This
question may be more complicated than it first appears, for the answer depends
entirely on what one means by “a Christian nation.” Wayne Grudem does an
excellent job of breaking this question down into nine possible interpretations, along with their respective answers,
in his book Politics
According to the Bible.[1]
As
Grudem explains, this question cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”
Unfortunately, heated debate and frustration have often surrounded this issue.
But the matter can be largely resolved if we simply take the time to define
what we mean. This helps avoid misunderstanding and prevents disagreeing
parties from talking past one another.
So
is America a Christian nation? Let’s look at nine possible meanings of that
question along with their specific answers.
1. Is Christian teaching the primary
religious system that influenced the founding of the United States?
Yes,
it is. See this article by David Barton: The Founding Fathers
on Jesus, Christianity and the Bible.
2. Were the majority of the Founding
Fathers of the United States Christians who generally believed in the truth of
the Bible?
Yes,
they were. See this article by Greg Koukl: The Faith of
Our Fathers.
3. Is Christianity (of various sorts)
the largest religion in the United States?
Yes,
it is.
4. Did Christian beliefs provide the
intellectual background that led to many of the cultural values still held by
Americans today?
Here
Grudem explains what he means by cultural values: “these would include things
such as respect for the individual, protection of individual rights, respect
for personal freedom, the value of hard work, the need for a strong national
defense, the need to show care for the poor and weak, the value of generosity,
the value of giving aid to other nations, and respect for the rule of law.”[2]
The
grounding for many of these cultural values can be found in the Declaration of
Independence itself:
We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
In
other words, if all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights, then it would seem that many things like respect
for the individual, protection of individual rights, respect for personal
freedom, etc., would naturally follow. The Biblical concept of the imago Dei, human beings created in the
image of God, provides the appropriate grounding for many cultural values (such
as human equality) that secularists often take for granted and which their own
worldview cannot account for.
Answer:
Yes, it did.
5. Was there a Supreme Court decision at
one time that affirmed that the United States is a Christian nation?
Yes,
there was. In 1892 the United States Supreme Court determined, in the case of The Church
of the Holy Trinity v. the United States, that “this is a Christian
nation.” After surveying the historical evidence of Christian founding and influence
in this country, Associate Justice David J. Brewer concluded the following:
There is no
dissonance in these declarations. There is a universal language pervading them
all, having one meaning; they affirm and reaffirm that this is a religious nation. These are not individual sayings,
declarations of private persons: they are organic utterances; they speak the
voice of the entire people.
If we pass
beyond these matters to a view of American life as expressed by its laws, its
business, its customs and its society, we find everywhere a clear recognition
of the same truth. Among other matters note the following: The form of oath
universally prevailing, concluding with an appeal to the Almighty; the custom
of opening sessions of all deliberative bodies and most conventions with
prayer; the prefatory words of all wills, “In the name of God, amen”; the laws
respecting the observance of the Sabbath, with the general cessation of all
secular business, and the closing of courts, legislatures, and other similar
public assemblies on that day; the churches and church organizations which
abound in every city, town and hamlet; the multitude of charitable
organizations existing everywhere under Christian auspices; the gigantic
missionary associations, with general support, and aiming to establish
Christian missions in every quarter of the globe. These, and many other matters
which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of
organic utterances that this is a
Christian nation.[3]
6. Are a majority of people in the
United States Bible-believing, evangelical, born-again Christians?
Here
Grudem answers, “No, I do not think they are.” I agree. For support Grudem
cites a 2005
Gallup poll which concluded that only 22% of Americans hold to truly
evangelical beliefs. Even if Roman Catholics are grouped together with
evangelicals, it still does not constitute a majority.
7. Is belief in Christian values the dominant
perspective promoted by the United States government, the media, and
universities in the United States today?
No,
it is not.
8. Does the United States government
promote Christianity as the national religion?
No,
it does not.
9. Does a person have to profess
Christian faith in order to become a US citizen or to have equal rights under
the law in the United States?
No,
certainly not.
To
summarize, with these nine possible interpretations (and perhaps more!) in
mind, it seems the appropriate follow-up question to “Is America a Christian
nation?” is “What do you mean by that?” Grudem answers the first five questions
above “yes” and the last four questions “no.” He concludes:
I do not think
the question is very helpful in current political conversations. It just leads
to arguments, misunderstanding, and confusion. The same points that a speaker
wants to make with this claim can be made more clearly, without causing
confusion, in terms of one or more of the expanded meanings that I have listed
above.[4]
Check
out Politics
According to the Bible for helpful insight on political issues from a
Biblical perspective.
[1]
Wayne Grudem, Politics According to the
Bible: A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding Modern Political Issues in
Light of Scripture (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 64-65.
[2]
Ibid., 64.
[3]
Church of the Holy Trinity v. United
States. Argued and submitted January 7, 1892. Decided February 29, 1892.
Justice Brewer delivered the opinion of the court, as quoted in Gary DeMar, America’s Christian History: The Untold
Story (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 2008) 10-11 (my italics).
[4]
Grudem, Politics According to the Bible,
65.
Posts
11 comments:
The answer is rather easy: no. A majority of the founders had a religion of one sort or another, but they established a secular nation as evidenced by the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli.
It's true the majority of Americans have identified themselves as Christians since the founding but to claim that makes this a Christian nation is like saying a supermarket is a church because the contractor that built it is Christian.
@uncouth,
Instead of reading the title and imagining that your perspective on the idea is definitive, take the time to read the post next time? You might learn something.
Doug, you may want to follow your own advice and refrain from assumptions. Speck, beam and all that.
