From the very beginning, America’s story has been intertwined with faith, a foundational element dating back to the Pilgrims' arrival at Massachusetts Bay in 1620.
The vision of becoming a "city on a hill," guiding the Old World, became the heart of what would be known as the American Experiment.
This Puritan influence shaped America so deeply that British author G.K. Chesterton once described the nation as “a country with the soul of a church.” Similarly, Alexis de Tocqueville observed in the 1830s that America's cause was not just political but also moral, embedding faith into the national identity. The original 13 colonies even developed tax-supported state churches, reflecting how faith and governance were linked during the colonial era.
However, the Enlightenment of the 18th century posed a challenge to Christianity’s influence in both England and its American colonies. In response, the Great Awakening emerged, a religious revival that, together with the American Revolution, reinforced a moral imperative. Many clergymen strongly supported the independence movement, underscoring the blend of faith and patriotism.
Founding fathers, like John Adams, understood that liberty and morality were inseparable. In 1798, Adams declared that the U.S. Constitution was designed for a moral and religious populace, asserting that without these values, governance would falter. Yet, by the end of the Revolutionary War, Americans concluded that an official partnership between church and state would be detrimental. The First Amendment codified this separation, ensuring the government would neither establish a religion nor prohibit its free exercise.
While the founders intended for religion to inform individual morality, they rejected the idea of state-sponsored faith. This belief persisted into later eras, as seen in the abolitionist and civil rights movements, both rooted in religious conviction. The leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister, demonstrated how faith could guide public moral action without merging with government.
Americans today continue to value religious freedom, largely rejecting formal alliances between religion and the state. As Southern Baptists and other faith groups know, such partnerships risk stifling religion’s moral force, likened to a constricting embrace from a python.
Despite the separation, religious believers, particularly Christians, feel compelled to engage in public discourse, especially on moral issues like protecting unborn life. While God may not belong to any political party, many faithful believe their values should influence laws rooted in public virtue. As John Adams once said, “Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private virtue,” a sentiment that continues to resonate in America’s civic life.