Holy Days: Celebrating Christ’s Birth & His Unique Design On Our Nation

It’s pretty safe to say that the Christmas season has officially begun. So, it is certainly the perfect time to celebrate the birth of the One who has impacted so many souls all over the world. As John Maxwell once so eloquently stated, “Christmas is about a baby, born in a stable, who changed the world forever.”

But who knew that Baby Jesus was actually responsible for the birth our very own nation? In fact, according to the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, our Founding Fathers had taken the principles that came into the world through the birth of Christ and used those principles to birth a nation, joining together Christian principles and civil government in an “indissoluble bond.”

On July 4, 1837, Adams addressed a crowd asking:

Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the World, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day (4^th of July)? Is it not that in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?

This is so completely opposite of what today’s elitists teach—that the Founders did not want an “indissoluble bond,” but rather a “separation” in order to keep Biblical principles out of civil government.

Needless to say, America certainly does have Christ’s blueprint as part of her birthright, and the proof can be found within the thousands of pages of historic documents. The investigation can begin at the birthplace of American liberty and the origin of American constitutional government—Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

According to America’s Godly Heritage, written by David Barton:

• The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia actually got its own name because of the inscription from Leviticus 25:10 emblazoned on it: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof.”

• America’s very FIRST American Congress met in prayer on September 6, 1774. The profound prayer was led by Rev. Jacob Duche’, a local minister from Christ Church (a church that many Founders had attended).  Of that time of prayer, John Adams reported: Rev. Duche’, unexpectedly to everybody, struck out into an extemporary prayer which filled the bosom of every man present.”

• After the opening prayer, the FIRST American Congress read FOUR entire chapters of the Bible together.

• During the Revolutionary War (when things looked very bleak for the Americans), someone asked John Adams if he believed that the Americans could actually win the Revolution. Adam’s reply was: “YES!—If we fear God and repent our sins!” This attitude was rather characteristic of the tone so often manifested in Independence Hall. 

• During the Revolution, the Continental Congress issued fifteen separate proclamations calling the nation to times of prayer and fasting, or prayer and thanksgiving, those proclamations were characterized by overtly Christian language.

• Virtually every one of the fifty-five Founding Fathers who framed the Constitution was a member of orthodox Christian churches and many were outspoken Christian evangelicals.

• Of the 56 Founders who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, over half had received degrees from schools that would today be considered seminaries or Bible schools.

• It was the signers of the Declaration of Independence who started the Sunday school movement as well as Bible societies and missionary societies. They were also responsible for penning numerous religious works and publishing many famous Bibles.

• Congress not only approved, but recommended the First English-language Bible ever printed in America (when Americans were still British citizens before the Revolution, it had been illegal to print English-language Bibles in America).

• George Washington himself recognized that the critical role he had played in America’s formation was not the result of his own skills but rather the favor of God. As he openly acknowledged, “I have only been an instrument in the hands of Providence.”

• And old Indian chief who had personally fired shots at George Washington seventeen different times without effect at Fort Cumberland (where Washington had removed his jacket at the end of the battle to find four bullet holes through it and not a single bullet touched him; he had horses shot from under him, but he had not been scratched) concluded that Washington was under the care of the Great Spirit. He said of Washington, “I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle. I come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven, and who can never die in battle.”

• Many of the Founders were raised on the New England Primer textbook and even reprinted it to make sure it was available for their children and grandchildren. After introducing students to the alphabet, the Primer presented a special section to be memorized—a section in which each letter of the alphabet was accompanied by a Bible verse. Students educated under this system were frequently characterized by what many today would consider exceptional achievements at a very young age.

• John Jay, President of the Continental Congress during the Revolution and later the original Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, believed that Christian principles should be included in civil arenas, stating: Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers; and it is the duty—as well as the privilege and interest—of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”

• During the Founding Era, the single most cited source (in the Founders’ writings) was the Bible, with 34% of the quotes coming from the Scriptures.

• Three of the other significant sources during the Founding Era included: John Locke, Charles Montesquieu, and William Blackstone. The primary source of their ideas was actually the Bible. The Bible therefore was far and away the most influential source of ideas during the Founding Era. Consequently, it is not surprising that the Constitution reflects many Biblical principles.

• The Founders looked to Isaiah 33:22 to set forth three distinct branches of government.

• The Founders looked to Jeremiah 17:9 to create the Separation of Powers.

• The Founders looked to Ezra 7:24 to determine tax exemption for churches.

Christian principles were so evident in America’s birth and it was so obvious to previous generations that the Supreme Court used to have no difficulty in determining that our nation is a Christian nation. Unfortunately, this is not the case today. In fact, we are now told that America had no Godly heritage and that our Founding Fathers were atheists, agnostics, and deists who formed a completely secular government.

If we really want to know our nation’s birthright, all we have to do is seek our Founding Fathers’ own words. In fact, President John Adams boldly said, “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were…the general principles of Christianity.”

Enormous historical evidence concludes that the vast majority of our Founders embraced the general principles of Christianity, and that those principles were instrumental in forming the foundation of American government.

So, as we celebrate the Christmas season this year, we can thank Baby Jesus for the incredible nation He designed for us as well!