THE VITAL ROLE OF THE CHURH IN ENDING THE VIOLENCE PERVADING AMERICA''S CULTURE

 T

By now you have heard of the tragic school shooting in Minneapolis, MN. In a most evil act of demonic hate and irrationality, Robin Westman fired dozens of rounds from a rifle through the windows of the Annunciation Catholic Church where students from the church's school had gathered for a worship service. Two children were killed and 14 injured. Three adults were also injured.

The shooter was a transgender who was born Robert Westman and recently had his name changed to Robin Westman. His murder of these children has troubling similarities to the murder of six children in 2023 at a Christian school in Tennessee by a young man who also identified as a woman.

I confess that I feel angry at the shooter and his contemptuous disregard for the lives of innocent children. I am also angered at the secularist activists and politicians whose anti-Christian policies have created a cultural environment that is conducive to such evil. I also feel angry at myself and a feckless church that has allowed the anti-Christian, secularization of this nation. 

The Secularization of American Culture

School shootings and cultural violence have become all too common in America, and it is time to identify the cause and assign blame where it belongs. Ultimate blame, of course, lies with the shooter, for it is clear from Scripture that each of us are accountable to God for our words and actions (Matt. 12:36; II Cor. 5:10). His closest associates, such as parents and friends, also bear responsibility for how they responded to the warning signs they must have observed.

But in this essay, I also want to place blame squarely on the shoulders of every secularist activist and politician who has pushed for the removal of Bibles, prayers, crosses, Ten Commandments, and all Christian symbols from the public schools. I will show how these symbols exert a positive moral influence on everyone within their visual range, and that they are more effective than metal detectors and security guards for restraining evil.

Tragically, the moral values of the Bible have been replaced with post-modern ideology that says, since there is no God and no absolute morality or truth, we are all free to create our own. If you don’t like your parents’ moral values, you can create your own. If you don’t like being a boy, you can create your own reality and identify as a girl.

According to these “progressive” educators, the Bible is an antiquated book that should have no place in the classroom. In the early 20th century, John Dewey, was at the forefront of the fight to secularize America’s education system and his atheistic ideals have been implemented by modern educators, including those of the NEA (National Education Association). Dewey hated Christianity, and wrote,

The battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public-school classroom . . . between the rotting corpse of Christianity and the new faith of humanism (Hyatt, The Book that Made America Great, 149).

The secularizing of the American classroom with the removal of all biblical expressions and symbols, has had devastating consequences. This was made clear in an interview I heard years ago wherein Charlie Rose interviewed a social scientist who had just led, and completed, a study on the power of religious symbols.

This social scientist laid out their amazing discoveries on the power of religious symbols. One thing he said, I will never forget. He said they discovered that a person, sitting in a room with a Bible in view, is less likely to tell a lie than if there is no Bible in view. They found that the very presence of a Bible exudes a positive moral influence on those present.

The Tragic Consequences of Rejecting the Bible

This means that the removal of the Bible, prayers, and Christian symbols from the public schools is a major contributing factor to the violence and hate that has erupted in our society. Without those positive moral constraints, the worst in human nature is free to roam.

It was not always this way. As a teenager in high school in the 1960s, we had never heard of a school shooting. It never crossed our minds that such a thing might happen. We were not angels, but there were not the rampant hatred and violence that is all too common in today’s schools and society in general

Could it, perhaps, be partly because there was no problem with a teacher reading a verse from the Bible or having prayer before class? I remember how that at the beginning of every Friday night football game in Temple, Oklahoma, where I attended junior high school, a local pastor or minister would pray. The many hundreds—and maybe thousands—in the stands would all stand and I can still see the hundreds of men removing their hats and caps as the person began to pray.

It all began to change when I was 15 years old and in two Supreme Court rulings, Engel vs Vitale (1962) and Abington School vs Schempp (1963) the nation’s highest court banned school-sponsored prayer and Bible reading in the public schools of America. This ruling was based on a contorted and novel interpretation of that part of the First Amendment that reads, “Congress shall make no law concerning the establishment of religion or hindering the free exercise thereof.”

