Surviving Trials and Turmoil for Nearly 250 Years

This stirring image from a Jacquie Lawson e-card speaks volumes.

Two years from today, the USA will observe the 250^th anniversary of its founding – barring the calamity of calamities. The way things have been going in recent years, who knows? Hopefully we’ll remain the United States of America and not the Untied States.

 

Every Independence Day, July 4, is a good time to pause and reflect on the rich heritage of our nation, the wonder that it even came to be, and its inherent qualities that have drawn millions of men, women and children from around the world to this unique expanse of geography.

 

Having been born on the Fourth of July, almost by default I’m what George M. Cohan termed a “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” The strains of John Philip Sousa marches like “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “The Washington Post,” and “The Thunderer” never fail to give me goosebumps. 

 

And whenever I observe fireworks shows, whether on TV from New York City or Washington, D.C., or local displays in person, I can’t help but think of the courage, determination, vision and sacrifice required to create and sustain this nation. It seems the term “patriot” has become an epithet in the minds of some, but to echo the words of Lee Greenwood, I’m “proud to be an American.”

 

Conflict and unrest the United States is experiencing today remind me of the 1960s, when protests and demonstrations for civil rights and against the Vietnam War set our country’s teeth on edge. Consider some of the lyrics of “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield, one of the best-known protest songs of the mid-60s:

“There’s something happening here

But what it is ain’t exactly clear

There’s a man with a gun over there

Telling me I got to beware…

 

There’s battle lines being drawn

Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong

Young people speaking their minds…

 

Singing songs and they carrying signs

Mostly say, ‘Hooray for our side’…”

 

That song seemed revolutionary during my college days, but a similar scenario was played out in the first century A.D. The apostle Paul’s arrival had ignited a great disturbance among the citizenry of the ancient, polytheistic Greek city of Ephesus. Acts 19:32 describes the situation this way: “The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there” (Acts 19:32). The same could be said about some of the demonstrations we see on the evening news.

 

The teaching of civics and social studies is no longer practiced in many public schools, but even a casual study of U.S. history reveals political and ideological infighting has been a staple of our society. Battle lines always being drawn, people speaking their minds (typically with great zeal), and often declaring, “Hooray for our side.”

 

Nevertheless, in many ways the United States remains the “go-to” destination for countless thousands. Why else would so many people be endeavoring to gain entry, whether through legal or illegal means? Our materialistic way of life may be one of the magnets, but so are our freedoms – of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and many others.

 

Some of our cherished freedoms seem in jeopardy, and I believe we should do all we can to protect them. But for followers of Jesus Christ – citizens not only of this temporal nation but also of the eternal kingdom of God – the freedoms we have received from Him are secure. Here are some of them:

 

Freedom from the power of sin. “It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery [to sin]” (Galatians 5:1).

Freedom from the judgment of sin. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1).

Freedom to live as God intends for us to live. “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Galatians 5:13-14).

Freedom from fear of death. “In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you…that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3).

 

We could cite many others. While we rightfully celebrate the anniversary of our nation’s founding, every day we can and should celebrate our citizenship in an everlasting kingdom, described in 1 Peter 1:14 as, “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you.”

 

On Independence Day, we remember the sacrifices of many brave, selfless individuals to preserve our freedoms. As we do so, let’s not forget the One who made the greatest sacrifice of all on our behalf. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Maybe It’s Time to Return to Our Roots

The American flag flying with other national flags in Capri, Italy.

Since I was born on July 4^th, I guess I couldn’t help but grow up feeling very patriotic, thrilling to every sight of the “red, white and blue.” I’ve always loved spotting an American flag unfurled wherever I went, even on my international travels, including Italy and Jamaica. I recall several years ago being on the picturesque island of Capri, Italy, where “Old Glory” was waving proudly along with the Italian flag and several others, overlooking splendid yachts anchored below near the Tyrrhenian Sea.

These days being a patriot has gone out of fashion in the eyes of some. However, even though people certainly have the right to express criticism of the United States, justified or not, they should remember that’s only possible because of the freedoms we enjoy in this imperfect nation.

 

Like this flag photographed at 
Mackinac Island, Mich., Old
Glory today is tattered but proud.

What role God has played – if any – in the founding and establishing of this nation has been fodder for much debate through the years. However, it has been enlightening to read The Founder’s Bible, which presents the Scriptures in their entirety, along with hundreds of articles and commentaries about our Founding Fathers. Based on their statements and writings, the evidence is overwhelming that they had no intention of segregating matters of faith from matters of governing our country, at least in the manner the so-called “separation of church and state” is typically interpreted.

