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The Search for Christian America
Looks at life in Puritan New England, the American Revolution, secular humanism, and myths about the past from a Christian perspective
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
6 people are currently reading
270 people want to read
About the author
Mark A. Noll
124 books215 followersMark A. Noll (born 1946), Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, is a progressive evangelical Christian scholar. In 2005, Noll was named by Time Magazine as one of the twenty-five most influential evangelicals in America. Noll is a prolific author and many of his books have earned considerable acclaim within the academic community.
The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind
, a book about the anti-intellectual tendencies within the American evangelical movement, was featured in a cover story in the popular American literary and cultural magazine, Atlantic Monthly. He was awarded a National Humanities Medal in the Oval Office by President George W. Bush in 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 10, 2011
This book addresses some key issues about the church in America. Is it really biblical or is it a combination of doctrine, Bible and patriotism? It also addresses and stresses the big problem of America being the New Jerusalem. Most of the book is dedicated to showing that America is not the New Jerusalem and falls far short. It dragged in some parts but overall it is worth the read. It is an eye opener for people who were born with the idea that America was a Christian nation and founded as such.
May 6, 2021
Compelling, Biblical, eye-opening, and well written. This book has definitely altered my perception of how Christian America was in the beginning. Their goal was to add realism to the arguments of those who claim that America must return to the golden years of the American “Christianity” present at its founding. The authors are very balanced and measured; they don’t seek to create drama but instead to carefully examine the facts and implications. Though written 30 years ago, much of the same rhetoric is still around today so it felt quite relevant.
November 11, 2024
IS AMERICA A ‘CHRISTIAN NATION’? THREE CHRISTIAN HISTORIANS DON’T THINK SO
Authors Mark Noll, Nathan Hatch, and George Marsden wrote in the Introduction to this 1983 book, “At times of crisis it is a natural human reaction to turn to the past for support. Evangelicals and fundamentalists are no different. But … evangelicals and fundamentalists are troubled by another dimension of modern American life: its flight from morality and godliness… we almost instinctively turn to those who have gone before for wisdom and practical guidance. At stake is nothing less than what was once widely assumed to be America’s Christian heritage.” (Pg. 13).
They continue, “these two events---the shocking decision of the Supreme Court on abortion and the Bicentennial reminder of the Christian past---led to a new evangelical engagement in public life… Protests against abortion-on-demand, opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment… campaigns against pornography, protests against the removal of prayer from public schools… have become well-established parts of American evangelical culture.” (Pg. 14)
They go on, “All three of us have addressed the question of America’s Christian character in more … specialized studies… however, it has seemed useful for us to combine our efforts in order to make a careful search for Christian America. Our purpose is to examine carefully the popular belief that America was once a ‘Christian nation’ which has now been all but overrun by secular humanism. To put it most simply: is this a factual picture, a mythical picture, or something else altogether?” (Pg. 16)
They outline, “The argument of this book can be stated quite simply. 1) … a careful study of the facts of history shows that early America does not deserve to be considered uniquely, distinctly or even predominantly Christian… There is no lost golden age to which American Christians may return… evangelicals themselves were often partly to blame for the spread of secularism in contemporary American life… 2) … the idea of a ‘Christian nation’ is a very ambiguous concept which is usually harmful to effective Christian action in society.” (Pg. 17)
They continue, “We do not want to contend that Christian values have been absent from American history. On the contrary, we hope to show that there has been much commendable Christian belief, practice, and influence in the history of the United States… while many Christians continue to look upon American history as if it were uniquely Christian, some believers have now come to picture that same history as the epitome of sinful arrogance and callousness. We do not subscribe to either of these extremes. We feel, rather, that America has had a generally religious past… however, we still wish to call into question the assumption that just because many Christians have done many Christian deeds in America, the country enjoys simply a ‘Christian heritage.’ There are too many problems with this assumption.” (Pg. 18-19)
