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A Tale of Two Americas

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Jun 12, 2026 · 03:26

<p class="button-wrapper"><a class="button primary" href="https://bit.ly/Crux-Community"><span>JOIN FOR $8/YEAR</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2026/5/17/trump-holds-prayer-rally-to-rededicate-us-as-one-nation-under-godhttps://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2026/5/17/trump-holds-prayer-rally-to-rededicate-us-as-one-nation-under-god" target="_blank"><div class="image2-inset"><source type="image/webp" /><img alt="Kathy Fain, from Longview, Texas, holds an American flag while singing the National Anthem during Rededicate 250, a mostly conservative Christian prayer gathering in honor of the United States' 250th anniversary, on the National Mall, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)" class="sizing-normal" height="513" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eujt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10029147-4218-4b52-b733-31a71f96907c_770x513.jpeg" title="Kathy Fain, from Longview, Texas, holds an American flag while singing the National Anthem during Rededicate 250, a mostly conservative Christian prayer gathering in honor of the United States' 250th anniversary, on the National Mall, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)" width="770" /><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image" tabindex="0" type="button"><svg fill="none" height="20" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="1.5" viewBox="0 0 20 20" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image" tabindex="0" type="button"><svg class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2" fill="none" height="20" stroke="currentColor" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Kathy Fain from Longview, Texas, sings the National Anthem during 'Rededicate 250', a prayer gathering on May 17 [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]</figcaption></figure></div><div class="pullquote"><p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own and do not represent those of my employer, any affiliated organization, or any institution with which I am associated.</strong></em></p></div><p><a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/10/key-facts-about-black-eligible-voters-in-2024/">Black Christians</a> and<a href="https://prri.org/spotlight/religion-and-the-2024-presidential-election/"> White Christians</a> are two of the most politically predictable groups in the country. And they could not have been at two more different events last weekend. A constellation of majority White Christians &#8211; the base of Republican voting block &#8211; filled Washington DC for a faith-filled <a href="https://matthewdtaylor.substack.com/p/a-field-guide-to-rededicate-250">rededication of the United States</a>. And <a href="https://alabamareflector.com/2026/05/16/thousands-attend-protests-in-selma-and-montgomery-for-voting-rights/">Black Christian leaders marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge</a> in faithful protest against the persistence of Jim Crow again threatens strip any political power from Black voters. This is where we are and this is where we have been. </p><p>My prayer and longing is that we would tell the truth about it. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://alabamareflector.com/2026/05/16/thousands-attend-protests-in-selma-and-montgomery-for-voting-rights/" target="_blank"><div class="image2-inset"><source type="image/webp" /><img alt="A woman holding up her fist and a sign saying Black Voter Matters" class="sizing-normal" height="971" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fYXb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79afb66d-ab0c-4c89-9751-d2f43448b85d_1536x1024.jpeg" title="A woman holding up her fist and a sign saying Black Voter Matters" width="1456" /><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image" tabindex="0" type="button"><svg fill="none" height="20" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="1.5" viewBox="0 0 20 20" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image" tabindex="0" type="button"><svg class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2" fill="none" height="20" stroke="currentColor" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr /></div><div class="digest-post-embed"></div><blockquote><p><em><strong>A NOTE ABOUT MY WORK</strong>: I am leaving my full-time job with InterVarsity USA and with that change, paid subscribers become much more important. I love to write and the DREAM would be for this to be a full-time occupation. If you&#8217;d like to make that more possible, please become a paid subscriber. My new work will be with<a href="https://bit.ly/Support-CBR-ArochaUSA"> AROCHA USA // Center for Beauty and Resistance</a>. If you <a href="https://bit.ly/Support-CBR-ArochaUSA">DONATE</a> you will be made a founding member here. Thanks for your prayers, support and generosity.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper"><a class="button primary" href="https://thecrux.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p></blockquote>
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