The History of American Christians

“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.” Thomas Jefferson wrote those words to express the emotions of a nation that desired freedom, and to shake the foundation of the British Empire. However, this simple, but eloquent phrase has sparked one of the greatest debates in American history. Is America a Christian nation? One question has divided the nation and its politicians since the founding and forming of America. This fiery debate has sparked more controversy than any other debate in modern politics.

Most people believe that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. After all, our money is emblazoned with “In God We Trust,” our Pledge of Allegiance declares that we are “one nation under God,” and in court we swear to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.” It’s true that the Founders were heavily influenced by Christian ideals. And while the U.S. Constitution prohibits any religious test or requirement for public office, the majority of U.S. presidents have been openly Christian. Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, two of our most famous presidents, however had no formal religious affiliations. Jefferson shunned orthodox Christianity at an early age and cut and pasted together a condensed version of the New Testament, removing most miracles and all references to Jesus’s divinity. He did, however, continue to believe in God as a precise, impersonal creator of the universe and its laws. Lincoln, on the other hand, spoke frequently of God during his presidency but never formally joined a church. Today, academics remain uncertain about whether or not he was a Christian as some aspects of his faith remain a mystery.

Have you ever wondered why people in the American society think any kind of demonstrated behavior is acceptable? The Christian views once instilled in United States citizens have grown sparse today, in comparison to what they once were. Opinions of many people have changed concerning multiple issues. Many founding views were centered on Godly principles as portrayed in the U.S. Constitution, and as well as the Declaration of Independence. As society continues to argue over the inclusion of religion in politics, members of society reap the effects in many areas, particularly in the education system. I strongly agree that the United States was founded as a Christian nation.

This is an important reason as to why the Prohibition movement gained so much momentum and support. With violence and crimes rates raised, many people feared the domestic sphere and the well-being of women and children in families. Many of these people blamed alcohol and pushed for prohibition. Of these supporters, Protestants play a large role. In a pro-prohibition newspaper from Milwaukee, a minister says, “deliverance will come… from the… unspoiled and unpoisoned by the wine-tinted, beer-sodden, whiskey-crazed, sabbath-desecrated, God-defying and anarchy-breeding,” [Doc H]. The Protestants believed that alcohol was the root of evil, and violence came from abusing it. As Protestantism had a major influence over much of the nation, preachers and women as well were able to speak to the members of the church about the issues they saw in using alcohol. They were able to use sermons and fiery speeches about how the devil tormented people through turning away from Christ and to the whiskey bottle. Spreading knowledge and opinions through religion is a large reason why Prohibition was supported by so many people, and was successfully

The protestant Christianity was divided into two parts in America. They were Mainline and Evangelical. The Mainline were the liberal mainstream and the Evangelical were the conservative evangelical. The Evangelical was the most powerful Religious force in American society during the 20s of the last century. The status of the protestant evangelical as the mainstream had greatly declined once. This change was caused by the impact of the modernization

Eighteenth century New England was a place of spiritual revival affecting more than just unevangelized colonists but people of all races and religions, including Native Americans. Between the years 1700 and 1820, there was a series of movements, known collectively as the Great Awakening, which consisted of localized religious resurgences that involved several denominations of Christianity. The objective of the Great Awakening was to spread the word of Christ to those who had not yet had a spiritual experience with Him. Native Americans were greatly exposed to the Great Awakening through a number of methods used by the colonists including sermons and the institution of Christian boarding schools for Native children. Each individual Indian responded to the revival in their own unique way, some denouncing Christianity, some embracing it, and some feeling indifferent towards it; however, throughout the course of the book, The Indian Great Awakening: Religion and the Shaping of Native Cultures in North America, author Linford Fisher reestablishes the idea that there was Indian conversion to Christianity, and explains that Native Americans at this time were more likely to affiliate themselves with the church rather than to fully convert.

How was American Christianity democratized during this period, and how else was the United States democratized?

The early American colonies were founded and settled by Great Britain. Accordingly, Church of England was the state sponsored religion in this area. Most individuals identified themselves at Protestants and most of the settlers considered themselves church members. Even with these facts the Anglican Church struggled to keep its base in the colonies and to move into newly settled areas. This happened because of the church leadership, several church practices, and the topography of the colonies.

In the late 1600's and early 1700's, Christianity was alive and well. It helped the early settlers when travelling the three month long voyage to the new world. While dealing with sea illnesses, harsh weather, and damage to the ship, they all still held faith in god. They believed that he was the reason they got through it all. After landing, they had to deal with the natives, and the struggles then. Through it all, their love for god persevered. However, as time went on, people in the colonies started falling off. They stopped believing in the religion.

In The Origins of Proslavery Christianity: White and Black Evangelicals in Colonial and Antebellum Virginia, historian Charles F. Irons traces how proslavery arguments shifted and changed over time. The time frame he considers spans 1680-1870, and while Irons considers the broad context of north and southern states he particularly uses Virginia evangelicals as a focal point. In this paper, I will briefly highlight how Irons details proslavery arguments as they changed over time, and particularly what prompted the changes. Irons thesis is that proslavery arguments developed and changed because white evangelicals were in community with black evangelicals, and these relationships with black evangelicals forced white evangelicals to articulate

In reading “Inventing a Christian America”, it really opens up to a whole new way of looking at the early 18th and 19th century America. Green makes many key points about religion in America during that time and the Founding Fathers. He simply wants us to understand the myth of this country. Throughout the book it becomes one question of; did the Founding Fathers establish the United States as a Christian Nation? It was truly meant to be a Christian America but the way of Enlightenment was slowly approaching.

Initially, America did not have a Christian foundation in the sense of creating a theocracy. However, it was shaped by Christian moral truths, and the forefathers created a hospitable environment that supported this religion. The relationship linking the state and religion grew strong as most of the people in the nation became Christians. This research paper outlines how Christianity came to be one of the major religions in the United States of America.

In 2005, Christain Smith and Melisa Dundst investigated the religious belief system amongst American teenagers and the findings shed light on a few important issues that explain the Juvelization of American Christianity. Before reading the articles written by Christian Smith and Thomas Bergler I never heard of Morallistic Therapeutic Deism or considered American Christianity as being Juevinalized. For the remainder of this crique, I will refer to both terms as MTD and JAC. Surprisingly, MTD is basically another form of Humanism; Merriam Wester Dictionary defines this term as,” an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness

If I were to write an essay on Christianity and the United States government.My topic would be on Christianity within the United States government. My thesis statement would be Christianity greatly influences the United States government. The topics of focus would be where Christian influences came from when Christian influences were first introduced to the government, how Christian influences impacted the government.

It is common and preferable to study history from above—through the lens of the predominant culture or through the actions of a famous figure. Yet, learning history from below allows us to gain insight from the feelings and emotions of those affected, in addition to learning a story or history that is hidden when studied from above. The story is told from the perspective of the common people or individual. In this paper, the history of Christianity will told from below. It will be told from the prospective of an individual who was born and lived in South Africa in the middle 20th century, during apartheid. First, this paper will briefly discuss the beginning of Christianity in South Africa. Second, it will discuss Christianity and church history during the 20th century, which is the main time period referenced in the paper. Third, it will discuss church history from the oral account of and viewed through the life of Joy Hepkin, a black South African who currently resides in the United States. The fourth sections will provide a reflection on the personal value gained from this oral history and the value of oral history for ministry today.