Are our roots secular or Christian?
Some would have us believe that the United States for formed as a product of the secular enlightenment. They believe that: Christianity doesn’t have much to do with the formation of our country. US law is largely based on Greek and Roman law. The philosophies of John Locke and English common law. The main basis of American law remains Greek and Roman law, natural law, etc. The main framers were deists and Unitarians, not orthodox Christians, not that it matters, but it is clear that the main influence was not the Bible.
But in reality we are a product of very Christian roots. The 'secularists' think Christianity is intolerant, inflexible, rigid, not compatible with freedom, but Christianity is a friend of freedom. The overwhelming majority of the founding fathers were devout, practicing, Bible believing Christians. Some of them weren’t orthodox, but they were certainly religious. Secularists want no part of God, these men wanted all of Him.
What movements led our first leaders to America?
The Seperatists (pilgrims)- The leader of the Pilgrims, James Robinson, felt the Church of England was departing from their roots. So he and his followers decided to set out for the new world to establish a Biblically based society of Englishmen. Their purpose was to glorify God and advance the Christian faith. They made the mayflower compact in 1620 where we get the idea of all men should be treated equally under the law, not from John Locke in 1690
The Puritans- Another group wanted to reform the church from within, but were resisted. So they left for America in the 1630's. Their purpose was to express and pursue the protestant reformation and to glorify God, to be a city on a hill.
What historical events shaped our nation?
The Great Awakening-In 1734 a nationwide Christian revival began. It provided spiritual passion and social unity. It was led by Jonathon Edwards and George Whitefield. The core of their sermons was man’s sinfulness, his need of a savior, salvation through Jesus Christ leading to changed hearts and good works. Their preaching led to a passion for human freedom. One historian made this statement, 'to the pulpit, the puritan pulpit, we owe the moral force which won our independence.'
The Revolution- A united band of Christian men, lovers of freedom, were stirred to fight for that freedom. And in 1776, they declared their independance. It was an independance worth fighting for.
What documents shaped a young nation?
Declaration of Independance- 52 of the 56 signers were trinity believing Christians. Early on in the document they declared: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The Constitution- M.E. Bradford studied the religious backgrounds of the signers of the Declaration and the Constitution and concluded that the overwhelming majority were strong, practicing Christians. Describing the process used in creating such a great document, Ben Franklin stated, “We have gone back to ancient history for models of government." Recently a 10 year study regardiing these 'ancient' sources was completed and yielded the following results. The major models for the US constitution were: 8% Montesquieu, 8% Blackstone, 3% Locke, 3% Hume, 34% Bible. The Bible? Yes. 34% of the source quotations for the US Constitution are directly from Scripture. In addition to this, except for Hume and Locke, all others quoted were strong Christians. It was specifically because the framers were Christians that man’s dignity is proclaimed (we were created in God's image) and man’s power is limited (we are fallen). These men Believed the Constitution was undergirded by Christianity:
John Adams- “We have no government armed with power, capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion…our constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”
George Washington- “True religion affords government its safest support”
Thomas Jefferson- “The Christian religion is the best religion that has ever been given to man and I am bound to give it the sanction of my example.”
Recently a Chinese scholar toured America to uncover the secret to America's success. Upon the completion of his research, he made the following statement:
“But in the past 20 years we have realized that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity. The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics. We don’t have any doubt about this.”
He and his collegues have no doubt. Some Americans do. We must not. If Christianity is the source and substance of our nations rise to greatness, then it is essential that we recognize, remember, and rejoince over our Christian roots. Sadly, too many Americans doubt our Christian roots, and more and more Americans doubt the greatness of America. Let us not be doubters, let us be proud of our foundations.
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