美国宪法没有提到基督教或任何特定的宗教。著名的《独立宣言》宣称人民的权利来自“造物主”和“自然之神”——但没有具体说明是谁。
然而，许多美国人认为建国者希望美国成为一个基督教国家，许多人认为美国应该成为一个基督教国家。
这种观点在共和党人及其白人福音派基础中尤其强烈。支持者已经在表达这样的观点唐纳德·特朗普在他试图夺回总统职位的过程中。
基督教美国的理念对不同的人有不同的含义。民意测验专家发现，很多美国人对上帝和国家持有普遍的情感。
但其中还有一个规模较小的铁杆群体也在调查中勾选了其他选项——比如美国宪法是受上帝启示的，以及联邦政府应该宣布美国为基督教国家、倡导基督教价值观或停止实施政教分离。
皮尤研究中心(Pew Research Center)2021年的一项调查显示，对于那些信奉这一系列信仰的人来说，他们更有可能对移民持有不利看法，忽视或淡化反黑人歧视的影响，并相信特朗普是一位优秀或伟大的总统。
后者反映了一种被广泛称为基督教民族主义的运动，这种运动融合了美国和基督教的价值观、象征和身份，并试图在公共生活中赋予基督教特权。
德克萨斯大学(University of Texas)政治学副教授埃里克·麦克丹尼尔(Eric McDaniel)说，基督教国家的概念满足了美国人对起源故事的需求，即“我们来这里是为了一些特殊的事情，我们来这里是为了上帝的工作”。
他说，这创造了一种“民族纯真”的感觉，因此信徒们抵制面对美国历史上更丑陋的部分。
《每日十字军东征:美国政治中的基督教民族主义》(The daily Crusade:Christian Nationalism in American Politics)一书的合著者麦克丹尼尔表示，这种信仰与过去和现在的其他信仰息息相关，从证明征服大陆有理的天命论到特朗普的美国优先和让美国再次伟大的口号。
特朗普回应了其中一些想法，誓言要禁止“不喜欢我们宗教”的移民。
许多保守派和共和党人接受基督教国家起源的想法，尽管许多人拒绝“基督教民族主义者”的标签。
共和党人众议院议长·迈克·约翰逊宣称，美国是一个基督教国家，托马斯·杰斐逊在2015年的一次布道中称，托马斯·杰斐逊在撰写《独立宣言》时受到了“神的启示”。最近的一次布道引起了更广泛的关注选举作为议长。
约翰逊认为“城墙建设者”组织对他产生了“深远影响”，该组织传播的材料声称，“修正主义”历史学家淡化了美国的基督教起源，但该组织因历史上可疑的说法而受到广泛批评。
以其名义提起的诉讼对华盛顿大都会地区交通管理局拒绝在其公交车上播放宣扬创始人信仰的广告提出了质疑。
特朗普的直言不讳的支持者将当前的政治描述为一场关乎国家命运的精神战争。特朗普的前助手史蒂夫·班农称这个国家为“新耶路撒冷”，保守派活动人士查理·柯克称这个国家是由“勇敢的圣经信仰基督徒”建立的
最近，德克萨斯州、俄克拉荷马州和肯塔基州的共和党政纲宣称，美国是建立在“犹太-基督教”原则基础上的。
达拉斯第一浸信会教堂的牧师罗伯特·杰弗里斯说，他并不认为自己是一个基督教民族主义者，但他相信美国是作为一个基督教国家建立的。
“我并不是说我们所有的创始人都是基督徒，”他在接受采访时说。“有些是自然神论者，有些是无神论者，但大多数是基督徒。我也不是说，在我们的国家，非基督徒不应该拥有与基督徒相同的权利。”
但他说“有理由证明犹太-基督教信仰是我们法律和许多原则的基础。”他引用最高法院首任首席大法官、创始人约翰·杰伊的话称，“在我们的基督教国家，选择和选择基督徒作为统治者是美国人的责任。”
杰弗里斯说，他不认为美国有上帝的特权，但与任何国家一样，“上帝将继续保佑美国，只要我们追随他。”
宾夕法尼亚大学宗教研究主席安西娅·巴特勒说，历史排除了任何基督教国家的想法。
“这并不意味着基督徒不是这个国家建立的一部分，”非裔美国人和美国宗教历史学家巴特勒说。“这确实意味着，如果你相信美国是一个基督教国家，而你碰巧认同基督教民族主义是其中的一部分，那么你就是在相信一个神话。”
她说，美国是一个基督教国家的想法是“一种排斥的比喻”，她将美国历史的中心放在盎格鲁-撒克逊白人新教徒身上，认为“他们愿意并应该在当时和现在管理这个国家。”
这证明将其他人视为“异教徒”是合理的，包括被奴役的黑人和土地被夺走的印第安人。
2011年出版的《美国是作为一个基督教国家建立的吗?》一书的作者约翰·费亚说，那些支持基督教美国的人通常不是历史学家，也不是真正在谈论历史——他们在谈论政治
“他们诉诸于对建国的错误看法，或者至少是对建国的片面看法，来推进当前的政治议程，”宾夕法尼亚州梅克纳辛斯堡基督教大学的历史学教授费亚说。“这些议程建立在非常薄弱的历史基础上。“
对美国基督教起源的信仰是主流。
根据皮尤研究中心2022年的一项调查，十分之六的美国成年人表示，创始人希望美国成为一个基督教国家。约45%的人认为美国应该是一个基督教国家。五分之四的白人福音派新教徒同意每一种说法。
按照某些标准，民主党总统乔·拜登可能被视为这一类人，他提到了他的天主教信仰的重要性，并呼吁上帝保佑美国及其军队——但也援引了共同的价值观，“无论你是基督徒，无论你是犹太人、印度教、穆斯林、佛教或其他任何信仰，或者根本没有信仰。”
根据公共宗教研究所(PRRI)/布鲁金斯的一份报告，2023年接受调查的三分之一美国成年人表示，上帝希望美国成为欧洲基督徒的应许之地，为世界树立榜样。
此类调查发现，信奉基督教的人数较少，但人数更多。在另一项调查中，PRRI认为约10%的美国人是最坚定的拥护者。
宪法禁止任何宗教测试，其第一修正案禁止国会建立任何宗教，同时保证宗教信仰自由。
