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The Myth of Christian America  /  MCA (14 of 14): How God Was Written Out of the US Constitution  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 3
Several state constitutions (Delaware, North Carolina, Pennsylvania) required officeholders to affirm belief in the Trinity or the divine inspiration of the Old and New Testaments; what do those religious tests reveal about how early Americans connected civil leadership with doctrinal confession, and how does that differ from how modern Christians evaluate candidates?
Another way to ask: What do those state rules about believing in the Trinity or the Bible show about how early Americans linked being a leader with specific beliefs, and how is that different from how Christians judge candidates now?

Direct Answer Bercot’s examples show many early states assumed civil leadership should be restricted to people who publicly confessed basic Christian (often Protestant) doctrine, whereas the federal Constitution intentionally removed that link by banning religious tests.

Support from Transcript:

  • Delaware required officials to “profess faith” in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost—Bercot says that means a “professing Christian,” since it affirms the Trinity and inspiration of both Testaments.
  • North Carolina barred anyone denying “the being of God” or “the truth of the Protestant religion” or the “divine authority” of the Old/New Testaments from office.
  • Pennsylvania required belief in “one God… rewarder… punisher” and that the Old and New Testaments were “given by divine inspiration.”
  • Bercot notes these tests could be “Christian in a loose sense,” since someone like Benjamin Franklin might affirm the wording without believing Scripture’s full claims about Christ.
  • The U.S. Constitution reverses the pattern: “No religious test shall ever be required,” meaning “an atheist… a Muslim… anybody can hold office.”
Discussion Follow-ups Do modern Christians functionally replace doctrinal tests with other “tests” (party, policy priorities), and how might that mirror or differ from the older approach?

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