The ultraconservative pastor behind the US Secretary of War

The ultraconservative pastor behind the US Secretary of War

July 12, 2026 · 31 min

About this episode

The episode explores the influence of ultraconservative pastor Doug Wilson on US foreign policy amidst the Iran war.

As the Iran war reignites, there's a hidden figure influencing the American side . In an exclusive interview for The Times, Pete Hegseth’s pastor Doug Wilson says the conflict in Iran is a righteous battle against Muslims, homosexuality is evil, and women who dress immodestly are sluts. How is this ultraconservative influencing US foreign policy? And could we see his brand of Christianity in the UK? This podcast contains mention of some topics listeners may find offensive. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guest: George Grylls, Washington correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana.  Producer: Olivia Case. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more:   Pete Hegseth’s pastor: ‘Women who dress immodestly are sluts’ Further listening: Trump v the Supreme Court and Fi and Jane interivew Pastor Wilson Clips:  PBS, CNN, New Founding Podcast / YouTube, Pulp Fiction / Quentin Tarantino / Mirimax, The Independent, Blog&Mablog / YouTube, Daniel Foucachon / YouTube.  Photo: Dominic Gwinn / Zuma Press. Hosted on Acast. See…

People in this episode

Host: Manveen Rana

Guest: George Grylls

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Times, The Sunday Times, PBS, CNN, New Founding Podcast, The Independent, Blog&Mablog

Books & works: Pulp Fiction

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