25-0611, The Truth Project, Tour 10

Dr. Del Tackett opens Lesson 10 with a bold assertion: the claim that the United States was not founded as a Christian nation but as a secular one is a lie. In just a few succinct sentences, he sets the stage for a historical and biblical journey, promising to provide irrefutable evidence from the founding fathers’ own words. This introduction grabs the audience’s attention by directly confronting a widely taught narrative, urging listeners to reconsider what they’ve been told about America’s origins. The lesson aims to let the founders’ voices speak for themselves, distinguishing between a Christian worldview and the secular or pagan alternatives often attributed to them.

This extensive section forms the heart of the lesson, delving into the biblical and historical foundations of the American experiment. Dr. Tackett situates the discussion within the "southwest sector" of the Truth Project’s conceptual compass, which focuses on the design of the state. Drawing from Romans 13:4, he explains that the state is a divinely appointed institution tasked with administering justice, punishing evil, and encouraging goodness among its citizens. This biblical framework sets the stage for examining how America’s founders approached governance.

To ensure a balanced perspective, Dr. Tackett establishes three ground rules for the study: first, America itself will not be deified, recognizing it as a human institution with flaws; second, the founding fathers will not be idolized, acknowledging their imperfections; and third, a rule to be revealed later, which adds an element of anticipation. He emphasizes the uniqueness of the American experiment, noting that it represents a rare moment in history where individuals with a strong Christian worldview had the opportunity to design a government from scratch. This was not a haphazard endeavor but a deliberate attempt to align the system with biblical principles, as explored in the previous lesson on the state’s design.

Historical evidence abounds to support this claim. The New England Primer, a colonial-era textbook second only to the Bible in popularity, serves as a window into the attitudes of early Americans. Its content, steeped in scripture, reveals a society profoundly shaped by Christian teachings. Dr. Tackett further bolsters his argument with statements from prominent figures such as Benjamin Rush, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Charles Carroll, Noah Webster, and the founders of Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia Universities. While not all were practicing Christians, these leaders shared a conviction, articulated by President John Adams, that a republican government’s success hinges on the virtue and morality of its people—qualities they believed were inseparable from Christianity. They held that the state must be accountable to a higher ethical standard, termed “natural law” or the “law of nature’s God,” to prevent the human rights abuses prevalent in Europe and throughout history.

However, Dr. Tackett warns that America has been drifting from these founding principles, a shift he attributes partly to the influence of Darwinian evolutionary theory in law and education. In 1869, Harvard Law School Dean Christopher Langdell proposed that law is not rooted in a transcendent standard but is a fluid, evolving set of human ideas, akin to biological species. This view was expanded by Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, who argued that law merely reflects a society’s goals at a given time, effectively granting the state the power to define ethical norms. In education, John Dewey, dubbed the architect of modern education, rejected the existence of God and the soul, dismissing the need for traditional religious foundations. These intellectual shifts, Dr. Tackett argues, have led America to forget its biblically based roots, resulting in an alarming expansion of state power. This section paints a vivid picture of a nation at a crossroads, torn between its Christian heritage and modern secular influences.

In this section, Dr. Tackett frames America’s drift from its founding principles as part of a broader “cosmic battle” between biblical truth and opposing worldviews, a conflict most intensely fought in the social realm. He warns that the American experiment is at risk of complete failure if intentional steps are not taken to preserve its biblical foundations. This responsibility, he emphasizes, falls primarily on Christians, who are called to action through prayer and repentance, as outlined in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Here, Dr. Tackett reveals the third ground rule: Christians should not waste energy blaming non-Christians for the nation’s moral and spiritual decline. Instead, they must focus on their own role in salvaging the American experiment. This call to self-reflection and action underscores the urgency of Christian engagement, positioning believers as stewards of the nation’s founding ideals. The brevity of this section belies its weight, as it challenges the audience to take personal responsibility for America’s future.

The final section reinforces the central thesis that the American experiment was conceived by Christians operating from a biblical worldview and must be sustained by believers who care deeply about their country. Dr. Tackett highlights a fascinating detail: the structure of the U.S. government, with its three branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—is directly inspired by a passage in Isaiah 33:22, a connection he notes as surprising and significant. This biblical influence underscores the founders’ deliberate effort to align the nation’s governance with scriptural principles.

Dr. Tackett challenges the audience to reflect on their education, asking whether they were taught about the Christian influences on America’s founding. He asserts that claims denying the founders’ Christian intentions—such as suggestions that they were pagans or that their references to “religion” were vague—are blatantly false. By examining the founders’ own words, which explicitly mention Christianity, he refutes these accusations and encourages listeners to seek out primary sources for themselves. For example, the founders’ emphasis on virtue, morality, and accountability to a higher law directly contradicts the narrative of a secular or pagan founding.

The lesson concludes with a powerful call to action, urging Christians to recognize the truth of America’s Christian roots and actively work to preserve them. Dr. Tackett emphasizes that the American experiment’s success depends on believers’ passionate commitment to their country’s founding ideals. This section not only reinforces the historical argument but also inspires a sense of duty, framing Christians as essential guardians of the nation’s legacy.