Christ Church Wants to Turn Washington Into a "New Jerusalem"

In February, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth invited pastor Doug Wilson to preach at the Department of Defense. The move brought renewed attention to Christ Church, the highly conservative church network now seeking to expand its influence in Washington.

Hegseth, who has "Deus Vult" — the rallying cry of the Crusaders — tattooed on his bicep, is also the author of a book titled American Crusade. He is a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, or CREC, a denomination co-founded by Doug Wilson in the late 1990s that now includes more than 160 churches worldwide.

Last year, Hegseth attended the first Christ Church service in Washington, just months after Donald Trump's return to the White House.

"With Trump's election, we knew there would be more evangelicals and more Christians in the administration, and it seemed like the right time" to establish a presence in the nation's capital, pastor Joe Rigney told AFP. Rigney, who has preached several times for Christ Church in Washington, said the church's launch came in response to interest from people drawn to its theological and cultural vision.

"Our aim, then, is to go to Washington and remind anyone willing to listen — whether cabinet members, senators, coffee servers, or homemakers — that Jesus is Lord," Rigney said.

From Fringe to Influence

For the CREC, religion and politics are closely intertwined. Doug Wilson frequently comments on current events in blog posts that often mix humor with sharp political and cultural arguments, ranging from support for war with Iran to opposition to the 19th Amendment, which guarantees women the right to vote.

Most historians reject the claim, advanced by Christ Church, that the United States was founded as a Christian nation.

"That belief primarily reflects their own interpretation of Christianity, and does not necessarily reflect what the founders themselves believed," Sam Perry, a professor at Baylor University, told AFP.

He also noted that the First Amendment makes clear there should be no state religion, and that access to public office must not depend on religious affiliation.

While Christian nationalist rhetoric existed during the Reagan era, Julie Ingersoll said it was "not taken as seriously as it is today." Doug Wilson, long seen as a marginal figure even within conservative evangelicalism, "has gradually become a more mainstream figure," said Kristin Kobes Du Mez, professor of history at Calvin University.

"In the Name of Jesus Christ"

Among what CREC leaders see as recent political victories, Rigney points to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which had protected abortion rights at the federal level. He has also said he prays for the reversal of Obergefell, the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Another major priority, he says, is immigration, which he believes is one of the reasons "we have drifted from our Christian roots."

This Christian nationalist rhetoric has become especially visible in recent months, particularly in the context of the war in Iran that began after the Israeli-American offensive in late February.

Pete Hegseth has repeatedly called for prayer for American troops deployed in the Gulf "in the name of Jesus Christ," cited Scripture publicly, and compared a U.S. pilot rescued after his plane crashed in Iran to the resurrected Jesus.

The defense secretary, who has openly opposed the presence of women in combat roles, also announced in January that the Pentagon would review the effects of women's integration into frontline positions.

As for Christ Church Washington, Rigney says the congregation is seeking a lasting presence in the capital, one that will remain independent of "electoral cycles." That vision, say observers, raises pointed questions about the relationship between faith and political power in the United States — questions that show no sign of fading.