History of the Relationship of Church and State from 17th-19th Century

4- MAT BOOK REVIEW:

A PAPER SUBMITTED TO
DR.
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR
CHPL 600

BY
CRYSTAL M. BACA
STUDENT ID # L25222334

LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA
SEPTEMBER 2013

Hutson, James H. Church and State in America: The First Two Centuries. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

ABSTRACT
Church and State in America: The First Two Centuries, by James H. Hutson explores the history of the relationship of church and state from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. Hutson explains the connection of the events in Europe and its effects on church and state in America, for example the revolution in Europe eventually had its impact on America resulting in a revolution of their own. Although America had established their own government they had a difficult time breaking away from the previous ways of the English. The govenrment managed to include Christianity in their propaganda, promoting the spread of Christianity in many of their actions. The establishment of the Federal Constitution was a document that would guide
Hutson goes back as far as the Roman Empire to explain the influence of church and state. He explains the doctrine of exclusive salvation, and how the Romans enforced Christianity upon the entire empire. This idea was supported for centuries by powerful leaders such as Queen Elizabeth, Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli. Although they supported the idea for different reason, Queen Elizabeth thought the idea of pluralism brought about chaos with social and political instability enforcing the Act of Uniformity in 1662.1
The revolution of 1688 happened when the Catholic king James II was overthrown by the Protestant prince William of Orange. When the news that James had been overthrown in England reached Boston they prepared for their own revolution. These outbreaks caused a change in church and state policy that was huge, leading to the Toleration Act that would endure in to the nineteenth century.2
In what Hudson calls the Confederation period3, America was on its way to establishing its independence from Great Britain. Congress still managed to incorporate religion into their doctrine called covenant theology which was a way of thinking Congress thought they needed to guide their decisions to retain God’s favor.4 Congress sermonized the country, sponsored the Bible, and granted public land to promote Christianity.5 Even after the Declaration of Independence was instilled it did not terminate the religious disputes they had in the past.6 Many people didn’t object to the government patronizing religion because it was consistent with the Bible “as a nursing father,” and was a characteristic to that of a good upstanding law abiding citizen.7
In the attempt to establish a separation of church and state the constitution was written. There was a large uprising over the fact the document was a secular one, written as many called it a “godless,” document. Many were outraged to think the men that wrote it had forgotten about God and all He had done for America.8
Hutson begins at the establishment of the American colonies where the practicing of religion was from one extreme in one area where there was no regulation on religion, to another extreme in others where colonies enforced obedience to one official church.9

CONCRETE RESPONSE
My own personal experience that would relate to Church and State would be that I was raised a Catholic my whole empty life until I Jesus called me. I then became a Christian with no denomination. My parents and grandparents tried to force me to be Catholic, with all the guilt trips you c

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