Debates Rage around America’s Spiritual, Military, and Moral Leadership

Judeo-Christian Values Discourse Reaches Elevated Levels

The density of language positioning America as one of the last defenders of Judeo-Christian values reached a level 133 percent above its long-term average. This represents the highest reading among all tracked City on a Hill narratives in December.

Media commentary during the month framed this positioning in explicitly civilizational terms. The Bronx Daily declared that "America has begun to reclaim its Judeo-Christian moral foundation" and that this "renewal is reshaping public life." Religious broadcasting emphasized the need for vigilance in preserving the Judeo-Christian values considered foundational to American identity, with warnings that alternative religious traditions could prove incompatible with existing cultural frameworks.

Yet this intensification occurred alongside competing narratives. Language describing America as just another secularizing country rose to 36 percent above average, up nearly five points from November. The simultaneous rise of both narratives suggests not consensus but active debate, with different voices advancing incompatible visions of American religious character.

This tension manifested in commentary about prominent media figures. Tucker Carlson drew attention for pointedly criticizing the Hebrew Bible and emphasizing that "Christianity alone—alone, unique—claims that people should be treated as individuals." Analysis noted that the former Fox News host was "targeting a distinctively American, 20th-century concept: The Judeo-Christian consensus." The critique highlighted fractures within religious discourse itself, as some voices sought to disaggregate the hyphenated term that has long described American religious foundations.

Social media reflected this fragmentation. Posts ranged from declarations that America would "defeat every giant of darkness" through covenant with God, to arguments that "the concept of 'Judeo-Christian values' is incoherent". The discourse encompassed both interfaith celebration and theological critique, with some voices warning of systematic efforts to polarize Christians against both Muslims and Jews.

The heightened attention to religious identity coincided with concerns about security threats during religious holidays and broader debates about immigration and cultural compatibility. Commentary connected religious preservation to questions of national identity, with some framing the issue as existential and others viewing such framing as itself problematic.

American Power Narratives Show Competing Trajectories

These debates about America’s religious identity unfolded alongside equally contested assessments of America as a symbol of well-wielded power. Language asserting that America is the most powerful country in the world rose to 17 percent above its long-term mean, climbing nine points from November. Yet language arguing American dominance is ending also increased, reaching 12 percent above average after rising five points from the prior month.

Analysis published in late December described 2025 as marking "geopolitical tectonic shifts unprecedented not only in recent decades but arguably in centuries" with "the multipolar world has now fully emerged." This framing appeared repeatedly across commentary examining America's position. The release of the 2025 National Security Strategy prompted extensive discussion about whether Washington was "stepping back" from global engagement, with interpretations ranging from strategic reorientation to acknowledgment of limitations.

Some analysis characterized the document as "the most honest national-security document of the past eighty-years", noting that China had been downgraded from existential threat to economic competitor. Others emphasized language in the strategy stating that "the days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over", interpreting this as formal recognition of constrained resources and competing priorities.

Language describing the American Empire as in decline rose to seven percent above average, up four points from November. Commentary noted that "amid rising multipolarity, the US empire is facing internal decomposition and seeing its hegemony weakened" requiring "the blunt use of coercive power." Security analysis described a world characterized by "multipolarization" with "a larger number of actors having the ability to influence key global issues."

Public opinion data added another dimension to these narratives. Polling showed that 52 percent of Americans now say the United States should pay less attention to problems overseas and concentrate on domestic concerns, including 67 percent of Republicans. This sentiment suggested that debates about American power were not confined to foreign policy specialists but reflected broader public preferences about the nation's role.

Trust and Moral Authority Language Show Mixed Movement, Too

Some of those preferences relate to the role the public and media see in America as a moral authority or leader in world geopolitics. Language expressing faith that America always (eventually) chooses to do the right thing rose to 31 percent above its long-term average in December, climbing 18 points from November in the largest single-month increase among all tracked narratives. This rather encouraging movement occurred against a backdrop of months of deeply pessimistic public opinion data about governmental trustworthiness.

Polling found that just 17 percent of Americans now say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right, representing one of the lowest readings in nearly seven decades of measurement. The disconnect between rising narrative language about American trustworthiness and collapsing public confidence in governmental institutions suggests that discourse about national character has become decoupled from assessments of the performance of individual institutions.

International perspectives reinforced this complexity. Polling of major allies found that pluralities in Germany and France, along with a majority of Canadians, now view the United States as a negative force globally. The characterization of America as unreliable and destabilizing appeared prominently in European media assessments.

Language questioning American moral standing rose by nearly six points from November to December. Foreign policy analysis concluded that "whatever pieces of a moral compass that were left guiding the Biden administration's foreign policy until its final days in office have been completely destroyed by Trump 2.0". Commentary noted that during the Bush administration, "the United States was often viewed as overbearing, its wars unjustified, and its moral authority diminished" though "not to today's depths."

Language arguing that America has lost moral authority as a global symbol of liberty remained below average but did rise by three points from November. Similarly, language expressing shame about American identity stayed below average at negative four percent while climbing eight points from the prior month. These movements suggest that positive administration-driven messaging in support of its immigration enforcement initiatives and execution of a new Caribbean drug war has given way to less controlled interpretations in mass media.

The sharpest decline in American leadership, however, appeared in the promotion of economic narratives. The density of language asserting that America is the world's economic engine fell to 17 percent above average, dropping 38 points from 55 percent in November. The movement was striking given that economic reporting noted GDP growth reaching an annualized 4.3 percent in the third quarter, "the strongest performance in two years." The sharp decline in language about America's role as global economic driver, despite strong domestic growth data, indicates that narrative attention has shifted away from this framing regardless of underlying economic performance. Lack of belief in the “realness” of this economic result, whether as a result of the degree to which it was influenced by AI investment or because of unevenness in its beneficiaries, seems to be indicative of a persistent narrative of skepticism in media about the current administration’s policies.

Archived Pulse

December 2025

• Public Expressions of Pride in America in Retreat
• Industrial Lament Language Gains Steam
• Religious and Geopolitical Identity Narratives Fade, Too

November 2025

• Competing Visions of American Global Standing Reach Historic Intensity
• Economic Engine Narrative Weakens Amid Tariff Uncertainty and Growth Concerns
• Industrial Decline Narrative Gains Traction Despite Policy Promises

Pulse is your AI analyst built on Perscient technology, summarizing the major changes and evolving narratives across our Storyboard signatures, and synthesizing that analysis with illustrative news articles and high-impact social media posts.