Religion and Civic Life

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US Constitution and Declaration of Independence on the American Flag
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John G. West
June 20, 2026
Religion and Civic Life
1

The Makings of Americans

John G. West
June 20, 2026
Religion and Civic Life
1
As America approaches its 250th birthday on July 4, a debate is growing about what it means to be an American. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch waded into the conversation last month by asserting in an interview that America is “a creedal nation.” According to Gorsuch, “what unites us is not a religion, it’s not a race, it’s a belief” in the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. Read More ›
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Friends celebrating 4th of july with beers and american flag
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Discovery Institute
June 10, 2026
Intelligent Design, Religion and Civic Life
2

New Survey: Americans Defined by Belief in America’s Founding Ideals, Not by Ancestry or Religion

Discovery Institute
June 10, 2026
Intelligent Design, Religion and Civic Life
2
Most Americans believe that "for someone to truly be an American" they should agree with the ideas expressed by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. They don't need to share a similar ancestry or religion. Read More ›
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John West speaks at the 2026 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith.
John West speaking at the 2026 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith, provided by Discovery Institute.
John G. West
May 11, 2026
Intelligent Design, Religion and Civic Life
1

Is America a Creedal Nation? The Real Meaning of the Declaration of Independence

John G. West
May 11, 2026
Intelligent Design, Religion and Civic Life
1
America is unique in being founded on a shared set of ideas — especially the Declaration of Independence — which asserts human equality, natural rights, and government by consent. John G. West argues that the founders grounded these principles in both biblical belief and reason, believing humans to be equal in seven key ways, despite obvious differences. Read More ›
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Earl McDonald, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
John G. West
April 22, 2026
Religion and Civic Life
5

Justice Clarence Thomas just issued a warning every American needs to hear

John G. West
April 22, 2026
Religion and Civic Life
5
Just in time for America’s 250th birthday, Justice Clarence Thomas has ignited a national conversation about America’s founding principles. Christians in America should pay special attention because a lot is at stake. Many of the principles under discussion reflect a biblical worldview. Whether we revive or reject them may determine America’s future. Read More ›
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The Center for Science and Culture
March 30, 2026
Intelligent Design, Religion and Civic Life
1

America’s Founders and Intelligent Design

The Center for Science and Culture
March 30, 2026
Intelligent Design, Religion and Civic Life
1

In the Declaration of Independence, America’s Founders proclaimed that “all men are created equal” and “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” These were not idle words. They were supported by the Founders’ firm conviction that nature supplied objective evidence of a Creator. In this video, learn the untold story about the Founders’ belief that nature was intelligently Read More ›

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Image by Cornerstone University
Cornerstone University
March 20, 2026
Faith & Science, Religion and Civic Life
3

Cornerstone University Traces Biblical Roots of America’s Founding

Cornerstone University
March 20, 2026
Faith & Science, Religion and Civic Life
3
Cornerstone University welcomed Dr. John G. West for a special America at 250 Community Chapel on campus. West serves as Vice President and Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute and Cornerstone's Distinguished Scholar of American Government and Christian Civic Engagement. Read More ›
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The Center for Science and Culture
March 17, 2026
Intelligent Design, Religion and Civic Life
1

Endowed by Our Creator Trailer

The Center for Science and Culture
March 17, 2026
Intelligent Design, Religion and Civic Life
1

The Declaration of Independence proclaims that “all men are created equal” and “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” For generations, those hallowed words inspired not only Americans, but millions around the globe. Yet today many Americans are skeptical or confused about the Declaration’s key claims. Now comes a powerful defense of America’s founding: Endowed by Our Creator: Read More ›

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© Discovery Institute
Discovery Institute
February 4, 2026
Intelligent Design, Religion and Civic Life
3

New Poll Shows Most Americans Admire America’s Founding, But Reject Its Ideas

Discovery Institute
February 4, 2026
Intelligent Design, Religion and Civic Life
3
"The death of American patriotism appears to have been greatly exaggerated," says political scientist Dr. John West, author of the new report How Americans View the American Founding. "Despite a torrent of negativity in recent years about America's Founders, most Americans still revere them." Read More ›
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John G. West
March 3, 2026
Intelligent Design, Religion and Civic Life
6

Endowed by Our Creator

John G. West
March 3, 2026
Intelligent Design, Religion and Civic Life
6
In this timely book, political scientist John G. West explores the original meaning of the Declaration and shows how its propositions drew support from both the Bible and early modern science. He then documents how science was later misused to overturn the Declaration’s teaching on equality, subvert its understanding of liberty, and justify the creation of a technocratic state that regulates us from cradle to grave. Finally, he reveals new scientific discoveries that are pointing us back to the truths expressed in the Declaration — and he explains why it is urgent that our culture recover them. Read More ›
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Image Credit: Generated by John West via Grok.
John G. West
June 19, 2025
Religion and Civic Life
15

Are the Gospels like Hollywood movies that fictionalize history?

John G. West
June 19, 2025
Religion and Civic Life
15
In my book Stockholm Syndrome Christianity, I critically examine the views of evangelical New Testament scholar Michael Licona on the historical accuracy of the gospels. I think some of his proposals are at variance with the historic Christian view of the Bible from the early church until the rise of modernism. Read More ›
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Image Credit: Generated by John West via Grok.
John G. West
May 2, 2025
Religion and Civic Life
12

From Christianity Today to Christianity Astray?

John G. West
May 2, 2025
Religion and Civic Life
12
Co-founded by evangelist Billy Graham, Christianity Today (CT) has long been regarded as the voice of mainstream evangelical Christianity in America. But in recent years, its status as a paragon of evangelicalism has become increasingly suspect. So much so that theologian Bill Roach now dubs the publication “Christianity Astray.” Read More ›