They go on, “This book presents in some detail our reasons for questioning whether America has had a predominantly Christian past. At the same time, we are convinced that fellow Christians who hold such a view are nevertheless correct in many of their view concerning America’s present problems… We must say also that we share many of the concerns of the smaller number of fellow Christians who have a more negative view of the American past… American Christians have too often been indifferent to the oppressed and the unrepresented, the very ones to whom the Old Testament prophets, Jesus himself, and the inspired apostles directed our specific attention.” (Pg, 21-22)
They add, “But a false estimation of America’s history also hinders positive Christian action by discouraging a biblical analysis of our position today. And it can compromise genuinely biblical guidelines for action… Our historical research has convinced us that two contrasting dangers lurk in wait when we attempt to put the past to use for present purposes. The first danger comes as a result of treating the naturalistic political ideas of American history as if they were on a par with scriptural revelation. This leads to idolatry of our nation… The second danger comes from the failure to establish an independent scriptural position over against the prominent values of the culture, a position which allows for selective approval and disapproval of the culture’s various values. This failure can lead to secularization, if Christians merely tag along when the culture veers away from God.” (Pg. 23)
They also ask, “How do we bring together our assessment of the great evangelistic and reform movements, which did so much to being biblical righteousness in the country, with inhuman treatment of black slaves and Indian outcasts?” (Pg. 20) After noting “the overriding assumption that New England was the New Israel,” they observe, “Nowhere do the dangers of this assumption become more clear than in the Puritans’ treatment of the native Americans. Since the Puritans considered themselves God’s chosen people, they concluded that they had the right to take the land from the heathen Indians… they had explicitly biblical rationale for their policies… The result was worse than if they made no attempt to find a Christian basis for politics.” (Pg. 36)
They report, “it is possible to observe what the closest followers of Jonathan Edwards, the most influential spokesman for the revival, actually did during the Revolutionary period… The record here is quite clear. During the Revolution the closest followers of Jonathan Edwards were either strangely indifferent to the struggle for independence, or they were patriots who yet on the basis of their Christian beliefs criticized different aspects of the Revolution.” (Pg. 56) They add, “We are forced to conclude that whatever kinds of connections existed between the revival and the Revolution, it is not appropriate to consider them as two expressions of the same spirit.” (Pg. 59)
They summarize, “The revival’s opponents and proponents both rejected the Puritan heritage. But neither side constructed viable, biblically based alternatives. Even more, they failed to ask how Scripture would offer guidance for getting along in a mixed culture where no one of the parties arising from the Awakening could dictate a ‘biblical politics’ for the whole. As a result the gospel was prostituted, the church was damaged, and finally, the spread of the Christian faith itself was hindered.” (Pg. 64-65)
They argue, “the great founding fathers were not as concerned about the Bible. Yet, unorthodox though they were, they knew Scripture far better than many modern evangelicals… The conclusion must be that nearly every important person in America’s early political history had extensive experience with Scripture, even if many of them did not hold to traditional beliefs about the Bible, or to the beliefs to which Christians traditionally had derived from Scripture. To one degree of another, the Bible was important for America’s first great public leaders. But this is not to say that the Bible was necessarily important for early American politics.” (Pg. 75-76)
They summarize, “the Revolution marked an advance of secularization. Christians contributed directly to this secularization, especially when they identified the Revolutionary ideology, which grounded law and government institutions on NATURE, with the REVEALED will of God… In the eighteenth century… nature and God were linked together, but later on the culture’s view of nature eliminated God.” (Pg. 94)
They conclude. “America is not a Christian country, nor has it ever been one. Failure to recognize this means that Christians rely on the state to do tasks which rightfully belong to Christian institutions, but that they are offended when public institutions refuse to follow the advice of the churches.” (Pg. 102) Later, they observe “The Declaration of Independence… is based on an appeal to ‘self-evident’ truths or ‘laws of nature and nature’s god.’ The reference to God is vague and subordinated to natural laws that everyone should know… The Bible is not mention or alluded to. The Constitution of 1787 says even less concerning a deity, let alone Christianity or the Bible.” (Pg. 130-131)
They end by stating, “Although history provides no magical key to truth and morality, Christians still must labor without ceasing for truth and morality in the midst of our own age. This is a task to which every Christian is called… The purpose of this book is to help us be more effective in that struggle… by allowing a more realistic view of our history to disperse our foggy notions of the past and to clarify our perceptions of the present.” (Pg. 155)
This book will be of great interest to anyone studying the ‘Christian nation’ issue.
