1. EARLY COLONIAL DAYS
Before the founding of America, the early Colonial days already reflected a strong Protestant Christian heritage. The Mayflower Compact (1620) begins with, “In the name of God, Amen,” and expressly states their purpose was the “advancement of the Christian faith” through a “civil body politic.”
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639) stated their purpose as a political entity was, “to maintain and preserve the liberty and purity of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus which we now profess.”
Similarly, the New England Articles of Confederation (1643) also stated their purpose as, “The advancement of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the maintaining and propagating of the truth and liberties of the Gospel.”
The Liberty Bell, originally cast in 1752 as a functioning government bell in Pennsylvania, had an inscription from Leviticus 25:10, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof,” and after it cracked it remained an enduring symbol of America’s political liberty that was rooted in Biblical principles.
Another important symbol from this time was the Appeal to Heaven flag (1775), also known as the Pine Tree Flag, which was a Revolutionary War symbol flown by the Massachusetts colonial navy. It expressed reliance on God’s justice when earthly rulers failed, combining Christian moral principles with the American fight for liberty.
Early American colonies and their charters and symbols consistently reflected a strong Christian heritage, grounding the nation’s political and civic identity in Biblical principles and faith-driven ideals. From the very beginning, America’s pursuit of liberty was intertwined with Christianity.
2. INDEPENDENCE AND FOUNDING OF AMERICA
During the time of the American Revolution and the independence and founding of America, this Christian heritage continued to shape political thought. The Declaration of Independence (1776) refers to “Nature’s God,” and “our Creator,” and “the Supreme Judge of the world,” the “protection of Divine Providence,” and claims that “all men are created equal.” All of this language comes from Scripture and the Christian tradition of the Protestant Reformation.
In its historical context, the religious freedom cherished by America’s founding generation was the liberty to worship God and practice Christianity according to conscience, rather than under government dictate. Many had fled or opposed the state-imposed religion of the Church of England, where Anglican practices were enforced by law, i.e. subjects were legally compelled to:
- attend Anglican services,
- pay tithes to support Anglican ministers,
- use the Book of Common Prayer, and
- swear loyalty to the King as the head of the church.
The founders wanted to establish a nation where believers could worship God freely in their own denominations, instead of being forced into any one particular denomination. This conviction is powerfully expressed in Thomas Jefferson’s Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom (1786):
“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, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavoring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world and through all time.”
Here Jefferson assumes a common belief in “Almighty God,” speaks of “our religion,” and contrasts it with “false religions.” Though Jefferson was personally unorthodox in his beliefs, he said in a letter that he considered himself a “real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus,” and he was addressing an audience who would have understood this language in a Christian framework. Even so, Jefferson insists that religion must never be forced or imposed by government, for the state has no rightful dominion over the faith of others.
Samuel Adams, known as the “Father of the American Revolution” who was also a signer of the Declaration of Independence, strongly desired a Christian foundation for the nation, as seen in his Proclamation for a Day of Public Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer (1795), where he called on Americans to seek God’s mercy through Christ:
“That with true repentance and contrition of Heart, we may unitedly implore the forgiveness of our Sins, through the merits of Jesus Christ, and humbly supplicate our Heavenly Father, to grant us the aids of his Grace, for the amendment of our Hearts and Lives, and vouchsafe his smiles upon our temporal concerns.”
Samuel Adams had also previously said in The Rights of the Colonists (1772),
“Just and true liberty, equal and impartial liberty, in matters spiritual and temporal, is a thing that all men are clearly entitled to by the eternal and immutable laws of God and nature, as well as by the laws of nations and all well-grounded and municipal laws, which must have their foundation in the former.”
Not every Founder shared the same theological convictions (a small number were Deists or secular), but the majority of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Christians and church members (at least 50 out of 56) and the overall political culture assumed a broadly Christian moral framework.
Our first President and Founding Father, George Washington, highlighted the importance of the American nation regarding God and his rules in his First Inaugural Speech (1789):
“We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained (Proverbs 14:34).”
