The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;

The Lord is clothed,

He has girded Himself with strength.

Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.

Your throne is established from of old;

You are from everlasting.

—Psalm 93:1–2

***This is post 1 of 2 exploring the title and subtitle of my forthcoming book. Part 2, “What Is a ‘Patriotic Woman’ Anyway?” is now available for your viewing pleasure.

People tend to have strong opinions about book titles.

When I work with authors, I caution them that their publisher will likely want to change their title. They’re often surprised to hear this. And sometimes disappointed, especially if they’re attached to their title.

But publishers have various strategies they deploy to craft a title and subtitle, including keywords and examining a book’s comparable titles. You’ll hear the word “discoverability” used a lot. It’s publisher-ese for determining how to help a book find its intended audience in an increasingly crowded book market.

I considered a few different title options for my forthcoming book, One Nation Under God. Part of me wondered if the title was too common (a cursory search brings up many options with the same title). Additionally, I was a bit concerned because these days, the phrase “one nation under God” can conjure up all sorts of ideas, particularly notions of people wanting to make the United States a theocracy or a movement that’s become known as “Christian nationalism.”

In the end, I stuck with the title because I feel that it clearly communicates what the book is about: God’s sovereignty over not just the United States but over all nations. And this remains true whether a nation acknowledges His sovereignty.

Thankfully, my publisher agreed and let me keep the title.

God’s rule over all of creation is spoken of throughout the Bible, as the psalms frequently proclaim. In addition to the psalm I highlighted above, Psalm 22:28 says, “For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations” and Psalm 103:19 tells us that “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.”

These beautiful verses remind us that no matter how chaotic our world may seem, and regardless of the ways our earthly rulers and governments fail us, God is still in control.

I don’t know about you, but I find that extremely comforting.

Of course, I delve more deeply into all of these issues throughout the book. But in these days leading up to the launch, I wanted to share some insight behind my title choice. Consider it another “peek behind the curtain” of my publishing process.

Yours in Christ,

Amanda

xoxo

Scripture taken from the New King James Version^®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.