“The Spirit of Religious and Civic Freedom in the Revolutionary Era.”

with Dr. Randall Zachman

Tuesdays, April 21, 28, and May 5, from 7-8:15 p.m. on Zoom.

This three-week series will explore the ways the quest for religious freedom influenced the pursuit of civic freedom during the revolutionary era in the American colonies. We will begin by looking at the arguments for religious freedom in Roger Williams and William Penn, over against the involvement of the state in religious life during their times. We will then turn to the ways in which religious and civic freedom were seen to be inseparable in the sermons of Jonathan Mayhew and John Witherspoon, so that a nation cannot have one without the other. We will conclude by hearing from the first four US presidents regarding their conviction that the constitutional project of civic freedom can only succeed if the American people remain both moral and religious, without the government sponsoring religion. Short selections of primary source readings will be provided for each session.

There is no registration fee, but you must register to receive the Zoom link for the series.

This series will have suggested reading between sessions.

This series will be counted as 6 hours of Continuing Education for authorized ministers in the Keystone Conference.