Was the American Revolution Sinful?

Were the Founding Fathers in sin when they rebelled against King George? Or was there a theological foundation for their acts?

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NOTE: Yesterday was America’s 250th birthday. On the 4th, I gave you “The Christian Worldview of ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, which I consider one of my most foundational essays. Take a few minutes to read that, and then today’s important piece regarding the moral legitimacy of the American Revolution itself. — RDM

The Christian Worldview of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”

by Rod D. Martin
July 8, 2014

There is a recurring, albeit ill-informed, question in Christian circles regarding Romans 13 (which counsels dutiful subordination to legally established authorities) and the American Revolution: were the Founding Fathers in sin when they rebelled against King George? My beloved son (a Harvard, Yale and Mayo Clinic doctor who daily does heart and lung transplants but not a lot of historiography) recently asked me for some references he could read to help answer this question, as raised by some of his friends at church. This is my response.

Archer,

I am not …