In another world with a better government in power, Americans might well have looked forward to an authentic celebration of the remarkable achievements of the American Revolution. In this world, under the Trump administration and the Republican rubber-stamp chorus in Congress, we are being asked to settle for a festival of corruption, lies, bigotry, and divisiveness.
The Trump Freedom 250 program is embedded with unvarnished Christian nationalist propaganda. It kicks off with a rally on the National Mall called Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving, which bills itself as “part of the broader Freedom 250 initiative.” The event, hosted by a private foundation in partnership with the White House, has been described by proponents as “a major faith gathering” that will “bring together faith leaders, public servants, music, prayer, and testimony to honor God’s hand in America’s story.” In fact, it will bring together leaders and representatives of the narrow but powerful Christian nationalist groups dedicated to replacing American democracy with a (supposedly) Christian autocracy.
Key partners include hyperpolitical pastors like “Let Us Worship” founder Sean Feucht, church-planter and “stadium Christianity” leader Lou Engle, and the televangelist Jentezen Franklin, among other hard-line evangelical leaders. Other speakers include Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Crusader-tattooed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
