Thursday, February 5, 2026

It is the 5th of February 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

In two weeks' time, the Weekend Edition will be a mailbag edition. I’m picking out the questions now- arranging them, seeing which theme predominates. Send me your questions about church history at danv@1517.org.

 

One of the more commonly asked questions I have has to do with the origins of my home country, the United States, and the place of Christianity in its founding. “Is America a Christian Nation?” is a curious question that can be unpacked in a number of ways- but one of the ways I go about it is to look at the theology of the so-called “Founding Fathers”. And they were a mixed bag of Christians and Deists, but there is no questioning the faith of one of them. In fact, of all of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, only one of them was an ordained clergyman- he was John Witherspoon, born on this, the 5th of February in 1723.

 

And as is the case with many of the founders, they started their lives elsewhere. This is especially true of Witherspoon, who was born in Scotland, in East Lothian on the East Coast. He would live more than half of his life in Scotland, making his mark on the church there. The son of a minister (and a descendant of John Knox) he studied at the nearby University of Edinburgh and was ordained into the Scottish Kirk in 1745. He served a church in Paisley and developed a reputation as a staunch Presbyterian but a moderate voice in controversy.

 

His reputation spread to the New World, especially amongst the Presbyterians and Scotch-Irish in the Middle Colonies. When the president of the College of New Jersey died (today, it’s called Princeton), Witherspoon was invited to become President of the University.

 

He was accepted in 1768 and moved to the colonies, where he began a restructuring of the failing college. He raised funds and built a library as well as restructured the curriculum based on his Alma Mater, Edinburgh.

 

You will inevitably read that Witherspoon “introduced” or “popularized” Scottish Common Sense Philosophy- I’ll let that lie, EXCEPT to say that this Scottish philosophy was key to blending the ideas of the Enlightenment (some of which were antithetical to Christianity) and the American church. There’s a philosophical world to Witherspoon as there is a theological one and a political one.

 

Theologically, Witherspoon attracted the “Old Side” Presbyterians with his staunch orthodoxy, but his attention to the religious affections also ingratiated him with the “New Side”.

 

There was not so much moderation when it came to politics. As a Scot and Presbyterian, he was opposed to the overreach of the British crown as well as the imposition of Bishops and ministers by the state.

 

The college under Witherspoon would also become a hotbed of activity for the patriot cause. Witherspoon became an ardent supporter of the cause of Liberty and used his place as a Presbyterian minister to give theological justification for revolution.

 

His sermon from 1776 on “the Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men” became an instant hit- published across the colonies, it made Witherspoon a household name. The Prime Minister of England, Horace Walpole, is said to have remarked, “Cousin America has run off with a Presbyterian parson”.

 

President James Madison studied under Witherspoon, as did dozens and dozens of cabinet members, judges, Supreme Court justices, and congressmen.

 

He himself would be a part of the Continental Congress and the conversation that led to the Articles of Confederation and was, famously, the only ordained clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence.

 

In 1789, he was also made the first moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. John Witherspoon was widowed and remarried- he would have a total of 7 surviving children and would die in 1792. Born in Scotland on this day in 1723, John Witherspoon, the minister who signed the Declaration of Independence, was 71 years old.

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and 1 John:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 5th of February 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who enjoyed Witherspoon as Willie Jones in the Friday movie franchise… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man… It’s a different John Witherspoon- Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.