Featured Document: The Magna Carta

The Magna Carta is a Christian document and was initiated by the "prompting of God". In other words, one of the foundational documents inspiring modern democracy is in fact rooted solidly in Christianity. Odd that secular histories neglect to mention this fact which is mentioned in the preamble to the Magna Carta itself:

Magna Carta Translation

[Preamble] Edward by the grace of God King of England, lord of Ireland and duke of Aquitaine sends greetings to all to whom the present letters come. We have inspected the great charter of the lord Henry, late King of England, our father, concerning the liberties of England in these words:

Henry by the grace of God King of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine and count of Anjou sends greetings to his archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, earls, barons, sheriffs, reeves, ministers and all his bailiffs and faithful men inspecting the present charter. Know that we, at the prompting of God and for the health of our soul and the souls of our ancestors and successors, for the glory of holy Church and the improvement of our realm, freely and out of our good will have given and granted to the archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, earls, barons and all of our realm these liberties written below to hold in our realm of England in perpetuity.

Featured Document: The Magna Carta

The theonomists like to misrepresent this fact as if it favors their postmillennial optimism or their confusion of civil law with the moral law of God, etc. The principle of general equity and natural law does apply to civil law today; however, we do not live in a time when Christianity is the established religion of a nation. While it might be a desirable thing to have Christianity as the established religion, the separation of church and state was meant to protect the freedom of various Christian denominations which had arisen out of the initial Puritan settlements. The Pilgrims came to the United States for religious freedom from persecution by the high church Arminians and Charles I. (See Great Migration).

Neither modern secularism and atheism nor modern theonomic views are true. The fact is the United States has Christian roots and foundations but without the extremes of modern secular atheism or the rightwing Christian theonomic/reconstructionist movement. Religious freedom is a God given right. While it is true that the Puritans did not extend absolute religious freedom, it is equally true that they wanted Christians to have the freedom to dissent from an overbearing episcopal system.