policy and drug availability. the vice president of the national education association, becky pringle on the recent school shooting and presidents trump -- president trump's proposal to arm teachers. be sure to watch the washington journal live at 7. joined the discussion. next, a conversation about benjamin franklin's faith. baylor university professor, trenton one argued franklin's writings undermined his confidence in christianity but did not erase the influence of his devout. nist calvinist upbringing. this event was part of a symposium hosted by the museum of the bible in washington dc. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to the museum of the bible. i am dr. kidd, the director of

the museum. we are delighted you joined us which is the bible and america's founders. it has three sessions and followed by a roundtable discussion later this afternoon. following the discussion, we will have a book signing with our speakers. at museum of the bible, our mission is to engage people with the bible. the bible has made a powerful impact on world history and culture. it has influenced nations, laws, and political structures. it has guided debates and shaped pivotal events and inspired views of prominent individuals both past and present. the bible is hidden in plain sight in everyday life from common expressions we all use to the music, arts, and literature. today we explore a theme that expands on how the american colonies, as they moved toward

revolution and the founding of our nation, our founders turned to the bible as a source of inspiration and justification for their political actions. we have three prominent scholars with us today. dr. kidd, dr. byrd, and dr. dreisbach talk to us about the bible and generations. the first session is the enigma with benjamin franklin with thomas. at the 1777 delegation, dr. kidd will explore the distinction between his faith and his skepticism and the enduring influence of his puritan upbringing and his familiarity with the bible. he is a distinguished professor at baylor university and the associate director for the study of religion.

he is the author, benjamin franklin, the religious life of a founding father. please join me in welcoming dr. kidd. [ applause ] >> thank you for hosting this wonderful event. it's a pleasure to be here at the museum. i hope to consult with the section on the bible in america. it's a wonderful thing to be here and see this lovely facility. thank you for having us and thank you to those of you joining us online or tv. it is great to be here. i want to talk to you today about the enigma of ben franklin's faith. i would like to open with the story that happened at the constitutional convention. in 1787, at the constitutional convention, time dragged as delegates bickered about

representation in congress. virginia's james madison insisted states with more people should possess more power. the small states knew that under the articles of confederation, americas existing national government, all states had equal authority, regardless of population. why should the small states give up that power under a new constitution? the convention might have failed at this point, it really could have. if it had, the country would have continued to struggle under the inefficient articles of government. the new american nation might have disintegrated. at this critical moment, the octogenarian, ben franklin took the floor. he called for unity and asked delegates to open sessions with prayer.

essay were groping in the dark to find political truth, he queried how does that happen we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the father of light to illuminate our understandings? as they continue to ignore god, he said our projects will be confounded and we ourselves shall become a reproach down to future ages. this man who called himself a deist now insisted that delegates should ask god for wisdom. this was strange because classic deists did not believe god intervene in human affairs. even more strange, he was one of the few delegates that thought that opening with prayer was a good idea. his mission was tabled. what kind of deist was this

elderly man calling on america's greatest political minds to humble themselves before god? franklin's work at the constitutional convention was the culmination of his spectacular career. he and george washington who was 26 years his junior, they were not the architects of the constitution. that role felted james madison and alexander hamilton and others. they were the two most famous americans in 1787 and delegates looked on franklin with respect and awe. there seems little doubt that washington, the imposing virginia general would become president of the convention. if there was any competitive for chair, it was the venerable franklin. the heavens obey him one georgia delegate noted. he planted nominate washington himself if the storm had not

kept him home from the opening day of the meeting. the sons of the boston puritans came a long way to get to the meeting hall. in spring of 1787, he exchanged letters with his beloved sister, jane mecom who was an evangelical christian and the sibling who maintained the longest correspondence with him and the deepest influence on franklin. they reminisced about their humble beginnings as the children of a candle maker. she had remained a person of humble means and relative anonymity while her brothers fame skyrocketed. been told her that the course of his life filled him with wonder and humble thankfulness to that divine being who is graciously conducted my steps and allowed me to prosper in this strange land to a degree i could not have rationally

expected and can by no means have merited. i begged the continuance of his favor. chronic sickness made it difficult for him to stand and speak at the convention but he did offer occasional comments, seeking to steer the delegates to a successful conclusion. early on, he made a substitute in speech arguing against paying a salary to the president. or to other members of the executive branch. he based this argument on his dim view of human nature and of politicians temptations to personal aggrandizement. there are two passions that have a powerful influence in the powers of men he declared, these are ambition and avarice. the love of power and money. placed before the eyes of such men at posts of honor is a

