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, supported by the White House, featured Christian worship music and prominent Republican officials speaking alongside evangelical leaders.
Event Details and Criticism
Against the backdrop of the Washington Monument, a stage with arched stained-glass windows and grand columns resembling a federal building depicted the nation's founders alongside a white cross. Pastor Samuel Rodriguez declared, "America is done with God, and God is not done with America." The rally drew broad criticism for blurring the lines between church and state, as most speakers were Christian, with only Orthodox rabbi Meir Soloveichik representing a non-Christian faith.
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
Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina energized the crowd by shouting, "Are you a believer in Jesus?" Organizers played a video of Donald Trump reading from the Old Testament, recorded for an earlier event called "America Reads the Bible." The passage from 2 Chronicles 7 is often cited by those who believe the US was founded as a Christian nation.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a video message, recounted the legend of George Washington praying in Pennsylvania and urged attendees to "pray without ceasing." House Speaker Mike Johnson alluded to cultural wars, rejecting narratives that frame American history as one of oppression.
Attendance and Counterprotests
Officials expected around 15,000 attendees, according to the Washington Post. Progressive groups, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation and Faithful America, staged counterprotests. They displayed a large balloon resembling a Trump-like golden calf, referencing biblical idolatry. 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.
