Hegseth slammed for 'blasphemous' use of Bible passage in military recruitment drive - Middle East Eye
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has come under fire for a military “Send Me Tour” that draws on biblical verses and Christian scripture to recruit new soldiers.
Hegseth visited Texas A&M University over the weekend as part of the tour, which is based on a well-known refrain from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, Chapter 6, Verse 8, in which God asks, "Who shall I send?" and the prophet Isaiah replies, “Lord, I am here. Send me”.
Isaiah is a prophet for both Jews and Christians. Although the Quran does not explicitly mention him, some Islamic literature regards him as a prophet.
Hegseth was filmed in front of a group of young college students, invoking Isaiah’s biblical language for a war chant.
“For 250 years of this country, there have been men and women who raised their right hand and said, ‘Send me,’” Hegseth shouted.
“Send me to go fight the Redcoats. Send me to go fight the Communists. Send me to go fight the Islamists,” he shouted.
Hegseth’s channelling of religious rhetoric drew sharp condemnation from many Christian religious groups in the US.
“This is not only a blatant violation of the 1st amendment, it is blasphemous and taking the Lord’s name in vain. He is using scripture to frame military service as a kind of Christian religious crusade,” Benjamin Cremer, a Methodist reverend, wrote.
“This is Christian extremism. If a radical Muslim military leader was doing this in another country, using the Quran to stoke commitment to a holy war among young recruits, the condemnation from American Christians would be swift and severe. The hypocrisy is astounding,” Cremer added.
Other observers on social media in the US reacted with fury to Hegseth instrumentalising a Bible passage to recruit US soldiers.
“Pete Hegseth twists Bible quote to justify US wars!” another commentator wrote on X.
“In the Book of Isaiah, the prophet’s cry of ‘Send me!’ was a request to be directed to preach repentance and divine judgement to the ancient Israelites. It wasn’t about going on a series of global killing sprees,” the commentator added.
This is not the first time Hegseth has drawn scrutiny for his attempt to instrumentalise Christianity for military purposes.
In April, he read a fake Bible verse from Quentin Tarantino's 1994 cult classic film, Pulp Fiction, during a Christian prayer and worship service at the Pentagon, which he holds regularly.
Hegseth has also sparked outrage for framing military efforts, such as the war on Iran, as a religious imperative.
During one Pentagon prayer service, Hegseth called for "overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy."
"Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation," Hegseth said.
The US and Israel launched a war on Iran in February. At the beginning of the conflict, US commanders from every branch of the military told their units that the war was “anointed by Jesus” and would bring about his return to Earth as part of "Armageddon", resulting in scores of complaints from military personnel.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, an organisation dedicated to ensuring that all members of the US military are guaranteed religious freedom, told Middle East Eye that it had received more than 200 similar complaints from personnel serving in the army, navy, air force, marine corps, and space force at the time.
Hegseth has emerged as one of the most vociferous advocates for the US war on Iran, often taking a combative tone with journalists when asked about ammunition shortages and US casualties.
Hegseth is a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, founded in 1998 by evangelical pastor Douglas Wilson, who has used Islamophobic rhetoric while discussing Muslim immigrants to the US.
