From time to time, people say America’s founding fathers were Christians For example, Bryan Fischer asks, “Were the founders Christians?” and answers, “Yep, no doubt about it.” Fischer cites a University of Dallas study of 55 founding fathers which found only three with religious views that could not be definitely determined. Fischer goes on and provides reasons why he thinks the three exceptions (Benjamin Franklin, Hugh Williamson, and James Wilson) were religious. Ergo, he concludes that all 55 founders were Christians.
I grow concerned when I read stuff like this because some evangelical Christians say only those who believe as they do are qualified for high political office. The typical litmus test used is acceptance of the Nicene Creed — a test that would exclude some Unitarians, Mormons, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Atheists, and a host of other faiths (e.g., Hindus, Scientologists, Wiccans, etc.) that I know little about. These people assert that candidates who adhere to a “false religion” are inherently unfit for office. Although the theme is not (yet) nearly as prevalent this election cycle as last time, it is not unusual for people to argue that politicians like Romney, Huntsman, and Reid should be shunned on account of their Mormon faith. (See for example, Warren Cole Smith.)
I think trying to judge candidates for political office on the basis of their religious beliefs is foolish.
I also think it flawed methodology to equate church affiliation with religious conformity. Does attendance at church constitute complete acceptance of that church’s teachings? That seems to be what Fischer has done. Consider our first three presidents.
According to historians and his peers, George Washington was pretty much a paragon of christian virtue. According to Alf J. Mapp, Jr. (The Faiths of our Fathers) George attended church regularly with his wife Martha and yet is recorded on multiple occasions to have rejected communion. In fact, there is no record of his ever accepting communion. Was Washington religious? Most certainly. Was he a creedal Christian? Probably. Did he accept everything the Anglican church taught in his day? It’s doubtful. According to Mapp, Washington sometimes attended services of other faiths too, including Catholic.
President John Adams read the Bible but was famously impatient with orthodox preachers, including his father-in-law who had unsuccessfully tried to discourage his daughter Abigail from courting the man. (She later asked her minister father to preach a sermon on Luke 7:33: “John came neither eating nor drinking, and ye say, he hath a devil.”) Adams wrote extensively on his views of God and the Bible. Both John and Abigail sent letters to family members in which they explicitly rejected the doctrine of the Trinity. Were the Adams religious? No doubt. Were they creedal Christians? Definitely not.
Thomas Jefferson was raised an Anglican but strayed from the tenets of that church as an adult. There is strong evidence he was religious, but he certainly did not embrace the entire theology taught by any church of his day. A strong advocate for religious freedom, he distrusted clerics of all faiths. He published a carefully edited version of the four gospels that studiously omitted all references to the divine nature of Jesus, including his miracles. He also rejected the writings of St. Paul. Was Jefferson religious? Probably. Was he a creedal Christian who accepted the Nicene Creed? We don’t know, but his writings leave room for doubt.
These brief examples illustrate the folly of equating church affiliation with doctrinal acceptance. Religious belief is a complex topic that varies by individual. Attending church does not prove conformity of belief no more than being born in a garage makes one a car. Only God knows what each of the Founders really believed.
I see a big difference between being formally “Christian” (big “C”) and being “christian” (small “c”). I see Christians (big “C”) as those who accept the religious theology of the New Testament. Different churches often contend with each other on what constitutes an authentic Christian (big “C”). As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I consider myself a Christian. But some creedal Christians would refuse me the Christian title because my beliefs differ from theirs. I respect our differences and bear no grudge against them for so doing. I do have problem, however, when some say only creedal Christians (big “C”) are qualified for high office.
Without a doubt, nearly all our founding fathers were “christian” (small “c”) in the sense they prized Biblical qualities of traditional morality, charity, and service. None of them was perfect, but they were doubtless strongly influenced by the teachings of the Bible. Personally, I even think of devout Jewish founders like Haym Salomon in christian (small “c”) terms and do so with the greatest respect for their faith, service, and sacrifice. There’s no question the founders as a group saw a connection between morality, the Golden Rule, and the well-being of our nation. But they held diverse views about God.
It’s wrong to make being creedal Christians (big “C”) a qualification for high office. We’ve already had at least one President (and likely more) who was not creedal Christian (big “C”). The country not only survived, it thrived.
