CH254: American Church History 2 — Faith, Freedom, and the New Republic (1760s–1800)

This episode examines how the intersection of religious revivalism and Revolutionary politics forged the American republic between 1760 and 1800. The narrative traces a path from the Great Awakening, which empowered common citizens to challenge spiritual and civil hierarchies, to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, which utilized a theological realism regarding human fallibility to design a system of checks and balances. Central to this evolution was the transition from tax-supported state churches to a model of religious disestablishment, a movement championed by figures like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson to safeguard the freedom of conscience. Ultimately, the text illustrates that the young nation’s identity was defined by the conviction that a stable democracy requires both institutional safeguards and a morally engaged citizenry shaped by voluntary faith.This podcast was created with the assistance of AI tools.