7 Faiths of the Founding Fathers - Perimeter Church

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A History of Christianity in America • Part VII: Faiths of the Founding Fathers 4Liberal ChristiansGeorge Washington (1732-99).• The orthodox Washington:• A life-long Episcopalian.• Martha’s devotion.• Washington’s theology.• Promotion of Christianity among his troops.• A devout civil religionist.• Belief in Providence.• Nelly Custis: “His life, his writings, prove that he was aChristian. He was not one of those who act or pray ‘thatthey may be seen of men.’ He communed with his God insecret.”• John Marshall: “Without making ostentatious professionsof religion, he was a sincere believer in the Christian faith,and a truly devout man.”• The non-orthodox Washington:• A most private faith.• Public pronouncements.• Casual church attendance.• An ecumenist.• The communion controversy.• Rev. William White: “Truth requires me to say that General Washington neverreceived the communion in the churches of which I am parochial minister.”• Rev. James Abercrombie’s assessment.• An active Mason.• Thomas Jefferson’s assessment.• James Thomas Flexner: “Washington subscribed to the religious faith of theEnlightenment: like Franklin and Jefferson, he was a deist. Although not believing in[orthodox Christian doctrines], he was convinced that a divine force, impossible todefine, ruled the universe, and that this ‘Providence’ was good.”• Joseph Ellis: Washington was “a lukewarm Episcopalian.”• David L. Holmes: “Like Deists, Washington was more concerned with morality andethics than with adhering to the doctrines of a particular church. He seemed to haveno interest in theology.”• Marcus Cunliff: “It is true that [Washington] was a sound Episcopalian, but hisreligion, though no doubt perfectly sincere, was a social performance.... He was aChristian as a Virginia planter understood the term.”• Mark Noll: Washington’s faith “was mostly a social convention.”• John Fea: Washington was a “latitudinarian” who valued civil religion more thanorthodox Christianity.• Civil religionist.• Washington: “Religion and morality are indispensable” to political stability.• Washington: “National morality cannot prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”• Washington: “It is impossible to rightly govern without God and the Bible.”• Post-script: Washington revisioned and venerated.• Parson Weems’ The Life of George Washington (1800).• Bishop William Meade’s revisionist biography.
A History of Christianity in America • Part VII: Faiths of the Founding Fathers 5John Adams (1735-1826).• Liberal Congregationalism.• The Harvard influence.• Theology wars.• Adams: “The [further] Study of Theology and the pursuit ofit as a Profession would involve me in endless Altercationsand make my Life miserable, without any prospect of doingany good to my fellow Men.”• Opposition to dogmatic theology and “Protestant Popes.”• Abigail Adams.• Character and personality.• The Puritan influence.• Conventional Christian beliefs:• Adams, c. 1794: “The Christian religion is, above all the Religions that everprevailed or existed in ancient or modern Times, the Religion of Wisdom, Virtue,Equity and Humanity.... It is resignation to God – it is Goodness itself to Man.”• Adams in 1810: “The Christian religion, as I understand it, is the brightness of theglory and the express portrait of the eternal, self-existent independent, benevolent,all-powerful and all merciful Creator, Preserver, and Father of the Universe....Neither savage nor civilized man without a revelation could ever have discovered orinvented it.”• Adams, c. 1820: “The Bible is the best book in the World. It contains more of mylittle Phylosophy than all the Libraries I have seen; and such parts of it as I cannotreconcile to my little Phylosophy I postpone for future Investigation.”• The teachings of Jesus were “the most benevolent and sublime, probably that hasbeen ever taught and more perfect than those of any of the ancient Philosophers.”• Deistic humanitarianism:• Adams: My religious beliefs are “not exactly conformable to that of the greater Partof the Christian World.”• John Fea: “Adams passes the ‘orthopraxy’ test, but fails... the ‘orthodoxy’ test.”• Anti-Trinitarian.• Adams: The incarnation and the deity of Christ are “an awful blasphemy.”• Adams on the doctrine of the atonement: “An incarnate God!!! An eternal, selfexistentomnipresent Author of this stupendous Universe suffering on a Cross!!!My Soul starts with horror at the Idea.”• A benign Deism: “Benevolence and beneficence, Industry, Equity and Humanity,Resignation and Submission, Repentance and Reformation are the Essence of myReligion.”• Adams to Jefferson (1816): “The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on theMount contain my Religion.”• Adams, c. 1820: “The love of God and his creation, delight, joy, triumph, exultationin my own existence... are my religion.”• Adams on civil religion:• Adams: The purpose of religion is to make “good men, good majestrates, goodSubjects, good Husbands and good Wives, good Parents and good Children, goodmasters and good servants.• Adams to Jefferson (c. 1820): “Without Religion this World would be Something notfit to be mentioned in polite Company. I mean Hell.”
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7 Faiths of the Founding Fathers - Perimeter Church

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