The question of whether the United States was founded as a Christian nation is one of the most hotly contested issues in contemporary cultural and political debates. Progressives and secularists assert that America was founded as a secular republic where religion was to remain a private matter with no bearing on public life. Many Christians, on the other hand, insist that the nation’s founding was steeped in Christian moral principles, even while preserving religious liberty and forbidding the establishment of a national church.
To cut through the confusion, this post examines ten of the most common myths surrounding the denial of America’s Christian foundations. We’ll correct these distortions with evidence drawn from historical records, the Founders’ own writings, and scholarly commentary—particularly from historians Larry Schweikart and Wilfred McClay. In addition, we will consider how religious expression has been suppressed in education and highlight the indispensable role of Christian organizations in serving the public good through health care and charitable outreach.
At the very least, Christianity has held a well-deserved most privileged status with its abundant provision of education and health care facilities, despite the fact that many of these organizations have not continued to hold the convictions and orthodoxy of their founders. Christian organizations like the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities USA, Samaritan’s Purse, Prison Fellowship, Teen Challenge, Celebrate Recovery, the American Bible Society, the Navigators, World Vision, Compassion International, Focus on the Family, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief have all played major roles in serving Americans through education, healthcare, disaster relief, addiction recovery, prison ministry, family support, and more. These groups, alongside countless local churches, denominational agencies, and independent ministries, have provided a moral foundation and practical help to millions across the nation.
In today’s world, we find our Christian roots placed in doubt by the so-called progressive Neo-Marxists. It is worthwhile to re-examine the facts regarding our founding and faith.
Myth #1: The Constitution Created a Secular Nation
Fact Check:
The U.S. Constitution guarantees religious liberty, but it does not establish a secular society in the modern, anti-religious sense. While the Constitution avoids sectarian language, it was written within a cultural context dominated by Protestant Christianity. The principles of limited government, rule of law, and separation of powers rest on a biblical understanding of human nature—specifically, the fallen nature of man (Jeremiah 17:9).
Larry Schweikart, in A Patriot’s History of the United States, asserts:
“The Founders overwhelmingly saw Christianity as essential to civic virtue… They did not create a theocracy, but neither did they envision a society hostile to faith.”
This is consistent with the statement by John Adams:
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
The Constitution presupposes a moral citizenry, and the Founders understood that such morality flows most effectively from Christian conviction.
Myth #2: The Founders Were Primarily Deists Who Rejected Christianity
Fact Check:
It is true that a few of the Founders, such as Thomas Paine, leaned toward deism. But the dominant religious outlook among the Founding Fathers was Christian—particularly of the Protestant variety. George Washington, John Jay, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and many others were openly and devoutly Christian. Even Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, who entertained heterodox views, supported Christian institutions and acknowledged divine providence.
Wilfred McClay, in his masterful work Land of Hope, writes:
“Though some of the Founders held heterodox theological opinions, most were profoundly shaped by Christian moral and social values, and they knew that those values were essential to the success of the American experiment.”
George Washington regularly attended church and insisted on public days of prayer. He once said:
“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
Myth #3: “Separation of Church and State” Prohibits Public Religious Expression
Fact Check:
The phrase “separation of church and state” does not appear in the Constitution. It was coined by Thomas Jefferson in an 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists to assure them that the federal government would not interfere with religious practice. It was never meant to ban religious symbols or speech from the public square.
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787—which held constitutional authority—states:
“Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government… schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”
This shows the clear interrelationship the Founders saw between religion (especially Christianity) and public well-being.
Myth #4: All Religions Were Viewed Equally by the Founders
Fact Check:
While the First Amendment protected freedom of religion, this was largely intended to prevent federal interference with Christian worship and to allow a diversity of Protestant denominations. The Founders believed in religious tolerance, but they did not believe all religions were equal in value or public utility. Christianity was understood to provide the moral framework necessary for liberty.
Schweikart notes:
“The Founders were tolerant of other faiths but made clear that the Christian religion had provided the moral backbone of the Republic.”
