As a lifelong student of the fascinating stories of America’s legendary heroes, from the Pilgrims to the Patriots, I discovered an interesting intersection with Holy Scripture. Just as the Bible has its notable heroes of faith and God-given courage in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews in the Bible, so also does the history of America have its heroes of courage and faith in its God-given deliverance from tyranny. And both have had their detractors and skeptics. They continually try to steer generations of young students away from confidence in the truthful place of those heros in the record of Almighty God’s providence in His redemption of the human race.
Accusations to disparage the Founding Fathers are common in the world of fallen mankind. You’ve likely heard slanderous assertions that the Founding Fathers were a bunch of atheists, agnostics, and deists wanting a strict separation of church and state – nothing less than a secular government and a secular public with barely any Biblical values. While their charges are shamefully false, no one is suggesting that all the early American leaders were devoted Christians (though most of them were). The vast majority of Founding Fathers wrote openly, and often, about the influence of Christianity, the Bible and Jesus on their personal lives. You can learn more of the faith journey of the people we’re talking about in the resources noted in the transcript for today’s podcast, but let’s hear some actual quotes to get a glimpse of the thinking of these men.
Signing the Declaration of Independence was a bold act of almost unimaginable courage and trust in God for their deliverance from the oppressive tyranny of Britain’s monarch, King George. They openly committed treason against the British Crown. Unthinkable! Each of them knew that they risked their life, their property, and their reputation for an entirely uncertain future. By endorsing a formal break from Great Britain, the signers tied their personal fate to the success or failure of the Revolution. If the rebellion failed, the Declaration would stand as written proof of their crime, not their ideals. They understood that their signatures meant more than agreeing with eloquent words about liberty and equality – it meant pledging to each other “their Lives, their Fortunes and their sacred Honor” to a cause that could end in imprisonment, financial ruin, or execution, and they did it in full view of the world, watching to see what would become of this revolution.
So, what is the most meaningful way to honor the sacrifices of the founding generation during the 250th anniversary? Is it not to make a civic promise to boldly defend the principles on which our country was founded… and pass them onto the next generation? We can all light a brush fire of liberty in our family and among our friends. We can set our legacy in motion, so that four generations from now when they look back on 2026, they’re grateful for our faith-filled disciplines and actions of true patriotism.
Celebrating America doesn’t end after today, it’s just beginning!
On July 4th 2026, America celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It stands as the commemoration of a miracle of governance. Across 5,000 years of world history, the average utility for any nation’s governing document is only 17 years. America’s Declaration and Constitution are still our government’s guiding documents after 250 years – a world record no other nation has ever experienced!
But how did we get here? Why has the United States enjoyed such unprecedented stability?
The Hidden Truth – A Systematic Attack on Our Heritage
The answer, according to the historical record, lies in a truth that has been systematically hidden from us. The narrative pushed for decades, that America’s Founding Fathers were secular deists who created a godless Constitution, is a myth that doesn’t hold up under the weight of primary sources.
This deception didn’t happen by accident. One of the primary tools deliberately employed by Marxists to undermine a nation is to discredit its heritage of founding fathers. In his book, Rules for Radicals, communist advocate, Saul Alinsky, sows the seeds of class warfare, in part, by creating “disillusionment with past ways and values.” Creating dissatisfaction with a nation’s history has been a tactic used by Marxists around the world, from the vandalism of historic sites to the rewriting of textbooks.
From the very beginning of America as an independent nation, various dark forces have conspired, including French Infidelity and the Illuminati, to deny America’s Christian origin. But none have succeeded in their efforts as much as the damage done by the disciples of Karl Marx. The erosion of confidence in America’s Christ-honoring foundation began in earnest with the rise of the “Great Agnostic,” Robert Ingersoll. It was progressively advanced by socialists and communists of other devoted Marxists throughout the 20th century.
Sadly, many Americans, including pastors, have bought into the lies that America’s Founding Fathers were Deists who believed in a more naturalistic god, who somehow created the world, but walked away from it. Deists deny divine inspiration, the Virgin Birth, and the deity of Christ. But as we shall see, the Founders’ own words paint a very different picture.
Reclaiming the Spirit of the Law
One of the great deceptions of the modern era is the attempt to separate the Declaration of Independence from the Constitution. The Progressive Era of the 1920s began this fabrication. They argued that, because the Declaration is God-centered but the Constitution leaves God completely out. So, the two are distinct.
The Founders never saw it that way. Article 7 of the Constitution is directly tied to the Declaration. The Declaration is the spirit of the law, while the Constitution is the letter. Without the spirit, the letter fails. Today, we have separated these documents in our minds, but the Founders intended them to be woven together. ✝️ To them, the Declaration was like a new company’s “charter” or “mission statement.” The Constitution was like their operating manual. Both are essential founding documents. They are intrinsically intertwined. They compliment each other.
The Founding Fathers ingeniously conceived a governing model to outlast that of every other nation. So, where did they get their ideas? To find out, a group of professors at the University of Houston undertook a massive study. They analyzed over 1,000 founding documents, identifying 3,154 direct quotes to trace them back to their original sources.
