Secretary of War Pete Hegseth holds one of the most powerful positions in the federal government. As head of the War Department, he serves as the nation’s chief military strategist and principal advisor to the President on matters of war and national defense. His decisions influence not only the operations of the U.S. armed forces but also political developments across the globe.
A prayer for Charlie, our warriors, and for our nation. pic.twitter.com/DdDP1uNx0y
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) September 20, 2025
On September 20, 2025, Pete Hegseth released a video on the official United States Secretary of War X account featuring himself reciting the Lord’s Prayer as images of warplanes, tanks, and bombs flashed across the screen. [1] In this display, faith was used to justify force, and biblical texts were used to make violence seem like it was approved by God. However, true religion seeks peace and reconciliation—not domination.
The merging of Christ’s prayer—a sacred appeal for peace and forgiveness—with symbols of war sends a message that is both dangerous and deeply contradictory. At the heart of this issue lies the principle of church–state separation, enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Secretary of War, acting in his official capacity, is not merely a private citizen but a representative of the state. By invoking the Lord’s Prayer through official government media, he presents the U.S. military as a Christian army engaged in divinely sanctioned warfare—an image that stands in direct conflict with the very foundations of American freedom and religious liberty.
The Lord’s Prayer, given by Christ Himself, is a call to advance God’s spiritual kingdom—not to defend or conquer earthly territories. It is a plea for forgiveness and deliverance from evil, spoken in the language of humility and reconciliation, not a rallying call for conquest and destruction. To take this sacred prayer and overlay it with images of bombs and tanks is to transform a prayer of peace into an instrument of psychological Christian warfare. This approach not only corrupts the spiritual meaning of the Lord’s Prayer but also implies, falsely, that Jesus endorses many of the earthly military campaigns we see today.
History has shown that when nations mix divine authority with military power, it leads to crusades, persecution, and bloodshed carried out in the name of God. Such actions represent a betrayal of the very faith they claim to uphold. The underlying message is this: the United States’ military policies are guided by religious motives rather than by constitutional principles. In other words, this is a declaration of Christian nationalism and the revival of the idea of holy war.
The United States Armed Forces are supposed to defend citizens of every faith and religion—not elevate one faith above another. By seeking to sanctify instruments of war with the Lord’s Prayer, Pete Hegseth’s video undermines the principle of religious neutrality and alienates those of other faiths—or of no faith—who serve under the same flag and have taken the same oath to uphold and defend the Constitution.
When the state begins to borrow the language of the church to justify its military actions, it dishonors both the Bible and the Constitution. Government and religion must never be merged—and the Lord’s Prayer should not be used against the backdrop of warplanes and bombs.
Sources
[1] https://x.com/secwar/status/1969530822127407323?s=46&t=azRr_ngnUtc8OYPKRt4F5Q
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Amen Br. Andy 🙏🏻
The Lord’s prayer is not something we recite or hear alone, God expects us to not just be hearers but doers of His Word and His will:
“9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. ”
Matthew 6:9-13 KJV
“Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”.
Did God call men to do His will on earth?
Yes! However, it says “as it is in heaven”
A great distinction has been made, not men’s will, but God’s will be done. Jesus said, that if any man do God’s will, they shall know the doctrine, His Word, 9r teachings:
“16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
19 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? ”
John 7:16-19 KJV
Not everyone who call, claim, or proclaim God’s name will not e the Kingdom, only those who do the will of the Father in heaven:
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ”
Matthew 7:21 KJV
Those who are true Christians are sons of God, not because of the will of men, but by the will of God:
“12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ”
John 1:12-13 KJV
Worshippers of God are those that do His will and God hears them, not sinners because they do their own will:
“Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. ”
John 9:31 KJV
The wicked will follow their own will, and will not seek after God. There are some who claim God but God is not in their thoughts:
“4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
5 His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. 6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor. ”
Psalms 10:4-8 KJV