Pete Hegseth for SecDef

“Shame says you made a mistake and you ARE the mistake. Godly guilt means you failed but you are NOT a failure.” – Os Hillman

I spent my lunch hour yesterday watching the Senate confirmation hearings for Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth. For four hours and 15 minutes, he faced a barrage of questions about his positions on DEI in the military, women in combat, and a host of other pertinent issues.

All the Republican senators thanked Hegseth for his military service, praised his patriotism and priorities, and promised their support. However, it was an entirely different story when the Democrat senators had the floor.

One after another, they focused on Hegseth’s past battles with alcohol and some anonymous allegations about his personal behavior. Somehow, Pete maintained his poise while expertly rebuffing their attacks. I guess his combat experience – as well as his media background with FOX News – came in handy.

Pete Hegseth candidly admitted that he used to drink too much alcohol and that he engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior as a single man. He has also answered people who claim that his past behavior should disqualify him to serve as SecDef by saying that he is not the same man today that he was before… and that he gives all the credit for that transformation to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I must admit that I couldn’t have kept my cool under fire the way Pete Hegseth did during the confirmation hearing. Having my name and reputation impugned – and my past failures magnified under a media microscope for political purposes – would have made me extremely hot under the collar.

The thing that bothered me the most about the hearing was this: having run for office three times myself and having been around politicians for the past 20 years, I can assure you that very few of them have lily-white backgrounds. In fact, if what they have said and done behind closed doors was ever made public, many of them would be forced to resign in disgrace. And yet, they have the arrogance and audacity to act like they are as innocent as a newborn baby.

My friend, we have all done things in our past of which we are ashamed. Thankfully, those things are now “under the blood” and God has forgiven us of each and every one of them. So don’t let sanctimonious hypocrites – or Satan for that matter – constantly remind you about your shortcomings. Instead, pray for your critics and remind Satan of his eternal destination.

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.” John 8:7b (BSB)

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President