On the May 19, 2026, episode of 1A, produced in partnership with Religion News Service, the show took up the contested relationship between religion, democracy, and American identity at a moment when the phrase “one nation under God” has reentered the political spotlight. The conversation was framed by a recent national prayer gathering on the National Mall, backed by the White House and centered overwhelmingly on conservative Christian voices, including members of the Trump administration and congressional leadership. Against that backdrop, the episode explored what the founders intended by religious liberty, how church-state separation has evolved, and whether contemporary appeals to America’s religious heritage are expanding freedom of conscience or narrowing the meaning of full civic belonging.
I emphasized how appeals to religious liberty can function unevenly, protecting some faiths while relegating Islam and Muslims to second-class citizenship. Drawing on my work in When Islam Is Not a Religion, I discussed legal and political efforts to cast Islam as outside the bounds of protected religion, from mosque land-use disputes to contemporary claims about “Sharia cities.” My comments underscored the danger of defining American belonging through a narrow Christian framework, leaving Muslims and other non-Christians treated as guests rather than equal members of the polity.
