The American Revolution, Worldview Paper

“The American Revolution is inconceivable in the absence of the context of ideas which have constituted Christianity.” This quote explains that the war between the United States and Britain was not possible without God's sovereignty. Puritans fought with the English over religious freedom. But how could a small group of people possibly declare war on the king? It all started with the reformation, and then came two revolutions, which even had an effect on what takes place today.

The reformation not only reformed the church, but also laid the foundation for the constitution of the United States. Martin Luther influenced many people with his idea of Liberty of Conscience: the principle that people should be free to believe any religious ideas they hold true. Another idea that Luther was known for was the Creator-Redeemer Distinction, stating that the church and the state should have completely different roles. John Calvin's Resistance theory explains that a royal authority should not govern the mind. England's monarchy was trying to control the people's minds.

England's government was enforcing unjust laws that punished those who had different beliefs than those of the king. The Puritan Revolution, or more commonly known as the Glorious Revolution, was a revolt against the King. The Puritans were tired of England's laws. John Locke was a Puritan philosopher who had a deep influence on the founding of America by writing numerous books and inspiring many people, Samuel Rutherford being one of them. A book titled, Lex Rex, or translated, The Law is the King, was published by Rutherford. It reflected the theological and political views of John Calvin. Soon after Lex Rex was published, there was an assembly of Puritans and Scottish Presbyterians, it was called the Westminster Assembly. There they wrote the Westminster Confession, which was a series of questions and answers that expressed many of the same beliefs that Calvin and Luther taught. All the Puritans had a copy of the Westminster Confession and taught it to their children. But they still had the law enforcing King Charles I's beliefs over them.

The Puritans finally had a plan to be free. They would move to America, where they could have Liberty of Conscience. They drew up a document called The Mayflower Compact that had laws enforced to allow them to enjoy justice. It also kept the church and state from combining and mixing authorities. But soon after they inhabited America, they would forget the meaning, and the value, of Liberty of Conscience and the Creator-Redeemer Distinction. This eventually led to a split between the Puritans: Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Great Awakening then took place, a time that the church would be reformed again. A majority of the Founding Fathers would be reformed in their thinking, and thus have a great impact of the Constitution of America.

The American Revolution was not possible without God's Sovereignty. If God were not in control of everything in the universe, then how could the American Revolution take place? It couldn't! Nothing could take place if God were not in control! God has power over our very breath. If He were not to intervene in some way, then the American Revolution would not be in history. Man can not do what is righteous on his own. He must do so with the power given to him by God. If the reformers hadn't have assisted the constitution of the United States, then the colonists would not have had any moral right to declare war against King Charles.