(RNS) — What to make of a Christian prayer service “rededicating” America to God at the National Mall? What about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth referring to journalists as “Pharisees”?
Such questions were the focus of “One Nation Under God?,” a special live broadcast of NPR’s “1A” show in partnership with Religion News Service on Tuesday (May 19), that examined the Christian faith of America’s founders and what freedom of religion looks like in the country 250 years later.
For the discussion, journalist and host Niala Boodhoo was joined at the American University in Washington, D.C., by RNS national reporter Jack Jenkins, religious liberty lawyer and Muslim identity scholar Asma T. Uddin, Mark D. Hall of Regent University and Jeffrey Rosen of the National Constitution Center.
Here are five takeaways from the event.
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1. The National Mall prayer service showed history and Christian nationalism colliding.
“Rededicate 250,” the prayer service at the National Mall on Sunday, was funded by a public-private partnership and struck Jenkins as an effort to link the story of America’s founding to conservative Christian values.
For many participants, who came by the thousands, attending the event was also a way to reaffirm their support for President Donald Trump, who addressed the crowd via video and read from 2 Corinthians.
“There was a lot of MAGA hats and things like that, that were also sprinkled through the crowd, and that was happening alongside folks who had very emotional religious responses to this,” Jenkins said.
But despite emphasizing the Christian identity of the U.S. founders and linking it to the nation’s future, the event featured mostly speakers who ha …