Hegseth said:

“[Christ’s] mission was to divide truth from lies, the things of the world from the things of God, light from darkness, good from evil."

That tells me that either he hasn't actually read the Bible or he needs to work on his reading comprehension.

Jesus described his mission in this way:

"For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

...he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose." (Luke 4:43)

"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32)

"For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost." (Luke 19:10)

"All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40)

I'm an atheist, but I was raised by evangelicals who emphasized following Christ's example as portrayed in the Gospels. I can't believe that the rabbi who commanded his followers to "turn the other cheek" and "bless those who curse you" could inspire the nationalist bullshit that is quoted from Hegseth in this article.

I'm concerned for the future of Christianity in a country that believes Hegseth and other Republican figureheads instead of their own Bible. And I'm worried about what that will mean for non-Christians in the American military and, eventually, in the rest of the country.