AG Paxton's own pastor! Traditionally, conservative evangelicals have been a key part of Paxton's base: publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/the-passio...
He likes that war Psalm. He read a longer excerpt during worship service at Pentagon in Jan., adding that he was reading it as part of preparation for Venezuela operation:
publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/hegseth-sh...
pre-millennialism versus post-millennialism
This is another sign of Hegseth's religious beliefs for war. It's not about "Armageddon" but domination. I explained (with clips, including of his previous Psalm 144 reading) in a video yesterday: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wf8...
At press briefing on Iran war, Hegseth read from Psalm 144 (about God helping in battle). He previously read this war psalm at Pentagon worship service in Jan., during which he said it was what he read & prayed during preparation for Venezuela operation: publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/hegseth-sh...
There's been lots of attention to possible religious motivation for US war against Iran, but viral claims miss the mark. This isn't about "Armageddon" but domination. I consider #ChristianNationalism of Hegseth & his pastors with clips from Pentagon worship services:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wf8...
If you literally ripped the Ten Commandments out of your Bible & taped it in a TX, LA or AR classroom, it'd be in violation of those states’ so-called Ten Commandments laws. Politicians made the actual text of the Bible illegal for not having the "right" words.
dogma.wordandway.org/rewriting-th...
Brooks Potteiger, Pete Hegseth's pastor, says Christians have no theological obligation to support Israel (undermining recent "Armageddon" claims).
"As Christians, we must be done away with any sense that we are theologically obligated to support Israel... That's just faulty."
LSU president defends move by saying, “Personally, I think shining a light on God is never a negative thing."
As I explain in podcast about such pushes for the Ten Commandments, such #ChristianNationalism actually is a negative thing & can drive people from God:
dogma.wordandway.org/rewriting-th...
LSU president says school will post Ten Commandments in all classrooms (lailluminator.com/2026/02/27/l...). But that's not really true. They're posting a highly edited version mandated by state lawmakers but not actually found in any Bible: dogma.wordandway.org/rewriting-th...
It's wild (& frustrating). So many important stories can't get oxygen but this takes off despite red flags.
