Pete Hegseth Invited Pastor Who Suggested Slavery Actually Wasn’t That Bad to Lead Prayer at Pentagon

A pastor who once argued that slavery actually had some positives was invited by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to lead prayer at the Pentagon.

As reported by The Washington Post, the pastor in question was Doug Wilson. He is the co-founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, which is Hegseth’s chosen Christian denomination. During a sermon on Tuesday, Wilson revealed that the Defense secretary invited him to come speak.

Wilson’s views have come under intense scrutiny in the past. The report continued:

Wilson has described his politics as “slightly to the right” of the Confederate Gen. Jeb Stuart. He has said Muslim and Hindu immigrants are coming into the United States “in a parasitic way”; ideally, he has said, they would be “assimilated” into a Christian society.

When he opened a church in Washington last year, he told CNN it was part of his plan to make the U.S. a Christian nation.

The pastor also has an unorthodox view of slavery, as detailed in a report from Military.com:

Wilson has also varied views on slavery, once telling the Associated Press: “There was horrific maltreatment on the one hand, and then there are other stories that are right out of Disney’s ‘Song of the South.'”

Song of the South was released in 1946. Taking place during the Reconstruction Era, it tells the story of a young boy who visits his grandmother’s plantation and meets a worker named Uncle Remus. Uncle Remus then shares various folktales with the boy. The film has been criticized as racist, and Disney has never made it available on home video.

In a statement obtained by Military.com, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said Hegseth was “glad” to invite Wilson to lead prayer. The secretary added that “the Christian faith is woven deeply into the fabric of our nation.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!