US conservatives rally for 'Make America Christian' event

TOI correspondent from Washington: For a country whose Constitution famously avoids mentioning Jesus Christ even once, America is suddenly looking suspiciously like it is auditioning for a biblical reboot. Thousands of cheering conservatives gathered on the Capital's National Mall on Sunday for “Rededicate 250,” an eight-hour, White House-backed prayer jamboree critics described as a giant Big MAC project: Make America Christian. There were evangelical pastors, worship bands, Bible thumpers, MAGA influencers, cabinet secretaries, conservative lawmakers and enough references to God, redemption and spiritual warfare to make medieval Europe feel under-churched. President Donald Trump addressed the crowd by video, urging Americans to “rededicate” the nation as “one nation under God,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Christianity the animating force behind the American experiment itself. “From that command, came America,” Rubio proclaimed, tracing the nation’s origins to Christianity rather than Enlightenment philosophy, anti-monarchical rebellion and a group of wig-wearing deists who spent much of their time arguing with organized religion. The event -- funded partly with taxpayer money and featuring messages from Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson -- represented the clearest expression yet of the Trump-era effort to fuse American identity with Christianity. As one wag quipped, church and state are no longer separated by a wall so much as connected by a stairway to heaven. The irony is rich. For decades, Washington lectured countries such as India and Turkey against mixing religion with nationalism, warning about “majoritarianism” and “religious revivalism.” Yet the same Washington establishment now watches as MAGA activists -- "American Taliban" -- proclaim America a Christian nation in need of spiritual reclamation. Several speakers went further still. MAGA pastor Robert Jeffress declared the Founding Fathers “would be called Christian nationalists today.” Conservative commentator Eric Metaxas informed the crowd that “the Lord waited two centuries to raise Trump,” so that he could build a ballroom, prompting applause usually reserved for touchdowns or second comings. One attendee wore a shirt proclaiming: “Jesus is my savior. Trump is my president.” Another described Trump as a divinely chosen instrument battling “globalists” and the “deep state,” a phrase which in MAGA theology increasingly appears to mean anyone with a graduate degree and functioning punctuation. All this would likely bewilder the actual Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson famously cut miracles out of his personal Bible with scissors. James Madison repeatedly warned against government entanglement with religion. George Washington spoke about morality and Providence but conspicuously avoided evangelical language. For more than two centuries, America’s presidents largely respected that distinction. Jimmy Carter taught Sunday school but did not propose a Baptist republic. Ronald Reagan courted evangelicals enthusiastically but avoided formally redefining America as explicitly Christian. Even George W. Bush maintained the traditional constitutional balancing act. Trump, however, has embraced the symbolism despite his sketchy record as an especially observant Christian. He rarely goes to church, struggles with biblical references, and once famously held a Bible upside down while posing for photographs. At “Rededicate 250,” critics noted his halting reading of a passage about humility and repentance – two concepts not generally associated with Trump. Yet evangelical Christians remain among his strongest supporters. White evangelical Protestants make up roughly 13-14 percent of the US population but form the emotional backbone of MAGA politics. Around 75 to 80 percent voted Republican in recent elections, backing Trump despite his divorces, casino ownership, and theological improvisation. Their support rests less on personal piety than political utility. Trump delivered conservative Supreme Court justices, abortion restrictions and a culture-war agenda centered on gender, immigration and secular liberalism. Now they want him to deliver a CUS -- Christian United States.