Episode Details

Was America founded as a Christian nation, or was Christianity just one of many influences on its founding?

In Episode 31 of Practical Apologetics, Kenneth Willis examines the historical evidence behind one of America's most debated questions.

From the Declaration of Independence and the original state constitutions to George Washington's Revolutionary War orders, colonial laws, and the founding of America's earliest universities, the historical record reveals just how deeply Christianity influenced the nation's development.

We'll also examine the Constitution's prohibition on religious tests, the religious beliefs of prominent founders, and the often-quoted Treaty of Tripoli.

The central argument is straightforward: Christianity wasn't just something that existed in America. It helped shape what America became.

Even if a nation called America could have existed without Christianity, would it have been the same country?

Let's follow the evidence.

Historical Sources & Further Reading

• Declaration of Independence (1776), National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

• United States Constitution, Article VI, and First Amendment, National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript

• Delaware Constitution (1776), Article 22: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/de02.asp

• Pennsylvania Constitution (1776), Section 10: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/pa08.asp

• North Carolina Constitution (1776), Article XXXII: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/nc07.asp

• George Washington, General Orders, July 9, 1776: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/washingtons-general-orders

• George Washington, Farewell Address (1796), Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mgw2.024/?sp=243&st=text

• John Adams, Letter to the Massachusetts Militia (October 11, 1798): https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3102

• Massachusetts Body of Liberties (1641), Massachusetts Government Archives: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-body-of-liberties

• Harvard University, Institutional History: https://www.harvard.edu/about/history/

• Treaty of Tripoli (1796–1797), English Text: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/bar1796t.asp

• Treaty of Tripoli, Hunter Miller's Historical Notes and Translation Analysis: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/bar1796n.asp

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