place of profit and they will move heaven and earth to obtain it. such corruption had ruined british politics and he wished better for america's government. siding exodus, he reminded delegates best rulers were men hating covetousness. if you turn politics into an avenue of personal gain, only the most bold and violent men would want to enter. delegates dismissed it as utopian. he cited examples of offices in which people served for little or no money. the arbiters of quaker meetings her disputes that would have otherwise gone to secular courts. these duties were tedious yet quaker leaders performed them for no compensation. he pointed to the virtuous washington, who took no salary

as the general of the continental army. to be fair, he did submit expenses. the convention declined to adopt franklin's proposal. franklin was participating in a bigger conversation but ran through the constitutional debate. what kind of government could best account for the dangers inherent in human nature? although americans disagree on the answer, they did not dispute the premise. men were not angels as medicine had written in federalist 51. they could not be trusted with unchecked power. franklin joined a more controversial debate at a convention with his proposal for prayer on june 28, 1787. he had lived a long time he reminded delegates. he had become ever more certain that god oversaw human affairs. franklin was convinced that

providence had shepherded americans through the revolutionary crisis. it was foolish not to call on god again. he reminded them of the early days of the war when the patriots prayed often in that same room for god's help. at its best, faith allowed public spiritedness and not selfishness. god led them to the point they cannot find the best possible government. have we now forgotten that powerful friend, he asked? siding psalm 127, franklin said except the lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. furthermore, he declared, i firmly believe this. i also believe without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of

babel. they confounded their work and turn their proceedings into a farce. this was the most remarkable religious episode of ben franklin fleiss. it was stunning. -- ben franklin fleiss. it was stunning. franklin, as i suggested before, was nearly alone among the delegates in wishing to bring prayer to the proceedings. connecticut's, roger sherman, one of the most devout christians seconded his motion. virginia's, edmund randolph proposed they hire a pastor to preach on independence day less than a week later. that minister could open subsequent meetings with prayer. beyond these three men, delegates seem uninterested in

arranging for prayers. someone pointed out they had not budgeted funds for a chaplain. alexander hamilton worried calling in a pastor would signal the convention is becoming desperate. he reportedly questioned the propriety of calling in foreign aid. the motion fizzled. franklin was exasperated. he jotted a note at the bottom of his prayer speech, the convention accepted three or four persons thought prayer unnecessary. while frankland and the convention moved on. his prayer speech reminded delegates for the need for compromise even if it prompted no formal recourse to god. in an address two days after proposing prayer, franklin explained the root of the tension between the large and small states. if representation was according to population, the small states

liberties will be in danger. if equality of votes put in its place, large estates their money is in danger. both sides would have to give up demands to ensure a successful outcome. drawing on earlier discussions regarding a two house legislature, franklin suggested the convention create a house of representatives with proportional representation and a senate with equal representation between the states. this became the great compromise. it is arguably the key settlement of the whole convention. in his final speech before the convention, franklin warned against dogmatism which might derail the constitution. he saw the perfectionist and moralistic in politics.

most men in sex of religion think themselves in possession of all truths. it is so far error. delegates should be willing to support the constitution even if they do not regard it as perfect. no better frame of government would emerge from additional meetings. franklin was not sure it was not the best they could do as it currently stood. the framers enemies were longing to hear that their councils had been confounded "like those at the builders of babel". he returns repeatedly to the story of babel and the genesis. the convention needed to present a unified front as the constitution went out for ratification. multiple forms of government could work well when administered by virtuous people anywhere. according to a repeated story,

when someone asked franklin after the convention whether they had created a monarchy or a republic, he replied a republic if you can keep it. to return to the central question of franklin and faith, who was this franklin of philadelphia and what did he believe? in our eyes, the man seems a genius and mischievous and enigmatic. his journalistic, scientific, and political achievements are clear. what of ben franklin's religion ? was franklin defined by his useful embrace of deism? and his longtime friendship with george whitfield who was the most influential evangelist of the 18th century. has worked with thomas jefferson

on the declaration of independence and the implications of the creator and nature and god. or his solitary insistence on prayer at the convention. when you add franklin's propensity for joking about serious matters, he becomes more difficult to understand. regarding his chameleonlike religion, john adams once remarked that "the catholics thought him almost a catholic". the church of england almost claimed him as one of them. the presbytery of thought of him as half presbyterian and their friends believed him a what quaker which means a quaker that is not so well behaved. the key to understanding franklin's ambivalent faith is that contrast between the skepticism of his adult life and the indelible imprint of his childhood puritanism.

