The United States is not a Christian nation. Still, we reside in a country that pledges to be “one nation under God” and holds “In God We Trust” as its motto. At best, these are hopeful suggestions and remnants of some small parts of our past. But they do not represent who we are, especially at present.

Because of this reality, many in the faith community have looked for an audacious political leader to battle secularism for quite some time. After decades of playing relatively nice, they decided on a new approach. In 2016, Donald Trump became “the chosen one,” and an era of high-profile Christian nationalism began. Only this time, the strength of passion behind the movement hit growing progressivism head-on. This toxic mix has only grown worse as many in the Republican Party became obsessively convinced of the president’s divinely inspired “rightness,” no matter the words, issues, or actions. He was placed in a position of power to save our nation and change the course of history. One could argue he accomplished the latter. The former, not so much.