The Reformation can be understood, in part, as the substitution of Biblical authority for that of the Pope and his priests. The Protestants formed in the spiritual revolution of the sixteenth century accepted that salvation depended on faith alone, reconceiving of good works as a by-product of faith rather than as a means of salvation. Within a societal context, therefore, morality, or the invocation to do good, became both a duty owed to God and an obligation to one's neighbors. Moreover, faith and the morality it engendered could be expected of everyone, even if God limited salvation to a few. Protestant doctrines asserted that Christian duties exist for all people and, as they express one's relationship to God, render all people equal in God's eyes. That equality, however, while undermining the privileged position of priests as mediators between God and humanity, caused no diminution in political authorities and social hierarchies. The Bible, in fact, seemed to endorse them in Romans 13: 1–7: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist must have been instituted by God.”

In Europe, the Lutheran conception of magistrates as fathers of their communities contributed to the shift in authority and wealth from the church to the state and led to the state establishing churches, schools, and social welfare institutions. Lutheranism accepted the Bible as a guide to building an earthly kingdom but tempered reliance on it by making both Christian morality and human reason equally important considerations in governing. Calvinism, which exerted tremendous influence in the English-American colonies in the 1600s, conversely considered it the duty of people to transform earth into an approximation of heaven, with the Bible serving as the expression of God's desires for human community. Therefore, throughout much of Europe, churches served in support of the secular authorities, while in America during the same time period, civil governments worked to support the churches. Calvinism distinguished, yet integrated, civil and religious lives. Throughout the colonies, public and private realms were indistinguishable, and in fact, the terms had little, if any, legal significance.