Written by Samuel Perry
Even even to his confirmation hearings in January 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s membership in the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, or CREC, attracted notice. In a more recent story, Hegseth and his pastor, Brooks Potteiger, held a prayer at the Pentagon in which they congratulated President Donald Trump, claiming that he was appointed by God.
I have examined the CREC as a Christian right scholar. Because prominent members of the church identify as Christian nationalists and because of the church’s stances on gender, sexuality, and the separation of church and state, Hegseth’s membership in a CREC-affiliated church garnered notice.
The three primary components of the CREC—churches, schools, and the media—make it easiest to understand.
What is the CREC?
A network of churches makes up the CREC church. The congregation of Doug Wilson, the pastor who established Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, is linked to it. Wilson’s father was an evangelical minister in the area where he was raised.
Wilson is the public figure most closely linked to the network of churches, having co-founded the CRECin in 1993. Christ Church serves as the central location for Moscow’s Logos Schools, Canon Press, and New Saint Andrews College. Founded by Wilson and affiliated with the Christ Church, Logos is a network of private schools and homeschooling programs, Canon Press is a publishing business and media organization, and New Saint Andrews College is a university. They all support the idea that Christians and secular society are at conflict or at war.
Wilson is the most important voice in the CREC, and the two men have talked well of each other, despite the fact that he is not Hegseth’s pastor.
By making Moscow a conservative town and founding churches outside of it, Wilson and the members of Christ Church in Moscow aimed to disseminate their message as they progressively expanded the church. Wilson says bluntly of his community, “We want to turn Moscow into a Christian town.”
Political viewpoints that deviate from CREC theology or religious diversity are rejected by CREC doctrine. The CREC states on its website that it is dedicated to upholding its Reformed faith while steering clear of the traps of political compromise and cultural relevance, which undermine our doctrinal purity.
CREC congregations understand the Bible in a very conservative and patriarchal way. According to Wilson, a woman receives, gives up, and accepts in an asexual relationship.
The idea that the Constitution’s establishment clause does not call for a separation of religion and state is part of CREC theology in a more general political sense. The establishment clause’s most widely accepted interpretation holds that religious freedom prohibits the creation of a state religion or the requirement of religious testing for public office.
In general, the CREC states that all members of the government should be Christians. This implies that only Christians are eligible to hold political office in the US, according to Wilson and members of CREC congregations.
In an interview with the Nashville Tennessean, researcher Matthew Taylor indicated that they think the church should be active in the world, reforming it, and even taking over it in some instances.
The CREC has churches both domestically and abroad, despite not having the same name recognition as some major evangelical denominations or the same level of visibility as certain megachurches. According to the CREC website, there are more than 130 churches and parishes across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America.
The CREC uses church planting to expand its network, just as various other evangelical churches. For the establishment of plant churches, a centralized governing body is not necessary. Rather, people who want to start a CREC congregation get in touch with the CREC. After that, the CREC gives people books and other resources to use in their churches.
CREC schools, home schools and colleges
Wilson’s entrepreneurship is also responsible for the CREC’s growth. Wilson established Logos, an affiliated K–12 school, in September 1981 as the church grew, and it has now developed into a network of numerous schools.
As it expands, Logos creates and markets traditional Christian curricula to homeschoolers and private schools via Logos Press. Developing what they regard as an abiblical worldview is the goal of classical Christian schools. They study religious materials as well as classical Greek and Roman literature. Their popularity has increased recently, particularly among conservatives.
The goal of Logos’ traditional Christian curriculum is to assist parents in raising obedient, risk-taking Christian children who make a difference for Christ and leave a lasting impression on the secular world. As Logos frequently claims, education is battle.
The website claims that over 2,000 students are enrolled in Logos schools in 16 different countries. Additionally, all of these schools receive their curriculum from Logos’ own press. Wilson established the Association of Classical Christian Schools in 1993 as an accreditation organization for schools that shared his beliefs, following the success of Logos. Today, the ACCS has more than 50,000 students in the US and abroad, spread throughout 500 institutions.
Wilson also established Moscow, Idaho’s New Saint Andrews College. Wilson’s classical Christian approach to education is carried into higher education at New Saint Andrews, a Christian university.
In line with other CREC institutions is New Saint Andrews College. It views secularism as a flaw in other academic institutions and society at large. According to its website, while many other universities tilt toward softness and secularism, New Saint Andrews has traditionally maintained a distinct and principled voice, defending the reality of God’s word and ways. The school does not take federal funds and is run by Christ Church elders.
CREC media
Wilson established Canon Press in addition to the Logos Press, which creates the CREC curriculum for schools. Books, podcasts, a YouTube channel, and various products including clothing and weaponry like flamethrowers are all produced by Canon Press. There are more than 100,000 subscribers to the YouTube channel.
Canon publishes anything from picture books for kids to volumes about masculinity. The idea of battle is carried over throughout other works.
Numerous works about Christian nationalism can be found on the press’s politics page. Among books on Christian nationalism, Stephen Wolfe’s The Case for Christian Nationalism is one of the most well-known. Numerous literature on Christian nationalism and media devoted to the establishment of a Christian government are available on the website.
Joe Rigney, an associate pastor at Christ Church and fellow theologian at New Saint Andrews College, cautions against the sin of empathy. Because it necessitates compromise and leaves one exposed in the struggle against evil, Rigney argues that empathy is wicked.
CREC controversies
The religious network has come under criticism and attention as it has expanded. Wilson’s 1996 book, which depicted slavery in a favorable light and asserted that it fostered racial affinity, attracted national attention.
National news coverage has also been generated by allegations of sexual abuse and the church’s response to them. Many women questioned by Vice’s Sarah Stankorb discussed a culture that tolerates sexual assault and abuse, particularly in marriage. A podcast detailing the testimonies of survivors was produced as a result of Vice’s reporting.Wilson has stated in interviews that allegations of sexual abuse will be forwarded to the appropriate authorities and denied any misconduct.
Hegseth s actions as secretary of defense concerning gender identity andbanning trans peoplefrom serving in the military, in addition tostripping gay activist and politician Harvey Milk sname from a Navy ship, have brought more attention to the CREC. Given his position as secretary of defense, I think Hegseth’s connection to the CREC will probably continue to be discussed during the Trump administration.
Samuel Perry teaches at Baylor University as an associate professor.
