Finney and His View of Religion and Government

         After reading about Charles Finney, I did some more research to better see the influence he had on the American culture.   I came across this quote  "No man can possibly be benevolent or religious, to the full extent of his obligations, without concerning himself, to a greater or less extent, with the affairs of human government" (Finney).
         To me, it seems as though this echoes why our government is the way it is -- this country was both founded and shaped by predominantly Christian people, and that's the reason our government has some of the morals that it does. What Finney is trying to say then, is that if we follow "God's Law", that we will also be following the government's law.  Which signals that the government was largely influenced by biblical principles during the second great awakening.  This can somewhat explain why the Christian influence in the government has stayed with our nation so far.