Restoring Liberty, Reversing Decline
Reformed Christianity Is Essential to America’s Economic and Cultural Renewal
Christianity is often given credit—even by secular thinkers—for the expansion of liberty and prosperity in the world. For instance, libertarian economist Murray Rothbard—an agnostic Jew, noted: “One of the key things which Christianity brought to the world, I believe more than any other religion, was individualism, the supreme importance of the individual.”
While Rothbard correctly observed that Christianity laid essential groundwork for individual liberty, he and many others—including some Christians—miss the fact that it was the Reformed Christianity of John Calvin and his heirs that has led to the greatest advancement of liberty and prosperity throughout the modern world. In many ways, the United States stands as the greatest example of this.
Yet America’s economic and cultural foundations are foundering as we continue our descent into secularism in the 21st-century. This suggests that Reformed Christianity—Calvinism—is also essential to sustaining and advancing the blessings of liberty and prosperity. We can only live on borrowed capital for so long.
The Christian view of liberty begins with the idea that individuals are obligated to worship and obey God as their Creator. Calvinists would add to this that without God’s work of renewal in us, we are unable—because we are wholly unwilling—to do this. John Calvin explains this in The Bondage and Liberation of the Will: “The human will is of itself evil and therefore needs transformation and renewal so that it may begin to be good.” Thus, the Protestant understanding of liberty might be described as the gift of being able to freely worship and obey God in accordance with His Word, which includes faithfully honoring our obligations to Him and our neighbors through the exercise of our corresponding God-given rights.
The emerging secular view of liberty looks very different. One example comes from the libertarian Cato Institute’s Freedom in the Fifty States. Texas ranks 17th in freedom among the states, but only made it this high because it was “rescued largely by its sixth-place economic freedom score.” Texas was in need of rescue because “[p]ersonal freedom is abysmally low in Texas.” This is the case, says Cato, because its “Cannabis laws are not only harsh; they are the worst in the country.” Texas also ranks 39th on gambling freedom, with “little legal gambling; sports betting remains illegal.” Texas also scores low on marriage freedom (44) because it is less friendly to same-sex partnerships. Thus, Cato—like most secularists—reduces liberty to the freedom to do whatever one pleases, limited only by a prohibition on violating the liberty of others. God is excluded entirely. This is not liberty, but license, the results of which can be observed all around us.
Despite its secular perspective, Cato’s sixth-place economic ranking of Texas does point toward the strong correlation between the Protestant understanding of liberty and prosperity. We see this connection, for instance, in the Deuteronomic blessings of obedience to God. Gary North further explains:
Consider this petition in the Lord’s prayer: “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). If economic growth were not a blessing, God would not ask us to pray this prayer. Hunger is a curse. Therefore, we are to pray for its reduction. Increased economic growth is therefore a legitimate goal for every Christian. It takes capital to build the kingdom of God. (Christian Economics Scholars Edition, Vol. I, 67)
Economic freedom is both the means and the result of fulfilling our obligation to exercise dominion over this world. This generally results in greater prosperity, though it is not the automatic promise of wealth contained in the Prosperity Gospel. Rather, it is a general outworking of faithful kingdom building that is more prevalent in Protestant-influenced nations.
This tangible result can be observed—and to some extent measured. Empirical data that can help us make these connections is found in the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom and the International Monetary Fund’s per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
If we look at modern nations with these data, categorized by their historical Christian influences circa 1820, it reveals a clear pattern: nations with greater Calvinist influences exhibit higher levels of economic prosperity and liberty (particularly economic) compared to those that were influenced primarily by the Catholic or Orthodox churches. And all nations influenced by Christianity do much better than those which lacked a significant Christian influence.
| Economic Freedom and GDP Averages by 1820 Influences | |||
| Influence Category | Avg. Heritage Score | Avg. Per Capita GDP | Countries |
| Protestant/Calvinist | 70.2 | $42,565 | 30 |
| Orthodox | 63.2 | $17,279 | 12 |
| Roman Catholic | 59.4 | $18,586 | 54 |
| Non-Christian | 57.5 | $11,301 | 76 |
Consider economic prosperity measured by GDP per capita from the IMF’s 2025 projections, as shown in the table. Protestant/Calvinist-influenced countries—encompassing settler colonies like the United States, Australia, and Singapore, as well as European heartlands like England, Switzerland, and the Netherlands—average around $44,250. This more than doubles other Christian-influenced areas: Roman Catholic nations, such as those in Latin America and in parts of Europe like Spain and France, average $18,586, and Orthodox regions, including Russia and Greece, average $17,279 (Catholic nations outpace Orthodox nations solely on the back of Ireland’s per capita GDP of $129,132, which has had significant Protestant influences). Non-Christian nations like China and much of the Middle East trail far behind at $11,301.
The higher GDPs in Protestant spheres may well reflect the Calvinist work ethic, rooted in Genesis 1:26-28, which views labor not as grim toil but as joyful obedience to God and stewardship leading to abundance. As Gary North explains (52 ff), God’s command to subdue the earth demands the Deuteronomic blessings of capital accumulation, innovation, and prosperity (Deuteronomy 28:4-5). This was a dynamic that fueled the Calvinist-influenced commercial empires of England and the Dutch Republic, which spread it across the globe.
Economic liberty, as quantified by the Heritage Foundation’s 2025 Index, tells a similar story. The Index scores nations on rule of law, regulatory efficiency, and market openness. Protestant-influenced countries average 70.1, with standouts like Singapore, New Zealand, and Switzerland (sadly, America’s once-stellar Heritage Index ranking of 5th in 2006–07 has fallen to 22nd). Orthodox nations at 63.2 show moderate liberty but with authoritarian leanings tied to caesaropapism. Roman Catholic areas score lower at 59.0, often hampered by historically extractive models in colonies like those of Spain and Portugal. And non-Christian regions lag at 57.5, frequently marked by state control. These scores hearken back to Rothbard’s comments about the value Christian’s place on the individual, along with how Christians treasure their liberty to worship and obey God.
While it is possible that differences in geography, natural resources, climate, or events after independence could explain some of these findings, they align with a significant body of academic research, including Rodney Stark’s in The Victory of Reason. He credits Christianity’s rational theology for capitalism’s rise, and notes how medieval Roman Catholic innovations were carried forward through democratic reforms in Protestant countries.
Critics who see profit and inequality of wealth as exploitation or who are wary of consumerism all push back against capital accumulation and economic growth—sometimes joined by Christians who mistakenly use biblical warnings to the rich as rationale for rejecting wealth and markets. These, however, are not inherent in capitalism. Instead, they are either part of God’s design for the world or the result of man’s fallen nature and are present in all societies and economic systems, becoming problematic particularly where the Christian understanding of liberty is rejected.
Fortunately, Reformed Christianity is making a comeback in the U.S. and is bringing with it a renewed emphasis on “mak[ing] disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and “declaring … the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) in the public square. Many unbelievers and far too many Christians often vilify this effort using the pejorative Christian Nationalism—and others far worse. The good news, though, is that as God’s word “goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but sit shall accomplish that which I purpose (Isaiah 55:11).” As faithful Christians bring the worship of God and His word to the challenges our culture is facing, we shall see His purposes accomplished in history. Which includes Christ’s Kingdom on earth becoming more obedient, fruitful, and prosperous—just as it is in Heaven.