Is America a “Christian Nation”?
Seeking clarity that serves the calling of Christ
Brad Bailey
(You may download PDF of this full piece here)
Is America a “Christian nation”?
Most of us respond to this question on an emotional level before giving much thought as to what it means. For many of us, we respond as if we were being asked whether we want it to be a Christian nation. In addition, it’s never very clear what is meant by a “Christian nation.”
As such, some people may feel that American culture has been devolving from the mind and morals that once guided lives more in alignment with the Bible and Christian ethics. Against such a loss of meaning and morals, they want America to regain its Christian roots. The response of others denies the claim that America is a “Chrisian nation” in fear of the control and discrimination that such a claim would bear. They may presume that the idea of “separation of church and state” was meant to protect people from religion…and miss grasping the deeper value of protecting religion.
What many discover when they consider this question is that it is not a simple question. There are competing views based in part on selective pieces of the whole picture. Some may provide a convincing affirmation of America’s Christian foundations by quoting statements made by some of the Founding Fathers. Others will provide a convincing denial of any such official religious identity by quoting how the Founding Fathers chose to construct the Constitution.
I have found that there are three aspects where confusion is common and clarity can serve.
First, we need to recognize that the founding of America unfolded through stages. All of the original colonies were bound to particular Christian traditions. The most strict and theocratic in nature were the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Plymouth Colony founded by Puritan Pilgrims. The Puritans, who wanted to "purify" the Church of England of Catholic-like practices, faced persecution in their native England. The Pilgrims were a specific group within the larger Puritan movement. They differed from other Puritans by advocating for complete separation from the Church of England. Some first migrated to the Netherlands for religious freedom but chose to leave after about a decade due to concerns about losing their English identity and their children adopting Dutch ways. The group decided to establish a colony in the New World to ensure a lasting future for their religious and cultural identity.
Other colonies represented different Christian traditions. The Maryland colony provided for Catholics and Pennsylvania for Quakers. The founding of Rhode Island represents a unique chapter in early American colonial history, characterized by a quest for greater religious freedom and individual expression. Rhode Island emerged from settlers who were dissatisfied with the rigid Puritan theocracy of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. After being expelled from Massachusetts for his beliefs, Roger Williams helped establish Rhode Island as a sanctuary for fellow “dissenters.” Rhode Island's governance was notable for its early commitment to the separation of church and state. The most pluralistic colony was that of Pennsylvania. William Penn, a devoted Quaker, envisioned Pennsylvania as a "Holy Experiment"—a community governed by humanitarian ideals and religious tolerance. Having faced persecution for his faith in England, Penn sought to create a sanctuary for other religious groups who faced similar intolerance in Europe. Penn's colony attracted a wide range of people, including Quakers, Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Jews, and others. Pennsylvania's success in fostering religious liberty provided a powerful model for other colonies and greatly influenced the eventual framework for religious freedom in the U.S. Constitution.
The fact that all of these colonies included some form of religious identity, particularly Christian in nature, could suggest that America was founded as a Christian nation. [1] However, what we need to recognize is that these initial colonies were only initial colonies. These colonies were not a nation. It would be over 150 years after the original colony was formed until the nation was founded. In that time, various factors caused those colonies to become more inclusive in nature. First, there was the influx of diverse immigrants which changed the shape of the growing colonies and required greater wider acceptance of participation. Second, the Revolutionary War had drawn the colonies out of their strict independence and into the need of uniting across their differences. Thirdly, the “Great Awakenings” drew many into spiritual experiences outside their colonies officially established churches. The result is that several colonies disestablished their official churches starting in 1776, prior to ratifying the First Amendment to Constitution in 1791, which would deny any federal establishment of religion. Ultimately every colony followed this trend until there were no official state churches by 1833.
It is helpful to recall that it is only after the colonies, which would became states, had been united in the Revolutionary War and declared their independence, that the process of forming a federal Constitution began. The Founding Fathers understood that the question of the nation’s religious identity was complicated. Most of the people were consciously shaped by their religious beliefs and understood that honoring dependence on God was vital. However, it also became clearer that individual conscience must be protected from any government imposition regarding beliefs and practice.
I believe this arises most clearly in the mind and writings of James Madison. Madison believed that religious freedom was an inalienable right, not a gift from the government, and that an individual’s conscience was the "most sacred of all property." Madison's lifelong zeal for religious freedom began in May 1776 when state lawmakers wrote a constitution for the newly independent Commonwealth of Virginia. The document contained a Declaration of Rights with a clause on religious liberty, penned by George Mason. The original clause declared that "all men should enjoy the fullest toleration in the exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience...." Madison didn't like it. He objected to Mason's use of the word "toleration" because it implied that the exercise of faith was a gift from government, not an inalienable right. Madison's substitute--"all men are entitled to the full and free exercise" of religion--essentially won the day.
Over the next decade, Madison would be involved in various religious liberty battles in the Virginia legislature, from repealing penalties against dissenters to suspending taxpayer support for Anglican clergymen. Those struggles came to a head in 1784 when an attempt was made to collect taxes for churches in the name of "public morality." As this would have only benefitted the Episcopal (Anglican) church with taxpayer money, prompted by Baptist leaders and others, Madison wrote his now-famous Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments in July 1785.
Biographer Irving Brant calls the 15-point document "the most powerful defense of religious liberty ever written in America." One reason is that Madison made freedom of conscience - meaning belief or conviction about religious matters - the centerpiece of all civil liberties. He called religious belief "precedent”, both in order of time and in degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society." By placing freedom of conscience prior to and superior to all other rights, Madison gave it the strongest political foundation possible.
