Skip to content

Add your phone number?

Optional. Nothing is sent unless you choose it.
The Historic Faith
Sign in

Jumpstarter 10 of 10

Ideas to help restart your discussion
The Myth of Christian America  /  MCA (14 of 14): How God Was Written Out of the US Constitution  /  Discussion Questions
All Questions
Question 10
Bercot highlights the Treaty of Tripoli statement that the U.S. government “is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion,” then concludes both “Christian patriots” and “secular humanists” are often dishonest; what parts of your own thinking about “Christian America” might be closer to proof-texting history than facing the full record, and how should “kingdom Christians” speak truthfully without drifting into either nostalgia or cynicism?
Another way to ask: What parts of your own view of “Christian America” might be based on picking only the facts you like, and how can “kingdom Christians” tell the truth about history without turning it into either happy nostalgia or bitter cynicism?

Direct Answer Bercot warns that it’s easy to “proof text” history by selecting only favorite quotes; kingdom Christians should admit the full record—that the national government wasn’t founded as Christian—while also recognizing early Christian influence and refusing both idealized nostalgia and anti-Christian cynicism.

Support from Transcript:

  • He quotes the Treaty of Tripoli: “the government of the United States… is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion,” and notes it was “ratified by the United States Senate.”
  • He says it’s “dishonest to present the United States as a Christian country when we look at the evidence.”
  • He adds, “just like you can… proof text the Bible… you can do that with history,” grabbing selective statements to claim the founders were creating a Christian government.
  • He says secular humanists also aren’t honest because they push interpretations “never intended,” especially through court expansion of the First Amendment and 14th Amendment.
  • He concludes: America is not a Christian nation, but it “owes its existence in much of its ethos and institutions to devout professing Christians.”
  • He insists the founders were not aiming to create an “anti-Christian country,” though he believes it is “rapidly becoming” that today.
Discussion Follow-ups What would it look like to tell the truth in a way that honors real Christian contributions without turning them into a myth of a “Christian nation”?

Jumpstarter 10 of 10
Back Questions Done