Was America Really Founded as a Christian Nation?

THE REAL AMERICA MINUTE: Month Two

Was America Really Founded as a Christian Nation? By Rick Porterfield

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." — Psalm 33:12

Last month we talked about where liberty really comes from — that freedom is God's idea, not government's idea. The foundation. The bedrock.

This month we're answering a question you hear all the time: Was America really founded as a Christian nation? Or is that just something people say to feel good about the past?

Let's find out. And let's let the historical record do the talking.

The First Self-Governing Americans Said Exactly Why They Came

The Pilgrims were the first Europeans to establish self-government in the New World. They came for freedom. They came for the ability to govern themselves. And before they ever stepped off the boat, they wrote a governing document called the Mayflower Compact.

It begins with these words:

In the name of God, Amen.

Right up front, they made it clear that what they were doing was done in the name of God.

Then it states their purpose plainly:

For the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith…

That is not a secular document. They were committing to govern themselves according to Christian principles — and to advance those principles. That's how self-government began in America. With a declaration of Christian faith.

The Early Colonies Built Their Laws on Scripture

Modern history books “conveniently” skip this, but it's right there in the record.

The early American colonies modeled their laws after Scripture. They quoted Bible verses directly in their legal codes. They required schools to teach biblical literacy. They trained leaders through Christian theology. This wasn't incidental — it was the system.

The Massachusetts Body of Liberties had Scripture references written into the margins of its laws. The Connecticut Fundamental Orders — often called America's first constitution — grounded authority in God. The Bible wasn't just a cultural backdrop. It was the foundation of early American government.

The Bible Was America's First Textbook

The first widely used schoolbook in America was called the New England Primer. And this is how children learned to read:

A — In Adam's fall, we sinned all. B — Heaven to find, the Bible mind.

That wasn't an accident. That was the curriculum. Scripture was woven into the very first lesson every American child received.

And the colleges? Well over ninety percent of America's earliest universities — Harvard, Yale, Princeton, William & Mary, Brown, Rutgers, Dartmouth — had explicit Christian foundations. They were established by Christian denominations, by churches, by clergy. The purpose was to train ministers and Christian leaders.

Some people today will ask: Who is Oral Roberts, or Kenneth Hagin, or Andrew Wommack to start a college? Well — look at the precedent. They were doing exactly what the founders of this nation did. Building on a foundation that was already there.

"The Founders Weren't Christians" — Oh, Really?

You hear this one constantly. The Founders wanted God out of government. The whole thing was secular from the start.

Really? Then explain this. John Adams — our second president — wrote:

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

That's not secular. Adams understood something that Scripture teaches clearly: freedom only works when people govern themselves morally. Remove that, and you don't get liberty. You get chaos. And eventually, you get tyranny and bondage.

"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." — Joshua 24:15

God never forces obedience. That's not how He works. He gives a choice. That is biblical liberty — and it's the same liberty the Founders were fighting to protect.

Why This Matters Right Now

Here's the logic, and it's simple. If America's foundation was secular, then removing God from it shouldn't matter. It's already not there. No harm done.

But if America was built on Christian truth — then tearing that out destabilizes everything. The laws. The institutions. The very idea that rights are God-given and can't be taken away.

"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" — Psalm 11:3

Right now people are trying to destroy the foundations of our nation. And our response can't be silence. We must respond with truth.

We don't defend America by pretending it was or is perfect. We defend it by telling the truth about what it was built on.

— — —

One Thing to Remember

America wasn't founded as a secular nation that happened to use Christian language. It was founded by people who believed God was real, believed His Word was true, and believed that liberty depended on both.

That's documented history. Anything else is revisionist.

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." — John 1:5

We're not here to win arguments. We're here to preserve truth. Because truth is what sets free. And when a nation relies on God and His Word — blessing follows.

That's why I'm doing The Real America Minute. Every month we are turning on the light and overcoming darkness.

— Pastor Rick

— — —

The Real America Minute is presented the second Sunday of every month at Grace Life Fellowship.

© 2026 Rick Porterfield. All rights reserved.