WASHINGTON — The pastor from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s home church in Tennessee said last week on a podcast that he wants James Talarico to die, referring to the Texas Democratic state representative and Presbyterian seminarian who regularly discusses his Christian faith in his current bid for U.S. Senate.

Brooks Potteiger, an evangelical pastor who has been described as Hegseth’s closest spiritual adviser, repeatedly attacked Talarico on the podcast “Reformation Red Pill.” The show is hosted by Joshua Haymes, a former pastoral intern at Potteiger’s church.

After referring to the Texas Democrat as “a wolf,” a “demon,” and “a snake,” the two talked about what they hope becomes of Talarico.

“First and foremost, we pray that a man like this would be cut to the heart,” Haymes said. He said he puts Talarico in the category of “public enemies,” or those you “are not called to love.”

“This is where you have imprecatory psalms. This is where you pray strongly,” he said. “The psalmist is not shy. God, destroy them. Make them as dung on the ground.”

“I pray that God kills him,” Haymes said. “Ultimately, that means killing his heart and raising him up to new life in Christ.”

Potteiger concurred. “Right, right,” he said. “We want him crucified with Christ.”

Haymes repeated that he wants “death and new life” for Talarico. “And if it would not be within God’s will to do so, stop him by any means necessary,” he said.

At one point, the podcast host said Talarico “is the kind of guy you pray imprecatory psalms against. And I mean that actually.” An imprecatory psalm is a biblical song or prayer that invokes God’s judgment, curses or destruction upon enemies.

“Yep,” Potteiger said in response.

You can watch their exchange here, which begins around the 15:53 mark:

Requests for comment were not immediately returned from the Defense Department, Talarico’s campaign or Potteiger’s church, Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship.

The defense secretary has appeared on at least four episodes of the “Reformation Red Pill” podcast, and has reportedly endorsed the show on several occasions.

Last May, Hegseth brought Potteiger to the Pentagon to lead a prayer service, during which he hailed Trump as a divinely appointed leader. At the time, the defense secretary said he wanted to make the prayer service a monthly event in the government building.

Potteiger’s church, which is based in a Nashville suburb, is part of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, an archconservative network of Christian congregations. The governing documents of these churches dictate that leadership roles are reserved for men, that homosexuality is “unbiblical,” and that women should not serve in combat roles in the military.

It’s not surprising the Texas Democrat has gotten under the skin of Potteiger.

Talarico, a 36-year-old rising star in the Democratic Party, has clashed with President Donald Trump over his vision of progressive politics rooted in his Christian faith. He has argued that the religious right has distorted Christianity, and emphasized Jesus’ teachings about helping the vulnerable and welcoming strangers versus drilling down on divisive issues like abortion.

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