America: A Christian Nation or a Secular Nation?

On February 20-22, 2013, the Program for Jewish Civilization held an international conference on secularism in the United States, France, and Israel. In the opening event of the “Secularism on the Edge” conference, Professor John Fea of Messiah College discusses his historical research on the development of church-state relations in the United States. By examining documents such as the Declaration of Independence, Treaty of Tripoli, and Constitution of the Confederate States of America, Dr. Fea and Jacques Berlinerblau of Georgetown University address the enduring question of whether this is a Christian nation.

John Fea is Professor of History and Chair of the American Studies Program at Messiah. He is also the author of several acclaimed books, including Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction and, most recently, The Way of Improvement Leads Home: Philip Vickers Fithian and the Rural Enlightenment in Early America.