By Danny R. Johnson – Political News Editor
According to the New Testament Bible, Barabbas was a prisoner chosen over Jesus by the crowd and the religious zealots in Jerusalem to be pardoned and released by Roman governor Pontius Pilate at the Passover feast.
According to all four canonical gospels, a Passover custom in Jerusalem allowed Pontius Pilate, the praefectus or governor of Judea, to commute one prisoner’s death sentence by widespread acclaim. In one such instance, the “multitude,” in some sources, are offered the choice to have either Barabbas or Jesus released from Roman custody. According to the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and the account in John, the crowd chooses Barabbas to be released and Jesus of Nazareth to be crucified. Pilate reluctantly yields to the insistence of the crowd.
During the high holy days leading up to Easter on Sunday, March 31, millions of Christians will be observing this sacred annual occasion marking the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This year, however, Christians in the United States are confronted with a concerted and organized attempt by so-called “Christian Evangelicals” who are trying to establish a white nationalist Christian government with the help of the Republican MAGA Party and influential and well-connected organizations associated with the political, military, financial, and judicial systems.
We know this is true by watching what happened on January 6, 2021. There were snapshots of scenes as if you were watching an outdoor church rally gone wild. But this event wasn’t a revival; some call it a Christian revolt. There were hundreds of photos of people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, during an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The insurrection marked the first time many Americans realized the U.S. faced a burgeoning White Christian nationalist movement. This movement uses Christian language to cloak sexism and hostility to Black people and non-White immigrants in its quest to create a White Christian America.
One is the emboldened conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, where recent decisions overturning Roe vs. Wade and protecting school prayer offer them hope.
On the other hand, critics say the high court is eroding the separation of church and state.
Trump fits the perfect analogy of a modern-day Barabbas, a cunning thief and murderer who was only concerned about himself. The crowd of his day who secured his freedom were the religious zealots of the day who believed in a religious dictator who would do their evil and selfish bidding. Those would be our modern-day MAGA Republican Party and all who support its undemocratic agenda. Further, the evidence of this profane and unholy agenda is Trump’s latest sell pitch of officially selling a patriotic copy of the Christian Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, “God Bless the USA.”
“Happy Holy Week!” Trump announced on social media Tuesday, during the most solemn period of the Christian calendar, the last week of the Lenten season marking the suffering and death of Jesus. “As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of the God Bless The USA Bible.”
The concept of a Bible covered in the American flag, as well as a former president’s endorsement of a text Christians consider to be sacred, has raised concern among religious circles. It has also raised questions about Trump’s motivations, as the former president has found himself in several expensive legal battles.
‘Sacrilege,’ theology, and the shadow of Christian nationalism
The $59.99 Bible, first published in 2021, features an American flag and the words “God Bless the USA” printed on the cover. It has the words “God Bless the USA” and the text of The Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance, and other historic American documents. Promotional material for the Bible shows the former president alongside country singer Lee Greenwood.
Responses to Trump’s social media announcement called the endorsement “sacrilege,” “heresy,” and “borderline offensive” and cite lessons directly from the Bible that suggest taking advantage of people’s faith for money should be condemned.
“It is a bankrupt Christianity that sees a demagogue co-opting our faith and even our holy scriptures for the sake of his pursuit of power and praise him for it rather than insist that we refuse to allow our sacred faith and scriptures to become a mouthpiece for an empire,” said Rev. Benjamin Cremer on X.
Jason Cornwall, a pastor from South Carolina, said on X that Trump’s Bible endorsement was a violation of one of the Ten Commandments of the Hebrew Testament that forbids taking God’s name in vain.
However, the criticism does not end with whether Trump’s endorsement is un-Christian. It is just the beginning. Historian and author Jemar Tisby says the whole 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 nationally. The tenets of Christian nationalism are historically tied to prejudice, nativism, and white supremacy.
“There’s a long tradition of what is included and not in the Bible,” Tisby told CNN.
“What has caused outrage with this Bible is that it includes the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and even the lyrics to a Lee Greenwood song. So, it’s adding to the Bible, and it’s adding specific political documents to the Bible that completely erase the separation of church and state.”
Tisby, who holds a Master of Divinity Degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, has written about the dangers of Christian nationalism — both for the country and the Christian faith.
“What’s so pernicious about this is it plays on people’s devotion to God and their love of country, either of which by themselves could be innocuous or even good,” he said.
