One Nation Under God - Chapter 4

 One Nation Under God

A Haven for Religious Dissidents. Direct quotes are enclosed in quotes:

“The fourth thing every Christian should know about the founding of America is that this nation was in large measure founded as a sanctuary for religious dissidents.” 

“In addition to the Pilgrims and Puritans, this chapter examines the beliefs and accomplishments of people such as Roger Williams who established Rhode Island. Roger was a strong Christian who did not agree with some of the harsher rules of the Puritans. A quote from the chapter is “God [does not need] the help of a material sword of steel to assist the sword of the spirit in the affairs of men.” “Rhode Island was a sanctuary for religious dissidents. Roger Williams called his new settlement Providence to honor God for miraculously sparing his life during his winter flight to the colony and also to honor God’s sovereignty over the affairs of man.”

“Among the religious refugees who came to these shores in the 17th century were followers of George Fox, better known as the Quakers. The most important Quaker in America was William Penn…The state generally associated with him - Pennsylvania, meaning Penn’s woods. William Penn, born in London in 1644, was the son of a British Naval officer (Sir William Penn). At the age of eleven, the young William had a conversion experience that would affect the rest of his life. It led directly to his strong conviction that every person has the God-given right to determine how he will worship and with whom he would fellowship.”

“Penn received an excellent education at Christ Church in Oxford, but he was expelled because of his dissenting views. These views were not in conformance with those of the Church of England. His father sent him to France to study…. But Penn studied among the Huguenots… Penn went to Ireland to manage lands and people owned by his father. Later, he learned about Roger Williams in Rhode Island and the mistreatment of of Quakers in Massachusetts. 

He later wrote a document called the Concessions for a new settlement called New Jersey in the colonies. By 1680, the Concessions had 150 signers; it was unique in that it promoted the power of the people to elect a governor who would oversee the conformance to the principles in the Concessions. “No man was to be arrested, condemned, imprisoned, or molested in his estate or liberty… no man has the authority to rule over men’s consciences in religious matters. The Quakers also encouraged local Indians to bring their problems to the commissioners and to have a fair trial before a court of six Indians and six settlers.”

Penn finally went to America in 1682, after deciding the situation for Quakers in England was intolerable. He founded a new colony called Pennsylvania. The land was given to him by England. Nearly 100 Quakers sailed with him to America. Penn wrote the Frame of Government with twenty articles; the first ten concerned the land; the next five dealt with just treatment of the Indians, and the last five were concerned with the laws. Penn oversaw the planning for the city that would be called Philadelphia. It became the cultural capital of America. In the Frame fo Government, religion and government are so intertwined that it is impossible to separate them.

The chapter goes on to reference other groups, such as Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, Huguenots, Anabaptists, and Catholics. These settled in other colonies, such as Maryland

John Calvin greatly influenced the founding of America. While he never lived there, his documents provided the framework for many of the covenants, compacts, and constitutions which ended up in the United States Constitution. John Calvin emphasized the belief that Jesus should not just be Lord over a Christian’s life, but should be Lord over every sphere of life - including politics and government.

Later, as 1776 approached, the King of England would later say, “I fix all the blame for these extraordinary proceedings upon the Presbyterians (who were Calvinists).”

Dr. John Eidsmoe, a Christian historian, wrote, “The Presbyterians, with their Calvinist view of limited government and the duty to resist tyranny, were among the nation’s strongest supporters of independence.”

Our second president John Adams was convinced that the strong influence of Christianity had shaped American republicanism. See the book for his quote.