Here’s a very small sampling, taken from The Founder’s Bible, of specific things the writers and signers of the United States of America’s original documents had to say regarding the Bible and its application for public laws and institutions:

      ”It has been the error of schools to teach astronomy and all the other sciences and subjects of natural philosophy as accomplishments only, whereas they should be taught theologically, or with reference to the Being who is the Author of them, for all the principles of science are of Divine origin.” – Thomas Paine

 

      “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If ‘Thou shalt not covet’ and ‘Thou shalt not steal’ were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free.” – John Adams

 

      “God grant that in America true religion and civil liberty may be inseparable and that the unjust attempts to destroy the one may in the issue tend to the support and establishment of both.” – John Witherspoon

 

      “To the kindly influence of Christianity we owe that degree of civil freedom and political and social happiness which mankind now enjoy…. Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government – and all the blessings which flow from them – must fall with them.” – Jedidiah Morse

 

Speaking at the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin recognized how divine intervention had undeniably contributed to the United States’ march toward freedom: “…All of us engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor…. And now we have forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men.”

 

Founding Father Benjamin Rush, known as “The Father of Public Schools Under the Constitution,” wrote “A Defense for the Use of the Bible as a School Book.” Among the numerous reasons he cited for including the Bible in the public school curriculum included: 

      “That Christianity is the only true and perfect religion; and that in proportion as mankind adopt its principles and obey its precepts, they are wise and happy…. That the Bible contains more knowledge necessary to man in his present state than any other book in the world.”

 

Such ideas were embraced for nearly the first two centuries of our nation. In the early 1960s, the move for separating church and state as it’s presently understood gained great momentum. However, in 1950, the Florida Supreme Court said this:

      “A people unschooled about the sovereignty of God, the Ten Commandments, and the ethics of Jesus could never have evolved the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. There is not one solitary fundamental principle of our democratic policy that did not stem directly from the basic moral concepts as embodied in the Decalogue and the ethics of Jesus.”

 

It’s obvious that in many ways our nation has drifted from the views cited above, as well as thousands like them. The U.S.A. might not be the “new Israel,” but its system of laws and form of government were rooted in Judeo-Christian principles. And for a long time, our nation stood at the forefront of the mission to take the Gospel to all nations. The fact that biblical values are now being abandoned, even ridiculed, could that be at the heart of many of our society’s ills?

 

In the Old Testament, the people of Israel enjoyed God’s blessings only to later reject Him and go their own way. The price they paid each time, individually and collectively, was severe. Consider one example of the Lord’s judgment:

“What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones?... I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed; I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground…” (Isaiah 5:4-5).

The United States, a nation founded on principles integrally intertwined with God’s revealed truth, for many years flourished and enjoyed a unique – even favored – position in the world. Can we still say that today? Could it be time for us to cease rebelling against the God of creation and return to our roots? 

One Nation, Under God … Indivisible?

American flag on carrier USS York in Mount Pleasant, S.C.

If you’ve been reading my posts for very long, you know Independence Day means a lot to me. Because I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy – born on the Fourth of July – as the refrain from the old George M. Cohan song goes. Every time we celebrate another anniversary of the founding of the United States, I unfurl our flag, put on one of my patriotic T-shirts, and enjoy a fireworks show, whether in person or on TV.

I’ve lost count of the photos I’ve taken of American flags – even in Italy. I’m convinced red, white and blue never have – and never will – look as good as they do on Old Glory. Hearing the “Star-Spangled Banner” always fills me with pride for our nation, despite its flaws. Lee Greenwood’s classic tune, “Proud to Be an American” peps me up, and John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” makes me want to find a parade and march.

Replica of colonial flag waving at Charleston, S.C. home.

If only it were this way for everyone who benefits from living in the USA, the most free country in the world. I suppose we’re spoiled. Too much of a good thing can do that to you. Some burn the flag to make a statement. (Don’t ask me what I think they’re saying.) Others take a knee, or sit, when they hear the National Anthem of our country that so many shed blood to defend. Yes, they’re free to do this – but don’t they see the hypocrisy in such actions?

These days the Pledge of Allegiance has become controversial. When I was in grade school we recited the Pledge every day, concluding with the words, “…one nation, under God, indivisible….” Sadly, the “indivisible” description seems antiquated as our nation has become divided, according to some unlike ever before. We’ve become a country of extremes, with little room for common ground. “Tolerance” has come to mean being intolerant of any views that differ from our own.

Perhaps that little phrase, “under God, indivisible,” identifies why we find ourselves no longer “indivisible.” Because some factions of society insist we shouldn’t be “under God.” But I think the wording from the pledge is correct: A United States of America can only be truly indivisible if the source of our unity comes from being under God. Otherwise, it’s everyone for themselves, as the ancient Israelites were described in the Old Testament (Judges 21:25) – doing “what’s right in their own eyes” – when they determined no longer to submit to a sovereign God.

