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Quote by Alan E. Johnson

“During the nineteenth, twentieth, and early twenty-first centuries, certain politically active religious movements sought to have the United States declared—officially, if possible, but at least unofficially—a "Christian nation." This was an attempt to reverse the church-state separation principles and achievements of such great Founders as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Roger Williams, who was more religiously devout than just about anyone living in later centuries, opposed all attempts to call a particular nation "Christian," just as he opposed the terms "Christendom" and "Christian world." His arguments included a profound analysis of the importance of separation of church and state as well as a deep religious understanding of what Christianity is.”

Quote by Alan E. Johnson

Book:The First American Founder: Roger Williams and Freedom of Conscience
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The First American Founder: Roger Williams and Freedom of Conscience

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Alan E. Johnson

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“at the time of the adoption of the Constitution, and of the [First] Amendment...the general, if not the universal, sentiment in America was, that Christianity ought to receive encouragement from the State so far as was not incompatible with the private rights of conscience and the freedom of religious worship. Any attempt to level all religions, and to make it a matter of state policy to hold all in utter indifference, would have created universal disapprobation, if not universal indignation.”

ChristianityHistoryFoundersChristian NationConstitutional Law
Book:Commentaries on the constitution of the United States
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“Any every denomination of Christians, demeaning themselves peaceably, and as good subjects of the commonwealth, shall be equally under the protection of the law: and no subordination of any one sect or denomination to another shall ever be established by law. Massachusetts Constitution.”

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“The situation for the children of Israel is parallel to the situation the church finds itself in today. That situation is called exile. Exile presupposes that we are in Babylon, not Jerusalem. So one of the major mistakes the church has made is expecting Babylon to act like Jerusalem, to be like Jerusalem, to recognize Jerusalem as an ideal. We see this in the way Christians keep trying to convince non-Christians that America is really a Christian nation and needs to start acting like it again. The church's missional posture has reflected this expectation. But the reality is that we should not expect Babylon to start acting like Jerusalem. The church should instead live like Jerusalem within Babylon (Matt. 5:14; John 17:14-19).”

AmericaEvangelismChristian Nation
Book:The Story of Everything: How You, Your Pets, and the Swiss Alps Fit into God's Plan for the World
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