"Following September 11, 2001, God Bless America signs appeared everywhere. Some reflect a prayerful sentiment, others a statement to let people know that the immigrant living there—or driving this car—is not anti-American. For some it has been a rallying cry . . . even, sadly, some might cynically observe it has been a business promotion placard, a traffic builder, when shown in a store window. But what does "God Bless America" mean to us? Hopefully, we are not exclusionary...Appeals for God’s grace can and should be consistent with the words Jesus taught his disciples. ’Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.’ Remarkably, those words are not ethnocentric. They are not nationalistic; they are not exclusionary of any people."

Read online newsletter: Should God only Bless America?

Read online newsletter: Liberty and Justice for All

Read Church & State: Lessons from History for the 21st Century