Our Inheritance Part 1

America is approaching its 250th birthday, and the debate over the role of faith in the founding of this nation has never been louder. Was America founded as a secular nation? Did the founders intend to keep God out of public life? The historical record tells a very different story than the one many of us were taught. The phrase 'separation of church and state' does not appear in the Constitution. It comes from a private letter Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1802, and just two days later, he attended church services held inside the U.S. Capitol. The founders, far from being secular thinkers, were deeply shaped by Christian faith and believed they were building something in covenant with God. This message walks through the actual primary sources of American history, including the Mayflower Compact of 1620, John Winthrop's famous City on a Hill sermon, the extraordinary influence of founding pastor John Witherspoon on James Madison and the Constitution, and the role of the First Great Awakening in making the American Revolution possible.