These rulings opened the floodgates of anti-Christian activism. Since that time, lawsuits filed by atheist and secularist organizations have resulted in the removal of crosses, Ten Commandment displays, and other Christian expressions from public property. Schoolchildren have been told they cannot sing Joy to the World or Hark the Herald Angels Sing at Christmas because that would be a violation of the First Amendment.

As part of this crusade to de-Christianize America, the secularists insist on calling a Christmas Tree a Holiday Tree and referring to the Christmas Holiday as The Winter Holiday. Veteran groups and military chaplains have been told they cannot pray in the Name of Jesus. A high school band in Mississippi was ordered by a judge to remove How Great Thou Art from the repertoire of music that they play at football games and other school events.

On April 6, 2009, President Barak Obama announced to a Turkish audience, “America is not a Christian nation.” His audacious statement showed the extent to which the crusade to de-Christianize America and remove her from her biblical moorings had come.

We Must Do More than "Sing Louder"

We as Christians must also bear blame for this secularization of the public school system and society in general, for this has all happened on our watch. We have not been the “salt” and “light” that Jesus called us to be in Matthew 5:13-14. In that culture, before refrigeration, salt was used as a preservative to restrain spoilage and corruption in fish, meats, and other foods. “Light” is used to dispel darkness, which is the absence of light.

When the church is truly "salt" and "light," the evils of this present world will be restrained and held at bay. But if the salt loses its “saltiness,” as Jesus warned, it is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.

I read a German Christian's remorseful testimony of how the German church responded to the Holocaust and Hitler, and it was obvious they had lost their "saltiness." He told how the church he attended was next to a railroad and there were times, during their services, that a train would pass and they would hear the cries and screams of those being taken to the death camps. What was their their response? He said, "We sang louder."

We as American Christians must do more than "sing louder." To be salt and light we must make our voices heard on our social media platforms, in school board meetings, and in whatever venue the Lord may open for your voice. We must die to self and to the fear of man. We must also support public officials who support positive biblical values in the public schools and in society.

We must also continue to pray for another Great Awakening to roll like a tsunami wave across the land. There are hopeful indicators that we are the verge of such an Awakening, but we must press in and lay hold of it in faith and prayer. The future of America is in our hands for II Chronicles 7:14, which gives the wonderful promise of national healing, begins with the condition, If My people . . ..

This article is derived in part from the books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and The Book that Made America Great by Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt and available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com. 

THE FUTILITY OF OPPOSSING GOD: HE TURNS ARROGANT PROPHETS INTO FOOLS

I Am the LORD the maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by Myself, who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense. - Isaiah 44:25

For 2000 years the Bible has been under constant attack. Emperors, popes, kings, priests, and theologians have all tried to destroy the Bible or minimize its influence. Even today, in many countries, you will be detained or arrested for bringing a Bible across their border. Islamic and Marxist regimes fear the Bible because of the inherent power of its message of freedom and eternal salvation.

Even in America there is an ongoing battle to keep the Bible out of the public square. In my home state of Texas, a legal battle is raging over whether Ten Commandments displays can be posted in public schools. Leftists seem to know there is an inherent power in the Bible’s message; so instead of formulating arguments against it and allowing the people to decide, they attempt to outlaw it through the courts.

But despite all the opposition, the Bible continues to be the perennial bestseller year after year. Translations continue to proliferate with the Bible now available in over 3000 languages. One writer has said, “Infidels, with all their assaults, make about as much impression on this book as a man with a tack hammer would on the Pyramids of Egypt” (Hyatt, The Book that Made America Great, 113).

The futility of opposing the Bible is dramatically illustrated in the life and death of the famous French agnostic, Voltaire (1694-1778). Voltaire arrogantly declared that one-hundred years after his death the Bible would be a forgotten book. Fifty years after his death, however, the Geneva Bible Society purchased his home and printing press and began printing and distributing Bibles throughout Europe.

One-hundred years after Voltaire's death, instead of being a forgotten book, this Bible society was printing and distributing thousands of Bible on his printing press and from his home. I think heaven must have been smiling.

