Dear Revealer readers,

On May 17, the White House, in conjunction with a vague organization called Freedom 250, held a nine-hour event on the National Mall called “Rededicate 250,” where Americans, including Trump cabinet members and elected officials, had the opportunity to “give thanks for God’s providence, reflect on our nation’s story, and rededicate America as One Nation under God.” But this was no celebration of religious freedom, or of the country’s long history of religious pluralism. Of the day’s 19 invited religious leaders, 18 were Christian, mostly evangelicals. And concurring with the event, the Department of Homeland Security posted on X the following: “‘But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.’ 2 Peter 3:18.” The post ended with the line: “May our nation continue to be guided by the light of our Savior.”

The Department of Homeland Security, an official division of the federal government, unequivocally aligned itself with Christianity, insisting that Jesus Christ is “our Savior.” Forget that the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause is supposed to prevent such things. For the Department of Homeland Security, the United States is guided by Jesus Christ, “our Lord.”

Revealer Editor, Brett Krutzsch

Of course, the Department of Homeland Security merely made explicit what the message was at the White House’s nine-hour Rededicate 250 extravaganza: America is, and always has been, a Christian nation. But that is a lie. While the colonies had established churches with a range of Christian denominations that varied by colony, the United States never had an established religion. Never. And everyone who claims otherwise is willfully neglecting historical facts. It really is that simple. But today, a massive movement of people, politicians, and religious groups want Americans to believe this country was established as a Christian one.

In the spirit of such revisionist myth-making, The Revealer’s June issue is about the narratives and myths we tell about ourselves, and the inconvenient truths that lie beneath those stories. The issue opens with the newest installment of Noah Berlatsky’s “Skeptic’s Corner” column. In, “Palestinians and Zionist Identity,” Berlatsky considers how Zionist identity is built not solely on the belief that Jews should have a nation-state, as that narrative often goes, but on a belief that Palestinians do not matter equally and must be delegitimized or erased for Israel to exist. Then, while focusing on the Middle East, in “Her Body, Their Papers,” Safiyah Zaidi investigates the routine practice of legitimized human trafficking in Gulf countries, and how, although such countries present themselves as pillars of Islam, they have systems in place that allow for the exploitation of female domestic workers. From there, we turn to the United States and the myths we tell about ourselves. In “God’s Divided Country,” Ben Woollard reviews the new book A God-Shaped Nation and reflects on the myth-making stories that have led us to today’s alignment of religious conservatives with Donald Trump. After that, we are sharing two book excerpts. In the first, “Trailblazing Gay Evangelical Activists,” an excerpt from Born Again Queer, William Stell reflects on why so many people today are unaware that there was once a movement of evangelical gay activists and why most only know about anti-gay evangelical Christianity. Then, in “The Religion behind Wellness Trends,” an excerpt from Beyond Wellness, Liz Bucar considers how many of today’s spiritual and wellness practices have excised religion because, as the narrative often goes, religion is bad and archaic. But Bucar investigates how adding religion back into such practices might make them more meaningful.

The June issue also includes the newest episode of The Revealer podcast: “Evangelicals and Queer Activism.” William Stell joins us to discuss the history of evangelical gay activism, the goals gay activists hoped to achieve, how evangelical leaders and institutions responded, and the state of queer evangelical activism today. You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

As those who study or think about religion know, myths are powerful devices. They can unite communities, convey core values, cover up differences, and present coherence and uniformity when they never existed. For these and many more reasons, myths can be dangerous. As they get repeated, they appear real, true, and undeniable. That is why we mustn’t let certain myths take hold, like the idea that America was founded as a Christian nation. Instead, we need to tell other narratives, and repeat them often and vociferously, to demonstrate that America was founded as a place for religious freedom and without an established preference for Christianity. That is, after all, the truth. It is not merely a competing idea. Part of our crucial work today is to make sure we do not forget the truths we know as we become inundated with false myths.

Yours,
Brett Krutzsch, Ph.D.

P.S. As we do every year, our next issue will be a combined July/August issue. Look for The Revealer’s Summer 2026 issue the first week of August!