The Establishment of a Christian Nation

 

Christmas arrived and great grandchildren looked forward to an evening or two of riding around neighborhoods to view the exciting light displays. One evening the great grandparents went along. For about ninety minutes, we went in and out of cul-de-sacs and down streets. Toward the end of the journey, I asked my wife if I was crazy or were there only about 10% of the yards with a decidedly Christian focus. She agreed what we saw were mostly Santa likenesses or varying degrees and colors of lights.

Another observation pointed to neighborhoods in subdivisions of higher-than-average incomes: multi-story, brick homes with attic floor space larger than our entire living space, and vehicles with values a quarter of what we paid for our home. In other words, people of means.

So, why do you suppose this vast array of American wealth and blessing kowtowed to secular expectations? I’m not specifically calling out all the Santa lovers. What I am pointing to is the lack of acknowledgement of most Americans in our neck of the woods (well within the Bible Belt) to the most obvious blessings of the grace of God.

There have been discussions concerning the state of the union relative to whether America was ever a Christian nation. First, one must understand the definition of nation. It is not a country. It is not a government. A common social trait defines it. Something like culture, language, religion, to name a few things it can be. Secondly, America’s Atlantic coastal colonies were specifically British during the Protestant Reformation movement. This means we had a common language (still in effect), a common religion (Protestant Reformation Christianity), and many common cultural aspects carried over from the British Isles.

How can we be so certain of the claim to Protestant Reformation Christianity?

The start includes key events. One was Gutenberg’s moveable type printing press, mid 1400s. Previous printing required written manuscripts like the Catholic Church’s versions. Gutenberg ensured Bibles in English could be printed 200 times faster than Catholic manuscripts. An important one for all Protestants was the posting of 93 theses from Martin Luther, a Catholic priest who was also an associate professor at a college, 1513. Another was Tyndale’s translation of Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew languages used in the Holy Scriptures directly from the writings of Biblical scholars and prophets. He translated into Modern English rather than the Middle English often used in prior work by other people.

King Henry VIII determined he would not bend to the Catholic pope’s demand to respect the pope’s instruction concerning a divorce from his deceased brother’s wife. Henry then determined he would be the religious leader of the newly established Anglican Church of England, 1517 era. Henry charged the reformation protestants with heresy, causing the movement of the Puritans and finally the pilgrims’ decision to move to America. During these times in England many bibles were produced. In Henry’s time, the Great Bible was used. In the same era, the Geneva Bible drew a huge following mostly because the creators added many academic notes to the wide margins to assist in understanding the scriptures’ intent. Things like the four or five major instances in the Bible which showed clearly the King was not the highest Authority; God was.

By the time King James took notice in 1604, he demanded a new Bible be printed without all of those notes, hence the King James Bible appeared in 1611. It took a while before it met with acceptance in the colonies.

It appears quite plain there exists any number of reasons why one should consider the British American colonies as a Christian nation. For sure, there were Catholics (Maryland the first to allow it recognized), Jews, and even some Muslims within the colonies, but they were not the vast percentage of religions the Protestant Reformation Christian represented.

There are numerous trails to follow when investigating side roads of this journey in American history. The single worst example is Jefferson’s letter while President to the Ana-Baptists in New England indicating “a wall of separation” existed within our Constitutional Republic keeping the government from taxing any church group to supply funds to a government church as the British were prone to do in England. Perhaps it would have been a more easily understood phrase had he used “a wall of filtration” to show Christianity held the keys to our founding. In that instance, the tenets of Christianity would be the important governmental controls of the men serving in Congress, the Courts, or the Presidency, but the Christian nation (We the People) would forever be held accountable for how those elected servants would govern.

What's That Manger?

What is That Manger?

37) On that last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38) He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. 39) But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, who those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39 (NKJV)

This morning, while looking at one of the creches my wife displays this time of year, I considered the babe in the manger. Let me tell you what I think I know.

The accommodation for Mary and Joseph was a stable, as in a cave or protected overhang of rock. In it, cattle were fed and watered because there wasn’t a field for them to pasture with a stream running through it. Think downtown Bethlehem.

The manger we’ve come to know now, wasn't a wooden structure then, but rather a carved out stone object. Think about what that scene looked like. Hay strewed about. Cattle standing and chewing their cud while others lie content in their surroundings. But where was their water supply?

Consider what it would mean if an impervious-to-water stone manager was used to water the cattle, rather than to feed them.

Jesus, the Living Water, gets displayed to all who visit by the most fundamental visual of Christ. From shepherds to Wise Men, poor to rich, all who see Him learn from His very first parable. Come to me and drink.

This brings new revelation to me of how John 7:37-39 brings into focus the ministry of Jesus Christ from His birth.

Christmas and the Declaration of Independence

Initial exploration of the New World offered hope. It turned into riches taken and a failure to remember God for the Spaniard. For the French, a vast land with abundant wildlife and a failure to recognize God. For the English, an escape from the aristocracy and religious persecution. 

At first, the stresses and conditions of the new world offered little hope. Famine, death, attack from natives, and lack of a steady stream of supplies all contributed to the growth of fear. Great Britain sponsored a whole different level of pressure on the British subjects. The Atlantic seaboard colonists began to feel like second-class citizens of their homeland. 

We find the difference for the English settlers’ existence in their Christian principles, most often referred to as religion. Although the Anglican Church of England (a protestant take-off of the Pope’s empire) existed in Jamestown, the protestant reformation Pilgrims thrived. How? By establishing their principles in the Mayflower Compact and living a godly life. They worshipped God through Jesus Christ the best way they knew how. At every turn where it seemed disaster struck, they’d take a knee and offer repentance to God for whatever it was they were doing wrong. God blessed that. They also determined private ownership generated far more blessings than communal farming.

