One of our best-known American preachers and theologians was Horace Bushnell (1802-1876). In his early years, Bushnell believed that a child ought to grow up as a “Christian” and he opposed the idea of a personal, spiritual crisis in children. Bushnell also helped select the Berkley site for the University of California campus.

But while a law student at Yale, Bushnell was an unbeliever. During a great spiritual revival…