Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This episode, we're tackling a claim that American Christian nationalists have been making all over the internet lately. Did the "founding fathers" of the United States actually quote the Bible more than any other text? And did they do it expressly to make it clear that this was to be an explicitly Christian country? It's an idea that's gaining a lot of attention, but how true is it, and what are the implications for now?
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For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:
patreon.com/DataOverDogma
Check out our new website at: dataoverdogmapod.com
Follow us on the various social media places:
facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod
https://x.com/data_over_dogma
instagram.com/dataoverdogmapod
Have you ordered Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book The Bible Says So yet???
Buy at this link: static.macmillan.com/static/smp/bible-says-so-9781250347466
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Chapters:
Video Chapters:
00:00 Intro: Did the Founding Fathers Quote the Bible the Most?
01:40 David Barton, WallBuilders & Christian Nationalism
04:28 Debunking the 1984 Donald Lutz Paper
06:25 The "Reprinted Sermon" Catch (Why 34% is Misleading)
09:50 The Real Influences: Montesquieu, Blackstone & Locke
10:15 The Era of Lowest US Church Attendance
11:44 How Much Did the Federalists Quote the Bible? (0%)
13:39 Why the Founders Rejected Religious Tests
17:32 Thomas Jefferson's Christianity & James Madison's Separation
20:45 The Treaty of Tripoli & Structural Secularism
21:24 Cultural Touchstones vs. A Christian Nation
23:21 Outro
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Credits for photos used in thumbnail:
Image Credit:
Photo of Glenn Beck by Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glenn_Beck_(55022782145).jpg
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Note: This image was modified from the original (e.g., masked and color-adjusted).
Image Credit:
Photo of Ben Shapiro by Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Conservative_Political_Action_Conference_2018_Ben_Shapiro_(39798514014).jpg
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Note: This image was modified from the original (e.g., masked and color-adjusted).
Image Credit:
Photo of Charlie Kirk by Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charlie_Kirk_in_Tampa_July_2025.jpg
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Note: This image was modified from the original (e.g., masked and color-adjusted).
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#podcast #oldtestament #bible #biblestudy #biblestories #biblereading #bibleteaching #religion #Jesus #jesuschrist #god #adonai #athiest #athiesm #faith #faithjourney #podcasting #podcastclips #podcastlife #podcasters #podcastshow #skeptic #skepticism #judaism #hebrew #hebrewbible #christianbible #christianity #newtestament #christian #christianity #christianityexplained #holybible #doubt #believe #believer #belief #utah #saltlakecity #lds #mormon #scholar #middleeast #israel #religious #church
This episode, we're tackling a claim that American Christian nationalists have been making all over the internet lately. Did the "founding fathers" of the United States actually quote the Bible more than any other text? And did they do it expressly to make it clear that this was to be an explicitly Christian country? It's an idea that's gaining a lot of attention, but how true is it, and what are the implications for now?
----
For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:
patreon.com/DataOverDogma
Check out our new website at: dataoverdogmapod.com
Follow us on the various social media places:
facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod
https://x.com/data_over_dogma
instagram.com/dataoverdogmapod
Have you ordered Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book The Bible Says So yet???
Buy at this link: static.macmillan.com/static/smp/bible-says-so-9781250347466
_____________________________________________
Chapters:
Video Chapters:
00:00 Intro: Did the Founding Fathers Quote the Bible the Most?
01:40 David Barton, WallBuilders & Christian Nationalism
04:28 Debunking the 1984 Donald Lutz Paper
06:25 The "Reprinted Sermon" Catch (Why 34% is Misleading)
09:50 The Real Influences: Montesquieu, Blackstone & Locke
10:15 The Era of Lowest US Church Attendance
11:44 How Much Did the Federalists Quote the Bible? (0%)
13:39 Why the Founders Rejected Religious Tests
17:32 Thomas Jefferson's Christianity & James Madison's Separation
20:45 The Treaty of Tripoli & Structural Secularism
21:24 Cultural Touchstones vs. A Christian Nation
23:21 Outro
____________________________________________
Credits for photos used in thumbnail:
Image Credit:
Photo of Glenn Beck by Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glenn_Beck_(55022782145).jpg
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Note: This image was modified from the original (e.g., masked and color-adjusted).
Image Credit:
Photo of Ben Shapiro by Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Conservative_Political_Action_Conference_2018_Ben_Shapiro_(39798514014).jpg
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Note: This image was modified from the original (e.g., masked and color-adjusted).
Image Credit:
Photo of Charlie Kirk by Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charlie_Kirk_in_Tampa_July_2025.jpg
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Note: This image was modified from the original (e.g., masked and color-adjusted).
____________________________________________________________________________
#podcast #oldtestament #bible #biblestudy #biblestories #biblereading #bibleteaching #religion #Jesus #jesuschrist #god #adonai #athiest #athiesm #faith #faithjourney #podcasting #podcastclips #podcastlife #podcasters #podcastshow #skeptic #skepticism #judaism #hebrew #hebrewbible #christianbible #christianity #newtestament #christian #christianity #christianityexplained #holybible #doubt #believe #believer #belief #utah #saltlakecity #lds #mormon #scholar #middleeast #israel #religious #church
