How Biblical Teaching Shaped the American Mind

Thomas Jefferson's design for the Great Seal of the United States of America. One side depicts a biblical scene: the drowning of the Egyptian Pharaoh in the Red Sea with the motto "Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God." On the other side, Liberty and Justice support a coat of arms surrounded by the initials of the 13 colonies. MPI/Getty Images

Commentary

There are many myths in our culture regarding the beliefs of early America and Christianity. I highly recommend the EpochTV series entitled “The American Story” to learn the inspiring and true story of America’s early years, often in contrast to the narratives we hear today. In episode five, “The Development of the American Mind,” host Timothy Barton, president of WallBuilders, and Jonathan Richie, former assistant director of the American Journey Experience, use historical documents and artifacts to tell the story of how biblical teaching shaped ideas on government and liberty which were eventually expressed in the American Revolution.

The Great Awakening

John Adams, one of the most notable of America’s Founding Fathers and eventually the second president of the United States, wrote that the American Revolution was not simply the war that liberated the colonies from England, but rather, it happened before the war ever took place. “The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people. A change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations.”