WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration is planning a daylong prayer celebration called "Rededicate 250" on the National Mall this weekend. The gathering is an initiative of Freedom 250, a White House-backed public-private campaign staging patriotic events to mark the nation's 250th birthday. The event is intended to reflect on the faith of America's founders and to appeal to God to bless and guide the nation.

Scheduled participants include Cabinet members, Catholic bishops, evangelical influencers, and an actor who plays Jesus. Christian musician Chris Tomlin will headline, and former President Donald Trump is expected to send a recorded video message to be played at the gathering.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Southern Baptist, is listed as a speaker, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who worships in churches linked to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Catholic. Additional speakers include Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association; Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Paula White-Cain, senior adviser at the White House faith office and a Pentecostal preacher; Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas; Bishop Robert Barron, leader of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota; and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, recently retired as bishop of the Archdiocese of New York. Jonathan Roumie, who has spoken at the March For Life and starred in a Super Bowl ad, was added as a speaker, as was evangelical influencer and podcast host Sadie Robertson Huff.

Of the 19 faith leaders listed as speakers, 18 are Christian and most are evangelical. Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, leader of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City and a member of Trump's Religious Liberty Commission, is the only non-Christian speaker currently listed. Organizers said the speaker list is still being finalized.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations called for organizers to expand the speakers list to better reflect the nation's religious diversity. "Muslims have been present in significant numbers in the country since the colonial era," the group said. "Inviting speakers who represent many faiths projects the strength of our religious liberty."

Americans United for Separation of Church and State said the event will advance Christian nationalism rather than religious freedom. A group of progressive faith leaders will host a virtual press briefing on Friday to argue that Rededicate 250 misrepresents how America's founders approached religious tolerance. Interfaith Alliance will team up with protest artist Robin Bell to project messages including "Democracy NOT Theocracy" and "Reject Christian Nationalism" on the walls of the National Gallery of Art on Thursday evening.

"To the extent that President Trump has a rally that explicitly espouses Christian nationalism, he's not going to get very far beyond, perhaps, the people at the rally," said John Green, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Akron. "There are people that have that view, but they're a very small minority, even within the Republican Party," he added.