Joining a church seemed like a homecoming. My political philosophy changed along with my theology. I began to see family and business as God-given aids in the pursuit of true happiness. I became a partisan of governmental decentralization, since the doctrine of original sin suggests that those who gain godlike power act like the devil. Because people are prone to sin, it is vital to create a social environment that does not foster depravity.
American history is a story of striving for liberty and virtue.
God can change people, no matter how self-centered, as he changed me. Transforming people one by one, not passing legislation or writing checks leads to social transformation. We must serve one another directly, following Christ s example. As I began to write form a nascent biblical worldview, my academic reputation began to fall. I received a Ph.D. in 1976 only through the support of the one conservative in the Michigan history department, Stephen Tonsor.