This Sunday, May 16, there will be if not the largest Chrisitan gathering in American history, certainly one of the largest–and it will take place on the National Mall all day as part of the celebration of the 250th year of the nation’s founding. The Washington Post covered the story today (Thursday, May 14) noting that part of the funding will come from U.S. taxpayers. The Post also quoted the senior faith adviser to the White House, the Reverand Paula White-Cain, as saying that the event is “about the history and foundations of our nation, which was built on Chrisitan values, and on the Bible…This is really, truly rededicating the country to God.” Rubio, Hegseth, and the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, will be among the several dozen featured speakers, who according to the Post will mostly emphasize evangelical Christianity.

Really? The founding fathers were evangelical Christians? That is not what I learned in my American history classes at Davidson College nor in my church history classes at Union Seminary in New York. Good heavens, they were mostly Deists! They believed in a “clockmaker God,” mainly a “hands-off God” vis a vis human life on Earth. The founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves.

But don’t take my word for it. If you ask AI, this is what you get:

Whether America was founded as a Christian nation is a subject of intense debate, but most historians agree it was not established as a Christian nation in a legal or constitutional sense. While many founders were Christians and Christianity influenced the culture, the Constitution is secular, containing no mention of God or Christianity, and it separates church and state.

Key Aspects of the Debate

• Constitutional Silence: The U.S. Constitution (1787) does not mention God or Christianity, and the First Amendment prohibits the establishment of a state religion.
• The Treaty of Tripoli (1796): This document, approved unanimously by the Senate and signed by President John Adams, states that “the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion”.
• Religious Beliefs of Founders: The founders held a mix of beliefs, ranging from orthodox Christian to Deist or Unitarian. Many were religious, but they specifically did not create a formal Christian state.
• Cultural Influence vs. Legal Basis: While Christian morality influenced many founders and many states had religious requirements, the federal structure was designed to be neutral on religious matters.

The consensus among scholars is that the United States was founded as a pluralistic nation with religious freedom, not as an official Christian state.

So, there you have it. The United States of America was not founded as a “Christian nation.” And thank God for that! When countries have claimed Divine Providence, they have gotten into trouble. Think about the Crusades, the Thirty Years War in Europe where Catholics and Protestants were killing each other and millions died, the New England witch hunts, and the theocracy in Iran today. Moreover, the evangelical Christianity that dominates right wing political fervor in America today is a newbie. It did not really emerge as a major force until after World War II and did not get politicized or identified with right wing politics until the 1970s.

More from AI:

Modern evangelical Christianity began to take shape during the 18th-century Great Awakening revivals (1730s–1740s), though its defining, organized modern form emerged post-World War II around 1942–1947. It evolved from earlier Protestant reformation, Pietism, and Puritan traditions to emphasize personal conversion, biblical authority, and active missionary work.

Key perspectives on the origins of the movement:
• The 18th Century (Roots): Many historians trace the movement to the First Great Awakening in Britain and America, led by figures such as George Whitefield and John Wesley, which championed a “born-again” experience.
• The 1940s (Modern Movement): Modern evangelicalism, often called “neo-evangelicalism,” emerged as a distinct movement from fundamentalism around 1942, marked by the rise of figures like Billy Graham.
• The 1970s (Political Emergence): Some perspectives identify the “modern” evangelical movement with its rise as a powerful political force in the US during the late 1960s and early 1970s, reacting to shifting cultural norms.

What is most concerning about modern evangelical Christianity is its embrace of Donald J Trump and its devotion to this person almost as if he were a spiritual leader in addition to being a political leader. Trump is a faux political populist who appeals to people who are not happy campers regarding modernity and the hand they have been dealt, many of whom are part of the white working class. The relationship between Trump and the MAGA evangelicals is a “Faustian bargain,” defined as “a pact in which people sacrifice their moral integrity, values, or soul to a demonic power in exchange for worldly benefits like power, knowledge, or wealth.” Trump’s appeal to these people was–and is–his populist pledge to lower the cost of living, stay clear of forever wars, and bring down the social and political elites, which is to say, people like me. I am sad to say in some ways they are right. We libs embrace of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” feels like a slap in their face. Trump has cast himself as their savior. His appeal can be explained by “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

The Faustian bargain also holds true for the Republican elected officials who fear being “primaried out” if they do not support Trump. Whatever happened to Republicans as being conservative, self-reliant, free trade advocates, champions for a strong military and balanced budgets? Their Faustian bargain is to fall in line, and their reward is to keep their jobs. And ditto for the superrich who support Trump in order to get the tax breaks and federal contracts they have been awarded.

So, what is happening with evangelical Christianity is part of a larger picture. What is happening falls into the category of human nature rather than religious faith. That does not make it any more appealing to people like me who still attend church despite my somewhat skeptical theology. I shake my head when I see what is happening in much of American Christianity. I understand why it is happening but cannot accept it as legitimate Christianity. Shame on Trump! And shame on the MAGAs and evangelical leaders who have drunk the faux populist cool aid! Shame on the Republican elected officials who have made the Faustian bargain to keep their jobs!

Who knows where this madness will end? Or what kind of religious faith is likely to emerge in this volatile period we are now in? If you are a believer in the universal power of prayer and in a Divine Spirit that is real but beyond human understanding, it is time to get down on your knees.

Visit me on Substack!
Subscribe to my Substack!