On this Memorial Day, as we honor those who died in service to America, it’s instructive to reflect on America’s origins and purposes.
The recent movie A Great Awakening recalls the friendship and business partnership of Benjamin Franklin and evangelist George Whitefield. A skeptical deist, Franklin was never fully converted by the preacher who led revival in colonial America. But, at least as portrayed in the film, Franklin appreciated that Whitefield’s exertions gave Americans confidence that their rights were from God, enabling their revolt against Britain.
In the film’s final scene, an aged Franklin urges a divided Constitutional Convention to lace their deliberations with prayer, as “unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” The film captures some of the complex interplay between America’s founding and Christianity.
In contrast, last month, with less nuance, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley declared in a speech at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky:
This country was founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This country was founded on the truth of the Bible. This country was not founded on some Enlightenment secularism. It was not founded on a series of neutral principles, whatever those would be. This country was founded on the truth of Scripture.
On Sunday, May 17, on the National Mall in Washington, DC at a day-long rally called “Rededicate 250,” numerous speakers reiterated America’s Christian origins. The theme of America’s Christians origins, especially prominent over the last 40 years or so, pushes back against 20th century histories that minimized religion in America’s founding and wider history.
But there also has been a belief among many conservative Christians, especially evangelicals, that reclaiming and touting this history will strengthen Christianity today in America. This hope is perhaps mostly misplaced, since non-religious or less religious people, even if they accept the premise, are not persuaded of the binding relevance for today. After all, what’s past is past!
And there’s a danger in exaggerating the Christian origins of America. If America was “founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” then America is literally a church unto itself, bound to specific Christian doctrine for its identity. This expectation and standard are unattainable and create dangerous expectations.
No nation is a church or wholeheartedly Christian. We are all, as citizens of this nation or that, in and of the world, amid the wheat and the tares. The Church, as The Bride of Christ, is in the world but not of it. It is bound to Christian doctrine, it worships its Lord, it witnesses to the Gospel, it teaches and performs good works to honor God. But no nation or society can conflate with much less compete with the church.
And no nation is literally “built on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” No nation has that level of purity even at its beginnings. The first settlers of Anglo America at Jamestown were all men and came for gold, land, and adventure. They had a cleric, and an established church, and they were expected to worship regularly. But the colony foundered for years, due to disorganization, laziness, rebellion, foolishness, and greed. Some were religiously devout. Some were not. Yet God in His sovereignty used them all.
The second major settlement of Anglo America was Plymouth Rock, more often associated with America’s Christian founding, as the Pilgrims were devout separatist Calvinist Christians seeking freedom from the Church of England. But most of the Mayflower’s passengers were “strangers,” not Pilgrims, who came as skilled craftsmen or bringing other skills, hoping to prosper in America. New England across subsequent decades was ruled by Puritans but not everyone was a Puritan or religiously devout. Eventually the Puritan theocracy could no longer survive as the population became more diverse. Yet God presided, as He always does.
Some early American colonies with established churches mandated some level of church attendance. But this expectation was not always enforced. Most people lived in the countryside, not close to a church, without traveling many hours on difficult or non-existent roads. Some people were literate and could read the Bible or other spiritual materials. But many were not literate.
Overall church attendance in early America was almost certainly less than it is today. And certainly, today everyone has easier access to religious materials, especially online. Today everyone can read a Bible or watch a sermon, effortlessly, no matter where they are.
There’s much debate over the religiosity of America’s Founders. Nearly all professed to be Christian but several prominent ones, like Franklin, rejected the Trinity and Christ’s deity even as they often attended churches. The Founders did not write the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution nor into the civil law of most states. Their choice did not reflect impiety so much as it reflected their understanding that governments and nations are not churches. Nations have a more limited, less cosmic purpose.
We on this earth live in a time before the completion of God’s Kingdom. The Gospel is proclaimed by the church. Some believe it, others do not. God judges human hearts. Christians extol their faith and hopefully strive to live according to its principles. But we cannot force God’s hand. We anticipate “the world to come,” which arrives according to God’s schedule.
Christianity has always pervaded America. It’s impossible to imagine America without it. G.K. Chesterton said America has the “soul of a church.” He was not confusing America with a church. He did not say that America was “built on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” He meant that America was, like a church, built on a creed, which is the Declaration of Independence and its affirmation of human equality with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
America’s theoretical commitment to human equality derives from Christianity and its understanding that all are created by God, bear His image, are sought for salvation, and will face Him in judgment amid mercy. But America is not a church. And to insist that it is thoroughly Christian presumptuously demands what is impossible barring divine intervention.