Authors Mark Noll, Nathan Hatch, and George Marsden wrote in the Introduction to this 1983 book, “At times of crisis it is a natural human reaction to turn to the past for support. Evangelicals and fundamentalists are no different. But … evangelicals and fundamentalists are troubled by another dimension of modern American life: its flight from morality and godliness… we almost instinctively turn to those who have gone before for wisdom and practical guidance. At stake is nothing less than what was once widely assumed to be America’s Christian heritage.” (Pg. 13).
They continue, “these two events---the shocking decision of the Supreme Court on abortion and the Bicentennial reminder of the Christian past---led to a new evangelical engagement in public life… Protests against abortion-on-demand, opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment… campaigns against pornography, protests against the removal of prayer from public schools… have become well-established parts of American evangelical culture.” (Pg. 14)
They go on, “All three of us have addressed the question of America’s Christian character in more … specialized studies… however, it has seemed useful for us to combine our efforts in order to make a careful search for Christian America. Our purpose is to examine carefully the popular belief that America was once a ‘Christian nation’ which has now been all but overrun by secular humanism. To put it most simply: is this a factual picture, a mythical picture, or something else altogether?” (Pg. 16)
They outline, “The argument of this book can be stated quite simply. 1) … a careful study of the facts of history shows that early America does not deserve to be considered uniquely, distinctly or even predominantly Christian… There is no lost golden age to which American Christians may return… evangelicals themselves were often partly to blame for the spread of secularism in contemporary American life… 2) … the idea of a ‘Christian nation’ is a very ambiguous concept which is usually harmful to effective Christian action in society.” (Pg. 17)
They continue, “We do not want to contend that Christian values have been absent from American history. On the contrary, we hope to show that there has been much commendable Christian belief, practice, and influence in the history of the United States… while many Christians continue to look upon American history as if it were uniquely Christian, some believers have now come to picture that same history as the epitome of sinful arrogance and callousness. We do not subscribe to either of these extremes. We feel, rather, that America has had a generally religious past… however, we still wish to call into question the assumption that just because many Christians have done many Christian deeds in America, the country enjoys simply a ‘Christian heritage.’ There are too many problems with this assumption.” (Pg. 18-19)
They go on, “This book presents in some detail our reasons for questioning whether America has had a predominantly Christian past. At the same time, we are convinced that fellow Christians who hold such a view are nevertheless correct in many of their view concerning America’s present problems… We must say also that we share many of the concerns of the smaller number of fellow Christians who have a more negative view of the American past… American Christians have too often been indifferent to the oppressed and the unrepresented, the very ones to whom the Old Testament prophets, Jesus himself, and the inspired apostles directed our specific attention.” (Pg, 21-22)
They add, “But a false estimation of America’s history also hinders positive Christian action by discouraging a biblical analysis of our position today. And it can compromise genuinely biblical guidelines for action… Our historical research has convinced us that two contrasting dangers lurk in wait when we attempt to put the past to use for present purposes. The first danger comes as a result of treating the naturalistic political ideas of American history as if they were on a par with scriptural revelation. This leads to idolatry of our nation… The second danger comes from the failure to establish an independent scriptural position over against the prominent values of the culture, a position which allows for selective approval and disapproval of the culture’s various values. This failure can lead to secularization, if Christians merely tag along when the culture veers away from God.” (Pg. 23)
They also ask, “How do we bring together our assessment of the great evangelistic and reform movements, which did so much to being biblical righteousness in the country, with inhuman treatment of black slaves and Indian outcasts?” (Pg. 20) After noting “the overriding assumption that New England was the New Israel,” they observe, “Nowhere do the dangers of this assumption become more clear than in the Puritans’ treatment of the native Americans. Since the Puritans considered themselves God’s chosen people, they concluded that they had the right to take the land from the heathen Indians… they had explicitly biblical rationale for their policies… The result was worse than if they made no attempt to find a Christian basis for politics.” (Pg. 36)
