Thousands gather in Washington for prayer event tied to 250th anniversary
Thousands filled the National Mall for a prayer rally that cast the semiquincentennial as a test of who gets to define American patriotism.
Prayer, worship music and patriotic speeches turned the National Mall into a stage for a larger fight over faith, power and national identity as thousands gathered Sunday for Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving. The event was presented as a chance to solemnly rededicate the country as “One Nation Under God” ahead of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The program drew Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson, along with more than a dozen Christian faith leaders and one rabbi. NBC News reported that Trump administration officials, conservative Christian leaders and musicians filled the lineup, while Religion News Service said 14 of the 15 faith leaders participating were Christian and that the gathering was overwhelmingly evangelical in tone. The roster also included Ben Carson, Monica Crowley, retired Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady, pastors Jack Graham, Jentezen Franklin, Samuel Rodriguez, Jonathan Falwell, Jonathan Pokluda, Lorenzo Sewell, Gary Hamrick and Andy Frank, as well as Christian performers and public figures including Chris Tomlin, Jonathan Roumie of The Chosen and Sadie Robertson Huff.
Freedom 250, which described itself as a public-private partnership with the White House and other government bodies, said the day was meant to reflect on the faith of America’s founders and ask for God’s blessing, guidance and grace for the next 250 years. Organizers said the gathering was timed to echo George Washington’s 1776 order calling for fasting, humiliation and prayer. They also said the event was free and open to all Americans, with a nationwide livestream, a schedule running from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and gates opening at 10:30 a.m. The day began with morning fellowship in front of the U.S. Capitol and moved to an evening program anchored at the main stage on 12th Street.
The event landed in the middle of a sharper national argument over whether patriotism in public life is being redefined around Christianity. Americans United for Separation of Church and State said the gathering advanced Christian nationalism rather than religious freedom, while progressive faith leaders organized opposition events and a virtual press briefing criticizing the rally. Religion News Service reported that the debate over whether America is or should be a Christian nation has intensified in the Trump era, with implications for the country’s growing non-Christian population.
Organizers also created an online prayer wall through the affiliated America Prays website, where Americans could submit prayers for the nation. Religion News Service said the publicly posted prayers were overwhelmingly Christian and centered on anxiety, protection, healing and national decline, underscoring how the semiquincentennial is becoming not just a commemoration, but a contest over who gets to speak for the country in public space.
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