Christianity has leavened America and hopefully will long continue to do so. But we who are Christians cannot conflate our faith with our nation. And we trust that God has our nation and all nations in His hands, ultimately claiming all things for His purposes. As Benjamin Franklin, the religious skeptic, told the Constitutional Convention, both in reality and in the film A Great Awakening:
I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?
Christians, including those who don’t act very Christian, and non-Christians, all operate under divine sovereignty. God’s power and Christ’s lordship don’t require our stipulating that America is thoroughly Christian. By faith, we know that all are under His care, His judgment, and His grace. And we pray for His mercy, for ourselves, and our nation.
Contrary to Senator Hawley’s assertion, America was not literally built on the Gospel. But America is nurtured by and sustained by the Gospel. If we as Christians are faithful, the Gospel will continue to animate America and to advance righteousness in our land that we love and serve.
Comment by Wilson R. on May 25, 2026 at 1:00 pm
The Gospel of Jesus Christ involved the teachings of a Jewish rabbi. So if you want to make claims about American foundations, citing the principle that all men are created equal, those foundations are Jewish, not Christian.
Comment by David on May 25, 2026 at 5:08 pm
“Fear God and honor the king” (1 Pet 2:17) was truly the inspiration for the American Revolution.
Comment by Salvatore Anthony Luiso on May 26, 2026 at 1:50 am
Thank you for this article. I generally agree with it.
I would dare to say that Sen. Josh Hawley knew better than to say “This country was founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ” etc., and, therefore, when he said that, he was lying.
Beware of people who lie about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Bible, and the truth of Scripture.
I would also say that most of the Christians in America who believe what Hawley said, or false notions akin to it, either know better or *should* know better, and are without excuse for the problems they cause by their false beliefs.
Away with the Christian nationalist lies!
Regarding “America’s theoretical commitment to human equality derives from Christianity”: Is that true? I ask because up to 1776 there had never been a Christian consensus on the notion that all humans are equal and have equal rights. To the contrary: it was widely believed among Christians that some people were by birth superior to others, and that by birth some had more rights than others (e.g. kings and princes). How many of the singers of the Declaration of Independence believed that an entire race of people were of such inferiority that they owned members of it as slaves?
I regret to say that George Whitefield himself promoted slavery. I wish it weren’t true, but it is. (To his credit, he did believe that slaves were humans and should not be treated like animals, and spoke out against masters who treated their slaves cruelly.)
The other foremost leader of the Great Awakening in North America, Jonathan Edwards, owned slaves. Again: I wish it weren’t true, but it is.
The only truly Christian nation—the only one built on the Gospel of Jesus Christ—is the one which St. Peter wrote of in the following passage:
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
—I Peter 2:9–10 (AV/KJV)
Comment by Gary Bebop on May 26, 2026 at 12:23 pm
Be careful of reading present cultural assumptions into dissections of the past. Every link that is cut between Christianity and America’s founding is replaced by some false revisionist narrative intended to divorce America from its Christian roots finally and utterly. Don’t be deceived.
Comment by Wilson R. on May 26, 2026 at 5:37 pm
Gary:
Do you believe Jesus practiced and taught Judaism?
Comment by Td on May 26, 2026 at 7:18 pm
Hmmm. I think you protest too much. The simple truth is that there would be no USA without christianity. And honestly, if our culture fully abandons christian values, it will no longer be a USA that you and I recognize. And Christian values won’t last longer than 2 generations past the abandonment of people going to churches that practice and believe the faith. Europe is practically there. The US may escape, but might be last 1st world nation that could remotely be called christian. The neo pagans are right at our doorsteps, waiting to label us and arrest us as haters and bigots and enemies of what they define as freedom.
Comment by Gary Bebop on May 26, 2026 at 9:30 pm
“Td” is right. Many credentialed Protestants (likely aging Boomers) refuse to acknowledge the signs. They bask in the glow of sunset. Once the heritage is lost, it will not be regained for generations, if ever. If you applaud the heavily traveled wide road, the consequences are yours to share with your grandchildren.
