Invitation: Countering the Bad Faith on the Washington National Mall
This Sunday: Join me, Bishop William Barber II, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Lisa Sharon Harper for an affirmation of our nation's rich religious diversity.
Dear Redeeming Democracy readers,
As you may have seen, the Trump administration is sponsoring a Christian nationalist event called “Rededicate 250” this Sunday on the National mall here in Washington, DC. I’ll be attending as a witness. And I’m inviting you to join me for an inspiring event Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. ET, which will provide an alternative vision of a pluralistic democracy. Details below.
Here’s how a recent piece in The Guardian describes Sunday’s event:
Rededicate 250, billed as the faith-based component of America’s semiquincentennial, features speakers including a Detroit pastor who has called the Democratic platform “demonic” and launched his own memecoin after praying at Trump’s second inauguration; a rabbi who has defended the use of torture and authored an essay titled “The Virtue of Hate;” and a Christian author and radio host who said in 2020 he would die in the fight to keep Joe Biden out of the White House and was later named in a defamation suit over 2020 election fraud claims.
Hegseth, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and House speaker, Mike Johnson, are also scheduled to appear. The lineup includes no Muslims, no representatives of historically Black churches, no Indigenous faith leaders and no mainline Protestants.
I’ve been busy this week helping the media make sense of this blatant attempt to ignore America’s rich religious diversity, rewrite American history, and pretend that white evangelical Protestants stand in for all Christians and even for all religious Americans.
Here’s the important fact that I hope all Redeeming Democracy readers can recite by heart: While white evangelical Protestants are the heart of Trump’s MAGA movement, they represent only 13% of the U.S. population and comprise only 20% of all Christians. Most Americans—and most Christians—do not share their inhospitable, theocratic vision for the nation.
I have an exciting invitation to extend to everyone. I’m participating in an alternative event that you can tune into right here on the Redeeming Democracy substack channel. Here are the details from the Save America Movement, which is sponsoring the event:
Today, while Christians across America observe their holy day, thousands will gather on the National Mall to worship at a very different altar — Donald Trump’s. Join us live at 4pm ET for a screening of Bad Faith 2026: Christian Nationalism in Power, followed by a live discussion at 5:15pm ET with Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Rev. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Lisa Sharon Harper and Dr. Robert P. Jones – four faith leaders unafraid to call out the threat that Christian nationalism poses to our democracy. While the White House is calling it “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving”, we’re calling it what it really is: blasphemy dressed in the garments of faith. Don’t miss this important conversation and don’t forget to check out Bad Faith here as well.
Participants:
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II
Founder and President, Repairers Of The Breach
Co-Chair, Poor People’s Campaign
Rev. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
Board Chair, Repairers Of The Breach
Yale University’s Center for Public Theology and Public Policy
Lisa Sharon Harper
Author, “Evangelical Does Not Equal Republican…or Democrat”
Host, Freedom Road Podcast
Dr. Robert P. Jones
Founder and President of PRRI
Author, Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation after the Christian Turn Against Democracy
How to Watch
You do not need to register ahead of time. When the livestream begins, Substack should notify you by email or app push notification, depending on your notification settings. You can join from your phone or computer.
To join from your phone
Download or open the Substack app on iOS or Android.
Log in with the email address you use for this subscription.
When the livestream starts, tap the Substack notification, or open the Substack app and look for the live video in your Home feed / reading queue.
Tap the live video to watch.
Use the chat/comment area below the video to participate.
To join from a computer
Go to Substack and log in with the email address you use for this subscription.
Open the livestream link from the announcement email, calendar invite, or reminder post.
If the stream has not started yet, keep the page open and refresh when the start time arrives.
Once the host goes live, click the live video to watch.
Use the chat/comment area to ask questions or comment.