Tonight at the Fraunces Tavern Museum

On December 4, 1783, George Washington came to Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan and gave a farewell speech to his fellow Continental Army officers.  The tavern also served as home to the department of Foreign Affairs, Treasury, and War.

Tonight I took New Jersey Transit (the Mid-Town Direct line) into the city and headed down to the tavern for a lecture on my book Was America Founded as a Christian Nation: A Historical Introduction.  I was pleased to see that there was a full house. The last time I spoke at the tavern, only two or three people showed up for a talk on The Way of Improvement Leads Home.  When I saw the chairs starting to fill I breathed a sigh of relief.

As far as the question of whether or not America was founded as a Christian nation, the crowd (at least the people who asked questions or talked with me after the lecture) were inclined to answer it with a resounding “no.”  (Such a response was expected in Manhattan).  There were, however, a few people who were not so sure, including one woman who wanted me to take off my “historian’s hat” and tell me what my personal convictions were on the subject.  Another person wanted to know what my religious background was, where I went to school, and what kind of school Messiah College was because this would help him to better understand my bias. 

I also met a guy (one of the two or three people who had come to my previous lecture a few years ago) who claimed to have had attended 6000 lectures at Fraunces Tavern.  When I said that he must have attended a lecture every day of his adult life, he did not answer.  Nevertheless, he said that I did a good job–high praise from a guy who has been to 6000 historical lectures!

Overall it was a fun night with a very stimulating audience.  Thanks to Jennifer Patton at the Fraunces Tavern Museum for inviting me and hosting me tonight!