Trump is not an ideal Bible pitchman, but Americans can learn from Lee Greenwood's version

Admittedly, President Donald Trump awkwardly pushing the Bible and America’s founding documents for the low price of $59.99 caught me a little off guard.

Half the country is upset when Trump breathes. Slinging the “God Bless the USA Bible” is the political equivalent of kicking a fire ant mound on a hot summer day. Ignore the messenger. America needs the message.

“All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many,” Trump said in his pitch with country singer Lee Greenwood. “It's my favorite book.”

Based on what I’ve seen over the last several years, I have some questions about Trump’s level of biblical interest. As a Christian, I wonder if people would say that about me.

How many Bibles sit on shelves in American homes collecting dust? Plenty of us will darken the door of a church on Sunday morning, but cracking the Bible during the rest of the week is a tall order.

Trump correctly noted, “It’s a lot of peoples' favorite book.”

How many books are a favorite that you haven’t read cover to cover at least once? For too many Christians, that describes the Bible.

“We have to bring Christianity back into our lives and into what will be again a great nation,” Trump lamented. “Our Founding Fathers did a tremendous thing when they built America on Judeo-Christian values. Now that foundation is under attack, perhaps as never before.”

I agree.

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Americans should be better versed in the U.S. Constitution

American Christians need a revival like never before. We’ve allowed our politics to shape our faith because some of us think God needs our electoral success to accomplish his purposes. We believe the attacks from our political opponents are the greatest threat to our faith.

What could possibly be more corrosive to Judeo-Christian values than not knowing God’s word in the first place?

And since we’re talking about our Founding Fathers, I’m willing to bet most of us know the lyrics to Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” better than any section of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence.

I want to believe most of us can recite the Pledge of Allegiance from memory, but even it seems to have fallen out of vogue these days.

Trump's advocacy for deeper faith and understanding the fundamentals of American liberty has some folks hearing the dog whistle of White Christian nationalism. At one point in our nation’s history, exploring the Bible was commonplace and knowing our nation’s history was just called civics class.

Even non-Christians should hope that Christians read the Bible and model their lives after Christ. Following Jesus changes lives for the better. Sacrificial love, fidelity to the truth, and forgiveness are exactly what America needs.

Don't let any version of the Bible you own sit on the shelf

Concerned about threats to democracy?

We must know where our rights come from, the purpose of the American government, and how our representative democracy functions. The Bill of Rights protects our individual liberties. We should know what all of them are rather than picking our favorites.

Any version of God’s word being the “only Bible endorsed by President Trump” is super weird. All Scripture is God-breathed. Who endorses it beyond that is…well…less relevant.

If you’re buying a copy of the “God Bless the U.S.A. Bible,” don’t let it sit on the shelf with the other Bibles. Study it carefully. Do what it says. Read America's founding documents. Understand that our rights don’t come from the dispensations of hereditary kings. Realize it’s our responsibility to ensure that never changes.

Trump might not be the ideal pitch man for the Bible or the Constitution, but most of us aren’t either. The content of the “God Bless the USA Bible” would be a must read even if Satan himself offered it at a much higher price point.

Singing Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” from memory at karaoke night is an added bonus.

USA TODAY Network Tennessee Columnist Cameron Smith is a Memphis-born, Brentwood-raised recovering political attorney who worked for conservative Republicans. He and his wife Justine are raising three boys in Nolensville, Tennessee. Direct outrage or agreement to [email protected] or @DCameronSmith on X, formerly known as Twitter. Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor to [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: If you buy the Lee Greenwood Bible, do so to read it not for Trump