The history of our nation has often been rewritten, and questions of faith and its role in the American founding are no exception. So what does the historical record actually reveal? What did the founders believe about the relationship between faith and the American republic?

Join us at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh's Culver Family Welcome Center for an event co-sponsored by the Tommy Thompson Center, the UWO Center for Civic and Community Engagement, and the SL Brown Foundation.

Moderated by Gabe Loiacono, Professor of History at UW–Oshkosh, Lumen Fellow in History John Fea will answer questions about the variety of religious faiths among Patriots in the Revolutionary Era, how religious faiths influenced their political decisions, and how they approached the relationships between church and state, both at the national and state levels.

Doors for this third installment of our Questions of Faith Community Lecture Series will open at 6:00 p.m. for a light reception, with the lecture beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event will include both audience Q&A and discussion. Don't miss this critical conversation as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2026.

John Fea is a Visiting Fellow in History for the Lumen Center and Distinguished Professor of American History at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He has written six books, including Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction, one of three finalists for the George Washington Book Prize.

Gabriel Loiacono teaches early American history at UW–Oshkosh. His research focuses on how Americans used the government to help one another before, during, and after the Revolution.