This essay examines how US Christian nationalists have come to rely on the motto “In God We Trust” as a piece of theistnormative legislation that they believe legitimizes their understanding of the United States as a Christian nation. Through an analysis of archival documents and congressional hearings, I demonstrate how Christian nationalists played a key role in the establishment of “In God We Trust” on coins and as the national motto that has allowed contemporary Christian nationalists to point to the motto as “proof” that the United States is a Christian nation. This project challenges the taken-for-granted historical narrative that the motto “In God We Trust” is a secular celebration of US religious heritage through demonstrating how the motto, from its beginning, has functioned to promote and mask Christian nationalism, often at the expense of marginalized groups.

AbstractThis paper aims to address the need in rhetorical scholarship to recognize the obstacles that atheists face in the public sphere. I propose that, within the United States, there is a systematic normalization of theism, which I refer to as theistnormativity. While theistnormativity is advanced through various systems within a society, I argue that presidents reinforce theistnormativity through their use of religious political rhetoric. I reason that the theistnormativity that is prominent in presidential inaugural addresses from 1933 to 2017 contributes an ideal space that privileges theists and marginalizes atheists.