Everyone always quotes Chesterton on America’s being “a nation with the soul of a church.” Anyone here have the cite and context? The quote is usually used to mean that this is a very religious country, and sometimes to show that we are a nation founded on ideas and that this type of founding gives our character a moralistic, crusading streak. The second interpretation makes a bit more sense of the language, if you ask me, but the first one could be right–and of course there could be a third one that’s better.