He voices concern that the misuse of religion would lead to "an unhallowed perversion of the means of salvation." He reasons that government support would "weaken in those who profess this Religion a pious confidence in its innate excellence and the patronage of its Author." He recalls that ecclesiastical establishments of the past have done great damage to the "purity and efficacy of religion." He further challenged those who tried to insert the words "Jesus Christ" in an amended preamble, by stating, “The better proof of reverence for that holy name would be not to profane it by making it a topic of legislative discussion...."
As chairman of the House conference committee on the Bill of Rights, we can hear Madison’s ambition in the final version which declares, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The Constitution and Bill of Rights reflect a clear choice for a secular government to ensure religious freedom for all people. [2]
Soon after, a second official statement regarding America’s governing relationship to religion arose in the Treaty of Tripoli. The Treaty of Tripoli was ratified in June of 1797 to establish terms of peace between America and the Muslim nation of Tripoli which had been attacking American merchant ships. The treaty made a point to say that the United States "is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion." The more extended portion of Article 11 of the treaty stated: “As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion, as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religious or tranquility of Musselmen, and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.” [3]
Then when serving as president for two terms (1809-1817), during the War of 1812, Madison issued prayer proclamations at the request of Congress. However, in an undated essay believed to be written around 1817, known as "The Detached Memoranda," Madison expressed strong reservations about their constitutionality and wisdom. This seems to reflect having grasped both the fundamental value of humble dependence on God and the inherent problem of instituting religious practice.
Madison seems to have only grown clearer on his views based on history. In an 1822 letter, he wrote, "Every new and successful example of a separation between ecclesiastical and civil matters shows that religion and government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed together". [3b]
At age 65, in retirement at his estate in Virginia, Madison expressed his sense of ultimate value for the separation of church and state because, by it, "the number, the industry, and the morality of the Priesthood, & the devotion of the people have been manifestly increased...."
What is helpful to understand, is that this separation was rooted in a value for religious belief. In his final years of life, Madison wrote that "belief in a God All Powerful wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the World and to the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources." [4]
In these words, we hear the sentiments shared by several Founding Fathers, their belief in the foundational role of God and faith in establishing societal and individual well-being. As George Washington stated in his “Farewell Address” as the first president,
“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness. . . . The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them.” [5]
There was a deep grasp that the success of the nation requires a moral disposition, which emerges from dependence on the power and wisdom of God. However, it should be noted that Washington’s words only express shame for those who do not support such religious belief … and that the people “ought” to respect and to cherish religiously guided morality….but he did not say that they must. Washington’s statement reflects a plea, not a policy.
So, the first point of clarity, it to understand that despite the religious foundations of the colonies, America was not constituted as Christian nation as the Constitution contains no reference to Christianity and explicitly prohibits the government from establishing a religion through the First Amendment and Article VI's ban on religious tests for public office. However, what must be clear, is that what was being chosen was not because of a lack of value for Christian belief, but because of recognizing the freedom that belief requires. They knew that to establish any religion was to deny religious freedom. [6]
If one actually reads the breadth of affirmations from the founding lives, as to the significance of the beliefs on which liberty rests, it becomes clear that the Founding Fathers would have never imagined a day when Christian belief and values would not have rooted the minds and hearts of the nation. [7] Yet they chose not to control the potential for beliefs to change. They dared to choose not to impose any religious belief on the new government of America, not because religious belief wasn’t vital, but because they knew that to try and control such convictions, violated the nature of such conviction itself.
This leads to the second point of clarity, which recognizes that while America is not constituted as a Christian nation, it is profoundly shaped by a Judeo-Christian worldview and subsequent values. The problem which so many have today is that they take for granted that the teaching of the Scriptures and Christ transformed western civilization. It was the Biblical declaration that God had created the world with order, which can be explored, which gave new rise to science and technology. It was the Biblical revelation that the universe is not random and meaningless, nor merely at the whim of capricious gods, that affirmed a world of moral order. It was the Biblical testimony that human life was endowed with sacred value, which provides a basis for the Declaration of Independence aspiring to recognize that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." From this, comes the recognition of justice … that everyone should stand equal before the law. It is the Biblical affirmation that God created, and such creating was good, which affirms the values for human creativity and the arts. The guiding vision and values of America are built on these foundational truths.
This sense of foundation was reflected in the words of John Quincy Adams, son of the Founding Father John Adams, and America’s sixth president, who upon the 61st anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, argued that the principles of the Declaration were not a radical invention but rather the culmination of historical developments, tied directly to religious ideals. He connected the founding of the American nation to the spread of Christian gospel, saying the Declaration "laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity". It gave the world the "first irrevocable pledge of the fulfilment of the prophecies" of Messiah’s birth. [8]
Despite such affirmations, if one considers the personal beliefs of Adams and so many founders, such honor to the Christian Faith becomes more complicated. Most of the founders had become drawn into the philosophy and beliefs of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was an 18th-century intellectual and cultural movement that emphasized reason and individualism, leading to Deism—a belief in a non-intervening God based on natural law rather than divine revelation—and Unitarianism, a doctrine asserting God's absolute oneness, which rejected the Christian Trinity and divine miracles. Deism and Unitarianism are distinct but share Enlightenment roots. The Enlightenment offered the more educated elite a new pride in human reason. It did not lead to becoming atheists …but promoted reason over faith and divine revelation…. believing that “natural law” could guide human governance. The three tasked to write the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson…. deeply valued the Scriptures and the ethical teachings of Jesus, but none of them held solid orthodox beliefs that would be deemed essential by current Evangelical essentials. [8b]
So, what are we to make of the way in which John Adams, and many founders, testified to Christian beliefs as foundational…. even when they had been drawn outside orthodox belief? I believe that there may be two truths that would continue as a thread through the years to come. First, the Enlightenment offered a pride in human reason for the “educated” elite which would continue through the years to come. Such a pride would prove limited in its power to solve the ills of human nature…and it’s not surprising that this sense of supremacy would become a source of resentment by many of the lives being governed. Leaving this aside as a tension still at hand, there is a second truth which seems relevant to understanding the beliefs of the founding principles. When one considers the differences in belief between some of the Founding Fathers…as well as between many of the distinct denominations, one may wonder what held such differences in beliefs together? What appears to allow such diversity in various theological beliefs, is a common thread of belief in the Judeo-Christian worldview as a basis for reason and individual dignity….as well as the moral values that arise from such. Despite the lack of orthodox theology of many, the Founding Fathers were still deeply rooted in Christian beliefs. They had drawn upon the writings associated with the reformers of the Protestant Reformation which emphasized individual liberty from civil and religious oppression…and most of these lives were also personally shaped by the ethical teachings of Christ. In other words, in contrast to our modern time, there was more that united them than divided them. They shared a common broad worldview, ethical values, and a humility that allowed them to recognize their dependence on divine “providence.” [9]
This explains why all the founding colleges, which still draw lives from around the world, were created on the foundations of a Christian understanding of the world. Each of these were founded by the various colonies according to their Christian affiliations… to glorify God by developing leaders in the church and civic life… which were deemed inseparable in most cases. These included…
· Harvard University: (1636): Founded by Puritans with a mission to spread evangelical values and know God.
