Christianity Today July Issue Asks How Christians Should Engage a Divided Nation at 250

The July/August 2026 issue of Christianity Today focuses on how Christians can engage cultural fractures without centering the state over the Gospel, as the United States marks its 250th anniversary.

Contributors include Justin Giboney, founder of the AND Campaign, and historian George Marsden, who examine the tension between patriotism and faith. The issue asks whether Christians can honor the nation's founding ideals while honestly confronting its failures.

Marsden, whose work on American religious history spans decades, argues that Christians have always had to navigate the gap between the nation's stated ideals and its actual record. He writes that the 250th anniversary is a moment to hold both gratitude and critique at the same time.

Giboney takes a more direct approach, arguing that Christians who conflate national identity with Christian identity risk losing the prophetic voice the church needs to speak truth to power. He points to debates over immigration, criminal justice, and economic inequality as areas where the church must be willing to challenge political consensus.

The issue also addresses the influence of figures like Charlie Kirk, whose Turning Point USA has built a large following among young conservatives. Several contributors argue that Christians should be cautious about movements that use religious language primarily to advance political goals.

Christianity Today editor Russell Moore writes in his introduction that the church's job is not to baptize any political party or national project, but to bear witness to a kingdom that transcends all earthly powers. He says the 250th anniversary is a chance to recommit to that witness.