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Christianity and the Constitution: The Faith of Our Founding Fathers

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«If the founding fathers were to see the hostile contempt with which modern thinkers treat Christianity, I believe they would consider it strange, offensive and self-destructive.» - John Eidsmoe.

An «ordained minister of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren» who «holds five degrees in law, theology and political science» and «serves as a professor of constitutional law», John Eidsmoe is one of the most articulate and learned defenders of the conservative, Christian conception of the U.S. Constitution.

In *Christianity and the Constitution*, published in 1987, he tries to correct the picture of America's founders, founding and foundational principles propagated by secular scholars whom he considers guilty of deliberately ignoring and suppressing the evidence of the crucial importance of Christianity in American history.

The book is divided into three parts. Part I covers the ideological background of the creation of the US system of government, evaluating the respective influences of Calvinism, Puritanism, Deism, Freemasonry and science, and presenting the main ideas of the political thinkers who influenced the founders - Locke, Montesquieu, Blackstone, Grotius, Pufendorf, Vattel, and other defenders of the Natural Law tradition.

Book II, representing about three fourths of the total volume of the book, examines the religious beliefs of thirteen major founders, as revealed in their lives and writings. Eidsmoe's selection - Witherspoon, Madison, Washington, Hamilton, Jay, Gouverneur Morris, the two Adamses, Patrick Henry, Roger Sherman and those two religiously unorthodox figures, Jefferson and Franklin- is unbiased, containing as it does six Federalists and seven Republicans, and «representing a geographic cross section of New England, Middle Atlantic and Southern States.» The author's cautious conclusion is that eight of these thirteen fouding fathers were «strongly Christian», three were «probably Christian» and two were «probably not Christian», though members of all three groups believed in a providential God who intervened in men's lives, in a future life of eternal rewards or punishment, and in the unsurpassed moral excellence of the teachings of Jesus.

This second book must be praised for the fairness of its conclusions. Eidsmoe is not one of those religious conservatives who seeks to turn every American leader into some pious knight in shining armour. His conclusions are well-supported by the evidence he presents, and do not contradict anything I personally know of the Founders beyond the information he provides. Some of the quotes are particularly fascinating. For instance, John Adams's diaries reveal that in his early twenties he was troubled by the possible existence of intelligent extra-terrestrial beings and their place in God's plan of salvation : «[E]ither God almighty must assume the respective shapes of all these different Species, and suffer the Penalties of their Crimes, or else all these Being[s] must be consigned to everlasting Perdition ?» (p263.)

Book III provides an overview of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, stresses the Biblical origins of several formulations and principles of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and concludes with a series of considerations on the evolution of legal doctrine in the U.S., its possible future developments, and the role Christians should play in preserving original intent. Recognizing the importance of a general understanding of the principles of U.S. government, Eidsmoe directs his readers to the primary sources, such as *The Federalist* or Madison's journals of the Constitutional Convention, and the publications of such organizations as the National Center for Constitutional Studies, the Foundation for American Christian Education, American Vision and the Mayflower Institute.

Even though I am no Protestant myself and consider literal Creationism (which Eidsmoe apparently endorses) simply aberrant, I found *Christianity and the Constitution* to be a sober, cogent and well-informed vindication of America's religious roots, written in a clear and lucid prose.

*Christianity and the Constitution* is a sober, careful overview of the historical and intellectual foundations of the Framers of the US Constitution, particularly in regard to how the Christian worldview influenced their view of man, his nature, the role, purpose and scope of government, etc.

Eidsmoe copiously documents his work from the primary materials and related scholarly secondary materials. His case is substantive and conclusive. Were *all* the Framers devout Christians? No. Were most of them Christians? Yes. More importantly, it is documented that the intellectual and philosophical foundations of their worldview and the American culture in general was overwhelmingly Protestant Christian, and this weighed heavily in their work.

Regarding a "reviewer" asserting, and I quote, "Indeed, it was a concession by Jefferson which allowed the word God into our Constitution. Many may feel this is a wonderful book, but that does not mean that it is accurate," one can't help but sense the irony in their statement and their comment regarding accuracy.

[a] Thomas Jefferson had nothing to do with the writing or ratification of the US Constitution--he was in France at the time on a diplomatic mission, so he didn't offer "concession" pro or con regarding the inclusion of the word "God" in the Constitution;

[b] The word "God" does not appear in the US Constitution. As such, their comments regarding Jefferson taking part in the Constitutional Convention are predicated upon ignorance, as such their comment regarding Jefferson's "concession" are likewise predicated upon their ignorance of the subject, and finally their assertion that the word "God" does appear in the text of the Constitution also displays they are not only ignorant of the history of the Constitutional Convention and its participants, but also ignorant of the content of the US Constitution itself.

Their review is as such moot and worthless. Read the book for yourself, study its sources and don't permit prejudiced dislike and religious bigotry to poison the well of this informative book.