Many state constitutions required public officials to profess belief in God, the Bible, or even specific Christian doctrines.
Myth #5: Public Schools Were Designed to Be Secular from the Beginning
Fact Check:
The earliest American schools were deeply Christian. The New England Primer taught the alphabet through Bible verses. Harvard’s original mission was to prepare clergy, and its motto was “Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae” (Truth for Christ and the Church).
It was not until the mid-20th century that the Supreme Court began to aggressively purge religion from public schools. The Engel v. Vitale (1962) and Abington v. Schempp (1963) decisions banned state-sponsored prayer and Bible reading. This led to widespread self-censorship and the myth that religious discussion is completely forbidden in schools.
Wilfred McClay remarks:
“Secularism in public education was not the original model; rather, it was a mid-20th-century development stemming from judicial reinterpretation.”
Myth #6: American Law Is Entirely Based on Enlightenment Rationalism
Fact Check:
While Enlightenment thinking influenced America’s legal system, it was deeply intertwined with Christian moral reasoning. The Ten Commandments provided the moral structure for laws against theft, murder, and perjury. British common law, widely adopted in America, was heavily shaped by Christian thought.
Sir William Blackstone, whose Commentaries were central to American legal education, said:
“Upon these two foundations, the law of nature and the law of revelation, depend all human laws.”
Thus, biblical revelation was seen as a legitimate legal source.
Myth #7: Christianity Had No Official Recognition by Early Governments
Fact Check:
While the federal government did not establish a national church, several states supported Christian denominations well into the 19th century. Massachusetts and Connecticut funded Congregationalist churches; Maryland protected Catholic worship. The lack of a national church was not a denial of Christianity’s public role—it was a safeguard against tyranny.
Schweikart explains:
“The United States had no national church, but that should not be confused with religious neutrality. Christianity was woven into the nation’s institutions, holidays, and moral assumptions.”
Myth #8: Religious Symbols and Practices in Government Are Unconstitutional
Fact Check:
From the opening prayer in Congress to national holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, religious expression in government has long been part of American tradition. The national motto is “In God We Trust.” The Declaration of Independence refers to the “Creator” and “Divine Providence.”
The Founders saw no contradiction between religious expression and constitutional principles. Even today, Congress employs chaplains, and the Supreme Court building displays Moses with the Ten Commandments.
Myth #9: The Founders Wanted Religion to Be Purely Private
Fact Check:
The Founders believed religion was indispensable to the moral foundation of the republic. They believed public virtue, essential to liberty, could not be sustained apart from religion.
James Madison, often misrepresented as a strict secularist, wrote:
“We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government, but upon the capacity of each and every one of us to govern ourselves… according to the Ten Commandments of God.”
As McClay puts it:
“The Founders’ emphasis on civic virtue presupposed that religion—especially Christianity—would provide the moral formation necessary for self-governance.”
Myth #10: The American Experiment Was Purely a Product of Enlightenment Rationalism
Fact Check:
Unlike the radical secularism of the French Revolution, the American Revolution was grounded in ordered liberty informed by Christian tradition. The Great Awakening helped forge a shared moral vision that prepared the colonies for independence.
McClay notes:
“The American experiment was not a triumph of secular reason but of a reason chastened by faith and historical experience.”
Christianity provided both the ethical base and cultural unity necessary to build a free society.
Suppression of Faith in Education
The First Amendment does not prohibit teachers from discussing faith. It prohibits government establishment of religion. Teachers may discuss religion objectively, answer student questions about faith, and acknowledge their own beliefs—so long as they do not coerce or proselytize.
However, due to misinterpretation of court rulings, many districts suppress all religious speech out of fear of legal action. Teachers are discouraged from even mentioning God, and students are penalized for religious expression—clearly contrary to both the spirit and the letter of the Constitution.
This chilling effect results not from constitutional mandate, but from a progressive secular agenda intent on erasing religious heritage from public life.
