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The Forgotten Foundations
America’s story cannot be told truthfully without acknowledging its deep Christian roots. From the earliest colonial settlements to the framing of the Constitution, the fingerprints of biblical faith are everywhere.
Yet today, and for a long time, a campaign of silence and revision has sought to erase this great heritage. The result is a generation untethered from its historical moorings, unsure of its purpose or identity. But the truth still speaks… if we have ears to hear and hearts to remember.
God, History, and Meaning
The Christian understanding of history is not neutral. It begins with the premise that the God of the Bible is the Lord of history and that His providence gives history its meaning. (Heck, even the Deist Ben Franklin believed in God’s Providence.) Without this foundation, all historical interpretation becomes arbitrary… a patchwork of random events without significance.
America’s founders did not believe they were shaping a secular nation. Rather, they viewed their political experiment as inseparable from a divine mission. They believed history was unfolding under the sovereign direction of God, and they built their institutions accordingly.
Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?
Despite modern assertions to the contrary, America was undeniably founded with a Christian vision. Though denominational diversity existed—Congregationalists in Massachusetts, Anglicans in Virginia, and others—there was near-universal agreement on the foundational importance of Christianity.
Many state constitutions explicitly affirmed belief in the Trinity and the Bible as prerequisites for holding public office. This was not a pluralistic hodgepodge of competing worldviews, but a shared framework grounded in the authority of Scripture.
The phrase “separation of church and state” is often weaponized to deny this heritage. But the First Amendment was never intended to sever Christianity from public life. It merely prevented the federal government from establishing a national church, as Britain had done with the Church of England. States were free to maintain their own religious establishments, and many did for decades after the Constitution was ratified. The founders’ fear was not religion… but ecclesiastical tyranny.
Biblical Influence on Government and Law
Biblical law was the basis for much of early American civil and criminal law. The very idea that law should reflect eternal moral standards came directly from the Old and New Testaments. In Israel, every male was required to appear before the Lord three times a year, integrating worship, law, and family life into one religious and political unity.
The American town meeting… where families shaped local governance… was a direct echo of this covenantal model.
Court cases in colonial America were often decided based on biblical principles, not extensive statute books. A Jewish legal scholar once observed that early juries and judges would consult the Bible for their rulings. This was normal, uncontroversial, and widely accepted until history was rewritten.
The First Amendment: A Wall Against Ecclesiastical Tyranny, Not Faith
The popular modern idea of a strict wall of separation between church and state owes more to the writings of Thomas Jefferson than to the Constitution itself. Ironically, Jefferson’s own faith—or lack thereof—would have disqualified him from voting or holding office in many states at the time.
He was, at best, a deist, and this was considered suspect. Yet even Jefferson did not advocate erasing Christianity from public life. He simply wanted to prevent a federal church establishment.
The clergy of the founding era were actually among the strongest supporters of the First Amendment… not to keep Christianity out of politics, but to keep the federal government out of the church. They feared a repeat of British coercion, where colonial churches were expected to conform to English bishops. The war for independence was, in large part, a war for religious freedom… not from Christianity, but for it.
Christianity in American Life and Education
For generations, the Bible was read daily in American public schools. Psalms and Proverbs were standard fare. Evangelists were invited to speak in assemblies. Local clergy often influenced public schools directly—Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians—depending on the region. This was not seen as controversial but expected. The faith of the people shaped the culture, including its education.
All this began to change after World War II, when a top-down revolution against Christianity began. Humanist scholars gained dominance in education and policy, seeking to scrub public life of overt Christian influence. Today, it’s considered controversial to pray before a football game or mention the Bible in a courtroom. In fact, cases have even been overturned simply for quoting Scripture.
A Culture Shaped by Christian Ethics
The moral framework that once defined America was deeply Christian. Guns were common in rural homes, but children did not misuse them. Discipline, respect for life, and a strong sense of right and wrong didn’t come from civil government or authorities, but from the moral influence of the gospel as families and local churches taught it.
Atheism existed, but was rare and even seen as strange. Christianity was not just personal… it was cultural. Even immigrants knew this. A Cambodian teen who came to America a few years back assumed she would convert to Christianity simply because she was moving to a Christian nation. That assumption used to be common.
Why Christians Must Remember
There is a reason today’s humanist regime works so hard to erase America’s Christian past. They understand well what many believers have forgotten: that history shapes identity, and identity shapes destiny.
If our children are taught they come from nowhere, owe nothing to their forebears, and live in a secular state divorced from God, they will act accordingly. But if they are taught the truth… that they are heirs of a rich Christian heritage… they will have a foundation on which to stand.
The Bible teaches that “to whom much is given, much is required.” God has worked uniquely in the history of this nation, and with that blessing comes responsibility. It is time to remember, to teach, and to build again.
A Christian people must not live like cultural orphans. America’s Christian roots are not dead. They are buried… but only shallowly. Let’s dig up the dirt, remember, and live again with covenantal obligation and responsibility. Grab a shovel!