The results are staggering. The most cited individual was Baron Charles Montesquieu, and the third was John Locke. However, the single most-cited source was the Bible, accounting for a full 34% of their political quotations.
The Founders didn’t just quote the Bible in a general or casual way. They derived specific public policy from it. James Madison, George Washington, and John Adams pointed to Jeremiah 17:9 (“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked”). This was the primary reason for the separation of powers. They understood that man is flawed, and government must be structured to restrain that flawed nature.
The Founders’ Own Words
The best way to understand what the Founders believed is to let them speak for themselves. As you’ll see, the evidence is undeniably clear.
John Adams declared explicitly: “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”
Did you hear that?
John Adams echoed that ideal when he stated: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.” He understood that we would never pass enough laws to control a populace that couldn’t control itself.
Where do you think that kind of self-control comes from?
Galatians 5:22-23 says: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
George Washington, in his 1796 Farewell Address, stated unequivocally: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” He warned that anyone who attempts to subvert these pillars should not be considered a patriot. He knew a patriot when he saw one; he had them at Valley Forge.
In a letter to the governors, Washington further affirmed this principle, writing, “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.”
When Founding Fathers like Washington used the word “religion” all the people of the day knew very well they were talking about the Christian religion as defined in the Bible. They were not talking about Judaism or Mohammadanism or Hinduism… they were talking about the very words of the Old and New Testament as defined in the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of mankind and fulfillment of all the prophesies of the Hebrew Scriptures. In today’s confused world of watered-down “religion,” a lot of people are so lacking in knowledge of basic history and biblical truth… that you have to spell it out for them.
And when it comes to the Founders’ idea of “morality,” there certainly was no question in anyone’s mind that the morality they were talking about was that morality that came from things like Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and the Ten Commandments. Yes, ALL ten – including the first and the last. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” and “Thou shalt not covet.”
Even Benjamin Franklin, often cited as a deist, praised the teachings of Jesus. He wrote: “As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see.”
Meet the “Atheists” Who Signed the Declaration
We are often told by anti-Christ media and godless educators that the Founders were atheists, agnostics, or deists. Yet when we look at the 56 signers, they were among the most devout figures in American history.
- SAMUEL ADAMS, the “Father of the American Revolution,” didn’t just rely on his political prowess. He wrote that he put his trust “upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.” As Governor of Massachusetts, he called for a day of fasting and prayer, asking the people to pray “that the peaceful and glorious reign of our Divine Redeemer may be known and enjoyed throughout the whole family of mankind.”
BENJAMIN RUSH is considered the “Father of American Medicine” and he started the first Sunday school in America. He also produced the first mass-produced Bible in the United States. His writings reflect a deep, evangelical faith: “My only hope of salvation is in the infinite transcendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of his son from the cross. Nothing but his blood will wash away my sins.” He also understood the connection between liberty and virtue: “The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty.”
RICHARD STOCKTON was captured by the British and tortured for signing the Declaration. As he lay dying, he wrote his last will and testament, not just to divide his property, but to impart a spiritual legacy to his six children. He wrote: “I think it proper… to exhort and charge my children that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, that the way of life held up in the Christian system is calculated for the most complete happiness that can be enjoyed in this mortal state.”
CHARLES CARROLL, the last surviving signer, gave his final testimony on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration in 1826. He wrote that he was “grateful to Almighty God for the blessings which through Jesus Christ our Lord has conferred on my beloved country.”
ROGER SHERMAN, the only Founder to sign all four founding documents, wrote a doctrinal creed for his church, affirming his belief in the Trinity and salvation through Christ alone. He stated, “God commands all men everywhere to repent. He also commands them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and has assured us that all who do repent and believe shall be saved.” ✝️
JOHN HANCOCK – SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS; REVOLUTIONARY GENERAL; GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS
As governor, he called on his entire state of Massachusetts to pray “that universal happiness may be established in the world [and] that all may bow to the scepter of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the whole earth be filled with His glory.”38
He also called on the State to “confess their sins before God and implore His forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.”43 …and…
…that He “would finally overrule all events to the advancement of the Redeemer’s kingdom and the establishment of universal peace and good will among men.”44 and…
…that “with true contrition of heart we may confess our sins, resolve to forsake them, and implore the Divine forgiveness, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, our Savior. . . . And finally, to overrule all the commotions in the world to the spreading the true religion of our Lord Jesus Christ in its purity and power among all the people of the earth.”46
If those quotes are not a true testimony of the deeply held convictions of a true Christian, how can we honestly trust anyone’s historic record for a genuine reflection of their personal beliefs?
The Official Endorsement – Treaty of Paris
The most damning evidence against the “secular founding” narrative is probably the Treaty of Paris. This was the treaty, signed in 1783, that officially secured American independence. The treaty itself is titled: “In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity.”
The document that ultimately verified America as a sovereign nation invokes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. This was no accident. Even John Quincy Adams, the sixth president, connected the nation’s birth to its religious foundation, stating: “The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.”