They report, “it is possible to observe what the closest followers of Jonathan Edwards, the most influential spokesman for the revival, actually did during the Revolutionary period… The record here is quite clear. During the Revolution the closest followers of Jonathan Edwards were either strangely indifferent to the struggle for independence, or they were patriots who yet on the basis of their Christian beliefs criticized different aspects of the Revolution.” (Pg. 56) They add, “We are forced to conclude that whatever kinds of connections existed between the revival and the Revolution, it is not appropriate to consider them as two expressions of the same spirit.” (Pg. 59)
They summarize, “The revival’s opponents and proponents both rejected the Puritan heritage. But neither side constructed viable, biblically based alternatives. Even more, they failed to ask how Scripture would offer guidance for getting along in a mixed culture where no one of the parties arising from the Awakening could dictate a ‘biblical politics’ for the whole. As a result the gospel was prostituted, the church was damaged, and finally, the spread of the Christian faith itself was hindered.” (Pg. 64-65)
They argue, “the great founding fathers were not as concerned about the Bible. Yet, unorthodox though they were, they knew Scripture far better than many modern evangelicals… The conclusion must be that nearly every important person in America’s early political history had extensive experience with Scripture, even if many of them did not hold to traditional beliefs about the Bible, or to the beliefs to which Christians traditionally had derived from Scripture. To one degree of another, the Bible was important for America’s first great public leaders. But this is not to say that the Bible was necessarily important for early American politics.” (Pg. 75-76)
They summarize, “the Revolution marked an advance of secularization. Christians contributed directly to this secularization, especially when they identified the Revolutionary ideology, which grounded law and government institutions on NATURE, with the REVEALED will of God… In the eighteenth century… nature and God were linked together, but later on the culture’s view of nature eliminated God.” (Pg. 94)
They conclude. “America is not a Christian country, nor has it ever been one. Failure to recognize this means that Christians rely on the state to do tasks which rightfully belong to Christian institutions, but that they are offended when public institutions refuse to follow the advice of the churches.” (Pg. 102) Later, they observe “The Declaration of Independence… is based on an appeal to ‘self-evident’ truths or ‘laws of nature and nature’s god.’ The reference to God is vague and subordinated to natural laws that everyone should know… The Bible is not mention or alluded to. The Constitution of 1787 says even less concerning a deity, let alone Christianity or the Bible.” (Pg. 130-131)
They end by stating, “Although history provides no magical key to truth and morality, Christians still must labor without ceasing for truth and morality in the midst of our own age. This is a task to which every Christian is called… The purpose of this book is to help us be more effective in that struggle… by allowing a more realistic view of our history to disperse our foggy notions of the past and to clarify our perceptions of the present.” (Pg. 155)
This book will be of great interest to anyone studying the ‘Christian nation’ issue.
July 8, 2019
The authors make a strong case that although there was a strong Christian influence in the early history of the United States it is not accurate to call the US a christian nation. The most influential founding fathers were not orthodox Christians. The revolution had dubious connections to Christianity and in some ways contradicted Christian principles such as submitting to the governing authorities mentioned in Romans chapter 13. Slavery in the colonies also creates theological inconsistencies for the founders of the fledgling democracy. Even some of the puritans treatment of Native Americans and other outsiders seemed to contradict the character Christians are called to be Jesus. This book is not long and at times I wished for more supporting evidence. However it does make it's case and can be a springboard for future research.
December 12, 2018
I think it is a important read with some interesting analysis. It didn't blow me away, nor did it change much about what I thought about this issue. It might be a healthy dose of reality to those who tend to romanticize our past. I'm not sure how the author's perspective will help our witness be stronger, but we do need to tell the truth to the best of our ability as Christians. Things are never as neat and tidy as the may appear to be.
December 30, 2024
Noll, Hatch, and Marsden c0-wrote the first edition of this book in the early 1980s when evangelicals were proclaiming the need to bring America back to its “Christian” foundations. With all the current talk about Christian Nationalism and such, this book remains a good tonic. The book delivers a good dose of historical realism that knocks out romanticized versions of our county's founding. And to those who bend history to fit a certain political agenda. Still a very relevant volume.
Read
September 20, 2021I only read half of this for class but I'm counting it
April 27, 2024
The search continues, with the depressingly diminishing returns one would expect. 40 years later and we’re in the same place, only worse.
January 31, 2025
This was a solid read — nothing earth-shattering, but some good perspective and glimpses of the historical foundations of America and how things are not always as we assume.
