History Forum: The Myth of the Religious Founding 

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The popular History Forum lecture series returns to the Minnesota History Center for its 2018-2019 season. Join six national scholars as they explore the history that might help us understand and unravel the issues we face right now.

Join historian Steven K. Green for a presentation on the myth of Christian America.

Among the most enduring themes in American history is the idea that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. This myth arose out of three critical moments in our national past: the Puritan founding of New England; the American Revolution, and the early 19th century, when a second generation of Americans sought to redefine and reconcile the memory of the founding with their religious and patriotic aspirations. Fostered by Americans both famous and ordinary for nearly 400 years, the persistent mythos of a religious founding has become the central concept of our nation for many and the shared story that gives a deeper meaning, however false, to our collective national identity.

Green is professor of history and of law at Willamette University and author of Inventing a Christian America: The Myth of the Religious Founding.