Comment by Mark on May 27, 2026 at 7:21 pm
Td,
Whether there would still be a USA without Christianity is unimportant, because we can say with absolute assurance that there will still Christianity without the USA. St. Augustine, writing in the aftermath of the Sacking of Rome, tells us that there are two cities: The City of God and the City of Man. The City of God is eternal, triumphant, and pure. It is founded on love of God. The City of Man is mortal, flawed, and founded on the love of man for himself. No matter how we may try to sanctify America’s founding, it is still a city of man and still founded on love of self. In this case love of one’s freedom to pursue one’s own ends and path to happiness. A freedom that God-given no doubt, but it was for the freedom not for the God who gave it that men fought and died at Bunker Hill and Saratoga. That doesn’t make their sacrifice any less noble or important in the eyes of human history, but in the eyes of God the fate of America may be of no greater significance than the fate of an anthill. All cities of man are temporary and will not be carried to the kingdom, though those citizens of those cities who are bound to Christ will find eternal life in the City of God. Love your country, honor it, fight for it, but don’t ever confuse with God’s only true instrument on earth, the Church.
Comment by C.S. on May 27, 2026 at 8:34 pm
I think perhaps the words Josh Hawley used came from a Fourth of July speech by John Quincy Adams. In part it says; “Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the Progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity and gave the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets 600 years before”. This was spoken July 4, 1837.
Both John Adams and John Quincy knew, in the 2nd president’s words that; “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” ( Oct. 11, 1798)
Comment by Salvatore Anthony Luiso on May 28, 2026 at 1:13 am
C.S.:
I doubt Sen. Hawley was thinking of those remarkable remarks of John Quincy Adams which you have quoted when he said “This country was founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ” etc..
Thank you for quoting them. I did not know of them until now.
To understand them properly, one should know that both John Quincy was a Unitarian. That means he did not believe in the divinity of Jesus. It also means that the way he understood what he said is not the same as how a Christian would understand it unless he knew that they were the words of a Unitarian.
John Quincy’s father was also a Unitarian. So although he believed that “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people”, he did *not* believe that it was made only for a Christian people.
(Note that according to Wikipedia, Sen. Hawley was raised Methodist and at present attends a Presbyterian church. So he is not a Unitarian, but considers himself to be a Christian.)
Comment by C S on May 28, 2026 at 8:56 am
I understand John Quincy to be a true, trinitarian Christian who trusted in Christ’s atonement for salvation. His father and mother, sadly, in their later years turned toward Unitarianism after he had grown and after the war. In John Quincy’s letters to his parents he chastised them for their carelessness of turning in the way of what was popular, then, among their learned friends. He prophetically warns them that they do not yet see where such beliefs will lead them. We have to understand that the Unitarian doctrines looked much more like pure Christianity at that time as they crept into some of the unguarded .Congregational churches.
Comment by Td on May 28, 2026 at 1:07 pm
Mark-
Of course you are correct. But as a Christian, i certainly want my country to be Christian. And i certainly do not want to live in a nation where Christianity is outlawed, regulated, or condemned. Certainly, Christianity will continue until the end of time, but that doesn’t mean that nigeria isn’t killing christians today or that China is torturing them today.
Comment by Mark on May 28, 2026 at 1:46 pm
Td,
No one wants to live in a country where Christianity is outlawed, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. No earthly country or kingdom can be truly Christian. They will always be built on love of self, not love of God. America and every country has no place in eternity, only people do. Theocracies have a long and dark history (regardless of the religion who rules) and a tendency to equate the God’s will with the nation’s. Look at how one side here in America accuses the other of “going against God’s will” by challenging the president.
Comment by Salvatore Anthony Luiso on May 28, 2026 at 5:13 pm
C.S.:
The Miller Center at the University of Virginia says the following about John Quincy Adams:
He formally joined the Unitarian branch of the Congregational Church once he took office [as president], and he attended church every Sunday. But he questioned the divinity of Christ, the virginity of Mary, and the Bible as divine revelation. For him, Christ was a savior sent by a supreme being to preach peace on earth and the natural equality of all mankind.
(https://millercenter.org/president/jqadams/family-life)
The PBS series *American Experience* says the following about him:
Like his father, John Quincy Adams died a Unitarian. Born into the liberal Congregational Church of his parents, he studied and scrutinized religion and initially chose the more conservative strand of the Congregational Church before migrating slowly toward Unitarianism.
(https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/godinamerica-white-house/)
Comment by Wilson R on May 29, 2026 at 12:17 am
A national that allowed slavery and then racial segregation and subjugation could not be described as Christian. For America, being a Christian nation is an aspiration, not a statement of reality.
Comment by Salvatore Anthony Luiso on May 29, 2026 at 1:49 am
C.S.:
John Quincy Adams may have believed in the Trinity in his youth, but later he became a Unitarian.
He was a founding member of First Unitarian Church of Washington (which is now known as All Souls Church Unitarian). That church was founded in 1821: before he became president. As president, he attended that church.