After one hundred and fifty years, a small vociferous group stood up to the giant. They declared why the world should know and understand their decision to break away from England. 

John Quincy Adams, a prominent founding father, made an early summarization of how Christmas and the Declaration of Independence relate. Here is a quote from him on the 61st anniversary of the Declaration.

“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? Is it not that, in a 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 and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies announced directly from heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets 600 years before.”

This Christmas season presents another opportunity for America to understand its roots. Another day for individuals to take stock of their spiritual lives and reconnect with God. Jesus came not to rule the world but to save the lost that they might be the children of God. It’s our birthright to accept Him and fulfill the prophetic call on America. 

Make no mistake about your life, which has an eternal existence beyond this earthly realm. Our founders understood it. Their existence depended on it. Consider the foundations of our Constitution and what the Declaration of Independence has done for you. Give America a chance at a reprieve from God’s wrath. Accept His call to you. 

A Christmas Biography

 My parents traveled a lot. One fall, when mom carried me, they determined a trip to their hometown took precedent. In the old days, the journey took several hours. Nowadays I suppose they would make it in thirty minutes, what with the road system improvements and all.

By the time they decided to go, the streets were full of travelers. It slowed them down. Mom’s pregnancy didn’t seem to be an issue. I tossed and turned, but nothing strange for an unborn. When they reached the small farming community, they found an entire village homecoming. Everyone’s cousins showed up.

Dad’s family owned a wonderful house, and he hadn’t mentioned he and mom were coming. It created a bit of a tizzy. It came down to a small area out back in a horse paddock office. It was comfortable under the circumstances. Now and then, a horse snickered. Even the chickens seemed happy to have someone stay the night.

Dad, always the provider, pulled the food out of his go-bag, and they settled in for a quiet evening.

Mom’s water broke in the early morning hours, and not too long after, I slid into a new world. My strong voice complemented my well-proportioned body, small as it was. Dad found some sheets in a closet to help clean up the afterbirth and amniotic fluid. I didn’t know those words back then. Mom suckled me, and I enjoyed my first meal. It wasn’t long before I fell asleep. They laid me in an opened bureau drawer.

News spread quickly. It wasn’t long before all the neighboring farmers and ranchers stopped by to pay their regards. They’d seen the light of the barn glowing. It led them to me. A couple of days later, more visitors from a university showed up. They even brought me birthday presents. Mom and dad were astounded at their generosity.

So many people heard about my arrival that I have newfound brothers and sisters who help me celebrate my birthday, even today. Perhaps you are one. Love, Jesus.

Merry Christmas

Brown Evergreens

My friend, J.D. Wininger asked the question, "Where do you look for God?" J.D. reminded me of a time when I saw God in many common place things. Here's an example.

On one Sunday after worship, the church showed a video promoting a bus trip to see the Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The video showed Christmas trees. It wasn’t my fault those trees urged me to look at the large white pine outside the windows over the pulpit. Fall in the Catskills brings color everywhere. So what’s the big deal about the pine tree?

Everyone knows we call them evergreens. Deciduous trees like maples, oaks, and cottonwoods branches reach up in yearning, but an evergreens configuration points to God. They’re a constant reminder of where to turn when you have an issue. This week they are not all green. They have brown needles, primarily on the ends of the branches where new growth occurs. Like the broader leaves of the hardwoods, the pine needles also fall to make room for new growth.

The sermon spoke about the difference between being saved and doing works. The message came from Matthew 14 where Peter climbs out of the boat at Jesus’s word, “Come.” There was work involved in Peter’s faith, yet, while in the process of such work, he failed according to Jesus’ remark. “Oh ye of little faith, why did you doubt?” It seems Peter believed well enough, but even the strongest faith of the twelve (eleven others stayed in the boat!) failed to succeed.

When I saw the pine tree with its brown needles it reflected the failures in my life. But those failures were based upon what I did, in the past, with little faith. Every time those needles fall, creation for more room of productive needles occurs. The process always intends to get closer to Him.

Stop and take a look with me at those brown needles. Use them not as reminders of things past, but as harbingers of new opportunities to put your faith to work, always with Him in mind.

Charlie Brown's Christmas

Last night the western world celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Charlie Brown’s Christmas with Lucy, Sally, Pigpen and Linus. Charlie asked, “Doesn’t anybody know the meaning of Christmas?” Linus answered with the following: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” – Luke 2:8-14 KJV

This is the Good News of the Bible.

On Sunday this week, Pastor Robert Engelhardt of Catskill Mountain Christian Center once again put scripture in its context for today’s people. He pointed out that the majority of Americans have never seen the Grand Canyon, yet they believe it exists. They have great faith in the reports of others, pictures of its grandeur, and the testimonies of friends or relatives that have seen it.

Many of those same people will not believe in the Christ Child. Surely it does not take greater faith to believe in a hole in the ground than it does to believe in the testimony of those who saw the birth scene, those who reported it through word pictures, or those whose relatives have seen the glory of a Risen King.

In the biblical account of doubting Thomas (John 20:29), the disciple wouldn’t believe the appearance of Christ after the resurrection until he could touch the wounds. Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Christmas story is ageless because it represents the start of eternity for our world. Without faith in Jesus, our lives struggle with the meaning and purpose of life. Perhaps today, through the words Linus spoke fifty years ago and Pastor Bob spoke this past weekend, you may find an objective truth in a document almost 2,000 years old and have faith that Jesus was born for you.