Inside Doug Wilson's Christian nationalist network and its ties to the Pentagon

Reporter visits Doug Wilson’s Moscow, Idaho, community, revealing how his doctrine of “biblical masculinity” influences local life and aligns with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s anti-woke military agenda.

In early May the reporter joined Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s spiritual mentor, Doug Wilson, for brunch at the pastor’s hilltop home in Moscow, Idaho, and then toured the town’s Christian nationalist enclave. Wilson, a 73-year-old pastor who founded Christ Church and the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, commands a network of schools, a publishing house and dozens of local enterprises that serve roughly 10 % of the town’s 27,000 residents.

His doctrine stresses “biblical masculinity,” hierarchical family roles and frequent corporal punishment, ideas that mirror Hegseth’s recent efforts to eliminate diversity and gender-inclusion policies in the Pentagon. Interviews with scholars, current members and former adherents reveal a community that prizes order and discipline but also faces accusations of abuse, intimidation and social ostracism. The article connects Wilson’s national speaking engagements, his influence on conservative political events and his partnership with Hegseth to a larger cultural push to reshape American religious and military norms.