Opinions Then and Now

George Washington 

     "Be courteous to all but intimate with few and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence."

Elizabeth Powel, Philadelphia, 1787

     "Self-government requires ongoing vigilance and civic responsibility, virtue and moral character." 

Dr. Ben Carson 

     "Our 250th year is an extraordinary milestone, worthy of celebration, reflection and gratitude. We are not perfect. We have made mistakes, faced decisions and endured great challenges." 

     "Despite our imperfections, there remains something exceptional about this nation that continues to inspire people around the world." 

Tomorrow: more about our 250th

American Revolution 

  Continued

     "Thomas Jefferson received the same invitation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of American independence. Like John Adams, he was too ill. In his last letter of record, he wrote from Monticello a reflection on the Declaration, of which he was the famous author. He wrote, May it be to the world. 

     Both men died on the Fourth of July. 

     Webster wrote, "No age will come in which the American Revolution will appear less than it is, one of the great events in human history." He believed, "The highest attainment of all future generations would be to understand and live up to the greatness of the American Revolution. The essence of that greatness - was the idea of independence itself - the idea of political freedom.

     During the 200th-year celebration, Harry Jaffa wrote, "Nothing threatens the future of human freedom more than the failure to keep alive the understanding of and attachment to its principles."       

     John Adams made the same point, "Fellow citizens," he said after telling the biblical story of the children of Israel's entry into the promised land, "the ark of your covenant is the Declaration of Independence." 

     "All their blessings," Adams continued, "would come from adherence to the Declaration's principles, and all of their curses would come from departure from those principles."   

     Then he charged the people with a flurry of actions that reminds us of God's charge to the Israelites on their long march to freedom. There is a reward for obedience to the law of God.

PS. Democrats want to destroy our Constitution and start over with communism. Forgetting our history will help them do it. 

  

The American Revolution 

     John Adams, 40 plus years after the Declaration of Independence, knew that the risky choices, acts of daring and heroism would long be remembered and deserve serious study. 

     In 1818 he wrote, the Revolution took place "in the Minds and Hearts of the People"...the real American Revolution. "In the 1760s and 1770s, a revolutionary generation learned to think and act like the Americans they were becoming." 

Christopher Flannery, Claremont Institute

     "All the actions and documents leading to the Declaration express the American idea of political freedom. Returning to such again and again is a way by which succeeding generations can continue to experience the Revolution for themselves. The Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776 proclaimed, 'a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality and virtue, and a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.' 

     "So abundant is this gift that to live up to it is the most fulfilling thing we can do. The daily activity of free people is the 'pursuit of happiness,' being good sons and daughters, good parents, neighbors, secretaries, teachers, artists, farmers, plumbers, mechanics, business owners and citizens. Benjamin Franklin put it: 'Pitch upon that course of life which is most excellent, and Custom will make it the most delightful.' 

     "As we celebrated America's 250th, John Adams was invited to attend the 50th anniversary celebration. He wasn't well enough. Later, with the committee visiting, he was asked to make a toast. Adams proposed, I give you 'Independence Forever!' Asked if he would like to add anything, he replied: "Not a word." 

Continued Tuesday

The America God Can Bless 

     "Such an America would look radically different than it looks today. Premarital sex, divorce and out-of-wedlock births would be rare. Our national sin of abortion would become unimaginable. America would assume its crucial role in speaking for basic human rights and would see its worldwide Christian evangelization rejuvenated.

     "In spite of all our short comings and failures, God has blessed America. However, if America does not turn back to the God of our Founding Fathers, I fear the blessings will cease. We are already under God's judgment, having aborted over 75 million children. 

Richard Land, Southern Evangelical Seminary

     "I believe there are two major reasons God has not judged America more harshly. First is our strong national support for God's chosen people, the Jews, and the state of Israel. God has promised to bless those who bless His people and to judge those who do not (Genesis 12).* 

     "Second, we still provide a substantial proportion of support for worldwide missions and evangelism. God has revealed to us the model of national blessing - repentance, humility and obedience. Let us all pray that each of us will embrace the path to blessing, and that it will bring about revival, spiritual awakening and reformation we desperately need. 

     "What better way to honor our nation's 250th birthday than by repentance, obedience and dedication to help usher in blessings for our country."

* Views: Americans are being deceived, tricked into thinking Israel should be eliminated, turning (all) the land turned over to Palestine. The border is contested. When Jesus returns, will He arrive in Jerusalem, or Palestine? 

 Battle Hymn of the Republic 

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, 

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; 

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword - 

His truth is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never sound retreat, 

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat; 

O be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet! 

Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;

As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free,

  While God is marching on. 

Glory! glory, hallelujah! 

His truth is marching on. 

                                              Julia Ward Howe

The Unstoppable Work

     "The first slaves entered America at Jamestown in 1619. The very next year, 1620, the first Christians arrived from England aboard the Mayflower. These Puritans despised slavery and established a foundation for religious and political freedom. 

Robert Morgan, Tennessee pastor 

     "A hundred years went by. Puritanism and Christianity were waning. A remarkable revival erupted. The awakening spread through all 13 colonies. This set the stage for the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War. John Adams wrote, Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. 

     "The Lord sent the second Great Awakening in the early 1800s. Thousands came to Christ in a revival that birthed the mission movement, Sunday schools, and sent hundreds of evangelists into untamed frontiers. 

     "The work of Jesus Christ is unstoppable. We his people should be unconquerable. Even with its sinful moments and failure, America is a miracle by God's grace. When I see how God has been our help in ages past, I realize He can be our home for years to come.

     "When Dwight Eisenhower ran for president, he asked Billy Graham for a verse of Scripture. When he took the oath of office, he laid his hand on 2 Chronicles 7:14...If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  

July 4th - Battle Hymn

     

The Real Revolution 

     President John Adams argued that the "real American revolution" had already occurred before a single shot was fired. He wrote: "The Revolution was in the Minds and Hearts of the People. A change in their Religious Sentiments of their Duties and Obligations."  

Tony Perkins, Family Research Council

     Adams: "This produced in 1760 and 1761 An Awakening and a Revival of American Principles and Feelings. In 1775 it burst out in open Violence, Hostility and Fury. Adams mentioned seven patriots who took the lead, two of whom were pastors in Boston. One of them explained what the Bible has to say about government, and how we are to respond, be it (government) good or bad."

     "The influence of patriot pastors cannot be overstated. The basic form of regular public communication for many colonists was a Bible-based sermon. Historian Harry Stout says, 'A New England sermon...was so powerful in shaping cultural values, and a sense of corporate purpose that even television pales by comparison.' When the British cracked down on Boston in 1774...patriot pastors took to their pulpits, painting the conflict in Biblical terms, portraying King George III as Pharaoh and the American colonies as the Israelites."

     "Adams wrote to his wife, 'The clergy of every denomination... thunder and lightning every Sabbath...' General Percy declared, 'No body of men are so injurious to peace and tranquility as the clergy." 

     Perkins: "Through their preaching, patriot pastors helped bring about what Adams described, a change in religious sentiments. When war came, the same Biblical conviction fueled the courage to stand against tyranny. These pastors not only made the case for independence; they also strengthened the peoples' resolve to secure it."  

     "If we are to preserve our liberty 250 years later, we need that kind of Revolution again. We must return to the same source of the founders' courage and confidence: the Word of God." 

  Friday: the unstoppable work