America's Christian History

Always a lightning rod for criticism, Sara Palin was recently ridiculed by liberals for suggesting in a speech that America was a nation blessed by God because it was founded on Christian principles. Nothing makes a secular humanist more angry than the notion that we owe God anything. This is why the emphasis in our schools and from liberal commentators is that there is no American Christian history and our country was founded on principles of the Enlightenment. 

I've just finished moderating a 5 part course on America's Christian History which is based on lectures given by Gary DeMar, president of American Vision, who spoke at Westside last fall. DeMar refutes the attempt to re-write our history, point-by-point. Most of us who  grew up in the 40's and 50's know that this country was settled primarily by Christians seeking refuge from religious persecution in Europe. Even a casual glance at the early colonial charters, and state constitutions, as well as the original mission statements of our major colleges and universities, will show that the early residents of this country believed in a sovereign God and the teachings of the Bible. The sad fact, however, is that those who are in the public school system these days do not learn this and come to believe the lie instead of the truth.

Here are some of the major points of the course:

America's Christian History

What are the facts?

1.     America was founded by people who were predominantly Christian and almost without exception believed in God.

2.     Early charters and state constitutions exclusively recognize Christianity as the predominant religion in place at the time they were written.

3.     The basic underlying principle of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution is that man is subject to laws that come from our Creator  God and cannot be taken away by government.

4.     The First Amendment was not intended by the Founders to prohibit the public practice or display of religion, but to prevent Congress from imposing a religion on the states.

5.     Education was viewed as having a strong foundation in religious values. The Bible was used in many areas as a textbook and early primers mentioned God and used Biblical examples. Most of our leading private universities were founded as seminaries or had strong ties to Christian denominations.

6.     An extensively researched opinion of the US Supreme Court reached the conclusion in 1892 that "America is a Christian nation".  Many Presidents and Supreme Court judges have made the same statement publicly over the years.

 

Why does it matter?

1.     The guiding principles that have enabled America to become the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the history of the world are being eroded by those who claim that we are wiser today than those who founded our country. They are now attempting to re-write history to cover their tracks as they dismantle our foundations. Unless we know the facts we will not be able to stand against them.

2.     Our children are not being taught in school about the religious beliefs and values of those who started America. If they don't hear it from us, they won't hear it and in one generation our Christian History will be lost.

 

--

Why Elections are Important

In the book "The 5000 Year Leap" author Ron Skousen outlines 28 principles that underly the US Constitution. Principles that led America to become the most prosperous and powerful country the world has ever known. Principle Number One is that good government is based on Natural Law - that is the eternal and universal laws given to us by our Creator God.  Not the laws devised by men for their own, often evil, purposes.  
Principles Two and Three are closely related. A Constitutional Republic can only survive if the people are of good moral character and if the leaders they elect are of good moral character. John Adams wrote "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

This why elections are important. Individually our fate is determined by our character. As a nation, our fate is determined by the character of the people we elect. One of the most insightful studies of early American political culture was written by the French jurist Alexis de Tocqueville, who summarized his finding this way:

 "America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great"

The coming election for Mayor of Gainesville is a classic example of this. On one hand we have the man- Craig Lowe - who has used his position on the city commission to advocate for laws to advance "gay rights", and has voted for several fiscally irresponsible uses of taxpayer funds.  One the other we have Don Marsh, a conservative Christian businessman who has a long history of fairness and public service.

The problem is that low voter turnout in Gainesville, especially in runoff elections, has allowed the extreme liberal fringe to control the city politically. 

Gainesville voters, the future is in your hands. Don't just vote on April 13th. Make sure that everyone you know also votes. It's time that the will of the majority is heard in Gainesville.

A favorite scripture of the early colonialists was Proverbs 29:2 - 

When the righteous are in authority , the people rejoice : but when the wicked beareth rule , the people mourn