Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a patriotic copy of the Christian Bible themed to Lee Greenwoodâs famous song, âGod Bless the USA.â
âHappy Holy Week!â Trump Tuesday, during the most solemn period of the Christian calendar, the last week of the Lenten season marking the suffering and death of Jesus. âAs we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of the God Bless The USA Bible.â
The concept of a Bible covered in the American flag, as well as a former presidentâs endorsement of a text Christians consider to be sacred, has raised concern among religious circles.
Itâs also raised questions about Trumpâs motivations, as the former president finds himself in the middle of several expensive legal battles.
âSacrilege,â theology, and the shadow of Christian nationalism
The US$59.99 Bible, which was first published in 2021, features an American flag and the words âGod Bless the USAâ printed on the cover. Inside, it has the words to âGod Bless the USAâ 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 Trumpâs social media announcement called the endorsement â,â ââ and ââ and directly from the Bible that suggest taking advantage of peopleâs faith for money should be condemned.
âIt is a bankrupt Christianity that sees a demagogue co-opting our faith and even our holy scriptures for the sake of his own 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,â said on X.
Jason Cornwall, , said on X that Trumpâs Bible endorsement was a violation of one of the Ten Commandments of the Hebrew Testament that forbids taking Godâs name in vain.
However, the criticism doesnât end with whether or not Trumpâs endorsement is un-Christian or not. In fact, itâs just the beginning.
Historian and author says the whole project echoes the values of â the idea that America was founded as a Christian nation and the government should work to sanction Christianity on a national scale. The are historically tied to prejudice, nativism and white supremacy.
âThereâs a very long tradition of what is included and what is not included in the Bible,â Tisby told CNN.
âWhat has caused outrage with this Bible is that it includes the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and even the lyrics to a Lee Greenwood song. So itâs adding to the Bible, and itâs adding specific political documents to the Bible that completely erase the separation of church and state.â
Tisby, who holds a Master of Divinity Degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, has written about the dangers of Christian nationalism â both for the country and the Christian faith.
âWhatâs so pernicious about this is it plays on peopleâs devotion to God and their love of country, either of which by themselves could be innocuous or even good,â he said.
âBut in this effort, it is blending the two. And with Trump as the spokesperson, is conveying a very clear message about what kind of Christianity and what kind of love of nation (he is) promoting.â
When Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, for the BJC Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation, saw Trumpâs Bible endorsement, he said he saw a politician using fears rooted in racism and prejudice to promote a specific Christian ideology.
âWhen I hear âMake America Pray Again,â I hear Christian nationalist promises that we are going to somehow ârestoreâ Christianity in this country. And if authoritarianism does come to the United States, itâs all but guaranteed it will be done in the name of Christianity, which is a very scary thought.â
Graves-Fitzsimmons holds a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City and also works with the group . He says things like the âGod Bless Americaâ Bible overlook the many, many Christians who do not agree with Trumpâs politics or the blending of patriotism with faith.
âThere is a diversity within American Christianity that gets overlooked whenever politics and religion intersect,â he told CNN. âThereâs this false notion that most American Christians are pushing for , and are anti-LGBTQ, and the . Christians, I would argue, are the ones who are most concerned about the effects of Christian nationalism in this country.â
This version of the Bible has drawn controversy before
The âGod Bless the USAâ Bible drew and publishers when it was published in 2021. It was originally supposed to be published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, but the company passed on the deal.
HarperCollins 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. ( to the bestselling translation of the Bible.)
Tisby has published three books under Zondervan, the HarperCollins imprint specializing in religious publications. He was among the imprintâs writers who tried to discourage them from publishing the âGod Bless the USAâ Bible when the idea was first introduced.
âWe did not want to be associated with a publisher whoâs going to publish a Bible like this,â he said. âAnd I think it took on an elevated sense of urgency because weâre not just talking about someoneâs book. Weâre talking about the sacred text of the Bible.â
While there are innumerable versions of the Bible â ranging widely in price, theme, and additions like indices, references, maps and graphs â this particular combination of the Bible and a beloved patriotic song is especially potent.
Such a notion doesnât come as a surprise to , an Anglican vicar in Pflugerville, Texas. Peters served as an enlisted Marine Corps and Army Chaplain and was deployed to Iraq in 2005.
âI am reminded of how we closed every Marine Corps boot camp chapel service with Lee Greenwoodâs âGod Bless the USAâ,â he told CNN. âWeâd all sing and cry. The only emotional release in the week.â
He says the range of reactions to something like a patriotic Bible shows just how different American Christianity can be, depending on the denomination or community.
âI 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.â
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.
âI think it will confirm (to them) that their critics are out of touch,â he said. âWhy would anyone object to a Bible?â
Itâs not clear where proceeds from the Bibleâs sales will go
In addition to the multitude of theological questions it raises, Trumpâs endorsement of the âGod Bless the USAâ Bible coincides with that could put the presumptive Republican nominee for president on the line for hundreds of millions of dollars.
The FAQ section of the clarifies that no proceeds from the sales of the Bible will go towards Trumpâs presidential campaign. However, there is no mention of whether any proceeds could be put toward his personal legal troubles.
âNo, 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,â the site reads.
However, it goes on to say Trumpâs name, likeness and image are under âpaid license from CIC Ventures LLC.â CIC Ventures is in his 2023 public financial disclosures.
CNN has reached out to EliteSource Pro, the marketing company behind the âGod Bless the USAâ Bible, for more information.
Trump has been criticized before for his use of the Bible in public settings. In 2020, religious leaders from several Christian denominations in a âphoto-opâ in front of an Episcopal church near the White House as racial justice protests raged around the country.
âYou just donât do that, Mr. President,â televangelist and Pat Robertson said of the incident. âIt isnât cool!â
In 2015, Trump also called the Bible his favorite book, but to share a favorite verse.