October 27, 2020
Hard to believe that I read this book in college nearly 20 years ago, but it provides helpful perspective on the "Christian" character of many of the founding fathers of the United States. It eschews both those who describe the United States as a "Christian nation" whose glorious past must be reclaimed for our own times and those who can only see the evil of the founders from the perspective of current cultural mores of social justice. It's a badly needed balance.
February 4, 2016
Up front I'll say this is a little surreal. The book was written by a group of evangelicals during the Reagan administration, so some of the language seems dated and the concerns a little passe. For example, who is this Jerry Falwell fellow they keep talking about??? (Jk)
Okay, aside from that the book really does have a lot to offer. It's biggest contribution is probably tracing the way that Christian language changed and adapted over time, legitimizing the US government retrospectively, instead of holding it to a consistent Biblical standard (whatever that means). It's easy to say that America is a "Christian nation" when we define Christianity through the lens of our American experience. This is a great challenge to see what the Bible does and does not say about the nature of politics in the City of Man. Even if you're rightly skeptical of Christian-Nationalist language, this is still a great curative for a lot of assumptions Americans in general hold about our religious history.
Okay, aside from that the book really does have a lot to offer. It's biggest contribution is probably tracing the way that Christian language changed and adapted over time, legitimizing the US government retrospectively, instead of holding it to a consistent Biblical standard (whatever that means). It's easy to say that America is a "Christian nation" when we define Christianity through the lens of our American experience. This is a great challenge to see what the Bible does and does not say about the nature of politics in the City of Man. Even if you're rightly skeptical of Christian-Nationalist language, this is still a great curative for a lot of assumptions Americans in general hold about our religious history.
April 19, 2012
The authors ( Three historians and professors ) ask a series of crucial questions, taking both a historical and contemporary approach, inductively concluding that the United States was not and is not a “Christian Nation.” They point out that even the idea of a Christian nation is ambiguous, but take the meaning “Christian Nation” throughout the book as a state of society reflecting the ideals presented in scripture. The authors address the problem with the assumption of America being a ‘Christian Nation,’ and state that idea can actually cause problems for Christians. The three historians present facts about the Christian influence on the establishment of America and stress the problem of America being the New Jerusalem and the risk of mixing patriotism with Christianity. It was written primarily for Evangelicals and Fundamentalist Christians living in the United States.
September 6, 2009
Not quite as good as I was hoping for, given the all-star writing team. The authors spend too much time repeating the same point: that America is not the New Jerusalem. Of course, that's a very important point that should be emphasized...
Overall, though, the book raises important questions: are we mixing patriotism with Christianity? Are we really applying Biblical principles when we make arguments about our "Christian" history as a nation? Have we come to the point where we've confused the church and the state? Even more, have we confused salvation with the state? Great questions for any Christian to ask himself...
Overall, though, the book raises important questions: are we mixing patriotism with Christianity? Are we really applying Biblical principles when we make arguments about our "Christian" history as a nation? Have we come to the point where we've confused the church and the state? Even more, have we confused salvation with the state? Great questions for any Christian to ask himself...
April 8, 2015
Noll's basic thesis is a warning to Christians about reading their theology back into the thinking of the founding fathers. Though the puritans desired a theocracy, this ideology broke down in the colonies and was not the main goal for the founding of America. In fact, many of the founding fathers were deists rather than theist. Noll debunks the idea of a 'Christian Nation' particularly in regards to a 'Christian America'.
August 5, 2007
Three historians present the facts about the Christian influence on the establishment of America. Fair, critical and probably not the conclusion that religious people or presidents who say "take America back" want to hear.
(p.s. I am no so sure that Blacks and women want to take America back to 1776.)
(p.s. I am no so sure that Blacks and women want to take America back to 1776.)
May 17, 2007
Talbot Course: Reformation and Modern Theology
"The purpose of this book is to help evangelical Christians learn to think historically. The final chapter should be required reading for all Christian scholars and students...An outstanding book." - Ronald Wells in Christian Scholars Review
"The purpose of this book is to help evangelical Christians learn to think historically. The final chapter should be required reading for all Christian scholars and students...An outstanding book." - Ronald Wells in Christian Scholars Review
October 20, 2013
A must read for all evangelicals in need of an American Christianity history lesson.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews