Religious leaders criticize biblical view of U.S. history

A growing chorus of religious leaders is warning that America’s self-image has tilted dangerously toward a “manifest destiny” myth that skips over slavery, genocide and exploitation.

The pushback comes as some politicians and activists recast the nation’s past as an unbroken story of divine favor, glossing over centuries of violence and inequality. Evangelical historian John Fea says this view “turns the Bible into a nationalist manifesto rather than a call to repentance and justice.” He points to recent state laws restricting how schools teach slavery and segregation as evidence of the trend.

Religious scholars note that the current debate echoes earlier conflicts. In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan promoted a similar vision of America as a white, Protestant nation under God. Mainline denominations then condemned it. Today, Christian nationalists argue that the U.S. was founded as a “Christian nation,” citing occasional references to God in founding documents. Historians counter that the founders also enshrined religious liberty precisely to prevent state-mandated faith. The Pew Research Center reports that 45 percent of white evangelicals now say the U.S. should be a “Christian nation,” up from 37 percent in 2017.

What happens next may hinge on the Supreme Court. A case from Maine, Carson v. Makin, could force states to fund religious schools that teach a providential view of U.S. history. If the Court sides with the parents seeking taxpayer money for Christian academies, it could accelerate the drive to rewrite school curricula nationwide. Civil rights groups warn that would deepen divisions along race and faith lines. Meanwhile, a coalition of Black and Latino pastors is preparing a campaign called “Repentance and Repair” to push congregations to confront the nation’s past honestly. The clash over history, they say, is really about what kind of country—and what kind of faith—Americans want for the future.