Just what does it mean to describe America as a "Christian Nation"?  The fact is that our nation has two traditions regarding the place of religion.  The first tradition we have wisely rejected.  The second we have wisely embraced, and it has served us well.  

The first tradition began with the earliest settlements in North America in the 1600's.  Most of these settlers were earnest Christians.  Unfortunately, along with great courage and fortitude, they brought with them age-old patterns of established churches and the demand that every community must practice  religious uniformity.  So Colonial America became yet another land of religious tyranny, with self-styled "Godly" authorities enforcing their particular views on everyone, often in savage ways. Officers of church and state worked hand in hand, claiming the divine right to stamp out any "unorthodox" views.

What was it like to live in this "Christian Nation" ?  Everyone was forced to pay taxes to support the established church. Anyone who dared to challenge the authorities was whipped or jailed or sent into exile.   Education involved religious indoctrination (the first President of Harvard was fired because he became born-again --- as a Baptist!).  Four Quakers were hanged in Boston as a warning to dissenters.  Nineteen men and women were executed after a full trial convicted them as "witches". These are some of the deadly stories from America as a "Christian Nation".  This pattern persisted for almost 150 years.

The second tradition came into being after the American Revolution when our Founders, who represented many religious views, began to plan for a new start and a new government. The mood of the nation was changing, with citizens demanding an end to religious tyranny.   So, in ratifying the Constitution and Bill of Rights (1787-89), Americans dared to put in place a radical new understanding:  namely, that every person should have full liberty of conscience; that religious congregations should be self-sustaining; and that government should get out of the business of promoting and funding religion.

This is the principle we call separation of church and state, applied first at the Federal level, and gradually adopted by the individual States.  Far from being hostile to religion, this principle has created a nation where religious life is as pervasive and often more vital than anywhere in the world. Just look around!

When we are at our best in America, religion is free, government stays out of religious matters and churches stay out of politics.  In this way our nation has avoided the deadly religious conflicts that continue to devastate so much of the world.  It is this second tradition that has served us well for over 200 years, and this is the "Christian America" we need to support.