On August 12, 2025, a video interview with Pastor Doug Wilson, a self-described Christian nationalist leader based in Idaho, ignited a firestorm across social media platforms and political circles. The CNN segment, which quickly went viral, featured Wilson and fellow pastors from Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, expressing provocative views on women’s suffrage, gender roles, and the role of Christianity in American government. But the controversy didn’t stop at the church doors. When U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared the video on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption, "All of Christ for All of Life," the backlash intensified, raising pointed questions about the intersection of faith, politics, and women’s rights at the highest levels of government.
Wilson, who has spent the last five decades building an evangelical empire that now spans more than 150 Congregation of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) across four continents, did not mince words in the interview. "In my ideal society, we would vote as households," he told CNN, describing a system where the male head of the family would cast the vote after consulting with his household. Another pastor echoed this sentiment, stating, "I would support that, and I’d support it on the basis that the atomization that comes with our current system is not good for humans." Both men were explicit in their advocacy for a patriarchal society in which women would not have the right to vote.
The CNN segment also highlighted Wilson’s broader vision: a Christian nation governed by what he sees as biblical principles. According to CNN, Wilson advocated for the criminalization of sodomy, the expectation that women submit to their husbands, and the exclusion of women from combat roles in the military. These views, once relegated to the fringes of American religious discourse, have gained fresh attention and, some argue, new traction within certain corners of the Republican Party.
Kristin Du Mez, a historian at Calvin University and author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation, told CNN that Wilson’s moment in the spotlight is no accident. "He was a fairly fringe figure, but this moment was really his moment," Du Mez explained. "He signaled and gave permission to others that they didn’t need to hide some of their more controversial views, such as, should women have the vote?" According to Du Mez, Wilson’s rise has paralleled the ascendancy of Donald Trump and the increasing willingness of some conservative Christians to publicly embrace hardline stances on gender and governance.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s public endorsement of the video brought the controversy directly into the halls of power. As reported by The 19th and NPR, Hegseth is a "proud member of a church affiliated with the Congregation of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), which was founded by Pastor Doug Wilson." Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed, "The Secretary very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings." Hegseth and his family even attended the inaugural service at Christ Church’s new Washington, D.C., location in July 2025, underscoring his close ties to the movement.
Public reaction was swift and fierce. Social media platforms, especially Reddit and X, erupted with criticism. One widely shared comment observed, "There are nearly 230,000 women in the armed forces. Their boss just told them they shouldn't vote." Another user wrote, "If politicians don’t want me to vote, then they can give me back most of the tens of thousands of dollars of taxes I've paid over the decades. If I'm paying their salaries, then I absolutely get to vote in their elections." Hillary Clinton weighed in, warning, "You know how people called women hysterical for predicting the right wing would take down Roe v. Wade (which they've done) and then attack access to birth control (which they're doing)? Hear me when I say that women's very right to vote is next."
This isn’t the first time the idea of repealing the 19th Amendment—which grants women the right to vote—has surfaced on the American right. According to CNN and The 19th, the hashtag #repealthe19th went viral in the leadup to the 2016 presidential election after data suggested Donald Trump would win if only men voted. Several Republican-aligned figures have publicly flirted with the idea. In a 2023 podcast, Trump nominee Paul Ingrassia responded approvingly to a host’s assertion that women shouldn’t vote. Former Michigan congressional candidate John Gibbs, now a federal official, was found to have criticized women’s suffrage while at Stanford, arguing it had expanded government unnecessarily.
Despite the noise, the Public Religion Research Institute reports that only 1 in 10 Americans in 2024 qualified as Christian nationalism adherents. Ryan Dawkins, a political scientist at Carleton College, told CNN that while Christian nationalism hasn’t grown in absolute numbers, it has become increasingly concentrated within the Republican Party over the past two decades. "Christian nationalism is almost non-existent within the Democratic Party today, at least among White Democrats," Dawkins noted.
Still, experts warn that the current climate is reminiscent of past periods of conservative backlash, particularly the 1960s and 1970s. Kelly Marino, a historian at Sacred Heart University, explained to CNN, "If you look at the way things played out in the past, we have this very liberal period followed by a conservative backlash. That’s what’s going on now." She noted that the resurgence of traditional gender ideals—sometimes called "tradwives"—and the popularity of radical Christianity among some young people echo earlier cycles in American history.
Joseph Slaughter, a Wesleyan University historian, cautioned against overstating Wilson’s influence but acknowledged the significance of his ideas gaining currency in mainstream discourse. "He delights in upsetting people or saying transgressive, un-PC things," Slaughter said. "Ten years ago, when he posted a video talking about man’s biblical duties—people just sort of yawned and dismissed him. Now, he’s saying things and they’re gaining more currency because of some of this other new right-wing masculinity and the online manosphere." Slaughter raised concerns about the impact of Wilson’s teachings on Hegseth, especially given the military’s ongoing debates about women’s roles in combat and leadership.
The controversy has also prompted reflection on the broader implications for American democracy. Critics argue that head-of-household voting, as advocated by Wilson and others, has historically disenfranchised women and people of color by consolidating political power in the hands of male heads of households. The debate has laid bare the enduring tensions between religious conservatism, gender equality, and pluralistic democracy.
As the dust settles, one thing is clear: the conversation sparked by Wilson’s interview and Hegseth’s endorsement is far from over. Whether this moment marks a turning point or a passing controversy, it has forced the nation to grapple—once again—with fundamental questions about who gets to participate in American democracy and on what terms.
