No, the Jerusalem Cross is not a symbol of white supremacy or Nazism.

Under normal circumstances, this statement is self-evident. Everyone — literally everyone — knows the cross is first and foremost a Christian symbol. But these aren't normal circumstances.

'Deus Vult' and the Jerusalem cross are uniquely Christian media with over 1,000 years of use among Christians.

In the days following Pete Hegseth's defense secretary nomination, bad-faith critics have attacked Hegseth for two specifically Christian tattoos on his body.

The first, on his right bicep, is a tattoo of the words, "Deus Vult," which in ecclesiastical Latin means "God wills it." The second tattoo, located on his chest, is of the Jerusalem cross.

The Jerusalem cross is a large cross surrounded by four smaller crosses in each of the "quadrants" created by the larger cross. Some believe the five crosses represent the wounds Jesus Christ suffered on the cross while others believe the large cross represents Christ and the smaller four crosses represent the four Gospel authors. Still others believe the symbol represents the gospel message spreading to the four corners of the world.

A Jerusalem cross on the cover of a copy of the Book of Common Prayer.Image source: Chris Enloe/Blaze Media

It is important to remember that "Deus Vult" and the Jerusalem cross are uniquely Christian media with over 1,000 years of use among Christians.

And yet, Hegseth's critics — or, more broadly, critics of President-elect Donald Trump, conservatives, and Christians — are now trying to associate "Deus Vult" and the Jerusalem cross with so-called Christian nationalism, the Christian "far right," white supremacy, and Nazism.

The absurdity of the accusations reached a hysterical climax on social media over the weekend.

A man named Matthew Stokes went viral when he promised to pay $5 to "any standard evangelical over the age of 40" if they could prove to him that "the Jerusalem cross was a normal symbol of their faith upbringing."

It turns out that Stokes has a lot of money to disburse because his post went viral when thousands of people did exactly what he requested.

The end result is that Stokes proved the exact opposite outcome than the one he intended: The responses that his post generated proved the Jerusalem cross is not only a normal Christian symbol but that it's an ecumenical one too.

Presbyterians use it. Publishers use it. Catholics use it. Lutherans use it. Communion wafers are imprinted with it. Coptic Christians use it. Episcopalians and Anglicans use it. It's used in jewelry. The Greek Orthodox use it. Vestments use it.

The Jerusalem cross is clearly a ubiquitous symbol among Christians of all churches and denominations. Attempts to tarnish it as a symbol of racism or Nazism not only fail, but they're actually an attack against all well-meaning Christians who display their faith allegiance through symbols like the Jerusalem cross.

The attacks, as Vice President-elect JD Vance said, are "disgusting anti-Christian bigotry."

Christians are not Nazis. Christians are not white supremacists. Christians are not racist.

Fortunately, the "anti-Christian bigotry" that Vance identified will no longer exist within the Defense Department under Hegseth's leadership.

"They can target me — I don’t give a damn — but this type of targeting of Christians, conservatives, patriots and everyday Americans will stop on DAY ONE at DJT’s DoD," Hegseth promised.