The Practical Benefits of Christianity

Was America ever a so-called “Christian” nation? Were any of our Framers Christians? While this question has been asked frequently in recent years, previous generations knew the answer to these questions. Why did our Framers and early statesmen choose Christianity? Perhaps the best answer was provided by Dewitt Clinton, the Framer who introduced the Twelfth Amendment. He explained: “Christianity may be contemplated in two important aspects: first, in reference to its influence on this world, and secondly, in its reference to our destiny in the world to come.” Today, the debate over Christianity in public life has been limited primarily to discussions about “our destiny in the world to come”; it is time that we rediscover the impact of Christianity’s “influence on this world.” Learn what our Framers believed to be the practical benefits of Christianity upon civil society and why these benefits are still needed today.