There were many Americans in the Revolutionary era who believed that they, like the children of Israel, were oppressed by their colonial rulers, and they looked to God for deliverance from the tyranny of their pharaoh, George III.

I contend that no book figured more prominently than the Bible in the political thought of these patriots we call the founders.

God elevates nations that behave in conformity with God's standards but he withdraws his blessings from a people who disregard those standards.

Nations, as well as individuals, must be virtuous and righteous if they desire to be stable, prosperous, and tranquil.

Most of what the founders knew about the Hebraic republic, it must be emphasized, they learned from the Bible. These Americans were well aware that ideas like republicanism found expression in traditions apart from the Hebrew experience, and, indeed, they studied these traditions both ancient and modern.

One should study the Bible alongside other intellectual traditions - such as British constitutionalism, Enlightenment liberalism, and classical republicanism - in order to truly understand the American founding.

The true greatness of a nation lies in its character, not in its economic or military power.