基督教国家的捍卫者可以指出，最初的13个州中有几个在其起源时资助了新教教堂，尽管在几十年内所有这些州都效仿弗吉尼亚停止了这种做法。他们可以指出一些创始人的基督教言论，如约翰·杰伊、帕特里克·亨利和塞缪尔·亚当斯。
但几位关键创始人永远无法通过正统性测试。托马斯·杰斐逊、约翰·亚当斯和本杰明·富兰克林将耶稣视为伟大的老师，而不是上帝。
“你能找到约翰·亚当斯谈论宗教是共和国基础的材料吗，就像乔治·华盛顿在告别演说中说的那样?”Fea问道。“有没有基督教享有特权的州?是的，你可以找到所有这些东西。你还可以找到一些东西来表明宪法希望将宗教和政府分开。”
今天，一些世俗活动人士倡导相反的观点——美国建国者试图将宗教从公共生活中驱逐出去。Fea说这也太过分了:“当你处理18世纪的问题时，细微差别和复杂性是必不可少的，”他说。
Christian-nation idea fuels US conservative causes, but historians say it misreads founders' intent
The U.S. Constitution doesn’t mention Christianity or any specific religion. The Declaration of Independence famously proclaims that people’s rights come from a “Creator” and “Nature’s God” — but doesn’t specify who that is.
Yet large numbers of Americans believe the founders intended the U.S. to be a Christian nation, and many believe it should be one.
Such views are especially strong among Republicans and their white evangelical base. Already such views are being voiced by supporters ofDonald Trumpamid his bid to recapture the presidency.
The idea of a Christian America means different things to different people. Pollsters have found a wide circle of Americans who hold general God-and-country sentiments.
But within that is a smaller, hardcore group who also check other boxes in surveys — such as that the U.S. Constitution was inspired by God and that the federal government should declare the U.S. a Christian nation, advocate Christian values or stop enforcing the separation of church and state.
For those embracing that package of beliefs, it’s more likely they’ll have unfavorable views toward immigrants, dismiss or downplay the impact of anti-Black discrimination and believe Trump was a good or great president, according to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey.
This latter group reflects a movement widely called Christian nationalism, which fuses American and Christian values, symbols and identity and seeks to privilege Christianity in public life.
The idea of Christian nationhood fills Americans’ need for an origin story, a belief that “we’ve come here for something special, and that we’re here for God’s work,” said Eric McDaniel, an associate professor of government at the University of Texas.
It creates a sense of “national innocence,” so adherents resist confronting uglier parts of U.S. history, he said.
