Thursday, July 07, 2005

The Faith of Our Fathers

I've always thought that both the "religious right" and the "secular left" give exagerrated, misleading answers to the question concerning the faith of our Founding Fathers. Greg Koukl's recent article expresses a more nuanced view. He asks:

Was the faith of the Founding Fathers deism or Christianity? What does the answer mean for us today? Both the secularists and the Christians have missed the mark.
There's been a lot of rustle in the press lately--and in many Christian publications--about the faith of the Founding Fathers and the status of the United States as a "Christian nation." Home schooling texts abound with references to our religious heritage, and entire organizations are dedicated to returning America to its spiritual roots. On the other side, secularists cry "foul" and parade their own list of notables among our country's patriarchs. They rally around the cry of "separation of church and state." Which side is right? Oddly both, after a fashion.

The article contains some helpful clarifications. Read the whole thing.