Then, that same year, he also recommended the entire nation to give thanks to God and seek his blessing, saying this is their duty, in his famous Thanksgiving Proclamation (1789):
“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
Washington’s speech and proclamation were given in the same year that the First Amendment was written, showing that acknowledging God was seen as fully consistent with constitutional liberty in this time.
Our second President and Founding Father, John Adams, who signed the Declaration of Independence, said in his Letter to Thomas Jefferson (1813):
“The general Principles, on which the Fathers Achieved Independence, were...the general Principles of Christianity.”
He also said, in his to Letter to the Massachusetts Militia (1798):
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Other Founders expressed similar convictions, like Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration, who wrote in an essay, A Defence of the Use of the Bible as a School Book (1798):
“The only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government is the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by means of the Bible.”
Noah Webster, a revolutionary soldier, legislator, founding father, creator of America's first English dictionary, known as the “Father of American Scholarship and Education,” said in his History of the United States (1832 edition):
"The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles... This is genuine Christianity and to this we owe our free constitutions of government... The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws.”
Additionally, in his letter to James Madison (America’s 4th President), Webster said:
“The Christian religion... is the basis, or rather the source, of all genuine freedom in government... I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exist and be durable in which the principles of Christianity have not a controlling influence."
If a President or public official said these same things today, he would almost certainly be called a “Christian Nationalist.” Yet these are the words of our Founding Fathers. Taken together, all of these statements show that references to God and Christ and a nation shaped by Christianity were not peripheral but central to the public and political life of the founding generation.
3. NINETEENTH CENTURY AMERICA
In 1802, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association to assure them that the federal government would not interfere with their religious practice or impose another denomination’s authority. He used the phrase “a wall of separation between church and state,” which contemporaries understood as protecting churches from government control—not as a mandate to exclude Christianity from public life or fully separate God and government.
Over time, however, the meaning of “separation of church and state” began to shift in the minds of some to refer to the exclusion of religion from public institutions, which is something very different from what Jefferson meant or what the Founders intended.
This misunderstanding was addressed by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee in an 1854 report responding to calls for a stricter separation of religion and government:
“At the time of the adoption of the constitution and the amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged—not any one sect. Any attempt to level and discard all religion, would have been viewed with universal indignation. The object was not to substitute Judaism, or Mahomedanism, or infidelity, but to prevent rivalry among [Christian] sects to the exclusion of others…
This report reiterates for us that at the time of the Constitution and the amendments, Christianity was encouraged, but there was freedom with regard to the “sects” or denominations within Christianity. In other words, freedom of religion was largely understood as freedom within Christianity, to worship as Baptists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Methodists, etc. rather than the freedom to practice other religions like Judaism or Islam. The First Amendment was meant to protect liberty of conscience and prevent rivalry or favoritism among Christian denominations, not promote other religions or “discard” Christianity from public life. The report continues,
While your committee…freely concede that the ecclesiastical and civil powers have been, and should continue to be, entirely divorced from each other. But we beg leave to rescue ourselves from the imputation of asserting that religion is not needed to the safety of civil society. It must be considered as the foundation on which the whole structure rests. Laws will not have permanence or power without the sanction of religious sentiment— without a firm belief that there is a Power above us that will reward our virtues and punish our vices. In this age, there can be no substitute for Christianity; that, in its general principles, is the great conservative element on which we must rely for the purity and permanence of free institutions. That was the religion of the founders of the republic and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants.”
Although this report is not a binding legal authority, it is still interesting and relevant because it shows how a legislative body in the mid-19th century explicitly rejected the idea of a total separation between government and Christianity. The Committee argued that the Constitution never intended such separation, and warns that if the American government were to become “entirely divorced” from Christianity, it would undo the foundation of civil society in America.
This very same year, our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, protested the practice of American slavery based on his faith, the teaching of Scripture, and the words of the Declaration of Independence. He said in his speech at Peoria, Illinois (1854):
“My ancient faith teaches me that ‘all men are created equal;’ and that there can be no moral right in connection with one man's making a slave of another.”
