The battle over divine providence: So, is God part of the American story or not?

The celebration of America’s semiquincentennial—yes that’s the Latin for 250th anniversary—is now in the history books. In terms of optics, it was a grand affair, with epic fireworks displays just about everywhere, tall ships in New York City, and hours of military flyovers in Washington, D.C. Coast to coast, it was a patriotic holiday to remember. At the same time, it revealed deep faultlines in American society, and ongoing debates about the meaning of America.Well, here is a debate that’s wor