US Defense Secretary Turns Iran War Into a Holy Crusade

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken the Trump administration’s war in Iran from a geopolitical conflict to a crusade cloaked in religious fervor. His recent statements, invoking Christian liturgy and apocalyptic language, reveal a troubling blurring of church and state at the highest levels of military leadership.

In a press briefing following a ceasefire with Iran, Hegseth declared, “God is good,” crediting divine intervention over strategic or diplomatic efforts. Days earlier, he likened the rescue of a downed pilot to the Easter Triduum, framing the event in sacred terms rather than military or political realities. This is not mere rhetoric—it is a deliberate sacralization of war designed to rally a Christian nationalist base increasingly uncomfortable with the conflict’s murky objectives.

Hegseth’s worldview is steeped in the militant Christianity of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, which rejects any separation between church and state. His push to integrate “all of Christ” into Pentagon life, including monthly prayer sessions and sermons by far-right religious leaders, signals a broader effort to fuse faith with foreign policy. His 2020 book American Crusade explicitly calls for Americans to “pick up the sword” against Islamism, echoing medieval crusader ideology more than modern diplomacy.

This religious framing is not isolated to the US. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has similarly cast his country’s military actions as a “War of Redemption,” invoking biblical enemies to justify violence. On the other side, Iran’s theocratic regime also sacralizes its military efforts through Shia Islamic doctrine, making the conflict a cosmic battle for divine sovereignty.

The danger here is twofold. First, sacralizing war obscures the real political and strategic stakes, making rational debate and diplomatic resolution nearly impossible. Second, it signals to Iran and the world that the US is not merely engaged in a political struggle but a holy war—an existential fight against “enemies of righteousness,” as Hegseth put it. This escalates tensions and undermines prospects for peace.

The Trump administration’s use of religious nationalism to justify war is not just a cynical political ploy; it is a reckless gamble with democracy and global stability. We must call out this dangerous fusion of faith and militarism before it drags us deeper into an endless holy conflict with no winners.