A Few Interesting Facts About Our Nation’s Spiritual Heritage
In celebration of our ‘National Day of Prayer’ this past week, I would love to share a few interesting facts about our nation’s Spiritual history:
1.First, there is really nothing in life that the Bible does not address, directly or indirectly…including the proper role of government.
2.In fact, John Locke’s writing called, “Two Treatise on Government” –was the primary work that influenced the Founders’ philosophy in the Declaration of Independence. In this book (less than 400 pages long), Locke refers to the Bible over 1,500 times to show proper operation of civil government! It’s no wonder the Declaration of Independence is such a successful document, it was inspired by God!
3.Many principles which helped frame our government and establish our laws derived from Scripture, including; Separation of Powers (Jeremiah 17:9); Three branches of government (Isaiah 33:22); Property rights (‘Thou shall not steal’ Exodus 20:15); Republicanism, declaring leaders at the local, county, state, and federal levels (Exodus 18:21); Citizens electing their own leaders (Exodus 18:21). And so forth.
4.Believe it or not, leading up to the Revolutionary War, pastors were very influential in our move toward independence. It was from the pulpits (with leaders such as Jonathan Mayhew, Dr. Samuel Cooper, and Rev. George Whitefield) that an awakening began and sparked the Spirit of Liberty within the hearts of our Founders. This revival also shaped the mindset (of freedom) of that time. It was the influence of the Patriot Preachers of the American Revolution that compelled our Founders to break away from a tyrannical government (under King George III) and establish our nation’s independence. As a result, a unique form of government was born–one that’s main purpose– is to secure the rights that were given to each of us by God.
5.It was also because of strong Christian faith that the Founders were willing to welcome those of other faiths to America. They knew the truth of Christianity; they believed that it would prevail on its own merits without the need for force or coercion.
6.The enemy knows that in order to enslave a people, one must make them forget all about their heritage, their traditions, their religion, and their own history. It’s no surprise these things are being erased from our culture as I write these words. We are watching this happen right before our very eyes.
So, it is my prayer today that we not only re-learn our nation’s core values, principles and spiritual heritage, but that we teach these critical things to our children…so that the Spirit of Liberty lives on from generation to generation.
