Pete Hegseth's Crusader Bible (A Trick of State)

In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor considers Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's use of the English Standard Version of the Bible, patriarchy in the faith communities Hegseth has been a part of, and his Christian Nationalism. It also reveals that Hegseth's ESV Bible includes two Crusader symbols stamped onto the cover (and that match tattoos on his body): a Jerusalem Cross and the phrase "Deus Vult."

This is the second episode of "A Trick of State," a special occasional series from Dangerous Dogma. In this series, Kaylor investigates underexplored issues at the intersection of church and state that expose the false promises of Christian Nationalism. This episode includes interviews with sociologist Samuel Perry (author of Religion for Realists and coauthor of Taking America Back for God and The Flag and the Cross) and journalist Sarah Stankorb (author of Disobedient Women and the forthcoming Damned If She Does).

ABOVE: The Jerusalem Cross (left) and "Deus Vult" (right) on Pete Hegseth's Bible. (Instagram account of Rock Wall Bibles)

Here are a few pieces related to the episode:

• Study by Samuel Perry on "The Bible as a Product of Cultural Power: The Case of Gender Ideology in the English Standard Version"
• Study by Samuel Perry on "Whitewashing Evangelical Scripture: Intransitivity, Engaged Orthodoxy, and the Case of Slavery and Antisemitism in the English Standard Version"
• Coverage by Brian Kaylor on the Pentagon worship services
• Piece by Brian Kaylor on the fake story of George Washington's prayer at Valley Forge
• Article by Brian Kaylor on Hegseth's remarks at the 2026 National Prayer Breakfast

Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that helps you make sense of faith, culture, and politics. And order the new book by Brian Kaylor, The Bible According to Christian Nationalists: Exploiting Scripture for Political Power.

Previous episode of "A Trick of State": Rewriting the Ten Commandments