As the United States marked the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a stark contrast was illuminated in the nation like never before.
As one side emphasized the Biblically grounded roots of America’s founding and the freedom that a godly beginning produced, cheering for the nation and recalling the stand taken by the Founders that made America distinct among the nations. The other side viewed history through a dark lens, smearing Judeo-Christian values and painting a path forward that would steer the nation into further rebellion against God and toward the ideological prison of socialism.
The latter group was led by the Islamic-Communist mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, who was no doubt emboldened by the recent slew of socialist election victories by candidates he endorsed. His 15-minute speech attempted to resemble a “Presidential address to the nation,” with Mamdani even seated at a desk formerly owned by George Washington. But while America’s first President used his platform to establish the United States on Biblical principles, Mamdani’s aim was to tear those principles down.
His address attacked capitalism, called the duly elected President a tyrant, praised uprisings against authority, demanded open borders and unchecked mass immigration, and urged the redistribution of money from the wealthy to the state. Through a stunning contortion of reality, Mamdani insisted that early American leaders endorsed these ideas—but nothing could be further from the truth.
America’s Founders believed that borders were Biblical, as described in Acts 17, and that defending them was critical to a nation’s sovereignty. They established a governing structure that respected the decision of “the people” on who would be elected into positions of power. They rejected the long history of nations that failed to recognize God-given rights of personal property—nations that would frequently bail themselves out by stealing from wealthy citizens.
All of the ideals argued for by Mamdani are antithetical to America’s founding, and as the history of communism declares, they strip individuals of the very freedom Washington fought for.
Franklin Graham, the President and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, recently warned against the rising popularity of socialism in America, calling the ideology “an atheistic worldview that says government, not God, has the answers for all our problems.”
Graham stated that Mamdani’s election marked “a crossroads for a country whose pledge is ‘one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’”
“Evil forces are still trying to destroy this beacon of hope that Almighty God has favored from [America’s] beginnings and continues to use to be a blessing to the entire world as the most prosperous nation on Earth,” he wrote. “Radical forces of socialism continue their relentless campaign to unleash a tyrannical government, void of godly restraint.”
Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, also pointed to the destructive nature of socialism, underscoring that securing Judeo-Christian values hinges on Americans recognizing their God-honoring foundation.
“Last week, headlines were filled with reports of socialist candidates gaining ground in major American cities,” he stated. “Fifty years ago, that would have been almost unimaginable. Today, however, socialism is becoming an increasingly influential force within the Democratic Party.”
“Is this America’s future? Not if we reclaim our past,” he stressed. “As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, we have an opportunity not merely to commemorate our history but to recover the biblical foundation that made that history possible. If we want America to remain a nation blessed by God, we must first be a virtuous people, shaped by His word.”
