As soon as he was nominated to be secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth, with his Crusader cross tattoo and his attendance at a hard-edge Calvinist church, became a natural vessel for liberal fears about that dreaded concept “Christian nationalism”.

This is a term that can be understood in two ways. The first understanding emphasises the “Christian” part and imagines nationalism as the vehicle through which conservative believers impose their doctrines on a pluralist society. That’s the vision that inspires the strongest liberal paranoia, with images of inquisitions, witch trials, the Republic of Gilead.

Donald Trump holds a Bible outside St John’s Church in Washington during his first term in June 2020.Credit: AP

But there’s a second understanding, in which “nationalism” is the controlling word and the religious modifier is the pinch of incense that makes believers comfortable with worldly deeds and choices.

With this kind of Christian nationalism, the core fault might not be too much religious moralism in politics but too little. And this second understanding often seems closer to the realities of the second Trump administration.

Start with the current controversies surrounding Hegseth — his orders to rain down death on Venezuelan boats believed to be carrying drugs and the alleged decision, in at least one instance, to ruthlessly finish off survivors.

I don’t want to say that a policy........

© The Sydney Morning Herald