Pete Hegseth's Pastor Says There's a 'Gray Area' in Marital Rape, Claims Wives Can't 'Cut Off' Husbands From Intimacy

Prominent pastor Doug Wilson, founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) — the denomination Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth belongs to — shared his controversial views on the "gray area" of marital rape.

The religious leader, 71, agreed marital rape was "wrong" but argued there were circumstances that were less clear-cut in an interview with "Uncloseted Media."

"If he forces himself on her and rapes her, then I believe that that's a sin," Wilson said, adding that while police should be called in cases of violent rape, he believes the church should deal with "non-violent rape."

Though the pastor accepted that a woman had the right to say no to her husband's sexual requests, he admitted there was a "gray area" to how long that could happen.

"Let's say she's had an absolute horrendous day, is fried, just is exhausted and says, 'Honey, please, please, no.' Does she have the right to do that? Absolutely yes, she has the right to do that," he continued. "Does she have the right to cut him off for six months? No."

Wilson claimed that if a man in his ministry told him he wasn't having s-- for months because his wife was refusing intimacy, he would tell him that she was the one who had the "problem."

"And we'd address it like, 'Look, we have to talk, you're married. You need to act like you're married,'" he added.

Wilson was then asked if a husband would be "justified" in raping his wife if she "held out" too long from having s--.

"It's not justified, but neither behavior is justified. So basically what you'd have there is a marital mess," he responded. "And both of them sinning against each other."

Wilson made national headlines after being invited by Hegseth, 46, to lead prayers at the Pentagon before the war in Iran kicked off in February.

The defense secretary has faced intense scrutiny following reports that identified him as aligned with Christian nationalist views. Critics have raised concerns that his actions and rhetoric since taking office reflect an effort to incorporate Christian ideology into military and national policy.