America Army defends the presence of a coloration guard at a nationwide spiritual convention for Christianity that included Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth because the keynote speaker, calling its presence “patriotic” and “impartial” from endorsing specific beliefs.
The Nationwide Spiritual Broadcasters (NRB), the self-described largest affiliation of Christian communicators, welcomed Hegseth to orate to throughout its NRB Freedom 250 Celebration on Feb. 19, as a part of its broader 2026 Worldwide Christian Media Conference on the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Conference Middle in Nashville, Tenn.
The celebration of 250 years of American independence, based on the NRB, “introduced collectively nationwide leaders, Christian voices, and cultural influencers for a night honoring the religion foundations of the American experiment and the enduring name to reside as ‘one nation underneath God.’”
The night opened with a ceremonial coloration guard, the one hundred and first Airborne Division (Air Assault) Band directed by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Martin R. Johnston on behalf of the Commanding Gen. Maj. Gen. David Gardner, based on an itinerary issued by the NRB days upfront.
Shade Guard Look Was ‘Impartial’
In keeping with the Army’s personal ceremonial and musical assist web page on its web site, the sidebar features a drop-down menu titled, “What We Can’t Help,” with two bullet factors iterating the next:
Navy.com requested the Army concerning the presence of the colour guard and whether or not it was at odds with the service’s personal public messaging about what it may well and can’t assist.
“The NRB Freedom 250 Occasion was a nonpartisan neighborhood occasion open to most people,” Maj. Jonathon Bless, a spokesperson for the one hundred and first Airborne Division (Air Assault), instructed Navy.com. “Division of Battle and Army rules enable for army assist to neighborhood occasions, together with these hosted by spiritual organizations—as long as the army assist is impartial and doesn’t indicate endorsement of a selected faith.
“The one hundred and first Airborne Division (Air Assault) supported this occasion with an Honor Guard and the Division Band, who performed the nationwide anthem and honors to Sec. Hegseth through the conference’s opening ceremony. The assist supplied by the one hundred and first Airborne Division (Air Assault) was solely meant to indicate common patriotic assist honoring 250 years of our nation.”
Navy.com reached out to the NRB for remark.
Hegseth Assaults DEI, Local weather Change, Transgender Troops
Hegseth’s remarks to the Nashville crowd praised President Donald Trump for “as soon as once more supporting and coaching our troops and tending to their non secular well being.”
“So long as I’ve breath, I decide to you that I and we should always NEVER enable any group—regardless of how giant or small—to silence us from talking the capital “T” TRUTH:
Christ is King. He died for our sins. We’re forgiven. He’ll come once more in glory. Amen,” Hegseth mentioned on Thursday.
Virtually instantly after taking workplace for his second time period, Trump banned transgender people from becoming a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and in addition eliminated present transgender active-duty members from service.
One line of Hegseth’s that reportedly garnered rousing applause was the next: “You see, we prepare our troops, we now not trans our troops.”
He additionally used the pulpit to check the Trump administration’s army insurance policies to the earlier Biden administration, saying partially that “the opposite aspect is fueled by godless and poisonous ideologies, international to the western lifestyle, with tolerant hearts stuffed with rage and hate.”
“Gone is godless and divisive DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion], gone is gender-bending fairness and quotas, gone is local weather change worship to a false god,” Hegseth mentioned. “We’re one army, one preventing pressure, one nation underneath God. We aren’t, ‘In woke we belief; we’re, ‘In God we belief.”
Hegseth additionally recited the prayer earlier than Saturday’s Nationwide Governors Affiliation dinner on the White Home, saying:
“King Jesus, we come humbly earlier than Your throne praising You for all of the Windfall You could have bestowed upon this nation for over 250 years…One Nation Underneath God and, definitely, In God We Belief.”
Pentagon Involvement in Christian-Solely Providers
The colour guard’s look got here two days after the Pentagon obtained scrutiny for platforming controversial pastor Doug Wilson throughout its month-to-month Christian prayer service.
Wilson, who shared a podium with Hegseth, up to now has made questionable remarks about discouraging ladies to vote, whether or not slavery was justified, and that he would “be very happy to work with” the label as a Christian nationalist.
The White Home defended Wilson’s look after the very fact, as did Hegseth himself in social media posts. Additionally on Thursday, Hegseth defended the prayer service as an entire, saying the “left wing shrieks, which implies we’re proper over the goal.”
Other than Hegseth, Thursday’s occasion included Seth Dillon, CEO of The Babylon Bee, as a featured speaker who took the rostrum after Hegseth.
Different individuals, per the NRB, have been John Amanchukwu who mentioned a prayer described as each patriotic and praising Christian heritage tributes; Alexis Wilkins performing the nationwide anthem and America the Lovely; and Shine, Liberty College’s a cappella group, main patriotic and conventional hymns. Alexis Wilkins is the girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel.
Matthew Potter of Pray.com was additionally current to announce updates affiliated with the America Prays initiative, and Lorenzo Sewell—a pro-Trump pastor from Detroit—concluded the night with a “One Nation Underneath God” spoken phrase and shutting prayer.
The Freedom 250 Celebration included the next companions: Coral Ridge Ministries, PragerU, and WallBuilders, and it was sponsored by Liberty College’s Standing for Freedom Middle and Flash Level Army.
