European soccer fans raving about their American experience have filled social media during this World Cup.

As we celebrate our 250th Independence Day, it’s a shot in Uncle Sam’s arm to be reminded that so many from around the globe still fall in love with our nation.

While this reveals the snippets of America’s popularity—from the sandwich at Chick-fil-A to the bakery at Buc-ee's—the origins of our greatness lie elsewhere.

America’s success took root centuries before Facebook as pilgrims, pioneers, and settlers—motivated by a strong Christian faith—crossed waters and climbed mountains to lay the foundations of what we see today.

About 60 years after our founding, Alexis de Tocqueville published his "Democracy in America" to explain the underlying cultural causes of the vibrancy of the modern world’s first large republic.

He famously wrote about the role Christian faith played in early America that “while it does not directly involve itself in government, it facilitates the use of political freedom by providing a moral compass that restrains citizens from acting in a rash, unjust, or tyrannical manner.”

This faith produced a people where early observers universally recognized our sound morals. It was modeled and replicated in American marriage.

Tocqueville saw American marriage as being healthier and happier than its expression in Europe, where it was more often based on financial interest,........

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