The belief connects to other beliefs past and present, from the Manifest Destiny doctrine that justified continental conquest to Trump’s America First and Make America Great Again slogans, said McDaniel, a co-author of “The Everyday Crusade: Christian Nationalism in American Politics.”
Trump has echoed some of these ideas, vowing to bar immigrants who “don’t like our religion.”
Many conservatives and Republicans embrace the idea of Christian national origins, even as many reject the “Christian nationalist” label.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has proclaimed that America is and was founded as a Christian nation and that Thomas Jefferson was “divinely inspired” in his writing of the Declaration of Independence, according to a 2015 sermon that drew wider attention with his recentelectionas speaker.
WallBuilders, an organization Johnson credits for its “profound influence” on him, has spread materials claiming that “revisionist” historians have downplayed America’s Christian origins, but the group has been widely criticized for historically dubious claims.
A lawsuit on its behalf is challenging the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s refusal to run its bus ads touting the purported beliefs of founders.
Vocal supporters of Trump have described current politics as spiritual warfare for the destiny of a country that former Trump aide Steve Bannon described as the “New Jerusalem” and conservative activist Charlie Kirk said was founded by “courageous Bible believing Christians.”
Recent Texas, Oklahoma and Kentucky Republican Party platforms proclaim the country was founded on “Judeo-Christian” principles.
The Rev. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, said he doesn’t identify as a Christian nationalist, but does believe America was founded as a Christian nation.
“I’m not claiming that all of our founders were Christians,” he said in an interview. “Some were deists, some were atheists, but the majority were Christians. I’m also not saying that non-Christians shouldn’t have the same rights as Christians in our country.”
But he said “there’s a case to be made that the Judeo-Christian faith was the foundation for our laws and many of our principles.” He cited founder John Jay — the first Supreme Court chief justice — asserting it was Americans’ duty “in our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”
Jeffress said he doesn’t believe America is privileged by God but, as with any nation, “God will continue to bless America to the extent that we follow him.”
Anthea Butler, chair of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania, said history precludes any idea of a Christian nation.
“It doesn’t mean that Christians weren’t a part of the founding of this nation,” said Butler, a historian of African American and American religion. “What it does mean is that if you believe that America is a Christian nation and you happen to subscribe to Christian nationalism as a part of that, you’re buying into a myth.”
That America-as-a-Christian-nation idea is “a trope of exclusion,” she said, centering American history on white Anglo-Saxon Protestants as “the ones that are willing and should be running the country both then and now.”
That justifies viewing others as “heathens,” including the enslaved Blacks and the Native Americans whose land was being taken.
Those arguing for a Christian America are generally not historians and not really talking about history — they’re talking politics, said John Fea, author of the 2011 book “Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?”
“They appeal to a false view of the founding, or at least a partial view of the founding, to advance political agendas of the present,” said Fea, a history professor at Messiah University, a Christian university in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. “These agendas are built on a very weak historical foundation.”
The belief in America’s Christian origins is mainstream.
Six in 10 U.S. adults said the founders intended America to be a Christian nation, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey. About 45% said the U.S. should be a Christian nation. Four in five white evangelical Protestants agreed with each assertion.
By some measures, Democratic President Joe Biden might be seen in that category, citing the importance of his Catholic faith and calling for God’s blessings on America and its troops — but also invoking shared values “whether you’re Christian, whether you’re Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, or any other faith, or no faith at all. ”
One-third of U.S. adults surveyed in 2023 said God intended America to be a promised land for European Christians to set an example to the world, according to a Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI)/Brookings report.
Such surveys have found a smaller, more ardent group of believers in Christian nationhood. In another survey, PRRI identified about 10% of Americans as the most committed adherents.
The Constitution prohibits any religious test for office, and its First Amendment bars congressional establishment of any religion, along with guaranteeing free exercise of religion.
Defenders of Christian nationhood can point out that several of the 13 original states funded Protestant churches at their origins, though within a few decades all had followed Virginia’s example in halting the practice. They can point to Christian rhetoric by some founders, such as John Jay, Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams.
But several key founders would never pass a test of orthodoxy. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin viewed Jesus as a great teacher but not as God.
“Could you find stuff where John Adams talks about religion being the foundation of the republic, like George Washington said in his farewell address?” asked Fea. “Are there states where Christianity was privileged? Yes, you can find all those things. You can also find things to show the Constitution wants to keep religion and government separate.”
Some secular activists today advocate for an opposite view — that U.S. founders sought to banish religion from public life. Fea said that also goes too far: “When you’re dealing with the 18th century, nuance and complexity is essential,” he said.
