Jemar Tisby Challenges Christian Nationalism in Sojourners Cover Story for America's 250th Anniversary
Historian Jemar Tisby's cover story in the June 2026 issue of Sojourners argues that Christians owe America honest truth-telling rather than nationalist celebration as the country marks its 250th anniversary. Tisby critiques the White House-backed 'Rededicate 250' initiative and calls on Christians to follow the example of Frederick Douglass.
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Historian and author Jemar Tisby has written the cover story for the June 2026 issue of Sojourners magazine, arguing that Christians have a responsibility to tell hard truths about American history rather than participate in sanitized anniversary celebrations.
The article, titled "After 250 Years, Christians Owe America the Truth," responds to the United States' 250th anniversary and specifically challenges the "Rededicate 250" initiative, a White House-backed public-private campaign that critics describe as a Christian-nationalist event.
Tisby critiques a White House exhibit that features AI-generated portraits of the Founding Fathers that omit their roles as enslavers and erase the forced removal of First Nations people. He argues that Christians have historically acted as either "master" or "servant" of the state, both of which he calls distortions of the Gospel.
Drawing on Frederick Douglass, who famously confronted the hypocrisy of American celebrations of liberty while slavery persisted, Tisby encourages contemporary Christians to refuse to sanctify national myths and instead hold the country accountable to its professed principles of justice and human dignity.
The June 2026 issue also includes "Good News for U.S. Christians: We Aren't Special" by Kenji Kuramitsu, a new hymn for the anniversary by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, and "My Family Fought for This Country. We Won't Celebrate It" by Lisa A. Dellinger.
In May 2026, Sojourners president Adam Russell Taylor participated in a virtual press briefing alongside other progressive religious leaders to argue that the "Rededicate 250" event misrepresents the founders' approach to religious tolerance and advances an exclusionary vision of America.
Sojourners, founded in 1971, focuses on the intersection of faith, politics, and social justice. The magazine has long positioned itself as a voice for Christians who believe the Gospel calls them to challenge rather than celebrate national power.
