The TRUTH About Pete Hegseth's Pastor (His Mother Goes Public)
Sons of Patriarchy
Peter Bell & Sarah Bader
4.2 • 649 Ratings
🗓️ 9 February 2026
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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They Called Her Bitter: https://www.instagram.com/theycalledherbitter/
Deconstruction Doulas: https://www.deconstructiondoulas.com
Our NEW weekly series launches on February 16 with David French of The New York Times!
They Called Her Bitter, another weekly series in the SoP universe, with Sarah Bader of Sons of Patriarchy and Margaret Bronson of Deconstruction Doulas, launches February 19!
Gwen's Facebook post on her son Brooks and the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth: https://www.facebook.com/gwen.k.harris/posts/pfbid02AqEszuyGSBV87XzhAezQoXwT3CQD6MoVPV6Z6mbpjZ8ryKN1SVNSGkGoarc4bd3Ql?rdid=FldGczPObipCBKph
Summary
In this special episode of Sons of Patriarchy, Peter Bell interviews Gwen Harris, the mother of Brooks Potteiger (recently appointed pastor of Christ Kirk D.C., where Pete Hegseth attends), a pastor influenced by Doug Wilson's teachings. Gwen shares her perspective on Brooks' transformation from a caring individual to someone who embodies patriarchal values, and the impact of these changes on their family dynamics. She discusses the troubling parenting styles she witnessed, the decision to report suspected abuse to Child Protective Services, and the challenges of navigating a divided family. Throughout the conversation, Gwen emphasizes the importance of prayer, truth, and the hope for redemption for her son and others caught in similar situations.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Special Episode
03:01 Gwen's Relationship with Brooks Potterger
06:13 Brooks' Transformation and Influence of Doug Wilson
08:54 The Impact of Parenting Styles on Children
12:06 Witnessing Abuse and the Decision to Report
14:59 The Emotional Toll of Reporting
17:57 Consequences of Reporting and Family Dynamics
33:05 Support from Law Enforcement
36:33 The Role of CPS in Family Dynamics
37:02 Advocating for Children in Crisis
39:32 Influence of Doug Wilson on Family Dynamics
43:56 The Impact of High-Profile Relationships (with Pete Hegseth)
48:57 A Mother's Plea for Redemption
54:53 Navigating Family Relationships in Crisis
Keywords
Doug Wilson, Brooks Potteiger, Gwen Harris, Pete Hegseth, Sons of Patriarchy, church abuse, parenting, Christian teachings, family dynamics, child protection, religious influence
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | All right. So this is a special episode you can call it of Sons Patriarchy. |
| 0:06.1 | And the reason I say special is this was actually kicked off or started by a Facebook post. |
| 0:14.2 | I posted about a weekish ago, sometime early in January. |
| 0:22.5 | We're not sure when this is going to come out. |
| 0:26.5 | Probably come out in a few weeks after the recording. But it was right after Doug Wilson posted that a new pastor for the Christchurch, D.C. church plants. They call it a service of Christchurch, |
| 0:33.9 | Moscow. Everybody knows this is the church church plant and they tried making odds and ends |
| 0:37.8 | about that. I was like, I know, I know we're formed in Presbyterian polity about as well as you |
| 0:41.5 | guys do. So this is a church plant. But the reason why I post about this is the pastor who is |
| 0:48.5 | taking over for Christchurch, D.C. has been there multiple times, I think has preached there more than any other |
| 0:55.4 | C.R.C. or non-C. pastor. And he's current slash former pastor. It didn't say when he's |
| 1:05.2 | actually taking over. It just said that he's taking over. But Brooks Podiger. And so we have a special guest who has a special relationship with Brooks |
| 1:15.2 | Parker who replied to the post and then reposted on her own Facebook page and then |
| 1:20.2 | message me and then message a few other people, at least one organization that we're |
| 1:24.8 | aware of that's connected with us. |
| 1:26.6 | And she's been following us for quite a while. |
| 1:29.0 | So if you can introduce yourself and then your relationship to the new pastor of Christchurch, D.C., |
| 1:36.3 | and people might know of that church because Pete Hanksat, the Secretary of Defense, is their most, I guess you can call prominent member of Christchurch, D.C., |
| 1:46.6 | and it was planted by Christchurch, Mosul. |
| 1:48.1 | So there's all this, all this stuff that comes around this. |
| 1:51.4 | But yeah, introduce yourself and your relationship to the new pastor. |
| 1:56.2 | Yes, well, thank you, Peter. |
| 1:57.5 | My name is Gwen Harris, and I happen to be Brooks Podiger's mom and know everything |
... |
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