When the Declaration of Independence says that all men are created equal, it appeals to the Christian teaching that all people are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) and share a common ancestor in Adam (Acts 17:26), and are therefore equal in dignity. This principle had been emphasized in Protestant thought for centuries. Samuel Rutherford (1600–1661), for instance, taught explicitly:
“Every man by nature is a freeman born; that is, by nature no man cometh out of the womb under any civil subjection to king, prince, or judge, to master, captain, conqueror, teacher.”
American slavery, as practiced in the United States, was lifelong, hereditary, and race-based, systematically denying the God-given dignity of those enslaved. Unlike Biblical servitude, which was temporary, regulated, and protective of the servant’s humanity, American slavery ignored key moral limits, such as release provisions, protection from kidnapping, and fair treatment.
For this reason, Lincoln and many of his contemporaries regarded American slavery as a profound moral evil and a national sin, fundamentally irreconcilable with Scripture’s vision of human dignity and equality. Yet both the Union and the Confederacy framed their causes in explicitly Christian terms, appealing to rival interpretations of the Bible to justify either abolition or the preservation of slavery. Lincoln captured this tragic paradox in his Second Inaugural Address (1865):
“Both [sides] read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against the other.”
This was a war over competing visions of a “Christian nation,” and differing interpretations of the Bible. As historian John Fea has noted in his book,Was America Founded as a Christian Nation:
“Between 1789 and 1865 Americans—North and South, Union and Confederate—understood themselves to be citizens of a Christian nation. . . The conflict centered on what kind of Christian nation the United States would be.”
Lincoln believed the war was God’s judgment on the nation for this sin and appointed April 30, 1863, as a national day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer," seeking an end to the misery of war and to be restored to the favor of God. In this proclamation, Lincoln affirmed the “supreme authority and just government of Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations” and declared it the duty of nations to acknowledge their dependence on God, repent of sin, and recognize the Biblical truth that “those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord” (a reference to Ps. 33:12). He called on all Americans to lay aside ordinary pursuits and devote the day to prayer and repentance, keeping it “holy to the Lord.”
Would such a call to prayer and repentance be labeled as “Christian Nationalism” today? Likely so. Yet 75 years after the First Amendment, it was neither controversial nor seen as unconstitutional; the U.S. Senate itself requested the proclamation, recognizing the nation’s need for humility before God. Lincoln’s example shows how American leadership in the 19th century unapologetically connected national policy, moral conscience, and Christian faith without violating the Constitution.
Another striking and explicit example of America’s historical identity as a “Christian nation” comes from the Supreme Court itself. In the case Holy Trinity Church v. United States (1892), the Supreme Court famously observed that the United States was a “Christian nation.” Justice David Brewer, writing for the Court, noted that the government had long recognized religion as a central part of public life, citing references to God in official documents, public oaths, Sabbath laws, and other national practices.
Though not a binding precedent, the Court’s recognition that America was a “Christian nation” illustrates how deeply the Justices saw Christianity woven into the national fabric.
4. TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICA
Our 28th President, Woodrow Wilson, gave a speech on the Tercentenary Anniversary of the King James Bible (in 1911, while he was serving as Governor), stating his personal conviction about America's character and identity and purpose,
“America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness, which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.”
A few decades later, in 1947, our 33rd President, Harry S. Truman, wrote a letter to the Pope in which he also referred to America as a “Christian Nation,” highlighting the explicitly Christian roots of our country and echoing language used by the Supreme Court in the 1892 Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States case:
“Your Holiness, this is a Christian Nation. More than a half century ago that declaration was written into the decrees of the highest court in this land. It is not without significance that the valiant pioneers who left Europe to establish settlements here, at the very beginning of their colonial enterprises, declared their faith in the Christian religion and made ample provision for its practice and for its support.”
Not long after this, in an effort to counter rising secularism and more formally acknowledge the connection between God and government, Congress approved the addition of “One Nation Under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance (1954) and established “In God We Trust” as the nation’s official motto, mandating its display on U.S. currency (1956–57). Both acts were passed by Congress, affirming that such expressions did not violate the First Amendment.
