Don't be Mad. "One Nation Under God" is a good thing.

The anti-Christian left is very concerned with what is happening in Washington, D.C. today, Sunday, May 17th. “The Christian Nationalists are coming!” they yell as they gallop their metaphorical horses across social media.

Today is Rededicate 250, and Christian pastors and political leaders are gathering at the Capitol Mall (including Donald Trump and others), asking for God’s guidance and praying for Him to lead us as a nation that honors Him in our laws and culture.

This is pretty awful, some are saying. Separation of church and state!

But they are mistaken. It might be unusual for most of the world, but not for Americans.

Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He was also considered perhaps the least Christian of the assembly. But after weeks of struggle, as delegates were leaving in frustration over political differences, and it appeared the young nation would crumble before it even began,

Franklin rose to his feet and addressed George Washington, the leader of the convention.

“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow can not fall without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”

“We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, the ‘except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it.” I firmly believe this.”

Ben Franklin then called for a halt to the proceedings and a time of prayer and a church service across the street, that they might readjust their focus, and that God might show them the way to rightly build a nation.

The rest, as they say, is literally history.

Yes, that was “the least Christian” guy there, quoting scripture twice in one paragraph and calling for prayer.  Can you imagine the devotion of the rest of them?

An event like today’s call to prayer on public grounds and even in official government buildings has a long and rich history. After all, ours is a nation specifically founded on the idea that we are all created by God, endowed by Him with “certain unalienable rights,” and that the U.S. government exists primarily to “secure those rights.” It would be odd to never publicly acknowledge our Source.

It is for this very reason that Thomas Jefferson, the other “not quite orthodox Christian” founder, attended Sunday church services for years — in our nation’s capital building. He was not the least concerned with church and state activities happening in the same place. After all, both institutions serve the same Master.

Honoring God in our government is just what Americans do. Only as one nation under God can we be indivisible, and only if the Lord builds the house can it stand.

That’s as true for the next 250 years as it was for the last 250.