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Akbar Novruz

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US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has faced criticism over a new military recruitment tour that draws on biblical scripture, after he invoked the Book of Isaiah while addressing students at Texas A&M University.

Hegseth launched the “Send Me Tour” during his visit to Texas A&M on September 19. The name refers to Isaiah 6:8 in the Old Testament, in which the prophet Isaiah responds to God’s question about whom to send by saying, “Here am I. Send me.”

Addressing the university’s Corps of Cadets, Hegseth connected the biblical passage with the history of US military service.

“For 250 years of this country, there have been men and women who raised their right hand and said, ‘Send me,’” Hegseth said.

“Send me to go fight the Redcoats. Send me to go fight the Communists. Send me to go fight the Islamists,” he added.

Hegseth then called on Americans to continue volunteering for military service in response to threats facing the country.

“If we don’t have Texans like these out there on the front lines, we don’t have a republic,” he said, urging people to say, “Send me. I’ll serve something greater than myself, God and country.”

The use of biblical language in a military recruitment setting has drawn criticism from religious and civil-liberties groups in the United States.

Methodist pastor Benjamin Cremer described Hegseth’s remarks as a violation of the First Amendment and accused him of using scripture to portray military service as a form of religious crusade.

“This is not only a blatant violation of the 1st amendment, it is blasphemous and taking the Lord’s name in vain. He is using scripture to frame military service as a kind of Christian religious crusade,” Cremer wrote.

“This is Christian extremism. If a radical Muslim military leader was doing this in another country, using the Quran to stoke commitment to a holy war among young recruits, the condemnation from American Christians would be swift and severe. The hypocrisy is astounding,” he added.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State also criticized Hegseth’s use of Isaiah 6:8 at a public university, arguing that the remarks reflected an effort to frame government service in explicitly biblical terms.

Isaiah is a major prophetic figure in Judaism and Christianity. Although he is not explicitly named in the Quran, Islamic tradition and later Islamic literature have also associated him with prophecy.

The “Send Me Tour” is part of the Trump administration’s broader military outreach efforts. The Department of War said ahead of Hegseth’s Texas visit that he would meet with the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets and visit the university’s Veterans Resource Center.