The greatest Freedom ever extended to mankind is the freedom we have from the completed work of Jesus Christ. God gives those who believe in Jesus eternal life, which is freedom from death!
On Tuesday, July 4th, we celebrate the 247th anniversary of the United States of America. We are living in some very troubled times. Having had the opportunity to travel to many other countries, I believe it is a great blessing to live in this country with all the freedoms that we have. Will the USA weather the ungodly storms we face today? Many Christians pray that we can continue to keep the freedoms our US Constitution affords us.
The following is a repost from last year.
In July of 1776 the American colonies declared their independence. In the late 1780s, the Constitution of the United States of America was ratified. That constitution included the Bill of Rights.
Our Christian Heritage
There are those today who deny the Christian heritage of our country. Below is a link to a rather exhaustive article that examines that topic quite thoroughly. While a number of articles I have read in the past simply included some quotes as “proof” of our Christian beginnings, this article cites many sources, including authors, correspondences, and accurate historical facts. It includes a very interesting section of the much contested “separation of Church and State” debate.
Take some time to read it. Below is most of the conclusion of the article. Here’s the link to the entire article.
Excerpt from the article, “Did America have a Christian Founding,” by Mark David Hall, Ph.D.
Conclusions:
So did America have a Christian Founding? History is complicated, and we should always be suspicious of simple answers to difficult questions. As we have seen, there is precious little evidence that the Founders were deists, wanted religion excluded from the public square, or desired the strict separation of church and state. On the other hand, they identified themselves as Christians, were influenced in important ways by Christian ideas, and generally thought it appropriate for civic authorities to encourage Christianity.
What do these facts mean for Americans who embrace non-Christian faiths or no faith at all? Although the Founders were profoundly influenced by Christianity, they did not design a constitutional order only for fellow believers. They explicitly prohibited religious tests for federal offices, and they were committed to the proposition that all men and women should be free to worship God (or not) as their consciences dictate.
As evidenced by George Washington’s 1790 letter to a “Hebrew Congregation” in Newport, Rhode Island, the new nation was to be open to a wide array of individuals who were willing to assume the responsibilities of citizenship:
Yet it does not follow from this openness that Americans should simply forget about their country’s Christian roots. Anyone interested in an accurate account of the nation’s past cannot afford to ignore the important influence of faith on many Americans, from the Puritans to the present day.
Christian ideas underlie some key tenets of America’s constitutional order. For instance, the Founders believed that humans are created in the image of God, which led them to design institutions and laws meant to protect and promote human dignity. Because they were convinced that humans are sinful, they attempted to avoid the concentration of power by framing a national government with carefully enumerated powers. As well, the Founders were committed to liberty, but they never imagined that provisions of the Bill of Rights would be used to protect licentiousness. And they clearly thought moral considerations should inform legislation.
America has drifted from these first principles. We would do well to reconsider the wisdom of these changes.
The Founders believed it permissible for the national and state governments to encourage Christianity, but this may no longer be prudential in our increasingly pluralistic country. Yet the Constitution does not mandate a secular polity, and we should be wary of jurists, politicians, and academics who would strip religion from the public square. We should certainly reject arguments that America’s Founders intended the First Amendment to prohibit neutral programs that support faith-based social service agencies, religious schools, and the like.
Finally, we ignore at our peril the Founders’ insight that democracy requires a moral people and that faith is an important, if not indispensable, support for morality. Such faith may well flourish best without government support, but it should not have to flourish in the face of government hostility.
Link to the entire article:
Did America have a Christian Founding,” by Mark David Hall, Ph.D.
May the light of God’s Word live in the hearts and lives of the people of the United States of America. God, please help us, for we certainly do need your help!. May God give us representatives who will indeed uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.
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