The Role of Christian Institutions in American Health and Welfare
From the founding of hospitals and orphanages to disaster relief and addiction recovery, Christian organizations have led the way in caring for America’s poor and vulnerable.
- The Salvation Army, grounded in evangelical convictions, has helped millions through shelters, food pantries, and addiction services.
- Catholic hospitals, numbering in the hundreds, provide health care to millions regardless of religion or ability to pay.
- Protestant missions and churches have run soup kitchens, pregnancy care centers, adoption services, and prison ministries.
- Faith-based disaster relief groups often arrive before FEMA, including organizations like Samaritan’s Purse and Convoy of Hope.
McClay notes:
“Religious communities have consistently taken the lead in caring for the most vulnerable—long before the welfare state arose.”
Schweikart similarly writes:
“The American tradition of voluntary charity—rooted in Christian teachings—distinguishes it from the top-down social engineering found in more secular nations.”
Christian compassion built a culture of service that the government could never replicate.
Conclusion: Reclaiming the Truth
America was not a Christian theocracy, but it was undeniably founded on Christian principles. The Founders affirmed religious liberty while expecting Christianity to continue shaping public life. Christianity held a privileged cultural position—not through force, but through moral authority and civilizational influence.
To deny this is not merely a historical mistake—it is a deliberate effort to uproot the moral foundations of American liberty. Christians must resist this revisionism, not with anger, but with truth and courage.
As Wilfred McClay wisely reminds us:
“To forget the moral and religious roots of our freedoms is to sever the very roots of liberty itself.”
Let us remember. Let us teach America’s children. And let us live boldly as stewards of both faith and freedom.
Robert Sparkman
rob@christiannewsjunkie.com
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Wilfred (Bill) McClay is a historian who teaches at Hillsdale College. Hillsdale College is a well-known, conservative school. It is perhaps one of the few academic organizations that I would attend in today’s environment. It is not dependent upon federal funds, and that helps maintain its academic independence and integrity, free of Neo-Marxist ideology.
Dr. Larry Schweikart is a retired historian from the University of Dayton. He is well-known for a realistic, patriotic perspective of America’s history. His most well-known book is “A Patriot’s History of the United States”. His delivery style is not the most academic, though. He tends to joke around a lot, and I imagine some listeners wouldn’t realize when he is joking and when he is being serious.
Here is a chart that indicates historians that hold different views of the United States and its history.
The first question is, does the historian have a positive view of the United States and its history?
The second question is, does the historian have a realistic or idealistic view of the United States and its history?
The third question is, does the historian hold a “progressive”, Neo-Marxist view of the United States? This worldview itself would lead to a negative view of the United States and its history.
I am familiar with Larry Schweikart, Wilfred McClay, and Victor Davis Hanson, and respect them as authors.
There are others like David Barton that offer insight into the history of the United States, but conservative historians have found some incorrect citations and other problems with his work. Schweikart, McClay and Hanson have excellent academic reputations.
Concerning the Related Content section, I encourage everyone to evaluate the content carefully.
Some sources of information may reflect a libertarian and/or atheistic perspective. I may not agree with all of their opinions, but they offer some worthwhile comments on the topic under discussion.
Additionally, language used in the videos may be coarse and do not reflect my personal standards, particularly in regards to leftist protesters and rioters.
Finally, those on the left often criticize my sources of information, which are primarily conservative and/or Christian. Truth is truth, regardless of how we feel about it. Leftists are largely led by their emotion rather than facts. It is no small wonder that they would criticize the sources that I provide. And, ultimately, my wordview is governed by Scripture. Many of my critics are not biblical Christians.
Feel free to offer your comments below. Respectful comments without expletives and personal attacks will be posted and I will respond to them.
Comments are closed after sixty days due to spamming issues from internet bots. You can always send me an email at rob@christiannewsjunkie.com if you want to comment on something, though.
I will continue to add items to the Related Content section as opportunities present themselves.