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God Didn’t Choose America: The Dangerous Myth
What if America was never meant to be a Christian nation? It’s time to rethink American exceptionalism before it distorts Christianity beyond recognition.
“American Exceptionalism” is one of those ideas that, on the surface, feels good.
It says that America is unique — chosen, even. That it has a special role in history, ordained by God to be a light to the nations, the beacon of Christian virtue, the city on a hill. It’s the kind of narrative that can make you stand a little taller when you say the Pledge of Allegiance.
But here’s the problem — actually, there are several. The biggest one? Many fundamentalist Christians believe that America wasn’t just a unique nation, but that it was God’s nation. That it was divinely designed to be Christian. That it was established by God with a special moral purpose that sets it apart from every other nation.
This idea has fueled a lot of things — wars, policies, political movements, culture wars. It’s also fueled a deep anxiety, the sense that if America drifts from its Christian roots, it’s not just unfortunate; it’s a violation of its divine destiny. A betrayal.