Yes, it is futile to oppose God and His Word. We should remember the words of Isaiah 44:25 where God says of Himself,

I Am the LORD the maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by Myself, who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense. 

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, The Book that Made America Great, available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com.

THE STORY BEHIND THE VISION

Shortly after our marriage in May of 1976, Sue shared with me a Scripture she said the Holy Spirit had highlighted to her about her life. It was Psalm 67:2, which, in the Living Bible. says, Send us around the world with the news of Your saving power and Your eternal plan for all mankind. I excitedly shared with her that the Holy Spirit had impressed the very same passage on my heart. It seemed fantastic at the time, but we knew God was speaking.

Well, that was 50 years ago and since that time we have personally ministered in countries of Asia and Africa and throughout Europe and North America. We have written and published books that have been spread around the world and translated into various languages including Chinese, Swahili, Portuguese, Romanian, Latvian, and others. Just a few days ago, I answered a facetime call from a pastor in one China’s largest cities and for over an hour discussed and answered questions about Sue’s book, In the We’re Equal, which he was reading.

During the past 50 years, we also earned doctorates in Bible and theology and taught in some of the premier evangelical colleges in America, including Oral Roberts University, Christ for the Nations Institute, and Zion Bible Institute (now known as Northpoint Bible College). We have guest lectured at Oxford University in England, Doulos Bible College in India, Tyrannus Theological Seminary in Malaysia, and other educational venues. During this time, we have also ministered as church planters, pastors, and revivalists.

 It has truly been an incredible journey! Yes, there have been the highs and the lows. There have been incredible challenges but also wonderful breakthroughs and victories. We have known sorrow but also incredible joy. Through it all, God has been wonderfully faithful.

Now, 50 years later, and realizing that the final chapter of our lives is being written, we are bringing together the knowledge and wisdom we have gained during all these years and focusing it all on the Hyatt Institute. Through this online Bible training center, God’s promise of 50 years ago will be consummated in ways we could never have imagined at the time, for there were no internet or cell phones when God spoke those words to us.

Through the online Hyatt Institute, His promise to send us around the world will continue to be fulfilled as students from all over the world enroll and are discipled and equipped to be devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers and support as we diligently lay hold of this God-given vision. The launch date is set for September 15.

For more information on the Hyatt Institute email the Director, Rhonda Klug, at hyattinstitute.director@outlook.com or Eddie Hyatt, Founder and President, at dreddiehyatt@gmail.com.  The Hyatts' websites are http://www.eddiehyatt.com and http://www.godswordtowomen.org. Contact information and helpful resources will be found at each of these sites.

ARE WE LOSING THE WAR ON AMERICA'S CHRISTIAN HERITAGE?

A federal judge has blocked a new Arkansas law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms, citing concerns about  the separation of church and state, which is not in the Constitution. Similar laws in Louisiana and Texas are also facing legal challenges. The photo above is of a Ten Commandments monument being removed from the Oklahoma State Capital Grounds after a federal judge declared it unconstitutional and ordered it removed.

This government animosity towards the Bible is ironic considering that the first English Bible printed in America in 1782 was created for "use in schools” and carried a recommendation from Congress. It shows how far America has wandered from her Christian past.

Robert Aitken, the producer of this Bible, had written a letter to Congress in which he asked for that government body’s sanction of his work. In his letter he described this Bible as “a neat Edition of the Scriptures for the use in schools” Congress enthusiastically responded to his request and offered a recommendation, which stated that they;

Highly approve of the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken , , , and being satisfied from the above report of his care and accuracy in the execution of the work, they recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper (Hyatt, TheBook that Made America Great, 16)

What a difference we see in those secularists today who oppose any reference to the Bible or prayer in our schools! They base their opposition on a distorted history that they themselves have created. They are doing this because they know that only by obliterating America's Christian past do they have any chance of transforming America into a socialist/atheistic society.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who spent eight years in a Soviet labor camp, saw this happen in his home country of Russia. Solzhenitsyn observed how the communist overlords sought to erase Russia’s Christian heritage, and later wrote, “To destroy a people you must first sever their roots.”

