America’s Founding

Reclaiming chaplains who understand themselves first as chaplains, and not merely as decorative functionaries would be one way of retrieving Christianity in the public square.

Love of country, patriotism, unity, the desire for religious liberty, and the hopes to see the world evangelized ought to mark Christians. Yet, these qualities exist alongside the realities of a fallen world, marred by sin.

In We the Fallen People, Tracy McKenzie takes on the conviction that the moral intuition of the American electorate is the basis for our democratic flourishing. This belief is summarized in the phrase, “America is great because she is good.”

Even though some on the right have argued that the United States needs to return to a strong common national identity to survive, Goldman argues in “After Nationalism” that America has normally not had this type of cohesion for most of its history.

On June 14, Americans recognize Flag Day. It is not a holiday, but it is a day honoring the establishment of our nation’s most visible and moving symbol on June 14, 1777: the “Red, White, and Blue.”

Goldman responds to commentators who believe that Americans must return to some overarching identity and purpose. He argues that this task is difficult when the conditions that allowed previous unity no longer exist. Moreover, nationalists do not reasonably explain programs that could reignite a meaningful shared identity.

Peter Paul Ruben’s extraordinary “Raising of the Cross” helps reflect on Divine love, human flourishing, and the weight of glory.

Nations have certain importance, but at the end of the day, the Gospel itself trumps those characteristics.