Christianity’s Mark on America is Undeniable

“One cannot read the works of historians Nathan Hatch and Mark Noll without conceding that Christianity generally, and Protestantism specifically, have shaped American culture profoundly. Hatch argues that Christianity and its church denominations facilitated the embrace of democratic ideals. The Christian idea of equality provided opportunities for ordinary men to attain leadership positions rather than defer to cultured elites. In his detailed history of Christianity in the United States and Canada, Notre Dame University’s Mark Noll argues that the Puritans, the Great Awakenings, the American Revolution, and the Civil War helped integrate American Christianity into the wider culture. Many of our state, local, and national laws and statutes, including Blue Laws mandating store closings and banning alcohol sales on Sunday, were rooted in biblical principles.

Moreover, Christian purposes were planted deeply in the founding of the nation’s first colleges and universities. “Of our 119 first colleges and universities, 104 were founded to teach biblical values. The original seal of Harvard read, ‘Truth for the Church and for Christ,’ and part “Of our 119 first colleges and universities, 104 were founded to teach biblical values. The original seal of Harvard read, ‘Truth for the Church and for Christ,’ and part of its original reason for being founded was to ‘let every student be plainly instructed . . . to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life.’”

For more information, see Carol M. Swain’s Be the People: A Call to Reclaim America’s Faith and Promise, Chapter 2, pp. 30-31.