For American Christians, what is the right relationship between spiritual identity and national identity?

In One Nation over God, Wes Crawford explores the complicated relationship between Christian faith and American patriotism. Drawing from personal stories, history, and cultural observations, Crawford reveals how national devotion has grown into something resembling a civil religion—complete with its own rituals, sacred texts, and symbols. From standing for the national anthem at ballgames to treating the Constitution like holy writ, Americans often blur the line between love of God and devotion to country.

Crawford isn’t arguing against patriotism. In fact, he acknowledges the unifying and inspiring role that national devotion can play. But he also warns of its dangers. When Christians assume America is always God’s chosen instrument, or when the flag overshadows the cross, their devotion can drift into idolatry. This blending of faith and patriotism risks distorting the gospel and weakening the church’s prophetic voice.

The solution, says Crawford, is to maintain a clear distinction between love of God and love of country. He points to faithful examples—people like Julia Ward Howe, John Lewis, and Dorothy Day—who cared deeply for America yet critiqued its moral shortcomings. Their lives remind us that true Christian faithfulness requires first allegiance to Christ, which may at times call us to challenge our nation rather than applaud it.

Clear, engaging, and refreshingly balanced, One Nation over God invites Christians to reflect deeply on where their first allegiance lies. It offers pastors and church leaders practical wisdom for navigating culture wars while maintaining theological integrity. Most importantly, it provides hope: faithful discipleship and thoughtful citizenship need not be enemies.

Wes Crawford is vice provost and associate professor of church history at Abilene Christian University. Previously, he served as a senior pastor for twenty years. He is the author of Shattering the Illusion, Courage in the Sheer Silence, and One Nation over God.

What does it mean to love our country?

Some Christians see loyalty to America as central to our faith and identity. Other Christians are skeptical that our nation warrants such devotion or attachment. But Richard Mouw encourages Christians to have a healthy sense of national peoplehood that promotes civic kinship and responsible citizenship. He navigates between Christian nationalism on one hand and cynicism about country on the other to avoid the perils of both idolatry and disengagement.

Mouw grapples with sticky questions such as how to honor national holidays in church and the place of protests in forging a more perfect union. Placing love of country in the context of Christian love of neighbor, he sees patriotism as an expression of our heavenly citizenship and a call to help our country be a place where all people can thrive in peace.

Mouw’s winsome and wise reflections direct our patriotic affections toward the civic good of others within our churches and in our communities. This guide helps us travel together on a shared national journey toward liberty and justice for all.

Richard J. Mouw (PhD, University of Chicago) is a senior research fellow at the Henry Institute for the Study of Religion and Politics at Calvin University. He previously served as the president of Fuller Theological Seminary (1993–2013) and directed their Institute of Faith and Public Life (2013–2020). In 2007, Princeton Theological Seminary awarded him the Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life. He is the author of over twenty books, including UncommonDecency, Adventures in Evangelical Civility, Restless Faith, and All That God Cares About.

Ahead of the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving, a new look at the Plymouth colony’s founding events, told for the first time with Wampanoag people at the heart of the story.

In March 1621, when Plymouth’s survival was hanging in the balance, the Wampanoag sachem (or chief), Ousamequin (Massasoit), and Plymouth’s governor, John Carver, declared their people’s friendship for each other and a commitment to mutual defense. Later that autumn, the English gathered their first successful harvest and lifted the specter of starvation. Ousamequin and 90 of his men then visited Plymouth for the “First Thanksgiving.” The treaty remained operative until King Philip’s War in 1675, when 50 years of uneasy peace between the two parties would come to an end.

400 years after that famous meal, historian David J. Silverman sheds profound new light on the events that led to the creation, and bloody dissolution, of this alliance. Focusing on the Wampanoag Indians, Silverman deepens the narrative to consider tensions that developed well before 1620 and lasted long after the devastating war-tracing the Wampanoags’ ongoing struggle for self-determination up to this very day.

This unsettling history reveals why some modern Native people hold a Day of Mourning on Thanksgiving, a holiday which celebrates a myth of colonialism and white proprietorship of the United States. This Land is Their Land shows that it is time to rethink how we, as a pluralistic nation, tell the history of Thanksgiving.

The Pilgrims’ celebration of the first Thanksgiving is a keystone of America’s national and spiritual identity. But is what we’ve been taught about them or their harvest feast what actually happened? And if not, what difference does it make?

Through the captivating story of the birth of this quintessentially American holiday, veteran historian Tracy McKenzie helps us to better understand the tale of America’s origins―and for Christians, to grasp the significance of this story and those like it. McKenzie avoids both idolizing and demonizing the Pilgrims, and calls us to love and learn from our flawed yet fascinating forebears.

The First Thanksgiving is narrative history at its best, and promises to be an indispensable guide to the interplay of historical thinking and Christian reflection on the meaning of the past for the present.

Robert Tracy McKenzie (PhD, Vanderbilt University) is Arthur F. Holmes Chair of Faith and Learning and professor of history at Wheaton College. His most recent research interests center on the ways evangelicals remember their national heritage.

