David G. Dalin

Did America Have a Christian Founding?

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“In his new book, Did America Have a Christian Founding?, Mark David Hall makes the compelling case that the majority of the Founding Fathers were not deists who openly rejected Orthodox Christian doctrines, and who advocated the strict separation of church and state. On the contrary. Hall persuasively argues that—with the exception of Benjamin Franklin, Ethan Allen, and Thomas Paine—the Founders were influenced by Christian ideas, and that even Jefferson and Madison (who have often been portrayed as doctrinaire deists) did not want a high wall separating church and state. He also discusses the Christian faith and views on church-state relations of some of the lesser-known Founders, such as Roger Sherman, James Wilson, and John Witherspoon. While Christianity was not the only significant influence on the thought of America’s Founders, Christianity had a profound influence on the founding generation. The Christian faith of the Founders, beginning with George Washington, influenced and shaped their political beliefs and actions. Hall’s beautifully written and immensely thoughtful new book should be read by anyone interested in the role of religion in the founding of the American Republic. Rich in its insight and analysis, Hall’s book brilliantly illuminates the interplay of American politics and religion during the founding era, and explains how and why the Founders’ ideas are still relevant to our understanding of the role that religion should play in American public life today.”