the intense piety and faith of his parents acted as a tether, restraining franklin skepticism. as a teenager, he abandoned his parents certain beliefs. that same traditional faith kept him from getting too far away. he would stretches moral and doctrinal tether to the breaking point. by the end of the youth will sojourn, he went to london, after returning to philadelphia in 1726, he resolved to conform more closely to his parents ethical codes. he steered away from extreme deism. could he crafted christianity centered on virtue rather than traditional doctrine and avoid

alienating his parents at the same time? more importantly, could he convince evangelical figures in his life, most importantly his sister, jane mecom and the revivalist, george whitfield that all was well with his soul ? he would have more success in time convincing his sister rather than george whitfield. when he ran away from boston as a teenager, he ran to philadelphia, he also ran away from boston's calvinism. many factors, his puritan tether, the pressure of relationships with christian friends and family, disappointments with his own integrity, repeated illnesses, and the growing weight of political responsibility kept him from going too deep into the dark woods of radical skepticism.

franklin explored a number of religious opinions. even at the end of his life, as we will see, he remained nantes -- noncommittal about points of belief. this elusiveness has made franklin susceptible to many religious interpretations. some devout christians, beginning with the celebrated 19th century biographer, parson mason weems have found ways to mold franklin into a faithful believer. he believed franklin's extraordinary benevolence and useful life were imbibed even unconsciously from the gospel. there's something to this notion of christianity's unconscious effect on franklin. weems had to employ indirection here because of franklin's repeated insistence that he

doubted key points of christian doctrine. other christian writers could not overlook those skeptical statements. the english baptist minister, john foster wrote in 1818 that love of the useful was the cornerstone of franklin spot and that franklin " substantially rejected christianity". one of the most influential interpretations of franklin's religion appeared in max weber's classic study, the protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism, 1905. faber was a near perfect example of how protestantism drained of its doctrinal particularities fostered modern capitalism. franklins, the way to wealth, 1758 which distilled his best thoughts on frugality and industry illustrated the spirit

of capitalism in near classical purity and simultaneously offers the advantage of being detached from all direct connection to religious belief. for faber, his belief was not a matter of believing in god, virtue was useful and profitable. franklin admonished by his quotes of the strict calvinist father and religious calling presented moneymaking and success as products of competence and proficiency in a vocation. sabres franklin grew up in an intense calvinist setting and redirected that zeal for britcher is labor in a profession, namely printing. there's a lot to recommend in faber's portrait. as an adult, franklin touted ethical responsibility, industriousness, and benevolence

even as he jettisoned christian orthodoxy. many recent scholars have taken franklin at his word by describing him as a deist. he calls himself a deist in his autobiographies and that is a decent place to start. other scholars have called them everything from eight "stone cold atheist" which is ridiculous to a man who believed in "act of god, the israelites, and the prophets". that is what another prophet -- scholar says. there's this continuum between atheism and christian devotion. other than indicating skepticism about traditional christian doctrine, deism could mean many things in 18th century europe and america. the beliefs of different deists did not always think -- sync

up. some say they believe in the bible as originally written. other deists doubted the bible's reliability. some deists believed god remained in life on earth. others solve god as the cosmic watchmaker. he is winding up the world and letting it run on its own and going off somewhere else. deism meant different things to franklin over the course of his long life. he did not always explain the experience meanings. i'm not opposed to calling franklin a deist. i do so in my book. deist does not quite capture the texture or trajectory of franklin's beliefs. i gratefully draw from aspects of faber's analysis and other commentators on franklin's religion in my analysis of him. adding to the themes of

franklin's skepticism and ambivalence, my book shows how much franklin's personal experiences shaped his religious beliefs, his personal experiences shaped his religious beliefs. like abraham lincoln, i think there's an important comparison made here to lincoln. franklin's early exposure to skeptical writings undermine his confidence in christianity. books alone could not erase franklin's childhood immersion and puritan piety. his ongoing relationships with evangelical christians made it difficult for him to jettison the vocabulary and precepts of traditional faith altogether. although his view of providence vacillated, the weight of the american revolution fostered a new belief that history had a

divine purpose. franklin and lincoln, both self educated sons of calvinist parents. both of whom had much of the bible committed to memory. they gravitated toward a revitalized sense of god's role over history as more and constitutional crises wracked america in the 1770s, and for lincoln in the 1860s. these men's beliefs could escape the influence of their daily relationships and stressful experiences. it is difficult to overstate just how deep and important the bible itself made itself on lincoln's or franklin's minds.

