A person worships to Christian music at Rededicate 250, a largely conservative Christian prayer gathering in honor of the United States’ 250th birthday, on the National Mall on Sunday.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
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Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Crowds of people gathered on the National Mall on Sunday for a conservative prayer meeting as part of a commemoration of America’s 250th birthday, which included songs of praise and worship, prayers from religious leaders and speeches from members of the Trump administration.
The event was promoted as a gathering to “give thanks for God’s providence, reflect on our nation’s history, and rededicate America as one nation under God.” It was organized by Freedom 250, a public-private group working with the White House to organize America’s 250th birthday celebration this summer.
Of the 19 religious leaders scheduled to speak, 18 are Christians and most are evangelicals. White House Office of Faith Senior Advisor Paula White-Cain, the Rev. Franklin Graham and Bishop Robert Barron, who leads the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, were among the leaders. Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, who leads Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City and serves on Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, is the only non-Christian religious leader who spoke at the meeting.
President Trump, who was playing golf on Sunday afternoon, did not attend the event. Trump delivered a video message reading the biblical scripture 2 Chronicles 7:11-22, which details God’s response to King Solomon after he completed the temple in Jerusalem.
Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also spoke in video messages.
Congressional Democrats, including Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, also spoke at the meeting. House Speaker Mike Johnson led the crowd through a prayer, asking God for courage and favor to “preserve this republic” and saying “our rights do not derive from the government, they come from You, our Creator and Heavenly Father.”
Chris Tomlin, a Grammy-winning Christian musician, performed at the event.
The event has been criticized for promoting Christian nationalism and obscuring the lines separating church and state. The Interfaith Alliance, a national multi-faith coalition, projected messages of support for religious freedom on Thursday night at the National Gallery of Art.
“Trump’s ‘Rededicate 250’ rally on the National Mall is an attempt to turn America into an authoritarian theocracy,” the group wrote in a social media post.
Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, said it is “less a ‘Prayer Jubilee’ than a ‘Christian Nationalism Jubilee.'”
“If President Trump and his allies truly cared about America’s legacy of religious freedom, they would be celebrating the separation of church and state as the uniquely American invention that has allowed religious diversity to flourish in our country,” Laser said in a statement. “Instead, they continue to threaten this fundamental principle by promoting a Christian nationalist crusade to impose a narrow version of Christianity on all Americans.”
Kathryn Post and Yonat Shimron contributed to this report.
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State financially supports NPR.