Hegseth Pastor Says Women Can't Lead, Jews Killed Jesus

CNN has tied Hegseth to a right-wing pastor, but there's another one teaching Hegseth and other cabinet members

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Secretary of State Pete Hegseth isn’t just tied to one controversial pastor. CNN Chief Investigative Correspondent Pamela Brown recently got an interview with Christ Church Senior Pastor Doug Wilson, reporting that Hegseth is one of his parishioners. But Wilson’s not Hegseth’s only pastor.

Brown reported that Wilson’s influence in Washington is growing. Wilson’s beliefs include far-right, fundamentalist Christian views on LGBTQ+ people and the submission of women to men at home, in the church, and elsewhere. Brown’s report included Wilson’s opposition to women in combat roles and some leadership positions.

Hegseth shared Brown’s report, adding, “All of Christ for All of Life.” The phrase is a slogan urging Christians to honor their religious views in everything they do. Hegseth’s oath of office requires him, of course, to uphold and defend the Constitution, which prohibits government respect for an establishment of religion.

According to Brown’s report, Wilson has more than 150 churches around the world.

But there’s another pastor who doesn’t just believe right-wing interpretations of The Bible, he teaches them to some of the most powerful people on the planet, including limitations on women’s rights and power, homophobia, and antisemitism. Unlike Wilson, this pastor doesn’t teach these lessons in churches, but in the seats of government power. Including executive offices of the White House and in Congress.

Capitol Ministries founder Ralph Drollinger’s weekly Bible studies in the House and Senate are sponsored by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).

Drollinger’s weekly White House Bible study began in Pres. Donald Trump’s first term under the auspices of Vice President Mike Pence.

They returned to the White House in February, this time spearheaded by Project 2025 co-architect Russell Vought, the Office of Management and Budget director, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

The Pentagon confirmed to me that Hegseth attends. Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said, “The Secretary has attended Bible study with other cabinet members multiple times while in DC.”

Others involved include Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The only Democrat known to attend is Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), who has helped Drollinger recruit members of Congress.

Hegseth has been sponsoring Drollinger’s weekly study guides since May 26, 2025.

Excerpt from May 26, 2025, Capitol Ministries study guide listing administration sponsors, including Hegseth, in the right-hand column. (Screengrab / Capitol Ministries PDF.)

Drollinger’s Bible-study lessons since Hegseth and other administration leaders joined have included:

• “Ten Characteristics of a Godly Woman,”

• Biblical opposition to government help for the needy,

• Biblical opposition to compassion for immigrants,

• Biblical support for America siding with Israel, and

• The ancient smear that Israel, the Jewish people, killed Jesus.

When I first reported that Drollinger said — in his study guides and in a June 17 video — that the Jews killed Jesus, the pro-Israel, pro-peace advocacy group J Street responded forcefully.

J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami gave me a statement condemning the Bible study, which we also discussed in a video chat. Ben-Ami’s statement said, in part:

“While the administration continues to target individuals for protected speech and infringes on academic freedom over claims of antisemitism, they refuse to reckon with the antisemitism in their own ranks…

“Whether it be their bible study lessons or their staffers with extensive histories of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories, the Trump administration must stop their cynical use of antisemitism as justification for their unrelated policy priorities and take action to hold their staffers accountable.”

Like Wilson, Drollinger believes The Bible prohibits women from holding some leadership roles within the church. (This was not an uncommon view historically, and is still held by the Catholic Church, and some denominations in the Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim faiths.) Capitol Ministries has no female Bible study leaders.

In the lead-up to Mother’s Day this year, Drollinger revived his old “Godly Woman” guide. Its admonitions — sent and taught to leaders in the administration and Congress — include:

• “…the primary role of the wife in marriage is to build and establish the family/home while the husband works outside as the breadwinner.”

• “Not only does she prioritize care for her husband and children, not only is she knowledgeable, wise, and understanding of God’s specific call on her life, but she invests far more time cognizant of those God-ordained purposes than ‘playing,’ or being self-absorbed in trivial events so prevalent in our society today (such as the multi-faceted forms of entertainment available today).”

• “A godly woman does not dress in public in ways ungodly, suggestive, slovenly, or slipshod… She has class.”

• “She’s not rigid and legalistic nor is her speech self-centered, harsh, or gossipy; rather, she’s kind and gracious, easy, and genuine. As a result, she is a pleasure to be around.”

Drollinger does not oppose women working. He just says their families must take priority.

In fact, he sees some good in women working, because of what happens when women are idle. Drollinger cites churches where the elders’ wives can’t work: “They are characteristically busybodies.” Which brings us to Drollinger’s don’ts for women, specifically the types of women he calls “Eight Bad Babes of the Bible.”

These include “licentious” women, and women like Eve who were “deceivable.” Instead of being “contentious,” Drollinger writes, “godly women will be submissive to their husbands.”

Drollinger gives conditional approval for women holding leadership roles in government. “I do not see any New Testament (NT) prohibition for women’s leading in the institution of government,” he writes, “so long as their family remains the priority.”

Hegseth opposed letting women take combat roles in the U.S. military but dropped that position when it threatened to cost him Senate confirmation as secretary of defense.

Last month, however, The Atlantic’s Chrissy Ryan reported that Hegseth has launched a review of physical standards for combat roles. Defense Department documents Ryan obtained foresee “a new review on Women in Combat (training/warfighting) Study.”

He also has purged women from multiple leadership roles in the Pentagon for no apparent reason related to performance or cause.

Drollinger’s organization, Capitol Ministries, claims operations in 43 U.S. state capitals, and in national capitals around the world.

Map of U.S. Capitol Ministries operations. (Screengrab / Capitol Ministries website.)

Drollinger has said explicitly that his goal is to influence how policy-shapers wield power. According to Thune, among others, it works.

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I’m a veteran journalist and TV news producer who’s worked at MSNBC — as co-creator of Up w/ Chris Hayes and senior producer for Countdown with Keith Olbermann — CNN, ABCNews, The Daily Show, Air America Radio, and TYT. My original reporting on Substack is made possible by a handful of paid subscribers. Thank you.