Our 34th President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, is the one who officially signed these bills into law. He explained why this was so important to him in a statement he made on Flag Day on June 14th, 1954:
“In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource, in peace or in war.”
Then, the next year he said:
“Without God, there could be no American form of Government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first—the most basic—expression of Americanism. Thus the Founding Fathers saw it, and thus, with God's help, it will continue to be.”
In 1960, when Hawaii became the 50th state, our current flag was adopted with 50 stars. It still bears the 13 stripes, representing the original colonies—each rooted in Christianity and profoundly shaped by Biblical principles at their founding. These first colonies remain a vital part of America’s history and identity, as do the Christian roots that shaped them.
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, explicitly grounding his vision of racial equality in Christian faith and Scripture, specifically quoting Isaiah 40:4-5. He proclaimed:
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.”
By anchoring his call for justice and unity in Christian teaching and the promises of Scripture, King demonstrated how Christianity inspired Americans to pursue moral reform, equality, and the common good in the public sphere.
It should be clear by now that there has never been a point in American history with a “total separation of God and government,” as some might claim, nor was such a separation ever intended. It is not what the Founders wanted and the House Judiciary Committee’s 1854 report explicitly warned against seeking that kind of separation, that it would unravel the moral fabric of our nation and leave us without a sure foundation to build a free society on.
Our 40th President, Ronald Reagan, remarked at the
Dallas Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast (1984) that he was concerned about how our nation had begun to drift from this Christian heritage in the 1960's, and what he personally believed to be a necessary course correction:
“But in the 1960's this began to change. We began to make great steps toward secularizing our nation and removing religion from its honored place...In 1962 the Supreme Court in the New York prayer case banned the compulsory saying of prayers. In 1963 the Court banned the reading of the Bible in our public schools...The truth is, politics and morality are inseparable. And as morality's foundation is religion, religion and politics are necessarily related. We need religion as a guide. We need it because we are imperfect, and our government needs the church, because only those humble enough to admit they're sinners can bring to democracy the tolerance it requires in order to survive...We establish no religion in this country, nor will we ever. We command no worship. We mandate no belief. But we poison our society when we remove its theological underpinnings.”
Reagan’s concern was not that private faith had been outlawed, but that public acknowledgment of God was being systematically removed from civic institutions. He then closed with this memorable statement:
“Without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
Reagan is right to point out how modern courts since the mid-20th century have often taken a stricter separationist view, one that diverges from how earlier generations understood the First Amendment. Throughout our nation’s history, Christianity has always been closely intertwined with American government, culture, tradition, and politics—so much so that Presidents and the Supreme Court have referred to the United States as a “Christian nation.” The founding generation envisioned Christianity continuing as a central and guiding influence in the nation’s moral and civic life, and we are wise to preserve this.
5. UNDERSTANDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT
In light of all this, it is important to understand what the First Amendment actually says with regard to religion: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” In practice, this means that the government cannot legally coerce anyone to adopt or practice a certain religion or denomination. This is a good thing, because coercion violates the conscience, distorts true faith, and would amount to a bad version of a “Christian Nation” or “Christian Nationalism” (and I personally don’t know of anyone who is actually advocating for something like that). You do not have to be a Christian to be an American, and the American government cannot impose religious practice on anyone. But equally important is what the First Amendment does not prohibit:
- It does not forbid the government from publicly acknowledging God.
- It does not forbid Presidents or other officials from praying for God’s protection and blessing, or from personally sharing their faith in Christ.
- It does not forbid the American people from looking to the Bible for guidance on morality and justice as they consider the laws of the land.
- It does not forbid national traditions like “In God We Trust” or the opening prayers of Congress.
In other words, the First Amendment guards against forced religion, not against Christianity's influence on public life. This distinction is crucial, because America’s history is full of examples of leaders and institutions openly acknowledging and turning to God without violating the Constitution.
