Independence Day
Let’s celebrate this Fourth of July without the myth of white Christian innocence
By Robert P. Jones — July 2, 2021
(RNS) — Which will we honor — the Doctrine of Discovery or the Declaration of Independence?
To finish the fight for freedom, we need a revolutionary tea party for racial justice
By Andre Henry — July 4, 2020
(RNS) — The basic principle we all celebrate on Independence Day, the consent of the governed, has long been broken in two by the color line.
12 Black faith leaders who shaped America
By Carr Harkrader — July 2, 2020
(RNS) — As we approach our national Independence Day this year, I’m inspired to look at the holiday as a chance to commemorate the past, but, even more importantly, to demand a better future.
‘What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?’
By Frederick Douglass — July 2, 2020
(RNS) — Frederick Douglass’ July 5 speech in 1852 is a still relevant indictment of America’s habit of championing freedom while failing to measure up to democratic ideals on race.
Christian nationalism, the border and Fourth of July church in Dallas
By Angela Denker — July 11, 2019
(RNS) — As the border crisis boiled over last summer, I attended a Southern Baptist megachurch on Fourth of July weekend. I wanted to hear which would speak louder: Jesus or America.
Religious liberty: A US birthright for conservatives and progressives alike
By Jacob Lupfer — June 29, 2018
(RNS) — Religious conservatives need to realize that they are not the only ones who believe religious freedom is a sacred right. And progressives, whether religious or not, should not dismiss the entire concept.
Why on July 4 we should remember the psalm ‘By the Rivers of Babylon’
By David W. Stowe — July 3, 2017
(The Conversation) It inspired Frederick Douglass and has long served as an uplifting historical analogy for a variety of oppressed and subjugated groups, including African-Americans.
President Trump promises support to military, evangelicals at Fourth of July event
By Emily McFarlan Miller — July 1, 2017
(RNS) A Dallas church choir and orchestra performed a number of patriotic songs and hymns at the 'Celebrate Freedom' concert, including the premiere of a new song, 'Make America Great Again.'
The Erie Canal and the birth of American religion
By S. Brent Rodriguez-Plate — June 30, 2017
(RNS) Independence Day marks the 200th anniversary of the Eric Canal, the "psychic highway" that nourished the Mormons, the Adventists, spiritualism, a revived apocalypticism, the Oneida Community, the Amana Colony and the Shakers, among others.
Video: So God made a patriot
By Sally Morrow — July 1, 2013
Inspired by the popular Superbowl commercial for Ram trucks , Fred Thompson narrates this tribute to patriots.
Orthodox Jews to observe July 4th without music
By Menachem Wecker — July 1, 2013
(RNS) Many Orthodox Jews will silence their TVs and avoid live music performances on July Fourth to commemorate a three-week mourning period for the Jerusalem Temple.
My country ’tis of thee: Evangelicals score highest on patriotism
By Lauren Markoe — June 27, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) White evangelicals are also more likely than any other religious group surveyed to believe that God has granted the U.S. a special role in history and to say they will likely attend a public July 4th celebration.
Reborn on the Fourth of July: A U.S. Soldier Reflects on God and War
By Jana Riess — July 4, 2012
Everything about Logan Mehl-Laituri urges us to reconsider the tidy equation of religion and war, even down to his t-shirt, which reads, “God > U.S.” In his new book Reborn on the Fourth of July, the former U.S. soldier reflects on violence and the Christian conscience -- important ideas to chew on this Independence Day.
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