A massive religious gathering on the National Mall backed by the White House is sparking backlash from critics who say it blurs the lines between church and state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The unprecedented appearance of government officials featured virtual remarks from members of the administration including Vice President Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. President Trump also delivered a brief virtual message in which he read from the Old Testament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The daylong prayer rally, pegged as part of the America 250 celebrations, comes as concerns mount about the administration\u2019s push for more Christian prayer and religious symbols in schools and for faith-based organizations to get federal funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some critics questioned the constitutionality of the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRededicate 250 is a betrayal of America\u2019s founding values guaranteed in the First Amendment \u2014 which made clear that there shall be no establishment of religion by the government, and that each one of us should be free to live out our beliefs in our own way,\u201d Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis event used the power of the government to elevate one thin slice of American religion above others,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a political rally with a political agenda, rather than an event that truly celebrated the long, rich and diverse tradition of religious expression in America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump read verses from the Book of Chronicles in a video that was filmed in the Oval Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other Republican officials were also sprinkled into the agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), an evangelical and Southern Baptist, led the crowd in prayer, saying God has been \u201cupon our nation since the very beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said that as America\u2019s 250th birthday approaches, \u201cwe face a new set of challenges in a new era,\u201d and he called out \u201csinister ideologies\u201d and advocated for \u201crenewed piety and patriotism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vance, who is Catholic, said in his video remarks that if the faith foundation of the U.S. \u201cwere to crumble, so too would the very values that make us Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event, dubbed \u201cRededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving,\u201d was described as one \u201crooted in giving thanks for God\u2019s presence in our national life throughout 250 years of American history and asking for his guidance for the next 250.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was hosted by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership backed by the White House that is leading events to celebrate the country\u2019s 250th birthday this year, and featured a long list of faith leaders, mostly evangelical Christians, along with a rabbi and two Catholic bishops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several critics took issue with the event blurring the lines between church and state, as it received so much public backing from the administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser dubbed the event \u201ca government-sponsored national church service\u201d and called it \u201cextremely problematic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis should alarm all Americans who are patriotic,\u201d Laser said Sunday on CSPAN. \u201cIn America, we separate church and state in order to protect religious freedom for all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The White House referred The Hill to Freedom 250 for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Freedom 250 spokesperson Rachel Reisner said the organization was \u201cproud to represent Rededicate 250.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRededicate 250 is rooted in the belief that America is strongest when we come together around the shared values that unite us: faith, liberty, sacrifice, and love of country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event comes as worries mount over how much the Trump administration is injecting religion into federal government operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Religious Liberty Commission, established last May, has received similar criticism, including for its lack of diversity. The majority of its 13 members are Christian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michael Moreland, a professor of law and religion at Villanova University, said worries about the blurring of lines is more a political decision by Trump and his administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe people who are maybe anxious about too much of a blending of church and state think that that\u2019s not wise on the part of those people to do that, but that\u2019s a more of a prudential political judgment than it is anything to do with constitutional restrictions on their ability to participate in these kinds of events,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johnson also defended the event, writing on the social platform X about the \u201ctrue meaning\u201d of the separation of church and state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnyone who has been misled to believe that religious principles and viewpoints must be separated from public affairs should be reminded to review their history,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n