Family Life

06.28.11 | Sarah Harnisch

As Independence Day approaches, Family Life News has been investigating the raging debate that seems to surface every year as the 4th of July approaches -- was America founded as a Christian nation?

There are two schools of thought in this discusson. The first is from Messiah College American History Professor Dr. John Fea. He says, "Whether or not America was founded as a Christian nation or not, should not have anything to do with how we live our lives... and live our spiritual lives." But he's not convinced that America is a Chrisitan nation, because the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are not "Christian" documents.

On the other hand, Dr. David Barton, president of Wall-Builders, a Texas-based ministry dedicated to upholding America's godly heritage, says he thinks does America was founded as a Christian nation and believes the culprit behind this distortion is a concept known as Modernism. He says, "We have allowed the secular folks to redefine the Christian nation. We have 300 court cases declaring America to be a Christian nation, but the definition is what's significant. They said America is a Christian nation because Christianity has so largely shaped and molded its culture and institutions."

So... was America founded as a "Christian" nation? The full debate can be heard on the June 27th edition of the Noon Report.