The service from Wilson, a self-described Christian nationalist, was part of a regular monthly Christian worship series Hegseth started at the department last summer that critics say has underscored the erosion of the separation of church and state under the Trump administration. Hegseth is a member of one of Wilson’s churches in Tennessee and has said he moved to the state in 2022 to send his kids to a school that’s part of a Christian network that Wilson helped found. When asked Thursday about Hegseth’s monthly prayer service and criticism that it is eroding the longstanding tradition of separation of church and state, Wilson told CNN, “The actions taken by the Secretary of War in starting this prayer service are disrupting the ‘longstanding separation of church and state,’ but only if ‘longstanding’ is limited to recent decades.”
Author: Kaanita Iyer
Published at: 2026-02-22 22:25:48
Still want to read the full version? Full article
