Thanks to an excessive reliance on long-standing Western interpretations, American Christians rarely preach and teach Daniel. When they do, the book is reduced to trite moral proverbs or gloom-and-doom, end-of-the-world scenarios. Dominant approaches make Daniel an eschatological and apocalyptic proof-text, designed to foreshadow Christ's prophetic fulfillment. Such readings are dangerous, as they veer too close to supersessionist replacement theology than most Christians admit.

For this reason, Daniel Reconstructed reads Daniel from a Christian perspective beyond the sole purpose of perpetuating previous Christian interpretations. It takes a deconstructive approach and offers new pathways for interpretation through a new translation and chapter-by-chapter reading. Jonathan D. Redding reads Daniel anew to help Christian audiences reconsider how Daniel functions, prompting them to grapple with the question of what Scripture is and can be for modern Christ followers. Christians too often make themselves the victors in Daniel's stories and visions. Such an approach begs the question, What if Daniel does the opposite and presents a mirror before the reader, entreating us to ask if we see the truth about who we are instead of how we imagine ourselves to be?

Daniel Reconstructed invites us into the conversation as it engages mainstream interpretations of Daniel to read against that grain, specifically as it pertains to Christian understandings of divine sovereignty. Many readings of Daniel operate under an unquestioning certainty around God's actions and choices. Seeing Daniel anew with reconsiderations toward accepted notions of divine sovereignty has far-reaching significance for biblical studies, theology, and how Christians perceive God's working in the world.

For centuries, particular readings of the biblical text have shaped the course of Western history. Scripture, used as a political totem for those in power, gives divine weight to political agendas. This trajectory is particularly evident in the fiery career of Billy Graham, America's evangelist. Graham's rhetoric, steeped in his political appropriation of Scripture, ultimately motivated the insertion of under God into the pledge of allegiance: his message of national repentance made its way to President Dwight Eisenhower, who converted it into legislation and changed history. America became self-consciously a nation under God, over against the world.

One Nation under Graham investigates how one man's interpretation of the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation has impacted how the United States sees itself on a global and cosmic scale. Jonathan Redding argues that Graham rode the wave of American xenophobia to rebrand evangelical patriotism as essential to national stability and cosmic balance. A survey of Graham's influences reveals that, while Graham was far from the only Christian leader to preach gloom and doom, he was one of the first to make the theme publicly and profoundly American. Graham's influence and drive to make America a nation under God ensured that, with the recitation of the American pledge, his reading of Scripture would endure. Redding further shows the continued capacity of under God to equip contemporary leadership to leverage Christian faith for personal gain with a political base.

Graham's response to major political and global events created a thoroughly American apocalyptic lens that continues to be used to give life and potency to biblical interpretations. In the same way that Daniel and Revelation warned of the dangers of unchecked political power and misplaced priorities, One Nation under Graham uses Graham's interpretations to urge all of us to consider under whom we serve and under what flag we kneel.