Christian Character of the American Revolution: John Witherspoon

It is an undeniable fact that to view America as a “Christian Country" or refer to a “Christian founding" will stir all manner of denouncements and frequently result in great scorn heaped upon the author. These critics often cite the First Amendment protections from the Congressional establishment of a State religion, or Thomas Jefferson's reference to a “separation of Church and State.” It is, however, equally undeniable that there was a Christian “character" to the American Revolution, and this, largely Protestant on the part of the Colonists. Yes, there were Catholic colonists and enclaves, and the French who assisted the rebellion undoubtedly had a large contingent of Catholics as well, but the Colonies themselves were largely Protestant and frequently voiced a distrust of those they considered “papists.”

One of the preeminent ministers in America and President of the College of New-Jersey (modern day Princeton) at the outbreak of hostilities between the Crown and the Colonies was John Witherspoon. On 17 May, 1776, he delivered a sermon titled “The dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men.” Witherspoon not only described the moral imperative to resist tyranny within this sermon, but dedicated the published work to John Hancock, then President of the Congress of the United States of America. Within it he eloquently referred to the doctrine of Divine Providence and Jehovah's dominion over creation to include the passions of men. He refers to one of the Psalms, likely referring to a successful defense of Jerusalem in “the days of Hezekiah" and posits that while it may be unsuitable for that time, as it referenced a victory won while they were at the opening of the struggle, he sets victory and the establishment of God's moral government at the conclusion of the struggle as the goal.

Witherspoon breaks his sermon down into two principal areas which he identified as “I. To point out to you some particulars, how the wrath of man praises God,” and “II. To apply these principles to our present situation, by inferences of truth for your instruction and comfort, and by suitable exhortations to duty in the important crisis.” Within this framework Witherspoon seeks to show how the struggle against the Crown was not only justified by the States as a body, but that the action of individual men in the struggle as well as martial sacrifice was part of God's plan. 

The full sermon as well as Frank Moore's “The Patriot Preachers of the American Revolution: With Biographical Sketches,” covering the lives and service of other period Christian figures in the American founding as numerous other period works ranging from 1500 to the early Twentieth Century are available through Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926 and if you are interested in exploring the Christian Character of the American Revolution from those who lived it, I encourage you to read these works, or any other which might pique your interest from within its catalog of titles.

Bibliography


Moore, Frank. The patriot preachers of the American Revolution : with biographical sketches. New York: C.T. Evans, 1862. Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926 (accessed April 11, 2021). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CY0108188522/SABN?u=vic_liberty&sid=SABN&xid=f2dd2a19&pg=3.


Witherspoon, John. The dominion of Providence over the passions of men : a sermon preached at Princeton, on the 17th of May, 1776 : being the general fast appointed by the Congress through the United Colonies : to which is added, An addresss to the natives of Scotland residing in America. Philadelphia: Printed and sold by R. Aitken, 1776. Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926 (accessed April 11, 2021). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CY0105437294/SABN?u=vic_liberty&sid=SABN&xid=77899af7&pg=12.


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