"A decisive, readable and scholarly answer to the perennially debated question, “Did America Have a Christian Founding?” --- Peter A. Lillback, president, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia; president, the Providence Forum "I enjoyed Mark David Hall's calm and thorough analysis." - Dr. Marvin Olasky, editor in chief of World and author of Fighting for Liberty and Virtue "Mark David Hall shows that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, the American Founding was a Christian founding--and that American religious freedom was in the first place a Christian principle." -Kevin R. C. Gutzman, J.D., Ph.D., author of  Thomas Jefferson: Revolutionary  and  James Madison and the Making of America A distinguished professor debunks the assertion that America's Founders were deists who desired the strict separation of church and state and instead shows that their political ideas were profoundly influenced by their Christian convictions. In 2010, David Mark Hall gave a lecture at the Heritage Foundation entitled "Did America Have a Christian Founding?" His balanced and thoughtful approach to this controversial question caused a sensation. C-SPAN televised his talk, and an essay based on it has been downloaded more than 300,000 times. In this new book, Hall expands upon this essay, making the airtight case that America's Founders were not deists; that they did not create a "godless" Constitution; that even Jefferson and Madison did not want a high wall separating church and state; that most Founders believed the government should encourage Christianity; and that they embraced a robust understanding of religious liberty for biblical and theological reasons. In addition, Hall explains why and how the Founders' views are absolutely relevant today. This compelling and utterly persuasive book will convince skeptics and equip believers and conservatives to defend the idea that Christian thought was crucial to the nation's founding--and that this benefits all of us, whatever our faith (or lack of faith).