2026 isn’t the first time Christians have tried to claim the United States as their own

From the Civil War to the Cold War, existential fears have fueled claims that America is a Christian nation, a historian of US Christianity explains.

By: David Mislin, Temple University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 26, 2026

Words: 1,193

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 6 days ago

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By David Mislin, Temple University

Amid celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary, assertions of the country’s religious, and specifically Christian, character have grown louder in political discourse.

In May 2026, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other prominent officials participated in a prayer service in Washington, D.C. Johnson proclaimed, “We hereby rededicate the United States of America as one nation under God.” Though planners invoked the nation’s “Judeo-Christian” heritage, most religious leaders at the event …

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