Abstract
Building off of Mark David Hall's thesis that America had a Christian founding, this paper seeks to explore the theology of this Christian founding. While acknowledging that Enlightenment and English Common Law also influenced American founding thought, the paper seeks to look specifically at America's theological outlook. It concludes that American founding theology was overwhelmingly Reformed but with some key influences from the Baptist, Quaker, and even Catholic traditions. These influences can be found in the writings of the founders as well as in America's founding documents such as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The point of the paper is not to be exhaustive but to start an academic conversation on America's theological inheritance.
Recommended Citation
Payne, Michael
(2026)
"America's Founding Theology,"
Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History: Vol. 8:
Iss.
3, Article 28.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/ljh/vol8/iss3/28
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