· William and Mary College: (1693): Established by Anglicans.
· Yale University: (1701): Founded by Congregationalist clergy in the Connecticut Colony.
· Princeton University: (1746): Founded by the Presbyterian Church.
· Columbia University: (1754): Originally King's College, founded by Anglicans.
· University of Pennsylvania: (1755): Founded as a non-denominational institution.
· Brown University: (1764): Established by Baptists.
· Rutgers University: (1766): Began as a Dutch Reformed institution.
· Dartmouth College: (1769): Grew from a school for Native American children but still had religious roots.
· Georgetown University: (1789): A significant early Catholic institution founded by Jesuits.
It was the very revelations of the Scriptures which provided the foundations for learning and preparing leaders in theology and civic leadership… as well as science, medicine, philosophy, law, and the arts.
This leads to the question, if America was formed by those so deeply shaped by a Christian worldview and subsequent ethical values, is it not fitting to consider America a “Christian nation?” [10] If by use of such a term, one is only speaking of such foundational influences, it could certainly be fitting. There is no question that a Christian worldview and subsequent moral values, and even a dominant religious identity, were foundational to the fabric of America. I believe that we who are living amidst our current cultural season, should pause and realize the significance of becoming detached from the deepest beliefs which grounded our human values and aspirations. I believe that as the cultural and academic elite seem to find pride in disconnecting America from such a worldview, it bears the loss to the very reference point from which to define truth…justice…morality…and meaning. It would serve every life well to recognize that our culture has been set adrift from the very source of our existence. This leaves us in desperate pursuit to name ourselves. When we no longer recognize our common life and dependence in God, our differences are used to define us…and then divide us. The result of rejecting the larger reality of God, is not that of being enlightened, but of being lost.
However, I believe that the danger of simply applying such a term as “Christian,” based on foundational beliefs, is that it loses the more substantial significance of whether the nation has or has not actually realized those beliefs. Something does not become something based simply on what influenced the minds of it’s originators…but rather because something actually becomes such. Even having a Judeo-Christian understanding of the world, does not make someone a Christian, that is, one who is united with Christ. As the Apostle James wrote in the Scriptures, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”
It seems to me that the problem with claiming that America is a “Christian nation,” is that one would have to consider how a nation becomes “Christian”? Would that be based on how much the national government or it’s people actually reflect the teachings of Christ? If so, that would be ever changing and easily debated. [10b] What we find is that any such claim that America is a “Christian nation,” tragically confuses the calling of Christ with simply seeking to establish some preferred form of cultural moral heritage.
In 2021, the most violent portion of lives which stormed the American capital, beating law enforcement in life destroying ways, included many holding signs with various Christian symbols stating, “Jesus saves.” Many such “Christian nationalists” show no interest in legislating the teachings of Christ regarding how we should treat those in need, but rather use the term “Christian” to reflect some form of cultural identity they hope can gain power and dominate the county. In contrast, Jesus introduced his ministry by reading from the prophet Isaiah, declaring that the Spirit of the Lord had anointed Him to bring good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners, restore sight to the blind, and to set the oppressed free. He then asserts, "Today these scriptures are fulfilled in your hearing", indicating that his coming marks the beginning of a new era of freedom and divine favor. (Luke 4:18-21) And then as he was arrested, he declared that “his kingdom was not of this world” (John 18:36), and shortly after told a disciple who came to defend him, to put away his sword, for his kingdom will not come by such force. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52) If the Kingdom which Christ represents is to come, it will not be revealed by those who seek control and defy the very rule of Christ in their lives.
This leads to the third element that needs clarity. The very way in which Christ called lives to receive him and be united with him, is that which cannot be imposed upon a nation nor even identified with a nation. Jesus declared quite clearly that his “kingdom was not of this world” (John 18:36). He didn’t come to restore the nation of Israel, nor did he give much attention to the human governance of Rome… because he came to declare a Kingdom that will not be bound in or by any human governance.
God had previously formed the nation of Israel and used a theocracy to begin to reveal His ways… ways which are holy and distinct from the ways of this world… and for which human nature could not fully achieve in itself. As the Scriptures explain: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. …. He reflects the brightness of God's glory and is the exact likeness of God's own being, sustaining the universe with his powerful word. After achieving forgiveness for the sins of all human beings, he sat down in heaven at the right side of God, the Supreme Power.” (Heb. 1:1-2a, 3 GNT) What had come before with a nation and it’s prophets is over. While the Puritans and Pilgrims, like other such separatist groups, may have aspired to create heaven on earth, the truth is that there is no reason to believe that God has intended a new nation would now become His kingdom on earth.
Jesus, as the Christ, the one sent from God, has come not to establish an earthly theocracy, but rather to call all lives, across all nations, to receive him and unite with God’s Kingdom. Faith is rooted in a personal choice of entrusting oneself to the grace of God in Christ. It is a profession which is rightfully affirmed with public profession and unites one with all who share it, but it is a profession which must be made within the human heart of the individual. Faith is not a passive reception of what is imposed upon an individual, but rather an active trust and reliance on God. Jesus described this as turning around (repenting) and coming home to live in union and obedience to God. (Matthew 16:13–16; Mark 8:27–29; Luke 9:18–20; Romans 2:6; Romans 10:9-10; Ezekiel 18:20; Philippians 2:12; Matthew 25:14-30)
The truth is that Christ provided no meaningful way to refer to a “Christian nation.” Some may suggest that a “Christian nation” is one whose governing principles are more aligned with divine justice… but that does not make the nation more “Christian.” Some may suggest that a “Christian nation” is one in which a majority truly choose to follow Christ as citizens of God’s Kingdom. However, while that is meaningful regarding personal choices, it does not define the nation itself. Such personal allegiance can emerge regardless of any particular governance. In fact, among the nations with the lowest church attendance are those which are officially Christian (England – 1.2%, Denmark – 2-3%) while Nigeria has the largest percent of regular church participation and is a secular state with a population that is roughly equally divided between Muslims and Christians. [11]
The truth is that Jesus confronted the problem of conflating national identity with genuine faithfulness to God. Jesus shined a light on those who presumed that they were faithful when they were merely proud of their cultural identity and enjoyed civic forms of religion bound in patriotic symbols. Claiming that America is a “Christian nation” reflects the same problem of conflating Christ with cultural identity and earthly governance.
The Scriptures describe governments as having a basic role to contain evil and serve peace. (Romans 13:1–7, 1 Peter 2:13–14) Those who are citizens of God’s kingdom should support and serve their earthly citizenship in a way that cares about the common good of their neighbors… as God defines such good. However, never do the Scriptures suggest that the nation represents God’s kingdom. When the religious leaders tried to get Jesus in trouble with the Roman Empire regarding taxes, he said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." (Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17, and Luke 20:25) In these verses, Jesus is responding to a question about whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. His answer is a way of acknowledging the authority of the Roman government in earthly matters, while also affirming that God's authority is supreme.
So, to sum up these three points…
· America was not “constituted” as a “Christian nation.” This is clear from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the writings in which we can understand the perspective and intentions of the authors. Their purpose was not to set forth freedom from religion, but rather to set forth freedom from the establishment of any particular religion, so as to provide for religious freedom.
· America’s worldview, ethics, and values were drawn from Christian beliefs… in fact far more than most begin to appreciate…but such a foundational source cannot make a nation inherently become “Christian” …neither then nor now. The common good may indeed be served by Christian beliefs and values, but unless actually believed and chosen, they do not actually make anyone or anything “Christian.”
· Christ does not teach or convey that which affirms the concept or designation of a “Christian nation.” The call of Christ was to a relationship with him as Lord, and cannot be reduced to cultural values or national identity…. nor imposed by any governing decree.
I imagine that some followers of Christ may not like hearing that which contends against defining America as a “Christian nation.” It may sound like it is siding with the wrong side amidst the current culture wars. However, if you find this proposition discouraging, I want to encourage you to take a moment to step back and realize that it is actually the more truly Christian position. I believe that in letting go of the need to claim that America is a “Christian nation,” we actually restore the dynamic nature that lies in the calling of Christ.
When those who are followers of Christ can let go of the need to claim that America is a “Christian nation,” we reclaim the profound meaning of the very term “Christian.” This term was not one which those who followed Christ initially claimed for themselves. It was used by those who recognized such followers because their lives were so “like Christ.” The Book of Acts in the New Testament records that the disciples were "first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:26). This Greek suffix after the title “Christ” was borrowed from Latin and indicates adherence to or belonging to something. Many believed it may have initially had a derogatory tone of stating how much these lives, they called “Christians,” were like Christ. In this way, we realize that it is not a term we should claim lightly. Rather than hearing some vague set of cultural values, we can hear the call of Christ to come follow his radical call to humbly receive his life and then follow it. Rather than presume that the term “Christian” is a label we can simply claim, we must consider what our lives actually represent.
When those who are followers of Christ can let go of the need to claim that America is a “Christian nation,” we embrace the significance of personal choice. James Madison and other Founding Father’s defied the impulse to presume that allegiance should or even can be imposed. The truth is that Jesus called those who were drawn to him to make a very significant choice …. a choice to follow him. He was not calling people to join a club but to make a personal choice to obey him as the true Lord over life and to follow him as the way to such life. [12]
It was a radical choice that claimed citizenship beyond any earthly identity. He made it clear that such a choice may bring conflict with the powers that govern this world… including empires, religious leaders, and family. When we let go of the idea that the term “Christian” can be applied to a national or cultural identity, we restore the significance for the true personal choice each of us must make.
When those who are followers of Christ can let go of the need to claim that America is a “Christian nation,” we restore clarity on what it means to be a citizen and ambassadors of God’s Kingdom. The dynamic of becoming citizens of heaven, is not that we become “too heavenly minded for any earthly good”, but that we become those who bless the world because we live in relationship to a larger reality. We are to live as "resident aliens." In the Bible, the "resident alien" refers to a foreigner who lives among the Israelites. This position is then used metaphorically to encourage Christians to understand how they are to live in this world.
When the Biblical Book of Hebrews speaks of the great forefathers of faith, it describes how “they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth." (Hebrews 11:13) The Apostle Peter urged those who were united with Christ to lives as “aliens and strangers” [in this world]… and as such…to “conduct yourselves with such honor …that they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us. (1 Peter 2:11-12) This also harkens back to what God spoke to those who were in exile from Israel. God instructs Jewish exiles in Babylon to "seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." (Jeremiah 29:7) One is both a foreigner who should never mistake the land as their home…but also a resident who should bless the place in which they live. They are to seek the good… what is referred to here with the Hebrew word shalom… which conveys wholeness and well-being. [13]
Nowhere in the Scriptures do we see a call to get control of the sources of earthly power and or to make a dominant claim that a nation represents Christ. The calling of God and teachings of Christ emphasize the identity of being a foreigner in whatever nation we reside…and to bring blessing with our good deeds.
When followers of Christ can let go of the need to claim that America is a “Christian nation,” they are able to get beyond the illusion of controlling others and embrace the true power of influence. The nature of “Christian” culture wars and nationalism is based on the premise that gaining power to control others is that which will create righteousness. This goal of trying to gain control of governing power is not only misguided but undermines the dynamic power we actually do have… which is not control… but influence.
Christ never sought to use laws to change hearts. Christ never sent his followers to get control of the Roman Empire’s governance nor to create another earthly empire. To those who follow him, he said, “You are the salt of the earth…. You are the light of the world. … let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16) These are terms which describe influence. He is clearly describing that it is our actual lives which have the power to illuminate and influence life. While he likely did not intend to dismiss our words, he clearly emphasizes our deeds. As so many commonly affirm, actions do speak louder than words.
Such actions are what penetrated the culture of the Roman Empire. The early church was distinguished by its distinctive acts of love and service, which set it apart from the surrounding culture. Christians cared for the poor and sick in a way that was unique at the time, extending help to people of all backgrounds. They provided hospitality and community. They cared for the sick and dying during plagues, demonstrating self-sacrifice and love, even at the risk of their own lives. The public saw how those who identified with Christ not only loved one another… but also loved those most discarded within the culture. This is the power of influence. The truth is that no attempt to exercise religious control has ever compared to the power of such influence.
As participants in a democratic nation, such influence can certainly include exercising our power to vote. There false presumption that people should not seek values based on their religious beliefs is both misguided and manipulative. Everyone has beliefs that shape their understanding of what values serve the common good. While I would never seek to impose beliefs or religious practice…. I will certainly seek to support the values which I believe serve the good of human life. However, I vote with an understanding that I must accept what the majority of my nation chooses. As such, I know that the greater influence I bear lies beyond political elections, and rests upon my personal life. Jesus called us not to control belief, but to “make disciples” as he did… which was through the influence of his words and life.
When those who are followers of Christ can let go of the need to claim that America is a “Christian nation,” we can become more true and honorable citizens. When we stop focusing on what America “was” or “is” … we can embrace the more dynamic process of what it is becoming…which we are a part of. The truth is that the Founding Fathers recognized that they were forming something new… something that had great potential and great vulnerability. Every generation would be entrusted with the aspirations and ideals…as well as the flaws and failures. As many express, America is an idea whose story is still being written.
Like every nation, America needs citizens who embrace what it means to serve the common good. Many may sense that America has lost some of the pride and patriotism of its citizens. What is vital to recognize is that a real commitment to the good of the nation is not reflected in blind patriotism nor in those who merely bear contempt and criticism.
There is a vain patriotism that simply serves our human pride. We may simply enjoy having a nation to cheer for in a similar way we enjoy having a team to cheer for. It’s part of belonging to a group. However, when such patriotism simply serves our sense of pride, we will avoid engaging in the problems that have been a part of the nation’s story. The posture that seems to say, “My country right or wrong!” does not reflect a true love for one’s country. There is nothing noble about simply affirming every choice a nation or national leader makes.
Similarly, there is nothing redemptive in the opposite tendency, that which is given to finding virtue in recognizing all the injustices and inequities in America’s history. It is easy to presume that by denouncing all that is wrong, we can feel better about ourselves. However, merely becoming critics can be another means of vain pride. No one should simply denigrate America and her achievements. There is much to be honored.
The greatest service one offers a nation is not that which simply pledges absolute allegiance to the nation itself, but rather to serving that nation based on valuing what is ultimately true and good. Such a “redemptive patriotism” requires maintaining an more ultimate moral compass rather than merely affirming the nation’s identity and power as inherently good. [14]
This is why I believe that a follower of Christ provides the truest source of positive patriotism. Christ did not come to merely to affirm the nations and empires of this world…nor to simply denounce them.... rather he came to bless nations for what they actually are… parts of a larger and greater story.
When those who are followers of Christ can let go of the need to claim that America is a “Christian nation,” we can model the religious freedom that serves those following Christ in all nations. It is vital that we let go of the desire to control and dominate others based on beliefs, not only because it does not reflect God…but also because it does not serve those who desire to follow Christ in other nations. Many Americans know something of the suffering that so many endure in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran… theocracies which persecute those who do not follow their official religion. Very similar hardship is emerging in Myanmar and India… as religious nationalism arises. Those who understand the danger of religious oppression should not support any such religious nationalism but rather seek for America to be a model of the religious freedom that our brothers and sisters in other countries hope their nations will follow. The separation of church and state is essential to protecting against religious oppression.
In conclusion, I understand why many who identify as followers of Christ would want America to be a Christian nation. The phrase sounds like it means that more honor is given to Christ. However, when we step back and consider what is meant by designating a nation to be “Christian”… we can begin to realize that not only did the founders not establish it as a “Christian nation,” but any form of simply designating it as such, does not actually reflect the true meaning of “Christian” nor the actual call of Christ. Claiming that America is a “Christian nation” will not make it more righteous…nor more Christian. It will only offer a form of national identity which will create a false understanding of what Christ represents.
It is so clear that Christ did not seek to gain the power or control of earthly governance. Doing so would not reveal his kingdom. As history has made equally clear, whenever the church seeks the power of the state…it is the church that loses its true influence. May we heed the words of Christ, to “give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.”
Further Reading:
No, Pastor Jeffress (and others), America is not a Christian nation. And here’s why it matters
By Andrew Daugherty; July 9, 2018 - https://baptistnews.com/article/no-pastor-jeffress-and-others-america-is-not-a-christian-nation-and-heres-why-it-matters/#:~:text=Echoes%20of%20Williams'%20%E2%80%9Cwall%E2%80%9D,again%2C%20%E2%80%9CHoly%20smokes.%E2%80%9D
The U.S. a Christian Nation? Not According to the Founders! by Harlow Giles Unger; 9/8/19 - https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/the-us-a-christian-nation-not-according-to-the-fou#:~:text=Even%20the%20devout%2C%20church%2Dgoing,present%20in%20the%20U.S.%20Senate%20
Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? by John Fea; Westminster John Knox Press; February 16, 2011
Notes:
1. For a good description of religious life and diversity in colonial America, see: Religion in Colonial America: Trends, Regulations, and Beliefs; Updated March 14, 2016 - https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/religion-colonial-america-trends-regulations-beliefs
2. Similarly, Thomas Jefferson, who was also at the core of framing the nation, and preceded Madison as president, explained his position in response to a request for a day of prayer. In a Jan. 23, 1808, letter to the Rev. Samuel Miller, he explained why. Here are some excerpts from that missive:
“I consider the government of the U.S. as interdicted by the Constitution from intermeddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises…. Certainly no power to prescribe any religious exercise, or to assume authority in religious discipline, has been delegated to the general government…. an authority over religious exercises which the Constitution has directly precluded them from.
I do not believe it is for the interest of religion to invite the civil magistrate to direct its exercises, its discipline, or its doctrines; nor of the religious societies that the general government should be invested with the power of affecting any uniformity of time or matter among them. Fasting & prayer are religious exercises. The enjoining them an act of discipline. Every religious society has a right to determine for itself the times for these exercises, & the objects proper for them, according to their own particular tenets; and this right can never be safer than in their own hands, where the constitution has deposited it.”
No Government ‘Intermeddling’ With Religion! - https://www.au.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/jefferson-and-madison-on.pdf
3. 1797 Treaty of Tripoli; Written by John R. Vile, published on July 25, 2022 last updated on July 2, 2024 - https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/1797-treaty-of-tripoli/
Bill Fortenberry has sought to provide an extensive challenge to the claim that this portion of the Treaty of Tripoli, known as the 11th amendment, was truly given consideration by the founders. He notes that it was part of an English translation of changing document, which few formal founders were in a position to diseent from. (http://www.increasinglearning.com/uploads/7/7/9/1/7791541/hidden-facts-of-the-founding-era-the-treaty-of-tripoli.pdf?acrobatPromotionSource=embeddedPDF) However, it remains true that the wording was included, without dissent.
3b. Letter to Edward Livingston (1822) - https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/04-02-02-0471
4. James Madison and Religious Liberty, March 16, 2001
5. George Washington, Address of George Washington, President of the United States . . . Preparatory to His Declination 22-23 (Baltimore: George and Henry S. Keatinge, 1796).
There are other statements which some attribute to George Washington to support the belief that America was constituted as a Christian nation, but the origins of such statements have never been confirmed. There is no record of Washington having actually said, "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible."
While there are many who have and continue to contend that “America is a Christian nation,” the arguments tend to be a combination of false quotations from Founding Fathers, or more often, quotations that simply express a personal affirmation for the need of religious faith, which is definitively different from having an official religion. For one example of contending against some of the false historical claims, one may review those who contend against a popular presentation by Charlie Kirk, at: Charlie Kirk's Christian America; April 28, 2025; Warren Throckmorton - https://tellingjeffersonlies.buzzsprout.com/2286752/episodes/17056073-charlie-kirk-s-christian-america and sources documents at https://warrenthrockmorton.substack.com/p/charlie-kirks-christian-america
6. In a later Jefferson on establishing religious freedom, Jefferson wrote:
“Well aware that the opinions and belief of men depend not on their own will, but follow involuntarily the evidence proposed to their minds; that Almighty God hath created the mind free, and manifested his supreme will that free it shall remain by making it altogether insusceptible of restraint; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments, or burthens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, who being lord both of body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his Almighty power to do, but to extend it by its influence on reason alone; that the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion over the faith of others…” - A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, 18 June 1779 - https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-02-02-0132-0004-0082
Roger Williams, a pastor who founded Rhode Island, would become the most passionate in calling for the separation of church and state. Williams considered the state's sponsorship of religious beliefs or practice to be "forced worship", declaring "Forced worship stinks in God's nostrils." He described laws concerning an individual's religious beliefs as "rape of the soul." He espoused that Constantine the Great was a greater enemy to Christianity than Nero because state involvement in religious matters corrupted Christianity. (Wikipedia cites Lemons, Stanley. "Roger Williams Champion of Religious Liberty". Providence, RI City Archives. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.)
7. The Founding Fathers on Jesus, Christianity and the Bible, May 29, 2023 - https://wallbuilders.com/resource/the-founding-fathers-on-jesus-christianity-and-the-bible/. As one committee report from the 33rd Congress in 1854, stated: "Had the people, during the Revolution, had a suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, that Revolution would have been strangled in its cradle… In this age, there can be no substitute for Christianity… That was the religion of the founders of the republic, and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants.” - Reports of Committees of the House of Representatives Made During the First Session of the Thirty-Third Congress (Washington: A. O. P. Nicholson, 1854), 6-9.
8. John Quincy Adams, An Oration Delivered Before the Inhabitants of the Town of Newburyport at Their Request on the Sixty-First Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1837 (Newburyport: Charles Whipple, 1837), 5-6.
8b. The personal beliefs and faith of the Founding Father’s have long been debated. If one dares to venture into the many statements they made, one will find that different assessments can be made based on different statements. What I have found helpful, is to understand that they lived in a different era of what was shaping beliefs. In particular they were living in the period shaped by “Enlightenment” thinking. Many make very affirming statements about the distinct greatness of both the Christian religion and Christ…yet it was common to value the ethical greatness apart from validating what any Evangelical today would deem essential theological belief. Some may want to emphasize their affirming claims and downplay such theological differences. However, these differences collectively reflect the Enlightenment worldview that honored Christian beliefs more as a philosophical framework that serves human governance. It could be said that nearly all the Founding Father’s certainly embraced the “Christian religion” …. but what that meant was often less clear in terms of whether they were only affirming an ethical foundation for life… or acceptance of true Christian faith in the divinity, death, and resurrection of Christ. No matter how much they affirm the “Christian religion,” to the degree that it was deemed as a great foundation for a general God shaped ethical life… it can reflect that which merely provides for better governance and civic life. Such a “civic religion” is ultimately not only quite distinct from what today’s Evangelical believes is essential to the Christian Faith…but in conflict with the central message of the Gospel. Civic religion is about what makes us more moral people. The Gospel is about the grace needed for our lack of goodness.
As for more specific views from three central figures….
Benjamin Franklin
Franklin respected Christianity's moral framework and the figure of Jesus, viewing Jesus's teachings as the finest system of morals ever devised, though he doubted Jesus's divinity and believed the original message had been corrupted by time. He identified as a deist, but his views were complex, and he would later appear to suggest he had become disillusioned with the value of such beliefs. As the Lehman Institute describes, “Franklin understood the importance of religious discipline even as he rejected religious doctrine… Like many prominent Founders, Franklin saw the civic utility of religion.” Steven Waldman noted Franklin "admired Cotton Mather's emphasis on personal virtue....But he also rebelled against Puritan clergy early and often." (https://lehrmaninstitute.org/history/the-founders-faith.html#ben)
John Adams
As best I can surmise, he held a great value for tradition, including attending the same church through much of his life. He also publicly spoke very affirmatively of the value of religion. However, more privately he felt aversity to the dogmatic and intimidating nature of clergy, and “by the end of his life, noted biographer James Grant, Adams "had rejected the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the infallibility of Scripture, as did many a Boston Unitarian. But he believed in God and in God's governance of the world. He prayed, attended Congregational meeting on Sunday (morning and afternoon), discussed theological questions with fluence and earnestness, and read the Bible." Grant wrote: "It was lost on neither Abigail nor John that war and Christianity made awkward bedfellows. Rarely did John write the words 'Christ' or 'Christian.' More often, he referred to 'Providence,' a divine power not specifically identified with the theology of the New Testament." (The Founders Faith - https://lehrmaninstitute.org/history/the-founders-faith.html#john - , citing James Grant, John Adams: Party of One, p. 442, 184)
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson is the most well-known for his deistic beliefs and rejection of core Christian beliefs. As a Deist he believed in the ethical teachings of Jesus but rejected his divinity, miracles, and resurrection. He went so far as to crafting his own Bible by removing supernatural passages to create a document focused on Jesus's philosophy and morals. He believed in a creator God whose presence was evident in the natural world, not through revelation or miracles. However, as the Lehman Institute describes, He went to church, most conspicuously as president. Biographer Henry Stevens Randall noted that Jefferson "attended church with as much regularity as most of the members of the congregation – sometimes going alone on horseback, when his family remained at home. He... always carried his prayer-book, and joined in the responses and prayers of the congregation.
9. The Ancient and Modern Influences that Shaped the American Founding - https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/philosophical-influences-on-the-founders
10. Some will emphasize that the foundations were so rooted in Christian beliefs and ethics that it should be understood as a Christian nation.
There is a later case in 1892, Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, 1892), involving the application of a federal law forbidding the importation of foreign contract laborers, in which Justice David J. Brewer wrote that the United States is a “Christian nation.” However, that was written as part of his opinion not as part of what was being decided. In 1905 Brewer published a series of lectures under the title The United States: A Christian Nation, further explaining his thoughts on this topic. The book is replete with examples from history and from state courts and constitutions of official references to Christianity, but Brewer also observed that the United States cannot be called a Christian nation “in the sense that Christianity is the established religion or that the people are in any manner compelled to support it” (Brewer 1905:12). - https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/church-of-the-holy-trinity-v-united-states/#
Moreover, attempts were made to establish the Christian identity later. As described, “The National Reform Association (NRA), a coalition formed in 1863 by representatives from eleven Protestant denominations, emphasized the Christian character of the nation and advocated an amendment to the Constitution in such a way that the United States would be permanently and officially aligned with Christianity. In order to rectify what it called the “religious defect” in the U.S. Constitution, the NRA petitioned Congress in 1864 to amend the preamble of the Constitution to read, “We, people of the United States, humbly acknowledging Almighty God as the source of all authority and power in civil government, the Lord Jesus Christ as the Ruler among the nations […], do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America.”9 The NRA’s amendment had broad support from many prominent citizens, yet it languished in Congress for years, occasionally being reintroduced. Finally in 1874 the House Judiciary Committee voted against its adoption. It was introduced in Congress again in 1882, but this time it died in committee. Another “Christian America” amendment resurfaced nearly one hundred years later, when similar proposals were introduced in Congress in 1961.” - The Christian Nation Debate and the U.S. Supreme Court, Mokhtar Ben Barka, https://doi.org/10.4000/ejas.8882 // https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/8882
James Black argues well that while Christianity is not as the established religion, it should be the encouraged heritage. (The Historical Record Shows That America Is a Christian Nation, By James Black / Tuesday, February 6, 2024 -
https://www.standingforfreedom.com/2024/02/06/the-historical-record-shows-that-america-is-a-christian-nation/) However, I find that this serves the true nature of Christ’s mission very little. Christ does not seek to be a valued moral heritage. It seems that this idea has been the case through America’s history. A majority accepted prayer in schools and Christian Scriptures in public spaces and monuments. However, there is nothing that protects public opinion from no longer accepting such.
10b. When was it “Christian?” When “it” allowed greed to massacre native Americans and enslave African lives? When “it” ended slavery? The problem is that applying a label to a nation, it conflates the whole of it’s population and history as a reflection of “Christian values” which denies so much that was so contrary to such values.
11. The following are percentages who weekly / regularly attend church (Averaged across difference sources)
Highest Nigeria – Overall is not clearly recorded. However it is about 48% Christian, with 30 million Catholics, of which 89-94% gather weekly. Some good explanation of this high rate can be found here: Nigeria’s newest cardinal shares secret behind the highest Mass attendance in the world By Courtney Mares, Feb 14, 2023 - https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253640/nigeria-s-newest-cardinal-shares-secret-behind-the-highest-mass-attendance-in-the-world
Nigeria is not officially a Christian country; it is a secular state with a population that is roughly equally divided between Muslims and Christians, according to a 2020 U.S. State Department report. Nigeria's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, prohibits the establishment of a state religion, and does not allow for discrimination on religious grounds.
Lowest church attendance - Soviet Union 2%
Countries with Eastern Orthodox State/Official Religion
Greece - 16% (Notably,… among Orthodox 91% of minor children (ie they are raising them to be Christian)
Countries with Protestant State/Official Religion
Anglican:
England - 1.2%
Scotland (also Presbyterian)- 7%
Lutheran:
Denmark - 2-3% of the population attending services regularly, and even lower figures such as 2.4% for weekly attendees
Finland - 2%
Iceland – 2%
Highest European church attendance –
Poland - 37-41% before pandemic, down to 28-30% after
Bosnia 24-35% - no official religion
Croatia – 24% - no official religion
12. This also recalls the moment we can read of in the Biblical Book of Joshua, chapter 24. Near the end of his life, Joshua gathers the leaders of all the tribes of Israel. He recalls God's faithfulness, reminding the Israelites of God's actions, from bringing their ancestors out of Egypt to leading them into the Promised Land. After this, he presents a choice: “if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
13. For a good expounding on Peter’s way of framing those who follow Christ as the elected of God who are resident aliens in Babyon, see: God’s Elect, Resident Aliens in Babylon, David M. Shaw; 11/05/2023 - https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gods-elect-resident-aliens-in-babylon/#:~:text=Living%20in%20Babylon&text=Remarkably%2C%20being%20a%20blessing%20meant,literal%20sense%20of%20the%20term
14. We do well to question why those gathering to worship Christ should include having an American flag placed before the people. The teaching of the Scriptures and Christ would warn against giving one’s ultimate allegiance to any but God. In addition, because every nation represents a breadth of what is righteous and unrighteous, a flag represents a contradiction when those gathering around Christ and the Kingdom of God, which calls all to be united by God’s grace, has placed before it that which may represent separation, violence, or oppression. - American Flags in the Sanctuary By Polk Culpepper; September 13, 2019 - https://progressivechristianity.org/resource/american-flags-in-the-sanctuary/#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20American%20history%20scholars,they%20be%20displayed%20in%20sanctuaries.
Others have contended that many global pastors affirm national flags as a way of identifying with one’s nation. This can be a way of communicating a desire to be faithful citizens as well as holding the nation responsible to serve their God-given role. “As the history of the practice indicates, a national flag in a church is not a sign of idolatry, but a reminder to the faithful to remember the specific magistrate we pray for, and what we rightfully expect from him.” - The History of National Flags in Churches, Miles Smith, November 24, 2021 - https://firstthings.com/the-history-of-national-flags-in-churches/
This is why we should realize that the founding fathers themselves never created a pledge of allegiance. It wasn’t until October 21, 1892, that both Columbus Day and the Pledge of Allegiance were celebrated for the first time. The pledge that so many treat as sacred was merely created as part of a marketing campaign to sell flags. It was written by Francis Bellamy, reportedly in just in two hours, when the country’s largest circulation magazine, “Youth’s Companion,” hoped to sell flags to every public school across the country by providing a pledge that could be recited. - How the Pledge of Allegiance Went From PR Gimmick to Patriotic Vow: Francis Bellamy had no idea how famous, and controversial, his quick ditty would become; Amy Crawford - Contributing Writer
September 2015 - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/pledge-allegiance-pr-gimmick-patriotic-vow-180956332/
The pledge underwent its most dramatic and contentious change in 1954 when President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God" at the height of the Cold War against the "godless" Communist Soviet Union.
What is helpful to recognize is that the founding of the nation never suggested such a pledge. Those who frame the nation has lost it’s “Christian” roots are often describing a decline in cultural Christian dominance that has taken place since it’s height in the 1950s.