American flag flying in Capri, Italy.

We can’t directly equate the USA to ancient Israel, but I believe the underlying principles still apply. The Israelites prospered and thrived under leaders who were devoted to God. But when leaders wavered in their faith, or were replaced by ungodly leaders, the nation suffered.

Psalm 33:12 tells us, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.” We see this declaration affirmed in Psalm 144:15, “Blessed are the people of whom this is true, blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.”

Historical revisionists would have us believe the so-called “separation of church and state” meant that matters of faith should be excluded from the public square. However,The Founders’ Bible argues to the contrary. In hundreds of documents compiled by historian David Barton, we find writings from many of our nation’s founding fathers who believed the United States could not survive apart from a foundation based on reverence for God.

We live in a time and culture very different from when our nation was founded in 1776. However, we worship the same unchanging, unchangeable God. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). If we are again to become truly “United,” we must somehow return to our roots. I pray that will be so – and soon.

Proud to Be an American, Prouder as a Citizen of Another World

American flag adorn a pier on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tenn.

We’re about to celebrate another Independence Day. Yes, in England they also have a July 4^th, but from what I hear, they would remove it from the calendar if they could. To which all patriotic Americans can say, “Nah, nah, nah-nah, nah!”

Speaking of “patriotic,” nearly 70 years ago the spirit of patriotism grabbed hold of me and to date, hasn’t let go. Born on the Fourth of July, I still get chills when I see our Star Spangled Banner waving above. I delight in “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” regarding myself as one, and have yet to hear a John Philip Sousa march that I didn’t like. Someone had a good idea when they recorded Kate Smith singing, “God Bless America,” even when it’s played in its scratchy, non-digital form.

My grandparents immigrated from Hungary to the USA, passing through Ellis Island, even though I doubt they could speak a word of English (or American) upon arrival. But they settled into homes in Pennsylvania and became contributors to their communities. My grandfathers provided for their families by performing hard labor for long hours in steel mills, and became proud, naturalized Americans.

While World War II was being waged, my father bravely fought in the midst of it, collecting wounds in Europe and Northern Africa as he served as an officer in both armored and infantry divisions of the U.S. Army. Later, he gave more than a year of his life while stationed in South Korea in the aftermath of the Korean War, and wrapped up his military career commuting to New York City, where he was assigned another role. He even worked many years in the U.S. Postal Service.

In light of all the above, I admit it miffs me when disrespect is directed toward our nation, its flag, and those who served courageously so that today we’re not under Nazi, Communist, or even Muslim rule. Our beleaguered Constitution still guarantees the rights of free speech and dissent, but I sometimes wonder whether misguided protesters aren’t actually biting the hand that has fed them so extravagantly.

Certainly, bad things have been perpetrated in the name of the red, white and blue, but show me a nation where that hasn’t been the case. If there is one, maybe the dissatisfied should move there if the United States doesn’t meet their lofty standards.

Even in writing this, however, I recognize, as the old spiritual tells us, “This world ain’t my home, I’m just a-passin’ through.” Speaking of our tendencies toward sin, the apostle Peter wrote, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). Why submit to earthbound temptations, he was saying, when heaven is our real home?

Hebrews 11:13-16, speaking of biblical predecessors whose lives were characterized by great faith, often in the face of formidable opposition, expresses the same sentiment from a slightly different angle: “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth…. Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”

Even in the Old Testament we find the affirmation that for every follower of Jesus Christ, our true citizenship is not in this nation, or even this planet.“For we are foreigners and sojourners in Your presence, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope” (1 Chronicles 29:15).

So as I nod in assent to the words of the Lee Greenwood song, “Proud to Be an American,” I’m far prouder to know I’ve been chosen to be a child of God, a citizen of a Kingdom I’ve yet to see, but look forward to with great anticipation, by faith. As Philippians 3:20 declares, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

May the Fourth Be with You!

I can’t help it. Having been born on the 4^th of July – a long time ago! – I’m a bonafide “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” and I’ve possessed a patriotic spirit for as long as I can remember. So, as another Independence Day rolls around, I’ll again be unfurling the red, white and blue, displaying it with pride.

Our nation is far from perfect – and it seems we’re finding more evidence of that every day – but the foundational values that have undergirded it remain as valid as they were when the Declaration of Independence was written and signed about 240 years ago.

The second sentence in the Declaration, considered one of the best-known sentences in the English language, states the case well: “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.”

For more than 200 years, "Old Glory"
has been casting light into darkness.

