From Magna Carta to the US Constitution: Christian Faith and the American Founding
7 pm – Five Tuesday evenings in August 2023
*Extended to September 5*
Led by: Gayne J. Anacker, Ph D.
Senior Fellow and Board Chair
C.S. Lewis Study Center – Northfield
It was a 1,300 year-long road from the early-Medieval doctrine of the “divine right of kings” to the establishment of democracy in the new world with the American republic in 1789. Many are not aware that Christian faith profoundly informed and undergirded all the steps along the way. We will look for this Christian influence in three early English “constitutional” documents, beginning with the Magna Charta of 1215, continuing with the Mayflower Compact and Winthrop’s sermon, “A Model of Christian Charity,” critical texts to understand the founding of the early Massachusetts colonies. Finally, we will see the impact of this Christian influence in the United States Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Links to each document are provided below; reading ahead is not required, but recommended. Suggested donation $5. Refreshments provided.
August 1
Magna Carta of 1215
August 8
Petition of Right 1628
English Bill of Rights 1689
August 15
Mayflower Compact
John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity”
August 22
Declaration of Independence
August 29 and September 5
U.S. Constitution
Questions? Email Dr. Anacker: ganacker@cslsc.org