Thousands of people are gathered on the National Mall for an all-day prayer rally on Sunday, broadcasted as a “rededication of our country as One Nation Under God.”
In front of the Washington Monument, worship music played from the stage, which features stained-glass windows of the nation’s founders, grand columns and a white cross.
President Donald Trump was expected to address the gatherers along with other top officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)
The event is part of the ongoing celebrations this year marking America’s 250th birthday.
Most of the names listed on the Rededicate 250 program were Christians and include some of Trump’s longtime evangelical supporters such as Paula White-Cain of the White House Faith Office and evangelist Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse.
Only one name on the program was not Christian.
“We are deeply concerned that what is really being rededicated is a nation to a very narrow and ideological part of the Christian faith that betrays our nation’s fundamental commitment to religious freedom,” said Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, a Baptist minister who leads the progressive Christian organization Sojourners.
The lineup features guests who often argue that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, a message that is disputed by many historians and other religious traditions.
The event was organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership with White House support.
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Progressive groups, such as the Freedom from Religion Foundation, planned counter events. The group advocates for strict separation of church and state.