In America, we worship choice. We need our 31 flavors, our extensive wardrobes, our buffet line, our Universalist Church, our list of options so we can feel like we’re in control of our lives. It’s a right which all men ought to have, we say, and indeed, we think we’re entitled to a sense of self-determination—it’s the “American way.” Choice is an idol which gives us meaning—it defines our very existence—and we cannot live without it. We need to be able to express our individuality, to choose our own path, to do what is best for us as individuals. And as consumers, choice satisfies all of our desires. We love it—it is a god that serves us and delivers what we want.

But to what lengths are we willing to go, in order that we may worship this idol? Would we lie and steal from others? Would we kill our own child? Would we invade other countries?

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In taking a class about the so-called Restoration Movement, I have come to realize to a new degree how Christianity has been hijacked by a different faith. The two most famous fathers of the Restoration Movement, namely Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell, were, by orthodox standards, heretics (Stone rejected the Trinity, as well as the eternality of Christ; Campbell held a view similar to baptismal regeneration, where the Holy Spirit was completely uninvolved in conversion). However, the movement, despite its unprecedented theological laxness, grew extremely quickly throughout the early to mid 19th century and easily became accepted among the mainstream denominations. Why?

For an answer, I direct the reader to the American Revolution. The attitude that sparked the Restoration Movement was the same attitude that inspired the Declaration of Independence. The United States of America was founded upon strong ideas of individualism, egalitarianism , free will , antiestablishmentarianism, and primitivism (for example, the strong classical Greek and Roman influences upon the United States Government). As Americans, these are our greatest values. This American sentiment was so widespread that it could not be escaped—even in the Church. Hence, the Restoration Movement became a religious echo of the Revolution, characterized by a much wider range of acceptable religious beliefs (individualism), a push for unity (egalitarianism), an increase in Arminian theology (free will), a distrust of denominational authority (antiestablishmentarianism) and the drive to restore the church to its New Testament ideals (primitivism).

With this understanding, it is clear that the spirit of the age—the cultural values of early 18th century America—easily crept into the Church, virtually undetected. A few schismatic men decided to break from tradition, and many followed them. After all, they, too, held the ideals of the Revolution close to their hearts. This was the beginning of the sneaky interweaving of Christianity and Americanism. “God and country” became more closely tied to one another than ever before, and the American civil religion—a patriotic, individualistic, freedom-loving twist on traditional Christianity—soon flourished throughout the land. Before long, it was hard to separate so-called Christianity from Americanism, and the two have since often been confused.

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