Recover the Wonder and Weight of the Sunday Service

“Do I have to go to church?”

Whether we’ve fielded this question from others or have at times wondered ourselves, pastor Adriel Sanchez invites us to consider afresh why Sunday corporate worship matters.

Why We Worship reenchants our spiritual imagination, helping us rediscover the beauty of worship in Scripture and draw upon the richness of Christian liturgy through the ages. Sanchez delves into the biblical underpinnings and historical development of the core parts of a worship service, casting a vision for corporate worship’s vital role in healthy Christian spirituality and discipleship.

In Why We Worship, Sanchez draws on Scripture and history to uncover not only the what but also the why of elements of the Sunday service including

• music,
• the sermon,
• Communion,
• baptism,
• confession,
• prayer, and
• the benediction.

Church isn’t meant to be a dull routine or an entertainment-driven spectacle. It’s a weekly heavenly ascent that transforms us to live the Christian life here on earth. Enter anew into the wonder of Sunday worship as a transcendent, joy-filled journey into God’s presence.

Adriel Sanchez is senior minister at North Park Presbyterian Church in San Diego and the host of the Core Christianity podcast with Sola Media. He is the author of Praying with Jesus: Getting to the Heart of the Lord’s Prayer andhas written for Christianity Today, Modern Reformation Magazine, Credo Magazine, and Tabletalk Magazine. Adriel lives with his wife and six children in Southern California.

Rabbi Jack Zimmerman came to faith in Yeshua in 1988. He is both a Pastor and Messianic Rabbi, as well as the Staff Evangelist for Jewish Voice Ministries International.

Prior to ministry, Rabbi Jack was a radio Newscaster and morning show co-host, and worked with ABC TV, the Rolonda Show, and as a stand-up comedian and live audience warm-up host.

As the founding Rabbi of Tree of Life Messianic Congregation in Phoenix, Arizona, Jack shepherds Jewish people and non-Jewish people alike. His heart is to teach that believing Jews and Gentiles are one in Messiah; the wall of partition has come down.

With his background in comedy, he is a well-educated teacher who combines humor as well as great theological depth, in imparting the scriptures. As a Pastor and Rabbi knowledgeable in Hebrew, he understands the Bible from a Roman Greco viewpoint, as well as from its Hebraic origins, and helps everyone understand and see the transition from one to other. He has taught Bible classes throughout the United States, as well as at theological universities in Russia and The Ukraine. Jack also is a frequent guest speaker at conferences and events, and has traveled and taught in more than 40 countries worldwide .

Jack lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife Sandie, and their children Jordan, Ryan and Casey.

Long before the words of the Bible were written, God’s communication through the spoken word rang out loud and clear. Jesus in particular commissioned representatives to speak on his behalf even during the time of his earthly ministry. And yet today we are a reading culture. It is easy for modern Christians to take for granted that the Bible was handed down in written form, but the way we receive God’s message is far different from how the original hearers would have heard it. These differences not only shape the way that we hear God’s message to his people, but they put us at risk of misunderstanding his revelation.

In Hear Ye the Word of the Lord, biblical scholar D. Brent Sandy explores how oral communication shaped the ways that biblical writers received God’s message—and even more importantly, how the ancient and modern faithful receive it through hearing. Filled with helpful biblical insights related to oral communication and constructive ways for modern readers to become better hearers and performers of Scripture, Hear Ye the Word of the Lord provides a constructive way forward for readers interested in exploring howwe can better hear God’s Word.

D. Brent Sandy (PhD, Duke University) taught New Testament and Greek at Wheaton College and chaired the Department of Religious Studies at Grace College. He is coauthor (with John Walton) of The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority and author of Plowshares and Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic.

The Knowing the Bible series is a resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God’s Word. These 12-week studies lead participants through parts of the Bible and are made up of four basic components: (1) reflection questions help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) “Gospel Glimpses” highlight the gospel of grace throughout the Bible; (3) “Whole-Bible Connections” show how any given passage connects to the Bible’s overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) “Theological Soundings” identify how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture.

In Jesus’ Speech on the Mount of Olives, Murray J. Smith guides readers through Matthew 24–25, Mark 13, and Luke 21 to study Jesus’ pivotal speech from the Mount of Olives. Examining themes of gospel witness, judgment, and salvation, this study teaches believers how they are to live as they await Christ’s return.

Helpful Bible Study Resource: Features date and historical background, theological context for the Bible passage, “Whole-Bible Connections,” compelling reflection questions, and more.

In-Depth: Ties the biblical text in with the whole story of Scripture, shows how each passage unveils the gospel, and illuminates the doctrines taught in each passage. Part of the Knowing the Bible Series: With contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies help Christians see and cherish the message of God’s grace on every page of the Bible

Murray J. Smith (PhD, Macquarie University) is lecturer in biblical theology and exegesis at Christ College, Sydney. He is the author of several books and articles. Murray serves as general editor for New Testament of the Reformed Exegetical and Theological Commentary on Scripture, as coeditor of the series We Believe: Studies in Reformed Biblical Doctrine, and as cohost of the Down Under Theology podcast.