Roger Williams and Government
In 1644, Roger Williams published his infamous work, The Bloudy Tenant. In this controversial work, Williams outlined the relationship between civil authority and religious authority. Believing that the concept of a Christian nation was a blasphemy, he demanded that the two should be kept entirely separate, and, “…that the Sovereign, original, and foundation of civil power lies in the people…”
Sound Familiar? The Declaration of Independence, written 132 years later, states, “…Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…” and the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution begins, “We the People…”
