American Christians have received mixed reactions to Trump’s sale of a “patriotic” Bible

“Happy Holy Week!” Trump announced on social media Tuesday, the most solemn period of the Western Christian calendar, the final week of Lent, which commemorates the suffering and death of Jesus. “As we approach Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you purchase a copy of the Bible “God Bless the USA”.

As CNN notes, the concept of a Bible adorned with the American flag, as well as the former president’s endorsement of a text considered sacred by Christians, has raised concerns in religious circles. It has also raised questions about Trump’s motives as the former president finds himself at the center of several costly legal battles.

The $59.99 Bible, which was first published in 2021, features the American flag and the words “God Bless the USA” printed on the cover. Inside are the words “God Bless the USA” and the text of the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and other historical American documents. Promotional material for the Bible features the former president next to country singer Lee Greenwood.

In response to Trump’s statement on social media, his endorsement of such a Bible was called “sacrilege,” “heresy,” and a “borderline insult,” and cited lessons directly from the Bible that suggest that exploiting people’s faith for money should be condemned.

“It is a bankrupt Christianity that sees a demagogue using our faith and even our scriptures for his own pursuit of power, and praises him for it, rather than insisting that we refuse to allow our sacred faith and scriptures to become the mouthpiece of empire.” , states Rev. Benjamin Kremer.

Jason Cornwall, a South Carolina pastor, said Trump’s endorsement of such a Bible violates one of the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament, which prohibits taking God’s name in vain.

Historian and author Jemar Tisby says the entire project echoes the values ​​of Christian nationalism – the idea that America was founded as a Christian nation and the government should work to sanction Christianity on a national scale. The tenets of Christian nationalism are historically associated with prejudice, nativism, and white supremacy.

“There is a very long tradition of what is and is not included in the Bible,” Tisby told CNN. “What has caused outrage about this Bible is that it includes the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution and even lyrics from a Lee Greenwood song. So it is an addition to the Bible, and it adds specific political documents to the Bible that completely erase the separation of church and state.”

Tisby, who earned a master of divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, has written about the dangers of Christian nationalism—both for the United States and for the Christian faith.

“What’s so harmful about this is that it plays into people’s devotion to God and their love of country, which in themselves may be harmless or even good,” he said.

The Bible “God Bless the USA” caused controversy among community members and publishers when it was published in 2021. It was originally supposed to be published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, but the company abandoned the deal, CNN recalls.

While there are countless versions of the Bible in the United States that vary widely in price, subject matter, and extras such as indexes, references, maps, and graphics, this particular combination of the Bible and a favorite patriotic song is especially powerful.

The idea came as no surprise to David W. Peters, an Anglican vicar in Pflugerville, Texas. Peters served as a Marine Corps private and Army chaplain and was deployed to Iraq in 2005.

“I remember how we ended every service in the Marine boot camp chapel with Lee Greenwood’s song ‘God Bless the USA,'” he told CNN. “We were all singing and crying. The only emotional release of the week.”

He says the range of reactions to something like a patriotic Bible shows how varied American Christianity can be, depending on denomination or community.

In addition to the many theological questions it raises, Trump’s endorsement of the “God Bless the USA” Bible coincides with several legal battles that could put hundreds of millions of dollars on the line for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

The FAQ section of the Bible website God Bless America clarifies that no proceeds from Bible sales will go to Trump’s presidential campaign. However, there is no mention of whether any proceeds might be used for his personal legal issues.

Trump has previously been criticized for using the Bible in public, CNN notes. In 2020, religious leaders from several Christian denominations condemned their display of a Bible during a “photo op” in front of an Episcopal church near the White House as racial justice protests raged across the country.

In 2015, Trump also named the Bible as his favorite book, but famously refused to share his favorite verse of Scripture.