In an interview with author Becky Garrison, Bill Leonard – Founding Dean of Wake Forest's Divinity School – discusses the legacy of Baptist religious liberty pioneer Roger Williams.
BG: How do you think Williams’ would respond to the current assertion made by some religious conservatives that the United States is a “Christian” country?
BL: He thought that the ideology of “Christian nation” was the worst kind of idolatry. and denied the idea on the spot, suggesting that there are no Christian nations, only Christian people, bound to Christ by repentance and faith, not by nationality. He rejected the idea that the state should privilege any single religious voice.
Still, a recent First Amendment Center poll shows that 53% of Americans believe the US Constitution establishes "a Christian nation."
