American Revolution Two

“…that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain–that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom–and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
– Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address

One nation under God. The phrase evokes strong emotions across the political spectrum and connects our citizens from age to age. And if there was ever a time to rediscover the might of this simple phrase, it’s right now. We find ourselves at a cross roads in our nation’s history and the immense gravity of it all is evident in a growing number of citizens. What does “one nation under God” really mean and can we embody it once again?

According to Newt Gingrich in his book, “Rediscovering God in America,” the term, “under God” was inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance deliberately by Congress in 1954 to draw distinction between the atheistic tyranny of the Soviet Union during the Cold War and a free society whose freedoms were based on the God-given rights of each person. He goes on to note the report from the House of Representatives accompanying the law which asserted: “From the time of our earliest history, our peoples and our institutions have reflected the traditional concept that our nation was founded on a fundamental belief in God.”

This was not the first time such a distinction had been made. General Washington in rallying his troops during the long days of the Revolutionary war often invoked the providence of God in uniting the men in their cause of freedom for the struggling nation. He believed their efforts must be “under God” in order to win against such outrageous odds.

When a mighty and terrible civil war was ripping our nation apart, a tormented Lincoln visited the blood soaked ground at Gettysburg and spoke words that would resonate in the hearts and minds of Americans for generations to come. He sought a new birth of freedom, under God, where our unique legacy of American freedom and the system of government established to preserve it would not “perish from the earth.”

It is time once again, that this nation, under God, return to its sacred foundations. It’s time to understand and take hold of the reality of American exceptionalism – grounded first and foremost in the understanding that our rights and freedoms come from God, not the government. Americans are quickly coming to realize the enormous chasm between  our nation as it was founded under God and the Left’s vision of a godless America where government is supreme and all powerful. The progressives’ dream of a socialist nation is coming to full fruition under this current president.

It is with this burden that “One Nation Under God” on the radio came into being. Two men – burdened and compelled to do something at this critical juncture – are stepping out to speak out in the name of God and their country. On behalf of the giants on whose shoulders they stand, they desperately want to awaken the might and vigor of a people who long ago slipped into a slumber of mediocrity and passivity.

It was my great fortune to be the first guest on this promising new radio program and it is with great anticipation and hope that I endorse their noble efforts. By tuning in to the show and lending your support in the form of prayer and financial contributions, they can accomplish a great revival in the hearts and minds of our nation’s citizens – that this nation, at a time of absolute dire need – will awaken once again to our deep and abiding belief in a God whose grace, mercy and blessing has enveloped this nation from its earliest days.

Tune in to the show Sunday mornings from 7-9 a.m. CST on 99.7 WTN out of Nashville or on the web via live streaming at www.997wtn.com. You can listen to the last hour of last week’s program (a 45 minute clip without ads) in which I’m the guest by clicking below. The show’s original working name “Our World from a Biblical Perspective” has now been replaced with “One Nation Under God.”
Listen here:  WWTN-Nashville 8_15_10A

“Government, in my humble opinion, should be formed to secure and to enlarge the exercise of the natural rights of its members; and every government, which has not this in view, as its principal object, is not a government of the legitimate kind.” – James Wilson, signer of the Declaration of Independence, Lectures on Law, 1791

At the heart of all political debate is this core question: What is the proper role of our government? No matter the issue, this question is always at the root level of finding the right answer.

When you boil everything down, there are really only two possible roles for government: protector or provider.

If the government provides for our wants and needs, a relationship of dependence and control exists. As this dependence increases, freedoms are diminished, and we move ever closer to tyranny. Love and compassion for our fellow man is replaced with class warfare and a survivalist mentality.

If the government protects our rights and freedoms, a relationship of independence and self reliance exists. The fewer the rules and regulations, the greater the innovation and creativity there is to generate prosperity, a higher quality of life, and authentic devotion to each other.

In which scenario will respect and devotion to God and his principles flourish? In other words, which governmental role is better suited to foster and maintain a nation under God?

First, having love and compassion for your fellow man does not involve controlling your fellow man. But it does call for protecting him. It’s NOT out of love that a government seeks to control more of its peoples’ lives. You can’t claim to love something and want to control it at the same time. In the same way, the proper role of government – if rooted in the love of man – is the protection of its people and their rights.

As evident in our founding documents, our Constitutional republic was indeed founded on the rock of religion and rooted in the love of man! We know this because it provides for the most FREEDOM of any civil government ever created. If you truly love something, you advocate for its FREEDOM, not its control.

Second, I believe God desires for each of us to have faith in who we are as unique individuals in his creation. We are to believe in, and be good stewards of, the talents and gifts bestowed in us from birth.

Is it not a violation of this plan to be dependent on government to live, prosper, and gain the things we need or want?

(Important side note: government does not produce anything – it can only confiscate resources and then redistribute them. Therefore, government = our fellow citizens).

If we put our faith in the government (our fellow citizens) to provide for us, and not in our God-given talents and abilities, are we not disavowing what God declared as good and unique? We are all created with a unique purpose. If we don’t become who we were created to be, then our community and the world misses out.

Conclusions:
The less choice we have in the way we govern ourselves, the less God-like is that form of government. The more freedom we have in governing ourselves the closer we come to living within the boundaries that God created.

Self reliance and self governance is the key to making our divinely inspired system of limited government work. It’s about freedom and freewill! Not control! If free will was God’s design, how can we advocate for government to make decisions for us?

Upon completion of our Constitution, James Madison, our fourth president and father of that sacred document wrote, “We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the ten commandments of God.”

Government’s role in a nation founded under God is the protection of our inalienable rights and freedoms. That protection empowers us to use our God given gifts to the maximum with the freedom to decide how we use them. Restoring our government to this proper role is the only hope we have in saving America.

Blogger’s Note: Tune in to 99.7 WTN out of Nashville this Sunday 8/15 (or via live streaming online www.997wtn.com) from 8-10 a.m. CST where I will be the featured guest on a new radio program called “Our World from a Biblical Perspective.” The theme for Sunday’s show will be our foundations of faith, our American heritage and the vision our founders had for creating a nation under God and how it differs from what’s happening today.