“But in this effort, it is blending the two. And with Trump as the spokesperson, he is conveying an obvious message about what kind of Christianity and what kind of love of nation (he is) promoting.”
When Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, communications director for the BJC Center for Faith, Justice, and Reconciliation, saw Trump’s Bible endorsement, he said he saw a politician using fears rooted in racism and prejudice to promote a specific Christian ideology.
“When I hear ‘Make America Pray Again,’ I hear Christian nationalist promises that we are going to somehow ‘restore’ Christianity in this country. And if authoritarianism does come to the United States, it’s all but guaranteed it will be done in the name of Christianity, which is a terrifying thought.”
Graves-Fitzsimmons holds a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City and works with Christians Against Christian Nationalism. He says things like the “God Bless America” Bible overlooks the many, many Christians who do not agree with Trump’s politics or the blending of patriotism with faith.
“There is a diversity within American Christianity that gets overlooked whenever politics and religion intersect,” he told CNN. “There’s this false notion that most American Christians are pushing for anti-abortion restrictions and are anti-LGBTQ, and the opposite is true. Christians, I would argue, are the ones who are most concerned about the effects of Christian nationalism in this country.”
This version of the Bible has drawn controversy before
The “God Bless the USA” Bible drew controversy from community members and publishers when published in 2021. It was initially supposed to be published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, but the company passed on the deal.
HarperCollins said in 2021 that pushback to the concept was not a factor in their decision. (Eagle-eyed Bible buffs will note this is why the Trump-backed tome uses the King James Version of the text, which is in the public domain. (HarperCollins holds US publishing rights to the bestselling New International Version translation of the Bible.)
Tisby has published three books under Zondervan, the HarperCollins imprint specializing in religious publications. He was among the imprint’s writers who tried to discourage them from publishing the “God Bless the USA” Bible when the idea was first introduced.
“We did not want to be associated with a publisher who’s going to publish a Bible like this,” he said. “And it took on an elevated sense of urgency because we are not just talking about someone’s book. We are talking about the sacred text of the Bible.”
While there are innumerable versions of the Bible — ranging widely in price, theme, and additions like indices, references, maps, and graphs — this combination of the Bible and a beloved patriotic song is incredibly potent.
Such a notion does not surprise David W. Peters, an Anglican vicar in Pflugerville, Texas. Peters served as an enlisted Marine Corps and Army Chaplain and was deployed to Iraq in 2005.
“I am reminded of how we closed every Marine Corps boot camp chapel service with Lee Greenwood’s ‘God Bless the USA,’” he told CNN. “We would all sing and cry. The only emotional release in the week.”
He says the range of reactions to something like a patriotic Bible shows how different American Christianity can be, depending on the denomination or community.
“I think the essence of liberal progressive faith is compassion, so it is mind-boggling (to such people) how someone could say they were a Christian and follow a guy who is very much not compassionate.”
For people who view Christianity differently or who are already unshakeable supporters of Trump, Peters says he doubts this latest incident will do anything to shake their faith.
“I think it will confirm (to them) that their critics are out of touch,” he said. “Why would anyone object to a Bible?”
It is not clear where proceeds from the Bible’s sales will go
In addition to the multitude of theological questions, Trump’s endorsement of the “God Bless the USA” Bible coincides with several legal battles that could put the presumptive Republican nominee for president on the line for hundreds of millions of dollars.
The FAQ section of the “God Bless America” Bible website clarifies that no proceeds from the sales of the Bible will go towards Trump’s presidential campaign; however, there is no mention of whether any proceeds could be put toward his legal troubles.
“No, GodBlessTheUSABible.com is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign. GodBlessTheUSABible.com is not owned, managed, or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Ventures LLC, or any of their respective principals or affiliates,” the site reads.
However, it says that Trump’s name, likeness, and image are under “paid license from CIC Ventures LLC.” CIC Ventures is directly linked to Trump in his 2023 public financial disclosures.
Trump has been criticized before for his use of the Bible in public settings. In 2020, religious leaders from several Christian denominations condemned his display of the Bible in a “photo-op” in front of an Episcopal church near the White House as racial justice protests raged around the country.
“You just don’t do that, Mr. President,” televangelist and vocal Trump supporter Pat Robertson said of the incident. “It isn’t cool!”
