OpenTheo
00:00
00:00

Liberty, Pandora, and the Serpent

November 11, 2022
Life and Books and Everything
Life and Books and EverythingClearly Reformed

Was America founded on purely Christian principles and ideals? Or, were the founding fathers simply trying to prevent corruption and preserve the sanctity of consciousness?

In this article for WORLD opinions, Kevin discusses three observable pillars that make up the famous and crucial founding principles of America’s heritage.

Share

Transcript

[Music] Greetings and salutations, this is Life and Books and Everything. I'm Kevin DeYoung. Today I'm reading my latest article from World Opinions entitled Liberty, Pandora, and the Serpent.
What undergirds the American experiment?
When James Madison died in 1836, his last testament, written six years earlier, was finally published. The document, only two paragraphs long, was entitled "Advice to My Country." After recounting a lifelong commitment to his country and the cause of its liberty, Madison expressed his deepest conviction, quote, that the union of the states be cherished and perpetuated. Then he offered one final admonition for the country he did so much to create, let the open enemy to it be regarded as a Pandora with her box opened, and the disguised one as the Serpent creeping his deadly wiles into paradise.
Madison's advice is a fitting testament for the architect of the
Constitution and the entire generation of founders because it pulls together seamlessly and subconsciously, the three strands of political thought that shaped America's founding, Lockean liberalism with a reference to the cause of liberty, classic republicanism with a reference to Pandora and ancient mythology, and Protestant Christianity with a reference to the devil's deception in the Garden of Eden. Although the statesmen and thinkers of the revolutionary era disagreed on much, almost all of the founders took these three principles for granted, which explains why men as diverse an outlook as Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and John Witherspoon could work together in crafting or at least signing the documents that established American independence and the American form of government. Although the three strands can sometimes pull in different directions, each played a crucial role in shaping the American experiment.
Lockean liberalism provided Americans with a basic understanding
of the social contract and with a shared sense that government existed to preserve God-given rights. Classical republicanism provided Americans with the ideals of engaged citizenry and a free people who use their freedom responsibly and for the good of others. Protestant Christianity provided a shared belief in God's existence in his providential ordering of all things in the supreme importance of the Bible and in a basically Calvinist anthropology that saw man as fundamentally flawed but also capable of virtue and improvement.
Even the way America
came to see itself as a country founded upon almost sacred texts requiring reverence and careful examination was a Protestant self-conception. As debates surrounding Christian nationalism continue, both as a critique from the left and as the desired political goal for some on the right, it's important to note that the language is foreign to America's founding. Did committed Christians and Christian principles play a key role in the founding of America? Yes.
Did most of the founders assume that Christianity would have a privileged place
in American life? Undoubtedly. But this is different from suggesting that they set out to form a government ordered toward man's heavenly good, read Christianity. They were too wary of concentrated power to think that government could be trusted with such a lofty goal.
In general, there are two main ways to conceive of the task of government. One
is to ask the question, what is the best we could accomplish as a people and how should government pursue this highest good? The other is to ask the question, what is the worst we might do as a people and how should government be ordered to prevent this evil? The American founding was animated by the second question. Although the founders believed that men were capable of self governance, they also recognized that because of human sin and selfishness, government by men should be fundamentally constrained.
This is why Madison
argued that government as a reflection of human nature, which he says contains a degree of depravity requiring a certain degree of circumspection and distrust. Federalist 55 must not be given unchecked power, Federalist 51, and why Hamilton argued for a government that would offset the natural inclinations of men, Federalist 9. The proper role of government for Madison and Hamilton was not a grand plan of leading man heavenward, but the simpler and more manageable goal of safeguarding our life and liberty and that of our neighbor. In her book, The Roads of Modernity, Gertrude Himmelfarb argues that France, Britain, and America each had their own distinctive enlightenment.
In France, the enlightenment
was about the exaltation of reason. In Britain, the enlightenment was about social virtues. And in America, the enlightenment was chiefly about liberty.
There's a reason the founders
spoke of an empire of liberty and called each other sons of liberty. Their great fear was tyranny and their great aim in ordering a new government was the preservation of freedom. Their emphasis on liberty was not a rejection of Christianity, but based on Christian ideas about the sanctity of the conscience and the corruptibility of too much power in the hands of too few persons.
I appreciate much of what Christian nationalism is against, a naked
public square, anatomistic individualism, and a conception of liberty that must allow for every form of deviance and degeneration. But as an ism, Christian nationalism is bound to fail, the language is too foreign to America's founding documents and founding ideals. Locking liberalism is not the problem.
The problem is when this liberalism exists without
the communal aims of classical republicanism and the theological assumptions of Christianity. The three strands are undoubtedly frayed, but it is up to us to try to tie them back together. That's liberty Pandora and the serpent from my latest article in world opinions.
[Music]
(buzzing)

