(ANALYSIS) Thousands of Americans prayed on the National Mall on May 17, during “Rededicate 250”: a day-long rally to “come together in prayer and worship ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday,” as organizers described it. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, one of many Republican politicians and conservative Christian leaders to speak, led a prayer to “rededicate the United States of America as one nation under God.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) President Donald Trump had a really interesting idea: Identify the 250 greatest Americans of all time on the 250th anniversary of the United States. There could have been a lively nationwide discussion, perhaps with a festival of varied experts and online balloting. Instead, some unknown process produced Trump’s designation of 192 men and 52 women.
Read More(ANALYSIS) “Rededicate 250” was billed as a prayer rally celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. But the event on the National Mall also became a revealing snapshot of how faith, politics and national identity are increasingly intertwined during the Trump era.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As July 4, approaches, Americans will be paying more attention than usual to events of 1776: the year the American Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. Public historians, including filmmaker Ken Burns, have tried to offer a more inclusive view of the American Revolution, highlighting lesser-known patriots.
Read MoreThe Liberty Bell symbolizes American freedom, rooted in Scripture and shaped by Pennsylvania’s Quaker ideals. Its inscription from Leviticus reflects Jewish teachings on justice and freedom, while Quaker beliefs in equality and tolerance influenced the nation’s founding principles, leaving a lasting moral framework as the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As the United States approaches its 250th birthday this summer, the fight over “Rededicate 250” underscores a deeper question about the future of American democracy: Can a nation that is religiously diverse maintain a shared civic identity without elevating one tradition — in this case Christianity — above all others?
Read MoreIn just a few days, crowds are expected to descend on Washington for an explicitly Christian event, celebrating the U.S. 250th anniversary. Later this month, many churches will swap hymns for patriotic songs and dress their sanctuary in American flags, mingling patriotism and Christianity. When do these patriotic actions cross over into Christian Nationalism?
Read More(ANALYSIS) Perhaps even more importantly, the Cherokee Bible offers insight into Cherokee-specific meanings, interpretations of spiritual concepts and a benchmark for understanding how the language has changed. Though the history of the relationship between Christian missionaries and Indigenous people is complex, this historic text is supporting an impressive contemporary wave of cultural renewal.
Read MoreTo fully understand Atlanta, you have to look beyond its highways and glass towers, back to the broader history of Georgia and its unusual role during colonial America. In that earlier era, a quiet but consequential force — religious diversity — helped shape a mindset that would eventually contribute to the movement for independence in 1776.
Read More(ANALYSIS) All this has happened even as President Donald Trump has emphasized a particular idea of religious liberty throughout his second term. In his proclamation for Religious Freedom Day in 2026, he emphasized familiar ideas of Americans’ “God-given right to practice their faith, follow their conscience, and worship their God freely and without fear.” But the statement also seemed to reflect a broader project of lending government support to Christianity.
Read MoreThe pursuit of virtue and liberty ought to be at the center of American policymaking. What’s changed — especially among conservative lawmakers — in recent years? Matthew Peterson interviewed Stephanie Slade, senior editor of Reason magazine and author of the upcoming book “Fusionism” to find out.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Knowing what the declaration actually says, and how its first listeners reacted, might not sway Americans at the extremes. It provides evidence for less polarizing, more nuanced views about the founding generation’s convictions and compromises as Americans commemorate their nation’s 250th anniversary.
Read MoreTucked within the settlement’s remains stands the Jamestown Church Tower, its weathered bricks rising above the landscape like a sentinel. It’s the last visible remnant of a series of churches that once anchored the colony’s spiritual life. As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Jamestown is a reminder of what helped to create a new nation.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, debates about religious freedom continue to occupy the center of American public life.
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