All posts tagged: 250th anniversary

Christian nationalism isn’t a MAGA aberration. Historian Matthew Sutton says it’s the whole American story.

Christian nationalism isn’t a MAGA aberration. Historian Matthew Sutton says it’s the whole American story.

Published by Sam Flores

(FāVS News) — America is largely a Christian nation but it’s complicated, argues Matthew Avery Sutton in his new book, “Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity.”  The book claims to be a 500-year historic survey of Christianity in America just in time for the nation’s 250th anniversary, which marks the signing of the Declaration of Independence. “I started off with the question … ‘Why are Americans more Christian than our peer nations?’” Sutton said, adding that his goal was to explain historically why that matters. “The book was my effort to go back into the archives, go back into the sources and try to figure out what it is that’s unique or distinctive about the United States and its history that has led us to today.” With 20 years of professional work at the intersection of religion and politics, Sutton now chairs Washington State University’s history department. Prior to “Chosen Land,” he wrote five other history books that focus on specific areas of American Christianity, including “American Apocalypse: A History of …

America’s founding promise of religious freedom has long coexisted with prejudice, even as many Christians have worked to confront it

America’s founding promise of religious freedom has long coexisted with prejudice, even as many Christians have worked to confront it

Published by Sam Flores

(The Conversation) — As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its independence, old questions have returned about who belongs and whose religious practices are truly protected in the country. At the start of the year, an arson attack significantly damaged the oldest synagogue in Mississippi. Two days later, local officials in Oklahoma rejected a proposal to build a mosque after opponents declared Islam “hostile to our Constitution.” A Texas GOP congressman complained on social media that a Hindu festival was a “third world” practice. These incidents come amid resurgent claims that the United States is a Christian nation. 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. The proclamation linked support for religious …

At 250, Congress must act to protect our fundamental freedoms 

At 250, Congress must act to protect our fundamental freedoms 

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — The White House is beginning to unveil a myriad of events highlighting the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. This should be a year for celebrating the core values of democracy and freedom for which generations of Americans have struggled and for which we continue to strive. It should be a time for honestly reflecting on our history as a country — the good and the bad — and recommitting ourselves to the principles of equality for all and government of, by and for the people.    Unfortunately, 250 years after the founding of this country, some of our most fundamental freedoms are at risk. It is time Congress acts to protect them.    For people of many different faiths, including Quakers like me, religious freedom is one of the most important principles upon which our country was founded. Early Quakers migrated to this continent seeking freedom for their beliefs and the right to worship and practice their faith without persecution. This includes our belief in the inherent sacredness of all …

White House’s religious liberty push is exactly what James Madison feared

White House’s religious liberty push is exactly what James Madison feared

Published by Sam Flores

(The Conversation) — 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. Since taking office for a second time, the Trump administration has issued a number of executive orders on religion that raise new questions about religious freedom. On May 1, 2025, the administration established the Religious Liberty Commission. The commission will advise the White House on policies intended to protect the free exercise of religion and to prevent discrimination against people of faith by the federal government. The administration has also issued executive orders to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” and to broaden protections against religious discrimination across federal agencies. Some scholars argue that these actions signal a broad effort to reshape how religious freedom is interpreted and practiced, with a pronounced emphasis on favoring Christianity. Debates over religion in public life are not new. As a scholar of religious freedom, I have long been interested in how the early debates about religious freedom at the nation’s founding can …