The Relationship Between Christianity

and AmericaBy Farley Rezendes

America is not a Christian Nation. Why?• The relationship between Christianity and America is like water vapor.

• Without water vapor, we would not have any clouds, rain, or snow.

• Biblical principles were used in vital documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution so that we could practice religious freedom.

• Founders used the Bible as a guidebook and did not look at it as the Word of God.

• Declaration of Independence says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator…”.• The language that the Founding Fathers used in important documents is

not specific to any God.• Constitution does not mention God, Jesus, Christians, or Christianity.

Left: Declaration of Independence.

Right: Constitution

Interesting quotes from two key Founding Fathers about America, how our nation was not found on Christianity• John Adams: “The government of the United States of America is

not in any sense founded on the Christian religion”.• Thomas Jefferson: “Christianity neither is, nor ever was part of the

common law”.• We need to be very careful in how we define America as a Christian

nation.

Left: John Adams

Right: Thomas Jefferson

The relationship between Christianity and America is like water vapor because:• All the water that evaporates from the surface of the Earth returns as rain or

snow.• The Enlightenment Philosophy, along with Deism and the ideas of Christianity,

were the beginnings of freedom and democracy, helping to form the United States.

• Deism played a large part in the building of the America.

• Founding Fathers were trying to strike a balance between having a moral, independent government and religious freedom for all.

• It took the Founding Fathers over 150 years to develop the idea of democracy and religious freedom as a country.• During the formation of our country, the First Great Awakening took

place.• Led by Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, their messages were

heartfelt and made Christianity personal, leaving a lasting influence on the Christian church, and those who gave their lives to Christ.

Left: Jonathan Edwards

Right: George Whitefield

Christianity in the 1800’s• The relationship between Christianity and America is like water vapor

because it rises and cools forming clouds.• Thoughts and ideas come together with Biblical principles, the separation of

church and state, the formation of free speech, and freedom of religion.

• From a evangelical point of view, religion was a strong characteristic that identified many Americans.• Separation of Church and State was impacted on the state level as

well.

Second Great Awakening: (1830-1840)• This was different than the first Great Awakening in several ways:• Became more charismatic (crying, running, rolling, shouting).• Obligation of sinners to turn and repent.• Focus on the conversion experience was a large part of the salvation

experience.• Inception of the anxious bench- In a revival meeting, if you were concerned

for your soul, you would sit on this bench if you were going to make a decision to follow Christ.

• The person who debuted the anxious bench was Charles Finney.

Charles Finney• A Presbyterian lawyer, Finney experienced “a mighty baptism of the

Holy Ghost” which “like a wave of electricity going through me… Seemed to come in waves of liquid love”.• Finney’s most well-known sermon was called “Sinners Bound to

Change Their Own Hearts”.• Referred to as the “Father of Modern Revivalism”, and paved the way

for Dwight Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham.

Left: Charles Finney

The Civil War: April 1861 to April 1865•What happened with Christianity in America during the Civil

War?• In the Union Army, between 100,000 and 200,000 soldiers accepted Jesus Christ

as Savior.• The Confederate Army had roughly 150,000 soldiers that came to know the

Lord.• During this time, millions of tracts were handed out to soldiers. One of those

men was Dwight Moody.

Left: Church being celebrated with troops during Civil War.

Dwight Moody• Raised in Northfield, Massachusetts, Moody left home at age seventeen for Boston

looking for a job.• Found work at his uncle’s shoe store. Job was contingent on Moody attending

church.• Moody accepts Christ, moves to Chicago.• Starts a Sunday school class at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).• Famous Chicago fire destroys Moody’s church. Travels to Great Britain and stays for

two years preaching God’s Word.• Comes back to America, starts a school called The Chicago School of Evangelism,

now known as Moody Bible Institute. Left: Dwight Moody

Right: The plaque outside the shoe store in Boston where Moody accepted Christ.

Christianity in the 1900’s• The relationship between Christianity and America is like water vapor

because it is the most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. • God’s blessings and grace are plentiful because we have chosen to pattern our

nation after His word, even though as a country we did not recognize him as Lord and personal Savior of our lives.

• At the end of the 1800’s and into the 1900’s, Christianity was being attacked. Some of the ways in which this happened were:• Critical authenticity of the Bible.• Evolution• Christianity was questioned: Is this the only method of reaching God?

• As a result of these attacks, denominations began drawing up by-laws which they believed could not be attacked.• From 1910 through 1915, Lyman and Milton Stewart compiled

articles from Christian leaders who were concerned about the direction of Christianity.• It was called “The Fundamentals”.• This gave birth to the Fundamentalist Christian movement, believing

in the basic tenets of the Bible.

Right: Lyman Stewart (Right) and his brother Milton (Left).

Billy Sunday• An evangelist during the early part of the 1900’s, Sunday, a former

baseball player had a unique preaching style, using his whole body and coarse language.• He is most famous for preaching his “Booze Sermon” in Boston,

Massachusetts.• Sunday addressed social problems of the day such as:• Supporting Women’s Suffrage.• Termination of child labor.• Inclusion of African-Americans in his revivals.

