Wallbuilders Live! With David Barton & Rick Green

British generals feared their sermons, and John Adams credited them by name. We open the door to a forgotten story: how American pastors shaped the ideas that fueled independence, guided legislators, and ultimately informed the First Amendment’s protections—then connect that legacy to the questions pastors and voters face today.We walk through the tangible links from pulpit to policy: reprinted sermons that taught equality under God, consent of the governed, and taxation limits long before 1776; clergy who counseled governors, served in congresses, and even held the Speaker’s gavel. From there, we cut through modern confusion about “separation of church and state,” clarifying that the First Amendment restrains Congress, not churches, and was never meant to secularize society. Along the way, we explore why early state bans on clergy in office were short-lived, how Jefferson and Witherspoon defended ministers’ civil rights, and why free exercise means robust moral teaching in public life.Grounding the conversat