American Evangelicals, for almost two centuries, have attempted to find their identity in the establishment of the most influential country in the modern Western world. Whether they cling to the religious connotations mentioned in the writings of the “Founding Fathers” or interpret the Bill of Rights from the vantage point of a pulpit, American Evangelicals often base their vote upon the religiousity of each candidate. As often coined by media, the “Evangelical Right” is a major deciding factor in presidential elections, especially in issues concerning school prayer, abortion, same-sex marriage, and other “moral” issues. They want to take the United States back to “the faith” – Evangelical Protestantism – of their Founding Fathers.
Although prominent in Evangelical culture, this line of reasoning lacks substance. This mindset sparked especially after the publishing of an article printed during 1832 in the widely circulating Christian Advocate and Zion’s Herald. It stated that when Benjamin Franklin proposed to pray during the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the members sat in awe with only a lone dissenter who was quickly rebuked by George Washington. After the members prayed, so goes the article, the Constitutional Convention harmoniously continued. In 1834, James Madison, the only living Federalist and member of the Constitutional Convention, wrote a letter to the newspaper’s editor, Thomas S. Grimké, opposing the article’s information labeling it “erroneous.” Next, he relayed to Grimké what actually occurred, using his detailed notes of the Convention. Madison writes that after Franklin motioned for a corporate prayer, “Mr. HAMILTON & several others expressed their apprehensions…[and might] bring on it some disagreeable animadversions.” Next, “Mr. RANDOLPH proposed…that a sermon be preached at the request of the convention on 4th of July.” Franklin seconded the proposition, but the motion never passed, and the meeting adjourned.
To read the rest of my essay on the religion of Benjamin Franklin and his epitomization of the America’s Founding Fathers’ faith, click here.
