WAS JOHN ADAMS A CHRISTIAN?

      John Adams, our 2nd President, was a son of the Massachusetts Bay. His 3x great-grandfather, Henry Adams, arrived in America in 1632, on the ship, Griffin, with the Rev. Thomas Hooker. Henry was a Puritan... and the Puritans founded the Congregational churches that dominated New England throughout the colonial period. As the name "Puritan" implies, the Puritans sought to "purify" the (Anglican) Church of New England... from the toxic influence of its religious hierarchy, corrupt leaders, and government influence. They wanted to worship God in a simple way- on their own terms- unfettered by Bishops and ornate trappings. Henry worshiped a demanding and wrathful God who loathed "lukewarmnesse" (in Hooker's word). For the Puritans, church membership and citizenship were intertwined and obedience to God's word/state law was vigorously enforced.
      Puritans were not given to compromise or discord because they saw things in "black/white." There were no gray areas in what members believed, nor in their views of proper conduct. There were good things and bad things, proper things and improper things, godly things and demonic things. This is how they saw the world; this is how they judged themselves and one another, and Henry Adams was one of them. So was his son, and his son's son, and his son's son's son... who reared little John Adams in a strict Congregational church, where worship was mandatory twice on Sundays and on Wednesday nights. As it turned out, this is the same worship pattern that we had at the Reformed Church in America church that Sherry and I joined back in the 1970's... and I can attest to the commitment that this sort of a church schedule demands. When the church is your family's life and the Bible is nearly your exclusive source of teaching, your church community becomes your family... and you cling to God's word all the more tightly... as the truth.
      John Adams grew up in this environment and there is no doubt that John Adams was raised as a Congregationalist! However, when he went off to Harvard and began to establish his law career in Boston, he came into contact with educated men (and women) who saw things differently and who were more tolerant of differences between people. Adams would not have struggled against their influence because he adored both education and reason, and in fact, as his world expanded, he was all the more encouraged to turn away from the intolerant God of his youth and to question those aspects of his faith that he did not understand, He never questioned the Puritan work ethic that he inherited, nor his church's commitment to frugality and self-control... but he did begin to question the notion that people were "predestined" to heaven and hell, noting that "every man has in Politicks and religion a right to think, and speak, and act for himself." And he also began to question the "mystery" of the Trinity, which (he suggested) was simply a way of hiding the fact that the doctrine did not make sense. Adams could not accept the theological premise that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost were One God. It didn't pass his love affair with Reason and in this regard, he had the full support of his wife Abigail... who stated that "The Father alone is the true Sovereign God," adding, "There is not any reasoning which can convince me, contrary to my senses, that three is one, and one three." Finally, as a Calvinist myself, I should point out that Adams rejected Calvin's T.U.L.I.P. (Total Depravity, Unmerited Grace, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints), believing instead that there is good in all of us and that God's grace is available to all (and not just to the elect).
      Over time, Adams became enamored with ministers who gave sermons that were "sweetness and light," and who accentuated peoples' ability to "do good." Thus, his dislike for the harsh religion of his fathers... and his inability to embrace Christ as God... led John Adams to become a Unitarian. In some ways, whether Adam's was a Christian or not... boils down to this: are (or were) Unitarians... Christians? ... remembering that Adams was certainly not a Deist... and that Unitarians were under the general umbrella of Christianity in Adams' world.
      Adams was fond of Christ's teachings and he embraced many tenets of his faith, but... as if he was part of the ancient 4th century argument regarding Jesus' divinity, Adams could not accept a Trinitarian God... and as if he was caught up in the ancient theological debate between Pelagius and Augustine, Adams could not embrace the idea that humans are born sinful. He rejected the orthodox views that the winners of both of these ancients arguments promulgated and he became a Unitarian. It is tempting for some of us to weigh in with our opinions at the point. I am sure of that, but before we do let us recap the "evidence" in both directions and take a brief look at a few of John Adams' quotes and oberservations.

Arguments in Favor of Adams Being a Christian

1.  He was not a deist, and described himself as a "churchgoing animal";

2.  He purchased a pew at the Brattle Street Church (whose biggest donor was John Hancock);
3.  Notwithstanding his views on Christ's "oneness" with God, the record showed that Adams held Christ in the highest regard. For instance, on 4/18/1775, when a British soldier ordered Adams and others to disperse in the name of the King of England, Adams replied, "We have no Sovereign but God and no King but Jesus;"
4.  On 3/6/1789, Adams called for a day of fasting and prayer in which we could "call to mind our numerous offenses against the Most High God, confess them before Him with the sincerest penitence, imploring his pardoning mercy, through the Great Mediator and Redeemer, for our past transgression, and that through the peace of the Holy Spirit, we may be disposed to yield more suitable obedience." In my view, these words are more "Christian, even orthodox," than the ones Washington used on a similar occasion.

Arguments Against Adams Being a Christian

1.  He was highly skeptical of church polity and church authority;

2.  He rejected core tenets of Orthodox faith;

3.  He joined the Unitarian Church.
4.  In one of his quotes we find these words, "The question before the human race is, whether the God of nature shall govern the world by his own laws... or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles."

      Quotes and Comments

1. In a letter to Jefferson dated 6/28/1813, Adams wrote, "The general principles on which our fathers achieved Independence were the only principles in which that beautiful assembly of young gentlemen could unite (and they were) the general principles of Christianity." 

2. On 12/25/1813, in another letter to Jefferson, Adams wrote, "I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere and my busy life would allow, and the result is that the Bible is the best book in the world."

3. In a diary entry dated 2/22/1756, Adams wondered, "Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct (in keeping with the Bible). Every member would be obliged in conscience... to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellowmen, and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God. What a Paradise would this region be!"

4. In a letter to his son, dated 6/16/1816, Adams affirmed his tolerance in matters of faith, stating, "Government has no right to hurt a hair on the head of an Atheist for his opinions."
5. In a letter to his friend, John Taylor, Adams noted his distrust and contempt for religious hierarchal structures, noting, "(if) we read all accounts we have of Chaldeans, Persians, Greek, Romans... we shall find that priests had all knowledge and really governed mankind. Examine Mahometanism, trace Christianity from its first promulgation (and you will see that) knowledge has almost exclusively been confined to the clergy, and even since the Reformation, when and where has existed a Protestant or dissenting sect who would tolerate free inquiry?"
6. In a letter to Jefferson, dated 5/19/1821, Adams expressed the anti-Catholicism that was shared by many of their peers, when he asked the question: "Can a free government possibly exist with the Roman Catholic religion?' (Residual ashes of this viewpoint were still visible in the Kennedy-Nixon campaign of 1960)
7. Along with the rest of our early Presidents, Adams believed that religion was essential to a civilized and orderly society. He also agreed that Christianity was a philosophy or peace, acceptance, and understanding. Thus, in a letter to Judge VanderKamp, dated 12/24/1816, he expressed a point of view that he shared with others from time to time, asking "How has it happened that millions of fables, tales, and legends have blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation... that made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?"
8, "Negro slavery is an evil of Colossal magnitude"
9. "This is my religion... joy and exaltation in my existence... so go ahead and snarl... you Calvinist divines and all who say I am no Christian. I say you are not a Christian!" And finally, in his own words...
10 "Conclude not from all of this that I have renounced my Christian religion... far from it. I see in every page something to recommend Christianity in its purity and something to discredit its corruptions... the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount contain my religion."

      Well, you have heard and considered the evidence. Was John Adams, our 2nd President, a Christian or not?

YES... OR... NO