Dr Eidsmoe (also a retired USAF Lt. Colonel) provides a type of scholarship that have become (lamentably) rather rare these days. His authoritative book on Christianity's historic influence on America's political foundations (in general), and on specific features of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights (in particular), uses the rather unusual approach, namely: relying solely upon the primary documents that are the best evidence concerning his topic -- i.e., the actual writings of the founding fathers and of those who actually lived with them -- in effect, Dr Eidsmoe uses the kind of documentary exhibits and eye-witness testimony that would be admissible in a court of law, as opposed to the politically fashionable HEARSAY that all-too-often gets punted back and forth in textbook pulp nowadays. As a professor of American Political Foundations I routinely use his book as THE textbook for my courses; -- I also serve as a judge and have adjudicated several constitutional issues (including First Amendment issues) in reliance upon his impeccably accurate scholarship; -- I also serve as a political history lecturer (in Western Europe and in Central America) and have repeatedly cited Dr Eidsmoe's work as the "last word" on the historical matters he has analyzed in this valuable book. In addition to the historical summaries in his book, Dr Eidsmoe also provides very interesting mini-biographies on more than a dozen of America's most influential founding fathers. Lastly, Dr Eidsmoe's book provides appendices that are very helpful to readers who want to "read the original text" of key historic documents. This scholary-yet-easily-readable gem of accuracy-promoting research and user-friendly analysis should belong to every historian, lawyer, judge, patriot, and anyone else with a true interest in America's [real] legal history. ><> JJSJ

I am pleased that the author of this book approached it with intellect (not emotional ranting) and facts which he was able to back up time and time again. Nothing was taken out of context to prove a perceived biased point. As for the negative review from the gentleman in Texas, he should be embarrassed at his ignorant attempt to bash a book he obviously did not read (apparently he has also not read the Constitution)- not to mention his added ignorance of Jefferson's contribution (or lack there of) to the writing of the Constitution.

The negative reviews associated with this book are nothing but sheer bias. The Jeffersonian 'wall of separation' had some holes in it that our modern mind is not willing to accept or admit. Jefferson authorized (signed a bill) spending federal tax money to support Christian missionary work among native Americans-something our society, government, and courts would never tolerate today in the name of "Jeffersonian" neutrality. The alleged neutrality of the government toward faith based issues is one of the greatest popular myths of our culture. Our society is not 'neutral' toward faith -it is hostile. The hostility is irrational and unrelenting even when confronted with overwhelming evidence such as presented in this book -to wit -the negative reviews of this book. Prejudices die hard. Eidsmoe does a great job of exposing it for what it is: twentieth century bias and the sanitizing of the actual historical record by secularlists. Eidsmoe's history, data, scholasticism, and presentation are impeccable to anyone other than someone with an a priori, anti-faith, anti-Christian bias who has been brainwashed by the secular educational institutions of our society that have systematically expunged anything related to faith from our historical consciousness.

This is the best book I have read in years. This book takes the reader up close and personal with the ideals, dreams, and thoughts of the founding fathers. The founding fathers were not perfect, but their dream for "one nation under God", a nation founded upon the principles of the Bible, was the best ever embarked upon by mankind. This book traces the development of earlier thinkers such as John Locke who outlined the basic rights of people. The book takes each part of the constitution and shows its early formation from dreams of peasants to reality in America. Ultimately, the book takes each of the more outstanding founding fathers, from Thomas Jefferson to John Jay and Patrick Henry, quoting from original sources what their true thoughts were concerning God, the Bible, and Christianity, and how they applied their beliefs to the framework of America. If you want to know more about our founding fathers and their true thoughts, read this book, fully documented, rather than depending upon modern history revisionists. I cannot over-emphasize the importance and greatness of this book!

Eidsmoe is clear about his bias but the book certainly isn't an emotional diatribe. Exceptionally well researched, it's a fair and reasonable alternative to the standard dialogue in public schools and academia. A large section of the book is short and simple biographies of 13 founding fathers focused towards their religiosity. Eidsmoe's writing flowed reasonably well and they were interesting. What is outrageous is that, with the widely available historical documentation that Eidsmoe quotes from, some academics still assert that most the founding fathers were deists. Even Franklin himself advocated for official daily prayer during the constitutional convention, asserting that no empire can be made without the direct assistance of God. The original source material is completely twisted out of context or ignored all together to support the modern interpretation of church/state separation.

One can intelligently argue that current case law on church/state issues is right and proper or even that it doesn't go far enough in removing religion from government. It's a legitimate philosophical debate. However, when original source material from the founding fathers is read, it is impossible to argue the current state was ever the original intent. The founding fathers had absolutely no intention of placing the limits on religion that the modern courts do. Eidsmoe documents how Jefferson, though a Universalist and not a Christian, actually advocated earmarking federal funds for Christian missionaries to Native American tribes.

If you think Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists and his "wall of separation" phrase completely eliminated the comingling of religion and government, then read this book. Given the actual history, I don't understand why there's really any debate about this issue. This book really shows how history can be distorted and ignored to support the current spirit of the times.

This book should be mandatory reading for Christians who have begun to explore the meaning of Christianity and its relation to the founding of our country. Accurate and balanced it sets the foot on the path to thinking about the meaning of faith and our country.

A marvellous book about the history of the Constitution, the pervasive influence of Christianity within the document itself and upon our founding fathers, and biographical sketches of several of those who influenced the Constitution. The book ends with a chapter addressing the direction our country is headed today with the constant erosion of principled leadership in our country. The author quotes the founders extensively within this work and as a result does a wonderful job refuting the misguided souls who believe that our nation was founded by a bunch of deists, agnostics and atheists. No doubt there were a few (very few) who were decidedly not Christian, but even they were so powerfully affected by the writings within the Bible, of John Calvin, William Blackstone and other Christians that they could do no other than to be influenced to write a truly remarkable document. I highly recommend that every patriot read this book.

Oh how I wish every Christian in America would read this book. Too often we are weak only because we don't know our history.

The book starts out with a discussion of Calvinism, Puritanism, and some of the other "isms" that molded peoples opinions around the time of our Country's birth.

Much of the rest of this book is devoted to biographies of thirteen of our founding fathers, including Jefferson, Washington, Henry, and Adams (two of them). Some were Christians, some weren't. But the extent to which our Government was founded on Christian principles and morality is evident by studying their own writings.

The remainder of the book discusses the Biblical principles found in our founding documents (the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution), and how we've come from there to the godless mess we're in now. Just the last couple of chapters were in themselves worth the entire cost of the book!