When I was on holiday in France last year with my arm in a sling, a few people asked me what had happened. In broken French and with a bit of acting, I managed to explain that I'd had an operation on my shoulder after an old injury sustained during that most stereotypically English activity – playing cricket.
This was usually met with a bemused chuckle by the non-cricket-loving French. It seemed to confirm their suspicions about the English. There are some national stereotypes which are just true. We do love cricket and tea.
As a British person with American friends, I can confirm that we do also apologise about everything, we adore talking about the weather and sadly enough, our teeth mostly aren't pearly white and shiny.
So while we're talking about stereotypes... All Indians are Hindus, all Israelis are Jewish, all Pakistanis are Muslim, and all Americans are Christian, right?
Umm, wrong.
Just like any serious stereotype there is an element of truth in the belief that Americans are Christians, but in reality, it's not a true claim.
Despite this, a Pew survey this week found that, "About a third (32 per cent) of Americans say it is very important for a person to be a Christian in order to be considered truly American." This is fascinating, especially when bearing in mind that across the 13 countries which were surveyed, "a median of just 15 per cent say it is very important to be Christian in order to be a true national."
A third of Americans think it's intrinsic to American identity to be a Christian. In fact, as the Washington Post reported, "Religion was the only question on which Americans were an outlier. On birth, language and customs, America fell in line with other industrialised nations."
What's going on here? Somewhere, buried deep within the self-identity of a large chunk of Americans is the idea that you can't be truly American unless you're a Christian. Given that around seven in 10 Americans identify as Christians, it may not be that surprising on the surface. But America is a secular country. The first amendment to the constitution makes it abundantly clear that there is no barrier to being an American citizen regardless of what religion a person is – or if they have no religion at all.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." It's unequivocal and in fact unsurprising given the religious wars which had ripped Europe apart in the preceding generations. Though some of the founders were orthodox Christians, many were not.
Historian James Hutson says, "John Adams talks about being a liberal Christian and admitted to being a Unitarian. Jefferson certainly was [a Unitarian]. Madison was accused of being a Unitarian. Washington's views were very closely held. He did not take Communion in the Episcopal Church, though he attended regularly and was a vestryman. Franklin would be the closest to being a Deist."
Those who founded the country and wrote its founding document did not seem to believe that to be a Christian was an intrinsic part of being an American. Ever since, the country has proceeded on that basis (though Catholics, Jews, Mormons, Muslims and others have felt various levels of persecution and disenfranchisement over the generations).
To be American means you are likely to identify as a Christian, but there is no religious test for citizenship, and no theoretical bar to being a proud and patriotic American without faith in Jesus.
In recent years some have attempted to undermine this settlement. Foremost among them is David Barton, an evangelical historian whose mission is to show that actually, America is much more inherently Christian than has been claimed.
Barton says he has amassed evidence which, "unequivocally demonstrates that any claim that America was not a Christian nation is an unabashed attempt at historical revisionism". He was a committed supporter of Trump's campaign, lauding his approach in interviews with Christian media.
He claims to be an "expert in historical and constitutional issues" but this has been criticised widely. An NPR programme said, "David Barton is not a historian. He has a bachelor's degree in Christian education from Oral Roberts University."
Even fellow Christians have criticised much of Barton's work. But this isn't really about Barton, it's about what he represents. A false view of American history leads into the view that being Christian is the only way to be truly American.
This is dangerous for civic unity and harmony in America. A pluralist country must acknowledge that all its citizens are equal before the law. As Christians, we will always believe that it is better for people to be Christians. But we have a duty to treat everyone equally regardless of their belief system.
More than that, though, the view that to be American is to be Christian is actually bad for the gospel. If by being American, someone is automatically a Christian, then there's no real need to engage seriously with the teaching of Jesus. Greg Boyd, the Anabaptist theologian and pastor, has written widely on this issue – notably in The Myth Of A Christian Nation. In typically robust fashion he highlights the problem. "For many in America and around the world, the American flag has smothered the glory of the cross, and the ugliness of our American version of Caesar has squelched the radiant love of Christ."
For that reason, it's time to put the final nail in the coffin that American = Christian or that Christian = American.
Follow Andy Walton on Twitter @waltonandy
