LEWISBURG - John Fea, associate professor of American history and chair of the history department at Messiah College, will give the talk, "Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?" at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 in the Forum of the Elaine Langone Center at Bucknell University.
"In his lecture, Fea will explore the relationship between religion and the American founding, based on his most recent book of the same name," said Brantley Gasaway, assistant professor of religion at Bucknell.
"He also will discuss historical and contemporary political debates surrounding the idea of America as a Christian nation. We are honored to have him visit the university," he said.
The talk, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Bucknell departments of religion, history, and political science, the Dean's Office of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the University Lectureship Committee.
"Was America Founded as a Christian Nation: A Historical Introduction" was selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title, Religion Book of the Year (Gold Medalist) by the Association of Independent Publishers, and was one of three finalists for the prestigious George Washington Book Prize, one of the largest literary prizes in the United States.
Fea is the author or editor of two other books: "Confessing History: Explorations in Christian Faith and the Historian's Vocation" and "The Way of Improvement Leads Home: Philip Vickers Fithian and the Rural Enlightenment in Early America. His book The Power to Transform." "Reflections on the Study of the Past," will appear in 2013 with Baker Academic.