More From Life and Books and Everything

Life and Ministry with Mark Dever
Life and Ministry with Mark Dever
Life and Books and Everything
November 18, 2022
In this fun, punchy, and (hopefully) edifying conversation, Kevin interviews his good friend, Mark Dever, about his conversion, his ministry on Capito
The Process of Church Disestablishment in America with Jonathan Den Hartog
The Process of Church Disestablishment in America with Jonathan Den Hartog
Life and Books and Everything
November 23, 2022
If you love long words like antidisestablishmentarianism and are looking for a deep dive into history, then this episode is for you. Jonathan is a pro
A People of Public Thanksgiving
A People of Public Thanksgiving
Life and Books and Everything
November 24, 2022
Happy Thanksgiving from Life and Books and Everything! In this episode, Kevin reads from his recent article in WORLD Opinions about the history of an
Positive World, Negative World, and Christian Nationalism with Justin Taylor and Collin Hansen
Positive World, Negative World, and Christian Nationalism with Justin Taylor and Collin Hansen
Life and Books and Everything
November 8, 2022
The three amigos enter into a meandering conversation about Christian Nationalism and try to discern the level of the world’s hostility to the church
A World Awash in Sheer Monkery
A World Awash in Sheer Monkery
Life and Books and Everything
November 2, 2022
Reformation Day may be behind us, but a huge responsibility lies before us. The faith of the Reformation must be kept alive because the ideas Luther c
Does Christianity Transcend All Our Political Disagreements?
Does Christianity Transcend All Our Political Disagreements?
Life and Books and Everything
October 28, 2022
Christians don’t just disagree on political principles or on a number of political conclusions. Christians disagree on how Christianity and politics r
More From "Life and Books and Everything"

More on OpenTheo

Why Do You Say Human Beings Are the Most Valuable Things in the Universe?
Why Do You Say Human Beings Are the Most Valuable Things in the Universe?
#STRask
May 29, 2025
Questions about reasons to think human beings are the most valuable things in the universe, how terms like “identity in Christ” and “child of God” can
Bible Study: Choices and Character in James, Part 1
Bible Study: Choices and Character in James, Part 1
Knight & Rose Show
June 21, 2025
Wintery Knight and Desert Rose explore chapters 1 and 2 of the Book of James. They discuss the book's author, James, the brother of Jesus, and his mar
Can God Be Real and Personal to Me If the Sign Gifts of the Spirit Are Rare?
Can God Be Real and Personal to Me If the Sign Gifts of the Spirit Are Rare?
#STRask
April 10, 2025
Questions about disappointment that the sign gifts of the Spirit seem rare, non-existent, or fake, whether or not believers can squelch the Holy Spiri
Sean McDowell: The Fate of the Apostles
Sean McDowell: The Fate of the Apostles
Knight & Rose Show
May 10, 2025
Wintery Knight and Desert Rose welcome Dr. Sean McDowell to discuss the fate of the twelve Apostles, as well as Paul and James the brother of Jesus. M
Can Secular Books Assist Our Christian Walk?
Can Secular Books Assist Our Christian Walk?
#STRask
April 17, 2025
Questions about how secular books assist our Christian walk and how Greg studies the Bible.   * How do secular books like Atomic Habits assist our Ch
How Do You Know You Have the Right Bible?
How Do You Know You Have the Right Bible?
#STRask
April 14, 2025
Questions about the Catholic Bible versus the Protestant Bible, whether or not the original New Testament manuscripts exist somewhere and how we would
Can Historians Prove that Jesus Rose from the Dead? Licona vs. Ehrman
Can Historians Prove that Jesus Rose from the Dead? Licona vs. Ehrman
Risen Jesus
May 7, 2025
In this episode, Dr. Mike Licona and Dr. Bart Ehrman face off for the second time on whether historians can prove the resurrection. Dr. Ehrman says no
Jesus' Fate: Resurrection or Rescue? Michael Licona vs Ali Ataie
Jesus' Fate: Resurrection or Rescue? Michael Licona vs Ali Ataie
Risen Jesus
April 9, 2025
Muslim professor Dr. Ali Ataie, a scholar of biblical hermeneutics, asserts that before the formation of the biblical canon, Christians did not believ
Is It Okay to Ask God for the Repentance of Someone Who Has Passed Away?
Is It Okay to Ask God for the Repentance of Someone Who Has Passed Away?
#STRask
April 24, 2025
Questions about asking God for the repentance of someone who has passed away, how to respond to a request to pray for a deceased person, reconciling H
J. Warner Wallace: Case Files: Murder and Meaning
J. Warner Wallace: Case Files: Murder and Meaning
Knight & Rose Show
April 5, 2025
Wintery Knight and Desert Rose welcome J. Warner Wallace to discuss his new graphic novel, co-authored with his son Jimmy, entitled "Case Files: Murde
Licona and Martin Talk about the Physical Resurrection of Jesus
Licona and Martin Talk about the Physical Resurrection of Jesus
Risen Jesus
May 21, 2025
In today’s episode, we have a Religion Soup dialogue from Acadia Divinity College between Dr. Mike Licona and Dr. Dale Martin on whether Jesus physica
What Discernment Skills Should We Develop to Make Sure We’re Getting Wise Answers from AI?
What Discernment Skills Should We Develop to Make Sure We’re Getting Wise Answers from AI?
#STRask
April 3, 2025
Questions about what discernment skills we should develop to make sure we’re getting wise answers from AI, and how to overcome confirmation bias when
Is There a Reference Guide to Teach Me the Vocabulary of Apologetics?
Is There a Reference Guide to Teach Me the Vocabulary of Apologetics?
#STRask
May 1, 2025
Questions about a resource for learning the vocabulary of apologetics, whether to pursue a PhD or another master’s degree, whether to earn a degree in
Licona vs. Fales: A Debate in 4 Parts – Part Three: The Meaning of Miracle Stories
Licona vs. Fales: A Debate in 4 Parts – Part Three: The Meaning of Miracle Stories
Risen Jesus
June 11, 2025
In this episode, we hear from Dr. Evan Fales as he presents his case against the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection and responds to Dr. Licona’s writi
Is It Wrong to Feel Satisfaction at the Thought of Some Atheists Being Humbled Before Christ?
Is It Wrong to Feel Satisfaction at the Thought of Some Atheists Being Humbled Before Christ?
#STRask
June 9, 2025
Questions about whether it’s wrong to feel a sense of satisfaction at the thought of some atheists being humbled before Christ when their time comes,