22 Apr 26
Two Nations Under God
America’s sense of itself as a moral echo of biblical Israel enabled the rebirth of the ancient Jewish homeland in the modern era.
14 May 26
‘The God of Israel is Among Us’
America’s Hebraic History in Laws from the Colonial Period to the Early Republic
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9 Feb 26
President (Moses)’s Day?
While Presidents’ Day officially celebrates George Washington’s birthday, it’s the perfect occasion to note the impact on the American story of another seminal figure—Moses, who has served as an inspiration to Commanders in Chief since our country’s earliest days. The Founders and the Exodus from England On May 17, 1776, on which the Continental Congress […]
29 Jan 26
This Is My Fight Song
Exodus 15 and the American Battlefront On December 12, 1787, at the state of Pennsylvania’s convention to ratify the Constitution, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, asserted that the birth of the United States echoed ancient Israel’s exodus from Egypt. The meeting’s minutes record that “he as much believed the hand […]
11 Dec 25
Abigail Adams: Woman of Valor
“Her price was indeed above rubies,” is how John Quincy Adams, America’s sixth president, mourned his mother, Abigail (1744–1818) in his diary upon her death. His reference to the description of the “Woman of Valor” in Proverbs 31:10 was apt. After all, Abigail’s life had been steeped in Scripture. The future second First Lady was […]
6 Nov 25
Teddy’s Ten Commandments
The Core of President Theodore Roosevelt’s Approach to Life and Government In 1899, New York Governor Teddy Roosevelt offered advice for the students at Mount Pleasant Military Academy. The legendary leader of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, known as the Rough Riders, drew from a rather surprising source—the revelation at the foot of […]
24 Jul 25
The Bramble and the Trees
Thomas Shepard and the “Free Fruition” of Liberty The Puritan pastor Thomas Shepard (1605–1649) is relatively unknown today, but his teaching on the way the Bible ties together civil liberty and order helped shape the first written statement of individual rights in the American colonies, the Massachusetts Body of Liberties (1641). This document protects not […]
1 Jul 25
Patriots and the Promised Land: Joshua on July 4
While this July 4th, most Americans are, amidst the barbecues and jumps in the pool, unlikely to pop open a Bible and start reading the book of Joshua, they might at least take a moment during the festivities to consider how the book’s eponymous Israelite hero helped shape the United States from the colonial period […]
16 May 25
The Yale President’s Guide to American Glory
Ezra Stiles was one of America’s first great college presidents. The seventh leader of Yale University and a founder of Brown, born in 1727, was also a minister, theologian, author and amateur scientist who corresponded with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson about scientific discoveries. And he possessed a profound affinity for the Hebrew Bible. Stiles […]
16 Mar 25
The Promise of Liberty: Frederick Douglass’s Passover
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey ascended to the podium at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. The source of his moral argument for liberty that day would be drawn from the Jewish holiday of Passover, which begins this year on the evening of April 22. Frederick’s Path to Deliverance Born into slavery […]
24 Jan 25
Biblical Wisdom for Presidents
The Psalmist, monarchist that he was, could never have imagined his words would close the administration of an elected president. Yet, in the post on X now pinned at the top of the archived account of former president Biden, one reads: Scripture says: “I have been young and now I’m old yet I have never seen the […]
24 Nov 24
How Could They Do That?
Thinking about Justice and Redemption in History Alan R. Crippen II and Peter Edman How could they do that? The question comes up inevitably when we read history. When we encounter people who failed, who oppressed others, especially people who claim motivations we share, we want to dissociate ourselves from them, even to question their […]
