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EXPLAINED: Crec | Rare Historical Photos

What is CREC and how does it shape Pete Hegseth’s religious rhetoric?

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s conservative evangelical religious beliefs drew attention even before his confirmation hearings in January 2025. He is a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches – CREC – whose beliefs have been influenced by a 20th-century movement called Christian Reconstructionism.

The Conversation

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Invokes Jesus in Military Prayer, Prays for 'Violence Against Enemies' at Pentagon Service

The controversy surrounding Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's Christian worship service at the Pentagon highlights religious specificity, legal challenges, and its impact on military operations.

International Business Times UK

Pete Hegseth prays for violence ‘against those who deserve no mercy’ while hosting first Christian service

Hegseth also decided military chaplains will go by religious insignia, not rank, under new Pentagon guidance

The Independent UK

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Hegseth’s Christian rhetoric sparks concern amid Iran conflict

This religious rhetoric has gained new significance following the recent conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran

The Independent UK

Podcast of Hegseth church network airs far-right and Christian nationalist views

CrossPolitic has in recent weeks hosted pastors who have opposed liberal democracy and pushed authoritarian ideas

The Guardian - US

Ex-pastor at Pete Hegseth’s church calls for public executions and says Bible backs Ice raids

Podcast host Joshua Haymes voices range of extreme views and says liberalism a greater threat to US than neo-Nazism

The Guardian - US

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth belongs to an archconservative church network. Here's what to know

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has expressed pride in being part of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a conservative Christian network

The Independent UK

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Hegseth reposts video on social media featuring pastors saying women shouldn't be allowed to vote

The man who oversees the nation’s military has reposted a video on X, formerly Twitter, about a Christian nationalist church that included various pastors saying women should no longer be allowed to vote and should “submit” to their husbands

The Independent UK

What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s affiliation with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches – commonly called the CREC – drew attention even before his confirmation hearings in January 2025. More recently, media reports highlighted a Pentagon prayer led by Hegseth and his pastor, Brooks Potteiger, in which they praised President Donald…

The Conversation

Thai authorities accuse developers of using substandard steel for a Bangkok skyscraper that collapsed during an earthquake

At least 21 deaths have been reported in Thailand. More than half came from the collapsed skyscraper, meant to house the country's State Audit Office.

Fortune

Chinese Developer Under Scrutiny Over Bangkok Tower Quake Collapse

A Chinese construction company is facing questions over the deadly collapse of a Bangkok skyscraper -- the only major building in the capital to fall in a catastrophic earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people in Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar.

International Business Times

Pastor with ties to Pete Hegseth claimed slavery promoted ‘affection between the races’ in South

Pastor Douglas Wilson, of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, made the statements in his 1996 book Southern Slavery: As It Was

The Independent UK

Revealed: Trump Pentagon nominee endorsed extremist Christian doctrine on podcast

In newly uncovered recordings, Pete Hegseth rails against feminism, ‘critical race theory’, and even democracy itself

The Guardian - US

Why the religious beliefs of Trump defense pick Pete Hegseth matter

The most serious allegations against Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick to head the U.S. Department of Defense, involve mismanagement, heavy drinking, infidelity, sexual harassment and even rape.

The Conversation

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Salon

Pete Hegseth's church explains it all

Fringe denomination's leader argues that men "dream of being rapists" because women aren't submissive enough

People

Paetongtarn Shinawatra

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