I did read the article, and my answer is definite. Surveys and opinions are irrelevant, by law this is not a Christian nation.
Hello Uncouth!
When you say "no," which of the nine interpretations of the question are you referring to?
Regarding the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli (I assume you are referring to Article 11), we need to look at this treaty in its historical context. Diplomats were concerned with assuring Muslims that Christianity was not established as the national or state religion in the same sense that Islam is with regard to Sharia law, and so Christianity would not be imposed by force. So this relates to interpretation number 8 above, which is clearly answered "No." But this does nothing to refute the first five interpretations of the question, where the answer is a clear "Yes."
Furthermore, if I am following your logic correctly, if the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli establishes America as a secular nation, then I suppose the 1783 treaty with Great Britain reestablishes America as a Trinitarian, Christian nation since it begins with, "In the name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity," signed by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay.
But there are additional problems as well! Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli does not appear in the original Arabic text! Moreover, in the 1805 Treaty of Tripoli the controversial phrase (which I assume you are referring to) is not even included.
Aaron,
"Interpretation" is a weasel word. The question is whether or not America is a Christian nation, to which the answer is clearly no. If you want a different answer, ask a different question. If the question was whether or not American culture was influenced by Christianity, there would be room for debate.
As far as following my logic, no, you're incorrect. The founders established a secular nation through the constitution. The treaty of Tripoli is an affirmation of this to the Muslims of North Africa just as Jefferson's wall was an affirmation to the Danbury Baptists.
Despite being a rather rote recitation, your statement about the treaty is correct, however, it's also entirely irrelevant as the clause was included in the version ratified (iow, given the binding force of law) by Congress and signed by Adams.
Rote recitation?
At least he explained his view. Uncouth simply trotted out a slogan and pronounced it as irrefutable proof making all other facts irrelevant.
I see no reason to accept it.
Rote = memorization without meaning
Recite = to repeat
It's the standard response of anyone trying to wish away the treaty but, as pointed out, ultimately meaningless as the clause was included in the ratified version.
He explained nothing, he simply repeated what he was instructed to repeat.
Hello Uncouth!
I put your comments below in bold with my response underneath.
“Interpretation” is a weasel word.
“Interpretation” or “meaning” is not a weasel word, but rather a word used for clarification, as in the question, “What do you mean by that?” or “How are you interpreting that?” Asking clarifying questions allows meaningful dialogue to take place.
The question is whether or not America is a Christian nation, to which the answer is clearly no.
You still have not defined what you mean by “a Christian nation.” This is a bit ironic, considering one of the main points of this blog was to point out that individuals often mean different things by this, which then leads to confusion and misunderstanding, as evidenced here by your comments. Questions 1-5 above can be answered “Yes,” questions 6-9 “No.”
If you want a different answer, ask a different question.
I’m not sure that asking a different question will be very helpful at this point Uncouth. Perhaps you could simply clarify and define what you mean by “a Christian nation” and then a different question would be superfluous.
If the question was whether or not American culture was influenced by Christianity, there would be room for debate.
Here I think the answer is a clear “Yes.” Please see the above articles by Greg Koukl and David Barton as an introduction.
As far as following my logic, no, you’re incorrect. The founders established a secular nation through the constitution. The treaty of Tripoli is an affirmation of this to the Muslims of North Africa just as Jefferson’s wall was an affirmation to the Danbury Baptists.
First, you need to define what you mean by “a secular nation.”
Second, this is an assertion, not an argument. You will have to provide some more information and documentation here, along with the historical context. I explained the historical context very briefly behind Tripoli which you say is correct. Again, there may be more agreement between us then you think because you have not defined what you mean by “a Christian nation.” If what you mean is that Christianity was not established as the national religion (#8 above), then you are entirely correct, and I agree with you on that point. But as I already said, that is a separate question from the first five questions above.
Third, as far as I can tell I am in fact following your logic correctly. You are pulling a phrase out of context from the 1797 treaty and using it as a trump card to defend the idea that America is “a secular nation.” But if that is the game, I can just as easily provide you with plenty of quotes, speeches, and documentation which establishes (or re-establishes) America as “a Christian nation” as I did in my previous comment. Reading the two articles I linked to above would be a good place for you to start.
Despite being a rather rote recitation, your statement about the treaty is correct, however, it’s also entirely irrelevant as the clause was included in the version ratified (iow, given the binding force of law) by Congress and signed by Adams.
Yes, and as I pointed out, we need to look at the historical context behind the meaning of the clause, which you yourself say I am correct on. And if that is the case, we can agree that the answer to question 8 above is “No.” So, what is actually irrelevant is whether or not the clause was included at all, since regardless of its inclusion we both agree that Christianity was not established as a national religion, the actual concern which the clause addresses.
As I also pointed out already, there are other historical treaties, government documents, etc. (signed by Adams as well as others), which clearly show the influence of Christian theology and doctrine (questions 1-5 above). In the end, it is unfortunate that this single clause from the treaty in 1797 is used by secularists to overthrow a mountain of historical evidence which shows the tremendous influence Christianity has had in the foundation, policies, and culture of this country.
Hi, the "Poached Egg" linked to this article today...I just thought readers might be interested to know that David Barton (inparticularily) is not someone to take a cue from when it comes to the true Christianity of our FF(for starters). Chris Pinto does an excellent job of exposing the true Christian nature of our nations founding as well as of its founders. Here's a good article/place to start of with:- http://tinyurl.com/7rcqlfz
Blessings ~
Suzanne
oops-glad I checked the link, it was the wrong one (although a great read in itself :) - here is the one I meant to leave here:
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-times/article.php?articleid=8060
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