The Bible in Public Education – A Foundational Mandate
The Founders’ commitment to Christian principles extended directly into the classroom. They did not merely tolerate the Bible; they believed its teachings were essential for producing virtuous citizens capable of sustaining a republic.
Fisher Ames, the Boston, Massachusetts congressman who helped shape the final language of the First Amendment, argued that the Bible “should be the principal text in our schools.” He asked, “Should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a schoolbook? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble.”
Benjamin Rush, who we mentioned earlier, was equally emphatic, warning that if the Bible were ever removed from schools, we would “waste so much time and money in punishing crimes and take so little pains to prevent them.” In his plan for public education, Rush explicitly defended the Bible as a schoolbook, believing it contained “the greatest portion of that kind of knowledge which is calculated to produce private and public happiness.”
Even the Continental Congress affirmed this principle in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, declaring that “religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.” To the Founders, the Bible was not merely a religious text but the very foundation of civic virtue and national stability.
The “Separation” Myth: Erasing the Bible from the Classroom
So why don’t we know these facts today? The answer lies in one of the most successful deceptions in American history: the myth of “separation of church and state.” Nowhere in the Constitution does that phrase appear. The First Amendment simply states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
The Founders intended this to keep the federal government from creating a national denomination like the Church of England, not to expel God from public life. Yet in 1947, in the case of Everson v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court borrowed the phrase “separation of church and state” from a private letter Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists, a letter that was never a law, never voted on, and never intended to define the Constitution.
From that single misleading interpretation, the courts have systematically stripped the Bible from public schools, prayer from graduation ceremonies, and the Ten Commandments from courthouses. As a direct result, how many generations of Americans have grown up now, completely ignorant of the fact that their own Founding Fathers insisted the Bible was essential to their education? They don’t even know that the very schools they attend were originally instituted to teach children how to read Scripture! They don’t know that the Northwest Ordinance, one of the most important documents in early American law, mandated religion and morality as necessary to “good government.”
By erasing the Bible from the classroom, we’ve erased the very foundation of American civic virtue, leaving us with an ignorant population. As we mentioned earlier, John Adams warned, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.” By removing the Bible from education, we have proven his prophecy true, and we are now paying the price in division, lawlessness, and historical amnesia.
Makes you think, doesn’t it? Truly, the prophet Hosea wrote “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge… Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” (Hosea 4:6). May God, have mercy on us and on our children!
Conclusion – Recovering Our Heritage
We have all been sold a lie. By default, for lack of Christian involvement, our schools and media have told us that Christians should stay out of politics, that the Bible has no place in public life, and that the Founders were secular. Every one of God’s people can echo the fact that such lies are used by evil people to distract society from the truth. You can join that heavenly chorus!
As Patrick Henry famously declared, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded…on the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Patrick Henry… isn’t he the one who famously said: “Give me liberty or give me death?”
If the Founding Fathers had believed Christians should stay out of politics, we would not be celebrating 250 years of freedom. We would be just like everyone else, with our government collapsing and reforming every 17 years or so.
We know we have the capacity… but do we have the will and the tenacity to celebrate our nation’s birth by helping our fellow citizens recover the truth about our heritage? If we are to have future anniversaries of our nation’s birth, will it be because of reclaiming the virtue to govern ourselves according to the principles of Christianity? But that begins with the personal heart change and repentance of each of us to surrender to the only One Who can transform cold hearts of stone into joy-filled hearts of Holy Spirit-controlled souls.
As George Washington, John Adams, and their fellow patriots knew very well, if we want God’s promises of peace and prosperity in our communities, we cannot separate true godly religion and biblical morality from the public square. Our participation in the conversations that produce the policies of local, state and national affairs is needed. Isn’t that especially true, after generations of allowing so much of the most perverted and foolish ways to destroy the lives of so many? Isn’t this part of what Jesus implied when He said “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven?” Matthew 5:16
It is up to us to ensure this legacy lasts for the next 250 years.
Remember Samuel Adams, …often called the “father of the Revolution.” He was 54 when he joined the other signers on that hot summer day in Philadelphia. More than most, Sam Adams saw early that British policy threatened colonial peace and liberty. He wrote essays. He rallied public opinion. He helped form the Sons of Liberty and became a central figure behind the protest against arbitrary taxation. To the Crown, Adams was dangerous. Not because he commanded armies… he was gifted by His Creator to shape ideas. And without wise and godly ideas there could never have been the Revolution that delivered the freedoms that we celebrate today.
The Declaration of Independence was not simply a break from Britain. It was the product of years of prayerful thought, experience, and sacrifice. And what they began there would reshape the world.
America became more than a nation. It became an idea, a belief that WE, ordinary free people under God, could govern themselves, and shape their future with a government that existed to protect the self-evident rights given them by God.
References:
Today’s podcast was inspired by this message from David Barton and also this article.
The Truth About Our Founding Fathers | Special Guest David Barton https://www.youtube.com/live/PJkUY7jEepU?si=3hyGkvoM4jkfeXTK
The expanded essay text is at: https://wallbuilders.com/resource/the-founding-fathers-on-jesus-christianity-and-the-bible/#_edn3
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.