Our Covenant is Broken 

     As God made a covenant with ancient Israel in the time of Gideon, our founders signed a covenant uniting the 13 states on July 4, 1776. Freedom required war, and some of the signees paid with their lives.

     Our constitution with 25 amendments - ink on paper - is the understanding, the law, that has held us together for 248 years (our civil war excepted) regardless of faith, origin and finally, race. 

     In his book, The War on Warriors, chapter 13, Pete Hegseth, now our Secretary of Defense, wrote, "When we maintain our covenant, we are Gideon - God on our side. But what if we ignore our covenant? We turn our backs...on each other." 

     "America today is in a cold civil war. Our soul is under attack by a confederacy of radicals. They wish to erode our institutions by making us question our purpose." 

     "Gideon first had to sacrifice his own name and reputation. He had to learn how to be faithful. He had to brave the slings and arrows of his own people, his own tribe." 

     "This is our journey today. 'One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.' As a veteran, I read the story of Gideon, and I reflect on the values that Gideon shares with a warrior. His story reminds us that we are not only fighting a battle against foreign enemies." 

     "Sometimes (it must) begin with a struggle against domestic enemies: those who would violate the Covenant that binds us as a community of faith and ... blessing."

Conclusion on Friday