Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? | John Fea

In this episode of The UpWords Podcast, host Dan Hummel sits down with historian John Fea, distinguished professor at Messiah College and visiting fellow at the Lumen Center, to explore one of the most debated questions in American history: Was America founded as a Christian nation? John shares insights from his Upper House lecture, unpacking the complexity behind this question and why it matters today. They discuss definitions of “Christian” and “nation,” the role of religion in the founding era, and the cultural and political stakes of this debate.

📌 What You’ll Learn:

· Why this question is more complicated than it seems.

· How religion influenced the founding era—and where it didn’t.

· Why the debate is rooted in modern culture wars.

· The historian’s challenge: communicating nuance in polarized times.

🔗 Resources & Links:

· John Fea’s book: Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? - https://a.co/d/5ZHqfgt

· John Fea’s podcast: The Way of Improvement Leads Home - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-way-of-improvement-leads-home-american/id1071244872

· SLBF Studio: https://slbf.org/studio

📣 Upper House Commons Lecture Series:

LECTURE ONE

 Apple Podcasts = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upper-house-events/id1715922039?i=1000737152176

🎧 Spotify = https://open.spotify.com/episode/0SKgSp7Ch0n3gz0JWCYdpe?si=fa4951404ca44b00

LECTURE TWO

 Apple Podcasts = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upper-house-events/id1715922039?i=1000737152192

🎧 Spotify = https://open.spotify.com/episode/058DbBKLtPspshjYC0F1Io?si=77f904172c004bbb

LECTURE THREE

 Apple Podcasts = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upper-house-events/id1715922039?i=1000737152775

🎧 Spotify = https://open.spotify.com/episode/1CcXH1w0YdYe96JGsuEq5G?si=5e4f34631cf240c2