JD Vance says America is a ‘Christian nation.’ Is it?
America was shaped by Judeo-Christian principles, but it was never intended to be a theocracy. America’s unity is powerful precisely because we do not have a state religion.
During Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025, held on Dec. 21, I heard Vice President JD Vance say that America was founded as, and always will be, a Christian nation. I strongly disagree.
Not because we have failed to live up to that standard (we have), but because no nation-state can rightly claim that title. Scripture never supports such claims. Nations may be influenced by God, restrained by God, or even blessed by God, but they are not the Kingdom of God.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, 13 British colonies did something unprecedented in human history.
Their most remarkable act was not just rebellion itself — rebellions had happened before — but the nature of their rebellion. They did not cast off one king to enthrone another. They rejected the very premise that sovereignty ultimately belonged to any earthly monarch.
Instead, they declared that all people are created equal and endowed with certain “unalienable rights” not by a crown, but by God, our creator. These were not merely political claims; they were moral assertions rooted in a Judeo-Christian worldview that affirmed human dignity as a gift, not a privilege.
America is not the Kingdom of God, and it was never meant to be.
This declaration was, of course, an act of war not just against England, but the feudal worldview. Over the next eight years, these colonies fought the most powerful military force on Earth for the right to govern themselves — and they won.
What followed was one of the most remarkable political achievements in history: a constitutional framework designed not to grant rights, but to protect rights already given by Almighty God.
Governing powers were divided, totalitarian authority was restrained, and freedom was placed in the hands of the people. John Adams captured this intent with striking clarity when he wrote: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
The founders understood that liberty could not survive without moral virtue — and that virtue could not be legislated.
These principles still work today — but only when we the people take an active role in self-government. Our freedom is not self-sustaining. It requires discipline, restraint, and moral courage from each generation. When citizens abdicate responsibility, power inevitably consolidates. Self-rule depends upon self-control.
The founders also stumbled grievously over the question of slavery. Many knew it was morally wrong, yet they compromised, deferred, and left its resolution to future generations. That failure should never be minimized. But neither should it be used to dismiss the ideals of freedom themselves. The principles were sound. The people were flawed.
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History reminds us that liberty must be defended, expanded, and, at times, redeemed by those willing to pay the price.
Many of the original signers were Christians, and they understood a core principle of God’s Kingdom: It is transcendent. When Jesus was questioned by political authority, he stated plainly, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Jesus did not come to establish a nation-state or seize political power. He formed a people whose true citizenship transcends borders, flags, and governments.
This truth must direct how, as Christians, we live as Americans. As citizens of a nation-state, we have real obligations. Citizenship is not passive. It requires obedience to just laws, respect for civil authority, and a commitment to the common good.
It also demands vigilance. We must be willing to challenge laws and policies that violate the God-given freedoms of others — especially religious liberty. Obedience without conscience is not virtue; it is mere compliance.
America was shaped by Judeo-Christian principles, but it was never intended to be a theocracy. America’s unity is powerful precisely because we do not have a state religion. Faith compelled by law is no faith at all. Genuine belief cannot be coerced; it must be chosen. The Gospel advances by witness, persuasion, and sacrificial love, not by legislation or force.
I say this as a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ: The church does not need the power of the state to fulfill its mission. History shows that when the church weds itself too closely to political power, it loses its prophetic voice and relinquishes its spiritual authority.
America is not the Kingdom of God, and it was never meant to be.
But neither is it a historical accident nor a moral improvisation. It is something far more fragile: A people united in the conviction that liberty flows from God, not the state, that government exists to safeguard rights it did not create, and that faith must remain free.
If we confuse America with the Kingdom of God, we will ultimately diminish both — robbing the nation of its moral responsibility and the Gospel of its eternal power.
The Rev. Dr. Michel J. Faulkner, a former NFL player, community leader, pastor, and registered Republican, is chair of the board of directors of the Philadelphia Council of Clergy.