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On Locke This Presidential Year

On Locke This Presidential Year

Last updated on: February 28, 2016 at 2:37 am by John Mark N. Reynolds

On Locke This Presidential Year 2016-02-28T02:37:30-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

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John_Locke_opt America exists because of John Locke. There are reasons, of course, but this Republic

owes the larger part of the ideas behind it to the English philosopher. The Founders

depended so much on Locke’s ideas and philosophic vocabulary that it is almost

more interesting to note where they deviated from him than where they agreed

with him. When the Declaration says that “we hold these truths to be self-evident”

and that humans have a right to “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” they were

channeling Locke.

Understanding Locke goes a long ways in answering the popular question, “Is

America a Christian nation?”

If by that one means that United States is Christendom, then answer is “of course

not.” Christendom is bigger than any particular nation or people. If it means that

only Christians (in some strong sense of the term) formed this nation, then the

answer is “don’t be ridiculous.” The Byzantine Empire, as overtly Christian a state as

has ever existed, could not claim this. The Founders of the United States created a

nation that assumed a Christian majority, but did not demand that individuals be

Christian.

In two ways, Christianity is essential to understanding America. The vast majority of

the population has always been Christian, so in that sense it has always been a

nation of Christians. Second, the founding philosopher of America, John Locke, was

very much a Christian. John Locke’s language is permeated with the Bible, his

arguments assume the truth of the Gospel, and the he supports Christian ethics. He

engaged in Christian apologetics, was intent of showing his Anglican bishop his

ideas were orthodox, and quoted the Bible continuously. Locke depends on Biblical

history to make his case. He simply assumes that the population of England is

Christian in his political work and could defend the right to revolution based on that

idea.

The “Second Treatise on Government” implies to the not-even-careful reader that

there must be a “First Treatise.” This earlier work by Locke was a devastating

critique of the argument for an absolute monarch based mostly on Biblical history.

Locke is careful to show that nothing in the Bible or in Christianity denies humans

the right to revolt against a bad government or gives the king absolute power. Locke

finished off serious defense of “divine right” in the English-speaking world, showing

not only that philosophy can make progress, but that normal citizens can notice that

progress.

Of course, the fact that Locke meant to build a Christian political philosophy does

not mean he succeeded. Read Lock and ask yourself if he did? Or did he

inadvertently bring on the toxic secularism of our own time?

_____________________

A version of this appeared in my A Great Books Reader

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