6. CONNECTING THIS WITH THE BIBLE
All of these things are not only constitutional—they are Biblical, “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (Rom. 13:1), and human rulers are instructed by God’s word to “serve the LORD with fear” (Ps. 2:11). Psalm 72:11 says, “May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!” Psalm 117:1 says, “Praise the LORD, all nations!“ It is clear in the Bible that all nations and their rulers are commanded to serve, honor, and praise the Lord Jesus Christ, and that there are blessings attached to this as well: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Ps. 33:12).
While we have primarily examined the duty of nations or the duty of the government, the church also has its own God-given duties and mission: to preach Christ and him crucified for the salvation of sinners, to make disciples, to live as salt and light, to love God and neighbor, and to proclaim the gospel to all nations. The church is the bride of Christ, whom he died for, to save and redeem, that the church might dwell in God’s presence forever in the age to come.
In this age, Jesus Christ has commanded His church to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19–20), a mandate that includes our nation, the United States of America. The church is focused on the evangelization of the lost and the edification of believers in the context of local churches who rightly preach God’s word, rightly administer the sacraments, and rightly exercise church discipline (Belgic Confession, Article 29).
The duty of the church is distinct from the duty of the government, but they are not entirely unrelated. The church must honor and submit to governing authorities (1 Pet. 2:13) while also speaking prophetically to government authorities who turn away from the Lord (as Daniel did to the kings of Babylon or John the Baptist did to King Herod).
Additionally, God often calls believers to positions of civil leadership and “it is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the office of a magistrate when called thereunto” (2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith 24.2), and these civil leaders are equipped by the church for their service. John Calvin says in his Institutes 20.4,
“With regard to the function of magistrates, the Lord has not only declared that he approves and is pleased with it, but, moreover, has strongly recommended it to us by the very honourable titles which he has conferred upon it. . . To this we may add the examples of saints, some of whom held the offices of kings, as David, Josiah, and Hezekiah; others of governors, as Joseph and Daniel; others of civil magistrates among a free people, as Moses, Joshua, and the Judges. Their functions were expressly approved by the Lord. Wherefore no man can doubt that civil authority is, in the sight of God, not only sacred and lawful, but the most sacred, and by far the most honourable, of all stations in mortal life.”
To serve the Lord as a civil leader is a high and noble calling, and the church should pray for, support, and equip those whom God calls into this role. Faithful civil leaders seek the good of all the nation’s people, whether Christian or not, and they also safeguard the church’s freedom, so that it may worship and proclaim the gospel without government interference or persecution.
7. CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION
When government and church each fulfill their God-given roles, the result is a nation where:
- God is honored by public officials,
- Prayer and humility before God are seen as virtuous,
- Christianity can be acknowledged in public life (without coercion),
- Liberty of conscience is protected for all people (whether Christian or not),
- Freedom and justice are upheld for all people (whether Christian or not),
- National traditions and customs are shaped by Christianity,
- Society is grounded in moral truth, and
- The church can worship freely and proclaim the gospel without interference.
This vision of a “Christian nation” is 1) Biblical, 2) aligned with the convictions of the Founding Fathers, 3) consistent with America’s historic Christian heritage, and 4) fully respectful of the First Amendment.
If you share the same convictions as our founders and acknowledge America’s Christian heritage and identity, some will almost certainly label you a “Christian Nationalist,” whether or not you would ever claim that title yourself. We should reject any form of “Christian Nationalism” that would coerce religious practice or violate liberty of conscience. But if by “Christian Nationalism” one simply means the recognition and preservation of our nation’s Christian heritage and its influence on our culture, then such an outlook would be constitutional, faithful to Scripture, and undeniably rooted in America’s history.
As Christians, we should pray for the church in America to be faithful in proclaiming Christ and making disciples and equipping the saints to love God, love their neighbors, preach the gospel, and raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
We should also pray for our nation, that its leaders would be godly and its morals, symbols, customs, and traditions would be as self-consciously Christian as our Constitution legitimately allows—for the glory of God, the good of our nation, and in honor of our history. In light of this, I will close with this exhortation from the Apostle Paul:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4)
May God Bless America! In Jesus’ name, amen.
