Americans must rediscover and reimplement the principles on which their nation was founded.

Now available: Principles of Liberty: Ten Biblical Truths Embedded in the Declaration of Independence — A Five-Session Bible Study Series

In the Word Foundations article titled “Principles of Liberty,” I highlight from the Declaration of Independence ten principles (printable list here) that are deeply rooted in Scripture. They are as follows:

1. 1. God exists, has established an ordered and moral universe, and holds humanity accountable.
  2. Absolute truths exist and are knowable.
  3. God and His laws establish the track on which men and nations must travel to attain happiness, fulfillment, and greatness; and to reach their God-given potential.
  4. God has created human beings equal in value, and He intends for them to be treated with dignity and respect.
  5. Rights are inherent and God-given and are rooted in God’s having created members of the human race in His own image.
  6. Equality as used by Jefferson and the rest of the Founders refers to equality of worth and affirmation of natural opportunities, not to equality of outcomes achieved by government manipulation of outcomes, opportunities, or both.
  7. Rights are inextricably linked to God’s laws.
  8. Government does not grant rights but has the responsibility to recognize, maintain, and protect them.
  9. Government has limited authority.
  10. When government oversteps its authority and begins to achieve ends contrary to those it was established and designed by God to accomplish, the people have a right and even a duty to hold it accountable.

John Trumbull / Declaration of Independence / left to right: Adams, Sherman, Livingston, Jefferson, and Franklin

Principles of Liberty: Ten Biblical Truths Embedded in the Declaration of Independence is a five-session Bible study series I’ve prepared that examines these principles (two per session) and uncovers the true meanings of the words and phrases most commonly quoted from the Declaration of Independence. The series demonstrates how far America has departed from the Founders’ ideals, even though people often use the same words and phrases the Founding Fathers used. It also encourages a return to those ideals today. Further, it destroys some of the misconceptions commonly held today about the Founders, such as the myths that they were racists and “greedy capitalists.”

I am making this material available for use by interested parties and, at least in the short-term, do not plan to charge anyone for using it. While I have tailored the series for group study, an individual easily could use it by himself or herself and learn a great deal in the process. The series will be well suited for use with high-schoolers, and beyond that, adults of all ages.

While the weeks leading up to Independence Day are ideal for studying this material, the series will benefit users whenever they wish to use it.

Thank you for your consideration and for taking an interest in this project.

Yours for helping Americans everywhere rediscover and reimplement the Founding principles of this nation,

B. Nathaniel Sullivan

Pertinent Links

- - You can access the Bible study series itself here.
  - Here is the article on which the curriculum series is based.
  - Here is the series of which that article is a part.
  - Here is the Word Foundations blogpost that introduced the curriculum in 2020. Here and here are Word Foundations blogposts from 2021 and 2022, respectively, highlighting the curriculum.

image credit: Independence Hall