New Film ‘The American Miracle’ Says God Guided America’s Founding
A new film contends that America's founding nearly 250 years ago was no accident -- but the result of divine guidance every step of the way. The American Miracle lands in theaters June 9-11, taking viewers on a journey back in time to the Revolutionary War and the nation's early years, when a series of improbable events -- events many viewed as miracles -- allowed the founders to launch a country that critics said wouldn't last.
The film was inspired by Michael Medved's 2016 book of the same name. Tim Mahoney directed it.
"Part of what all those Founders agreed on was the idea of divine providence -- that they had a special destiny for which God had determined a path for the United States," Medved told Crosswalk Headlines. "And that -- it seems to me -- is one of the things that we need to recapture, sending a message that we should feel gratitude, not guilt, about our nation's past."
The film is launching approximately one year prior to the nation's 250th birthday. Medved cites George Washington's 1789 inaugural address, when the first president acknowledged the "Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men." Washington asserted that "every step" of the founders and citizens "seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency."
Medved said his own father taught him that "America and the blessings of America are no accident."
"There is a purpose to it -- that the country really has been blessed and not blessed with special privileges, but blessed with special responsibilities. That's the American message."
America's responsibility and purpose, Medved said, is "to hold up the ideals of human freedom, of human choice."
Medved recounts two stories that imply God's providential hand.
One such event took place in August 1776, when a dense, unexpected fog blanketed the East River in New York and allowed George Washington and his troops to escape the British after the Americans had lost the Battle of Long Island.
"Washington ordered his men to get into little boats and to row past through this thick fog and to escape the British," Medved said. "And they escaped with no casualties and went on to win the war."
A second event fell on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
"There were people, skeptics that thought that this new country wouldn't last 50 years, but it did. And 1826 came along," Medved said.
"They were celebrating the fact that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the two main architects of the Declaration of Independence, were both still alive. Adams was 90 at a time when the typical life expectancy was 40. Jefferson was 83, and they both sent messages to the public to celebrate this 50th year of America. And by the end of the day, they had both died.
"The idea that you have two presidents -- the second president and the third president -- who died on the same day, that they had been enemies and political rivals and then friends again, and it was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the odds against that are about 5 million to one."
Both events are recreated in The American Miracle. The film includes individuals from both the Left and the Right, Medved said.
"I'm hoping that this will help bring Americans together of every political perspective," he said.
Photo Credit: ©Fathom
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published June 06, 2025.
