America was founded on biblical principles, but today’s Christians must speak up and stand up for them against a culture that tells them to sit down and shut up, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley tells The Heartlander in an exclusive interview.

Hawley said as much and more in his Convocation Address on Friday to students at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

“America as we know it cannot survive without biblical Christianity,” especially in the face of “spiritual oppression,” he told the arena of students and faculty.

The Heartlander asked what he meant by the term.

“Just look at the forces of secularism in our society,” he said. “I mean, you’ve had this idea, prevalent on the left now for decades, that says if you’re a person of faith, you shouldn’t speak out in public. You need to keep your head down in class. You need to say nothing in the workplace. You shouldn’t be involved or heard from in politics.

“There is nothing that is more out of touch with our history than that kind of an idea.

“Secularism is not America’s religion. America’s religion is the religion of the Founders. It’s the religion of the Bible. It’s our commitment to the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights. It’s our bedrock faith, as Lincoln called it.”

Yet, secular society has long frowned on expressions of Christian faith in the public square.

Hawley says those trying to silence Christian voices are “the same people who say the only thing to live for is just money and yourself. You know, just do as well as you can by yourself. Make as much money as you can, because in the end nothing matters.

“That’s not what we believe as Americans. We’ve never believed that. And I believe the path to national renewal is found in recommitting to our foundational beliefs as a country.”

The start to that renewal, Hawley says, is as simple as speaking up.

“It is. I think that’s a huge part of it.

“I was talking to students at Liberty University and I was urging them to do this. Don’t be silent, don’t be told that you can’t speak. Don’t be told that you have to hide your faith. Don’t be told that you have no place in public life.

“Those things aren’t true. We need people of faith and conviction to stand up and to fight for what this country was founded on. We need people to defend the Declaration, and we need people to defend those foundational tenets that make us Americans.

“They’re under assault now, principally by the left. And we need people who realize that.

“Listen, the most important thing in life is not taking care of yourself and going out and making a gob of money. The most important thing in life is family. It’s neighborhood. It’s church. It’s community. It’s the things conservatives have believed in for years.”

True to form, the left has tried to tar Christian patriotism, involvement in public affairs and outspokenness as “Christian nationalism” – which left-wing media have subtly refashioned into a four-letter word, like Nazi.

Indeed, a 2022 headline at far-left Salon.com blared, “Josh Hawley goes full Christian nationalist at NatCon,” the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C.

What is Christian nationalism, and should people be afraid of it?

“I will just say,” Hawley responds, “if what Christian nationalism means is that we have a country that is founded on Christian principles and that protects the liberty of all, then all of our Founders were Christian nationalists. And so am I, if that’s the essence of it.

“And listen, it’s just a historical fact: This country was founded on the principles of the Bible, Old Testament and New. It was founded on the liberty of the individual – which begins with the right of conscience, the right to worship God as revealed to you, the right to follow God as He calls you in your life.

“This is just foundational to who we are as Americans. It’s why we have liberty. It’s why we limit government. It’s why we protect people of all faiths, so long as they’re peaceful. This is our proud heritage as Americans.

“The left is trying to take it away from us. We just can’t let that happen.”