It’s being used and abused these days by various segments of society to claim rights of all kinds, as well as entitlements, but it seems to me the key words in this famed statement are “self-evident,” “created,” and “endowed by their Creator.”

There have been countless debates over the religious and spiritual backgrounds of our founding fathers, whether they were Christians, theists, deists, or even agnostics. However, all who signed the document were agreeing to “self-evident truths” that included all men – humankind – having been created, and the rights to which we are “endowed” were established by a Creator. Although many today dispute what this means, “If the first sense makes good sense, don’t look for any other sense,” as someone wisely said.

Principles espoused in the Declaration, and other classic documents known as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, hearken to these assertions. Why else would we even be concerned about individual rights for all – or whether anyone has an opportunity to pursue happiness? As atheist Jean-Paul Sartre asserted, “Everything is indeed permitted if God does not exist.” In other words, every man for himself.

It is a sense of transcendent morality – based on unchanging, eternal truths – that enable us to have a determination for what’s right and what’s wrong. Without it, what’s good and right for me can be totally different from what’s good and right for you, and neither of us has a basis for declaring the other is wrong. As another non-believer, John D. Steinrucken acknowledged, “immutable moral laws of secularism” do not exist.

For me, July 4^th is an annual reminder that, as our Pledge of Allegiance asserts, we are “one nation under God.” I believe that reality is the sole remedy for the malaise that sadly afflicts our nation today. And yet, beyond being proud residents and citizens of the United States, followers of Jesus Christ are promised far more than that.

As the Scriptures tell us, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). Through Christ we can approach our Creator as our heavenly Father: “For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household" (Ephesians 3:19-20).

Whenever I see the red, white and blue of the American flag unfurled against a bright, sunny sky, or hear the Star-Spangled Banner or John Philip Souza compositions like “Stars and Stripes Forever” or the “Washington Post March,” my heart swells with pride for the country where I was raised and have raised my own children.

However, I realize even more that in terms of eternity, our time here is just a blip, a mere moment. Therefore, it’s of far greater importance that we observe the admonition to, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). That’s where our true allegiance should lie.

Freedom – Reality and Fantasy

Are we facing the sunset of freedom as we have known it?

July 4^th – Independence Day – will always be one of my favorite holidays. I can’t help it. As George M. Cohan wrote in his famous song, “I’m a Yankee doodle dandy, a Yankee doodle do or die…born on the fourth of July.” If I wasn’t born waving an American flag, I’m pretty sure my dad handed me one soon afterward.

Independence Day is a lot more than fireworks (although I enjoy them) and wearing shirts adorned with American flags (although I have some and wear them). It’s a day to celebrate freedom and liberty, and all they entail. Our nation has championed freedom like none other.

But it’s a funny thing, freedom. Of late we have seem to taken rights, privileges and entitlements and mashed them all together. I’m pretty certain the founding fathers never envisioned some of the “rights” and freedoms we’ve collectively embraced as a society.

At the same time, other freedoms have been curtailed. Like speech – free, it seems, only if what you have to say fits political correctness parameters. And religion – free only if kept utterly private, not permitted to overflow into one’s public life and actions. Speak up about what you believe – as least if it relates to the Bible – and there’s hell to pay.

I’m all for the idea that all men (and women and children) are created equal, endowed by their Creator (can we say that anymore?) with certain unalienable rights. Everyone should enjoy the fruits of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The “American way,” however, used to mean that to find happiness, you worked for it. Why should that be different today? In some quarters today, freedom and entitlement have become synonymous.

Makes me wonder about the future of freedom.

Flags and crosses represent freedom,
but in very different ways.

But in pondering this elusive notion of freedom, I’m also reminded of a freedom that’s not in jeopardy, that wasn’t established by our Constitution – or any nation’s constitution, for that matter. It wasn’t decreed by an august legislative body. This freedom is offered in, of all places, the Bible. Galatians 5:1 tells us,“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." The next verse elaborates, “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened by a yoke of slavery.”

This “slavery” has nothing to do with the issues that erupted into the Civil War, when black Americans were considered nothing more than property to slave owners. The slavery viewed in the biblical passage concerns bondage to sin – rebellion against God and separation from Him.

Romans 6:1-7 explains by virtue of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, “our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”

Put in every day terms, this means we can’t use the excuse, “The devil made me do it!” The devil might suggest something, and we might agree the idea sounds good, but we don’t have to do it. Followers of Jesus are forever freed from sin’s power and domination.

Hard to believe? Yes, but that’s what the Scriptures declare.

So as we ponder Independence Day's heritage and hope, remember disciples of Christ have an independence day of their own. But instead of a flag, its symbol is a cross. A cross that announces, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).