or his ways of thinking or writing. you all know many devout christians today are basically unfamiliar with large sections of the bible, especially old testament. they don't know much about current theological debate. franklin knew the bible backward and forward. it framed the way he spoke and thought. biblical phrases he had learned going to church over and over, long to our sermons sometimes in puritan churches multiple times a week. multiple pull biblical phrases are everywhere else is biblical phrases are everywhere in his writings. even though he had doubt, the kings james bible colored his ideas about morality, human nature, and the purpose of life.

it served as his most common source of beliefs and anecdotes. it's everywhere. he even enjoyed praying on friends ignorance of scripture to play jokes on them. he would show them a passage, don't you remember this from the book of genesis? they would say yeah right. he knew it was not the book of genesis. he got upset when one of these things got published because then everybody knew about the joke and he could not play it anymore. franklin once explained the bible saturated environment in which he grew up in a letter to the reverend samuel cooper in boston. he was arranging for the publication for one of cooper's sermons in europe. cooper needed to annotate the sermon with biblical references. this is what he said, "it was not necessary in new england where everybody reads the bible and is acquainted with scripture phrases that you

should note the text from which you took them" he told cooper. i have observed in england and france that verses and expressions taken from the sacred writings and not known to be such, in other words, you don't get the chapter and verse, appear strange and awkward to some readers. i shall therefore, in my addition, take the liberty of marking the quoted text in the margin. franklin did not need cooper to insert the bible references because franklin knew them by heart. as a child of the puritans, franklin immediately recognized bible phrases when he read them. he even knew obscure sections of the text. the shadow of scripture loomed over his long life. franklin was a pioneer of it

distinct kind of american religion. i'm tempted to call it an early form of what robert bell called sheila is him which is the individual religion described in his book, habits of the book, 1985. if you have not heard of this, the individual conscience is the standard for religious truth, not external authority. i think franklin's protigi, tom payne is an example of sheila is him. his book of reason, my own mind is my own church. i think franklin was to tethered to christian ethics to be a forerunner of what was called sheila is in. franklin was a pioneer of a related kind of faith. that is what i call doctrinal

list moralized christianity. some debate if this is christianity at all. you all can think about this yourselves. franklin was an experimenter at heart. he tapered with a novel form of christianity. it was where all beliefs became nonessential. they focus too much on doctrine and he wearied philadelphia's presbyterians zeal for heterodox and their lack of interest in the mandates of love and charity. for franklin, christianity remained a resource for virtue but he had no exclusive attachment to christianity as a religious system or as a source of salvation.

in his estimation, we cannot know whether doctrines like god's utilitarian nature archery. we know franklin said christians and the devout are call to benevolence and service. doctoral strife is not only futile but it undermines the mandate of virtue. we know that god calls us all to do good. if you had not noticed, doctrinal list christianity and religion is utterly pervasive in america today. we see it most commonly in media figures of self-help, spirituality, and success. such as oprah winfrey. houston mega church, joel o'steen and the late stephen covey, author of seven habits of effective people in 1999,

although they differ on specifics, they had countless followers. god will help you live that kind of life, but your faith should be empowering and tolerant rather than fractious and nitpicking. that's what they say. sociologist at notre dame says these characteristically american beliefs amounts to what he calls moralistic therapeutic deism. many of its most prominent exponents such as joel osteen live out their faith in particular congregations and traditions. even oprah winfrey has testified that, quote, i am a christian,

that is my faith. however, she says, i'm not asking you to be a christian. if you want to be one, i can show you how, but it is not required. doctrineless christians believe that people may need to believe in doctrines or personal understanding of god can help us. we may need particular beliefs to enable our best life now, joel osteen's phrase. but ultimately the focus of doctrineless christianity is a life of good works, resiliency and generosity now. faith helps us to embody discipline, denerve lebe nerve success in this live. that's what good wants for us. well, today it's easy to dismiss this sort of pot faith because it's so often peddled by wealthy media