In Jasper Adams’s seminal 1833 sermon “The Relation of Christianity to Civil Government in the United States,” he discusses the relationship between Protestant Christianity and the Government, arguing that the new republic was able to incorporate Christian values and ideology directly into the nation's shaping. Christianity suited the burgeoning nation well, offering not only the teachings of the Scriptures to guide the population but also a moral and civic compass for the adoption of a governmental identity. Indeed, an excessively large proportion of political writings at the time were preceded by Christian introductions, providing clear evidence of Christian influence on the state.
The colonial charters were established with specific Christian ideologies. In America, the move toward ecumenism in many colonial regions allowed freedom of worship that had long been an albatross for many European countries with strong religious divides. Furthermore, America was able to establish Christian values in its political apparatus without the influence of the Catholic Church, an ability not enjoyed by much of Western Europe. This provided a blank slate, enabling political and religious leaders in the New World to inculcate Christian moral and ethical standards derived directly from Scripture, thereby avoiding the dogmatic traditions of the Catholic Church. This structure aligned well with the American people's comprehensive ideologies, prioritizing deeds over dogma, and the idea of living a Christian life rather than merely referencing it. James Kloppenberg explains in his article “The Virtues of Liberalism: Christianity, Republicanism, and Ethics in Early American Political Discourse” just how important the promotion of Christian ideologies was to the development of the new nation, including the promotion of individual autonomy and popular sovereignty. As a result, the Christian faith provided both a top-down and a bottom-up structure, with local congregations supporting and advancing Christian standards, while colonial and federal political structures advanced Christian morals and ethics to constituents.
Like all ideologies, Christian foundations in political, constitutional, and legislative acts were not always without controversy. One must remember that nations are formed and run by people, subject to their own vices, biases, and misgivings. The best we, as a whole, can work toward is a nation embedded in Christian values, while understanding our own imperfections. No group has been free of individuals or groups that have attempted to manipulate ideologies to suit their individual aspirations and greed. However, with Christianity as the backbone of a national identity and belief system, those faithful to the teaching of the Scriptures remain on the right side of history. The founding fathers were aware not only of that fact but also that the passage of time and the sociopolitical evolution of the nation necessitated a working document to, as the preamble goes, make a more perfect union.
Sources:
Adams, Jasper. “The Relation of Christianity to Civil Government in the United States.” In Religion and Politics in the Early Republic: Jasper Adams and the Church-State Debate, edited by Daniel L. Dreisbach, 39-58. University Press of Kentucky, 1996. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt130jpcx.7.
Grasso, Christopher. “The Religious and the Secular in the Early American Republic.” Journal of the Early Republic 36, no. 2 (Summer 2016): 359-388. https://www.jstor.org/stable/jearlyrepublic.36.2.359.
Kloppenberg, James T. “The Virtues of Liberalism: Christianity, Republicanism, and Ethics in Early American Political Discourse.” Journal of American History 74, no. 1 (1987): 9-33. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1908503.
Lawler, Phil. “The Catholic Role in the American Founding.” Catholic Culture, Last modified March 28, 2025. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/catholic-role-in-american-founding/#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20is%20a,strongly%20Christian%2C%20but%20never%20Catholic.
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