As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a familiar debate resurfaces: Was the United States founded primarily on Christian faith or on Enlightenment philosophy? A correct understanding of history shows us that the answer is both! Truly, the American founding drew strength from certain Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, but it was also deeply shaped by Christianity—especially the religious revival known as the Great Awakening.
The Great Awakening was a wave of Christian revival that swept through the American colonies in the 1730s and 40s. While often associated with theologian Jonathan Edwards in New England, its influence spread across the colonies through traveling preachers, most famously the English evangelist George Whitefield, who even drew admiration from figures such as Benjamin Franklin.
These revivals transformed colonial culture. Instead of viewing faith merely as formal church attendance, the Great Awakening emphasized moral responsibility and personal accountability to God. This movement encouraged ordinary people to think seriously about truth and authority. Those ideas prepared the colonies for political change. The Awakening weakened blind loyalty to institutions like the English monarch, encouraging people instead to evaluate authority by moral and Biblical standards. In that sense, the revival contributed to the intellectual and spiritual climate that eventually fueled resistance to British rule.
In fact, many of the leaders of the American Revolution framed their struggle not merely as a political dispute but as a moral cause that required God’s favor and providence. The Founders drew on both Enlightenment ideas about liberty and the Christian worldview that had shaped the moral imagination of the colonies. The result was a totally unique national experiment. As historian Michael Novak once described it, America’s founding can be understood as an eagle flying on two wings: Enlightenment political thought and Christian moral conviction.
Understanding that history matters today. The leftist institutions claim that our American experiment emerged solely from secular philosophy. The truth is the moral framework provided by Christianity was essential in shaping the ideals of liberty and limited government that defined the nation’s founding.
We are committed to remembering our Christian heritage at the Phyllis Schlafly Report. It explains not only where we came from, but shapes the future we must choose to go for future generations. Join with us at PhyllisSchlafly.com. Again, that’s PhyllisSchlafly.com – and join us for the next Phyllis Schlafly Report.
