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Up next on the agenda to mark America's 250th anniversary: A gathering of worshippers in the nation's capital.Rededicate 250, a free event on the National Mall set for May 17, aims to gather "Americans of every background" and prepare for the country's 250th birthday with "Scripture, testimony, prayer, and rededication of our country as One Nation to God," according to the Rededicate 250 website. The event is open to the public.What's in the name? The idea of a "rededication" implies the restoring of one's commitment to faith, according to Charles Mathewes, professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia."The theological resonance is this idea ... that you need from time to time to renew your commitment to your faith, (in Christianity) you have an obligation to continually be rededicating yourself to the commission you have been given," Mathewes says. As relationships and lives change, followers stop and step back to reassess what they mean for their faith, he explains.Here's what to know about Rededicate 250 and how it plans to celebrate Americans' relationship with faith.What is Rededicate 250?The religious event is one of many initiatives put on by the Freedom 250 commission, which was created by President Donald Trump to celebrate the nation's birthday throughout the year. The schedule is broken into three "pillars," which look at faith's role in the past, present and future for the country.All attendees must register through an RSVP form on the Rededicate 250 website. Those planning to join are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to observe the programming on the open lawn space of the mall, according to organizers. Further information about children and accessibility, food and security can also be found on the official web page.The event is open to worshippers of all backgrounds, organizers say. However, of the 15 faith leaders participating in the Rededicate 250, 14 are Christian, including seven evangelical leaders and two Catholics, according to the news release. Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Meir Soloveichik is the only non-Christian religious leader listed as a participant.The limited range of religions represented at Rededicate 250 has drawn criticism from Mathewes and others, who say the event does not grasp the dynamic spectrum of faiths America has come to represent over its 250 years.When and where is Rededicate 250?The event takes place on Sunday, May 17, on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Gates will open for attendees at 9 a.m. EDT and programming is set to last from 10:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.Visitors can enter the event on the National Mall at 7th Street, between Madison and Jefferson Drives, according to the event website.Faith is part of the America's 250 yearsFaith is quintessential to American history, Mathewes says, from Native American spirituality to Christian practices of protestant settlers who first arrived from Europe to the country's robust Jewish, Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist communities."These are people who thought deeply about the value and significance of religion," Mathewes says of America's founders.The mission of America as a government separate from faith was novel and a great risk at that time, he says, and the founders worked to create a self-determining nation that balanced the powers of the church and the people."The idea of America was simultaneously a political and a quasi-religious idea," he says. It was practically rebellion for the founders to consider creating a self-correcting government that didn't have the church in charge, he says.The idea of a higher moral cause has long be intertwined with the presidency, he says. For example, Abraham Lincoln evoked morality and civic life in the Gettysburg Address, saying "under God" to evoke principles of goodness and renew the wish of the American project.At Rededicate 250, Mathewes notes you can pray to whatever power you believe in, he says, no matter who leads the sessions.Contributing: Karissa Waddick
