The Christian Nationalist Mess on the Washington Mall

Written By M. Chandler Cook

Rededicate 250” National Mall EventA National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & ThanksgivingMay 17, 2026 — Washington, DC

Freedom 250 – Rededicate 250 Event Page

On May 17, there will be a confab on the national mall gathering  pastors, televangelists, religious activists, legislators, and political appointees who all identify with Christian nationalism. This will be a celebration to embrace certain principles.

  • The United States was founded by God to be a Christian nation, that in practice certain forms of Christianity have held and should hold a privileged and superior place in all aspects of public life

  • American identity is inseparable from biblical or Judeo-Christian Western civilization, 

  • Those who oppose this belief and its practice in all of public life are a threat to national security.  

Among the speakers were Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Department of War (Department of Defense)  who said at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention, February 2026: “We don’t want equality with other religions. We want Christianity restored to the center of public life.”  Another speaker, Pastor Paul White in remarks circulated in evangelical media said:“To say no to President Trump would be saying no to God.”

During this event, there will be robust counter-programing to offer a vision of America which centers on the freedom of religious expression where we do not favor one religion over another. We most especially never weaponize a dominant religion to diminish our democracy or deny human rights. The Interfaith Alliance will be flashing images on the face of the East Wing of the National Gallery embracing religious pluralism as central to the American experiment. Another movement, Redirect 205 is offering alternative programming from 9 to 6 on YouTube. 

The Religious Nationalism Project was founded because we reject ethnonationalism. While religious values may shape our governments, we believe that no religion (Buddhism, Christianity. Hinduism, Islam, or Judaism) can be adopted by people in power to deny human rights or religious freedom to minorities. In the United States, sadly Christianity gets adopted by some in power to advance authoritarianism and facism forgetting that Christianity itself believes that every person created in the image of God needs to be treated as such. Concepts like love of God and love of neighbor are essential. We give  particular attention to those who are marginalized in our society. We resist Christian nationalist schemes which do not embrace these ideals and seek to shape public policy not rooted in love of neighbor and democratic ideals but in domination.  

The Reverend Neal Christie and The Reverend Peter Cook

Co-Principals. The Religious Nationalisms Project

M. Chandler Cook