Thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington DC on Sunday for a daylong prayer rally billed as a "rededication of our country as One Nation Under God." The event, backed by the White House, featured worship music and a stage with arched stained-glass windows and grand columns, emphasizing a Christian focus. Pastor Samuel Rodriguez declared, "America is done with God, and God is not done with America."
Criticism Over Church-State Separation
The rally drew broad criticism for blurring the lines between church and state, as prominent Republican officials appeared alongside mostly evangelical speakers. Only one non-Christian speaker, Orthodox rabbi Meir Soloveichik, was listed on the program. Most were longtime evangelical supporters of former President Donald Trump, including Paula White-Cain of the White House faith office and evangelist Franklin Graham of Samaritan's Purse.
Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, a Baptist minister leading the progressive Christian organization Sojourners, expressed concern: "We are deeply concerned that what is really being rededicated is a nation to a very narrow and ideological part of the Christian faith that betrays our nation's fundamental commitment to religious freedom."
Political and Religious Figures Speak
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina drew cheers as he asked the crowd, "Are you a believer in Jesus?" Organizers played a video of Donald Trump reading from the Old Testament, specifically 2 Chronicles 7, a passage often quoted by those who view the US as a Christian nation. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recounted the legend of George Washington praying in Pennsylvania, urging attendees to "pray without ceasing."
House Speaker Mike Johnson alluded to cultural wars over history, saying, "We've seen sinister ideologies sow confusion and discord... attacks on our history, on our heroes and the cherished moral and spiritual identity of this great nation." He rejected critical interpretations of American history, adding, "Father, we reject that. We rebuke it in your name."
Attendance and Counterprotests
Officials expected about 15,000 attendees, according to the Washington Post. Progressive groups held counterprogramming, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation and Faithful America, which displayed a large balloon of a Trump-like golden calf. On Thursday, the Interfaith Alliance projected slogans like "Democracy not theocracy" onto the National Gallery of Art.
According to Pew Research Center, more than one-quarter of Americans identify as atheist, agnostic, or religiously unaffiliated.
