Are There 42 Bible Verses In The US Constitution?
On September 26, 2022 the Faith Substance and Evidence University posted a video of one of its classes, with a lecture called “America Is A Christian Nation”. The lecturer in this course, a preacher with the Abundant Life Church of Lees Summit, Missouri, told the audience that “There’s forty-two bible verses in the Constitution, and when you look at the Amendments for the Bill of Rights and you read through them it’s almost all right out of the bible.”
In a way, it’s fortunate that this lecture was shared online, because it gives us a look straight into the heart of Christian Nationalism. When we wonder why some Americans believe that the United States is a Christian nation, we don’t have to speculate. We can listen to explanations from Christian Nationalists themselves.
A Test of Christian Nationalist Ideology
The preacher from the Abundant Life Church cites two specific claims that he says prove that the United States was founded as a Christian Nation.
There are 42 Christian bible verses in the Constitution
Almost all of the Bill of Rights is “right out of the bible” - material taken directly from the Christian bible.
These claims offer a straightforward test of whether Christian Nationalism is credible.
So, are these Christian Nationalist claims reliable?
Let’s do a fact check.
There Are Zero Bible Verses In The Constitution
Though the Abundant Life Church preacher claims that there are 42 bible verses in the Constitution of the United States of America, if you actually read the Constitution, you’ll find absolutely no verses from the Christian bible in the text. They just aren’t there.
So where did the Faith Substance and Evidence University get the idea that the Constitution is jam packed with bible verses? For many years, Christian preacher David Barton has made a number of speeches bragging that he can point to many verses from the Christian bible and show that they are exactly the same as selections of text from the US Constitution.
The trick is that David Barton almost never actually follows up this brag by identifying a specific bible verse that matches a specific line from the Constitution. The preacher from the Abundant Life Church copied this trick. In his lecture for the Faith Substance and Evidence University, he merely asserted that there are 42 bible verses in the Constitution. He didn’t actually identify a single one.
As luck would have it, on rare occasion David Barton has identified specific Christian bible verses that he says are present in the Constitution. The trouble is that these texts don’t actually match up. Right Wing Watch does a great of exposing the falsehood of Barton’s claim. One of the more egregious is Barton’s assertion that a line from Article II Section I Clause 5 of the Constitution is actually the same language as Deuteronomy chapter 17 verse 5 from the Christian bible.
Here’s the line from Deuteronomy:
“You shall surely set him king over you, whom the lord your god shall choose. One from among your brethren shall you set king over you. You may not set a stranger over you, who is not your brother.”
And here’s the line from Article II Section I Clause 5 of the Constitution:
“No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President.”
The differences between these texts are obvious. The line from the Christian bible directs the appointment of a king. The line from the Constitution directs the election of a president.
A president is not a king. Every ruler approved of by the Christian bible is a king. In the United States of America, we don’t have kings.
Furthermore, the line from the Christian bible states that kings are to be appointed by a god. That’s not at all what the Constitution says. The Constitution states that the president shall be chosen by electors chosen by state legislatures. Later amendments provide that these electors shall be chosen through democratic elections involving all adult citizens of the United States. There’s no mention of any god having any power anywhere in the Constitution. In fact, the Constitution states that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” This directly contradicts the arrangement from Deuteronomy in the Christian bible.
Of course, the lecture from the Abundant Life Church preacher doesn’t even get this specific in his wrongness. There simply aren’t any bible verses in the Constitution.
The Bill Of Rights Has Zero Biblical Basis
But what about the Bill of Rights? The Abundant Life Church preacher claims that “when you look at the Amendments for the Bill of Rights and you read through them it’s almost all right out of the bible.” Is this true?
Nope. Here’s the text of the Bill of Rights:
Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Wow. This amendment is so very unbiblical. There’s no Congress in the Christian bible. The Christian bible is opposed to freedom of religion, with commands all over the place to follow just one religion or be punished with torture and death. The Christian bible is against free speech, repeatedly establishing laws about forms of speech that will not be allowed. There’s no mention of the right to assemble for all people in the Christian bible, or any right to petition any government.
Amendment II A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
This is going to freak out Christian Nationalist gun nuts, but there is no Christian bible verse that promises the right of people to carry weapons. It just doesn’t exist.
Amendment III No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Is there any biblical right to prevent soldiers from entering into and sleeping in your home? No. The Christian bible has no such thing.
Amendment IV The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Protection from unreasonable search and seizure are not in the Christian bible. Neither is the legal mechanism of a search warrant.
Amendment V No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
There is no concept of a grand jury to be found in the Christian bible. There is no biblical concept of protection from double jeopardy, due process of law, protection of private property, or protection from self-incrimination either.
Amendment VI In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
The Christian bible does not promise a speedy and public trial. In fact, there’s not really a biblical promise of trials at all. There are many places in the Christian bible where it’s proposed that legal judgments should simply be made by people who feel aggrieved and have the power to take action, without any due process at all. There definitely isn’t a right to be represented by a lawyer or the right to confront witnesses in the Christian bible. Habeas corpus is not a biblical phrase.
Amendment VII In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
There are no dollars, no trial by jury, and no United States anywhere in the Christian bible.
Amendment VIII Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Cruel and unusual punishments are not prohibited in the Christian bible. They’re encouraged.
Amendment IX The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
This amendment simply states that there may be other rights other than those specifically mentioned in the Constitution. It says nothing about these rights being from the Christian bible. In fact, the Christian bible basically states that people don’t really have rights. In the Christian bible, the god has all the rights, and people just have to do whatever the god says, even if the god changes his mind or is cruel about it.
Amendment X The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
There is no United States or Constitution in the Christian bible.
I don’t think this could be more clear. Every single amendment in the Bill of Rights is profoundly unbiblical. The rights we gain from these constitutional amendments have absolutely no roots in Christianity. They’re secular innovations.
Real Money For A Fake University
It doesn’t take much time to fact check the Christian Nationalist assertions made during the lecture for the Faith Substance and Evidence University. A 60-second search of the Constitution shows that these claims are obviously false. There is no legitimate basis for believing these ideas.
So, how could any university provide classes with such clearly wrong information?
The Faith Substance and Evidence University is not an accredited university. It doesn’t offer professional degrees that are recognized by anyone other than the people who are associated with the Faith Substance and Evidence University. Nonetheless, the Faith Substance and Evidence University charges people money to attend its lectures. The class that teaches there are 42 bible verses in the Constitution costs $250 to take.
Imagine paying $250 to take a class at a fake university that teaches you information that’s just plain wrong. That’s what Christian Nationalist education looks like.
That’s just one reason we need to resist the Christian Nationalist effort to take over and destroy the democratic government of the United States of America.