Right: Billy Sunday

What has America Gone Through as a Nation in the 1900’s:• From a Christian Point of View:• Scopes Monkey Trial (1925).• Heightened the discussion about teaching evolution in school.• Trial gave Christian Fundamentalists a bad name.

• From a secular, American Point of View:• World War I• World War II

Billy Graham• In 1949, a preacher from North Carolina named Billy Graham gained

fame for starting his crusade in Los Angeles, California.

• From this point on to all the way to the end of the century, Graham through his crusades led hundreds of thousands of people to Christ in America and around the world.

Left: Billy Graham during the 1949 crusade in Los Angeles, California

1950’s and 1960’s: A Time of Prosperity Bound by Moral Turmoil• During the 1950’s, the United States experienced the most prosperity and growth

ever.• America felt good about itself and conservative values ruled the decade.

• In the 1960’s, hippies start to make an impact in American culture, becoming part of the counterculture.• Prayer is banned in school and Martin Luther King, Jr. becomes and activist for

the Civil Right Movement.

Left: Family watching TV in the 1950’sRight: Hippies in the 1960’s

1970’s and 1980’s: A Depressing Decade to One of Economic Prosperity• The 1970’s were a tough time in America.• Abortion became legal.• The Vietnam War ended.• The economy was terrible.• Long gas lines.

• In 1979, a Political Action Group called The Moral Majority was organized and founded by Jerry Falwell.• Moral Majority was responsible for electing Ronald Reagan as President of the

United States in 1980.• The economy prospered in the 1980’s under Reagan’s two terms in office, and the

decade was uncommonly conservative.

Christianity in the 1990’s and in the 21st Century• The relationship between Christianity and America is like water vapor

because it is one of the major contributors to the greenhouse effect.• Secularism, balanced with Biblical principles, are the cornerstone of the

freedoms that we enjoy in this country, whether we realize it or not.

• The 1990’S begin a slow decline from Christianity in the 1980’s.• 86% of American adults identified themselves as Christians in 1998.

This went down to 76% in 2008.• Americans show signs of becoming less religious, with one out of five

not associating with a particular religion in 2008.

• As we move forward in this post-Christian world, it is important to be balanced in our Christian walk.• Need to be both offensive and defensive in how we represent Christ.

Offensive:• Colossians 3:5-6: “Conduct yourselves with all wisdom toward others,

making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how to respond to each person”.

Defensive:• 1 Peter 3:15: “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being

ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you…”.

Is America a Christian Nation? No we are not.• This presentation has demonstrated that although the Founding

Fathers were Deists, and used the principles of the Bible to form our country, they did an excellent job of striking the balance of using Biblical principles and the secularization of this country.

• Christianity in America is like water vapor because water vapor is the most powerful greenhouse gas.• The non-religious principles mixed with the tenets of the Bible have made us

the strongest and most influential country in the world.• It is unfortunate that some of the Founding Fathers along with the American

citizens of the present are self-reliant and do not know Jesus Christ.

Works Cited• Analogy Facts: (Slides: 2, 5, 7, 12, 19, and 21) http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_is_water_vapor.htm

• Slides 3 and 4 facts and quotes: http://www.forwardprogressives.com/enough-nation-founded-christianity/

• Slide 6 (Point one), Slide 8 (Title, points two and three): Harbin, Justin. “Christianity and America”. HUM 422: Christian Perspectives, Lancaster Bible College, Lancaster, PA. 17 September 2015. Lecture.

• Slide 7 (Second and third point): http://study.com/academy/lesson/american-political-religious-personal-identity-in-the-early-19th-century.html

• Slide 8 (Points one and four): http://www.christiantimelines.com/1800samericanchurchhistory.htm

• Slide 9 (Points one and two): http://www.modernreformation.org/default.php?page=articledisplay&var2=625 (Point three) http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/evangelistsandapologists/finney.html

• Slide 10 (Civil War date): http://www.historynet.com/civil-war-timeline (Points one and two): www.christianhistoryinstitute.org/uploaded/50cf7f051dfc12.17170195.pdf (Point three): http://www.ctlibrary.com/ch/1992/issue33/3302.html

• Slide 11 (Dwight Moody): http://www.moody.edu/DL-moody/

• Slide 12 (Points three through six): http://www.christiantimelines.com/1800samericanchurchhistory.htm

• Slide 13 (Points one through three): http://www.christiantimelines.com/Fundamentalism.htm

• Slide 14 (Points one, three through six): http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/evangelistsandapologists/sunday.html (Point two): Harbin, Justin. Christianity and America Course Reader. Lancaster, PA: Lancaster Bible College. 2015. Print.

• Slide 15: (Points two through four): http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/evolut.htm

Works Cited• Slide 16: http://billygraham.org/about/biographies/billy-graham/#biography

• Slide 17: Harbin, Justin. “Christianity and America”. HUM 422: Christian Perspectives, Lancaster Bible College, Lancaster, PA. 27 October 2015. Lecture.

• Slide 18 (Points six through eight): http://www.britannica.com/topic/Moral-Majority

• Slide 19 (Points three through five): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/documents/aris030609.pdf

• Slide 20 (Bible verses): The Bible, New American Standard Version. Chicago: Moody, 1978. Print.