Defense Secretary Hegseth tests Constitution in Pentagon worship service

The day activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a campus event in Utah, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth paused while speaking to troops to say a short prayer for the felled conservative figure. Hegseth quickly published the full prayer to his official X account, but it was what he posted the next week — a heavily edited clip drawn from footage — that got the attention of his critics.

In the edited clip, Hegseth — who prefers the title “Secretary of War” — is briefly seen reciting the Lord’s Prayer as dramatic music swells. The Defense secretary’s prayer then continues as a voice over and a montage begins: the screen is filled with images of fighter jets and missiles flying, paratroopers tumbling from planes, a waving American flag and finally Hegseth standing and saluting alongside President Donald Trump.

Hegseth was even more explicit about his religious leanings at Kirk's memorial the next day, when he declared that the U.S. is in the midst of a “spiritual war” and urged the roughly 60,000 in the audience and the millions watching at home to embrace Christ. “My charge to all of you: live worthy of Charlie Kirk’s sacrifice, and put Christ at the center of your life as he advocated for giving his,” Hegseth said.

Religion & Politics

Photos of the Week: Mormon church shooting vigil, living goddess

Emergency crews respond to a shooting and fire at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Grand Blanc, Mich., Sept 28, 2025. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP)

In Opinion

And finally, To atone this Yom Kippur, you'll need to drop your lizard

Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, begins Wednesday evening (Oct. 1). In synagogues, or in solitude, many Jews will take time to reflect on the past year, asking themselves where they missed the mark and how they could have done better.

And, maybe, they will consider how they can put down their lizard — which needs a little more explanation.

In Judaism, the rules of repentance were gathered and codified by Maimonides, a medieval Jewish scholar. Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg explains it in her book “On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World." Maimonides’ rules, as Ruttenberg told RNS, are fairly simple: “Own the harm you’ve caused, begin to change, then amends, then apology, then make different choices.”

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