The goal of the socialist/secularist is to rewrite America’s history and thereby sever her from her Christian roots. When that happens, the statement of Karl Marx comes into play, who said, “People without a heritage are easily persuaded.” 

We are already seeing this happen with an outright and open communist leading in the race for New York City's next mayor. With a generation having been taught that America's founding was evil and racist, they are ready to accept anything new that seems to dazzle and glitter. We have reached the point that the Pulitzer Prize winning historian, Carl Sandburg, warned about. He wrote,

When a nation goes down or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from; they lost sight of what had brought them along (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 11.

It is time, therefore, for Christians in America to know our history and take a stand for righteousness and truth. America's future is in our hands, even as the wonderful promise of national healing in II Corinthians 7:14 makes clear, beginning with the condition, If My people . . ..

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s latest book, The Book that Made America Great, and is available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com. Eddie is also the founder of the "1726 Project" whose purpose is to educate the American public, beginning with the church, about America's overt Christian birth out of the First Great Awakening.

TRACING THE ROOTS OF AMERICAN TOLERANCE

I caught a portion of the Muslim funeral procession for the fallen NYPD officer, Didarul Islam, who was viciously murdered on Monday. Along with feeling sad for his wife and two small children, I was reminded of how this procession was an expression of American tolerance, which is rooted in our nation's Christian roots. For example, try having a public Christian funeral procession with crosses and prayers in the name of Jesus in Iran or Saudi Arabia or any number of Islamic or Marxist nations. It will not be tolerated or will be narrowly confined.

Indeed, no one with knowledge and integrity can deny that America has been a very open and tolerant nation, opening its arms to people of many different races, cultures, and religious beliefs? The Statue of Liberty and the freedom it represents is why people of all races and religions risk their lives and the lives of their family members to come to this country.

But make no mistake! This tolerance is rooted in the radical Christianity of America’s founders who looked to Jesus as their example and the New Testament as their guide. It was Jesus, after all, who taught,

 Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you (Matthew 5:44).

The people who founded this nation were “dissenting Protestants.” They opposed the Constantinian form of Christianity that developed after the 4th century, which relied on political force rather than the power of truth for its success. State churches, supported by the government, persecuted those who did not adhere to the official lines of doctrine and practice put forward by the state church.

However, groups such as the Separatist Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, and Presbyterians, who sought a return to the faith of the New Testament, opposed this intolerant approach to faith that was characteristic of the Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans. They insisted that there should be no compulsion in matters of conscience, and no coercion when it comes to one’s sincerely held religious beliefs (For a thorough discussion, see Hyatt, The Book that Made America Great, 52-50.)

These “dissenting Protestants” brought these ideals of faith and freedom to America where they were further developed on American soil. These ideals were reinforced by the Great Awakening and burned into the consciousness of the American populace.

Because the teachings of Jesus were central to their faith, an amazing tolerance and friendliness toward other religions was manifest. For example, Benjamin Rush, a devout Christian and signer of the Declaration of Independence, in describing a parade in Philadelphia, said,

The rabbi of the Jews locked in the arms of two ministers of the Gospel was a most delightful sight. There could not have been a more happy emblem (Hyatt, America’s Revival Heritage, Second Edition, 96).

During George Whitfield’s ministry in Philadelphia, city leaders decided to erect a large building to accommodate the massive crowds. According to Benjamin Franklin, the building was available for the use of “any preacher of any religious persuasion who might desire to say something to the people of Philadelphia.” Franklin went on to say,

Even if the Mufti of Constantinople (Istanbul) were to send a missionary to preach Mohammedanism to us, he would find a pulpit at his service (Hyatt, America’s Revival Heritage, Second Edition, 97).

The founders’ tolerance toward people of other faiths was based, not only on the words of Jesus and the spirit of the New Testament, but on their belief in the inherent power of the Christian Message. They believed that on a level playing field, the truth of Christianity would always prevail.

Thomas Jefferson, for example, held the teachings of Jesus in very high esteem and once said, "The philosophy of Jesus is the most sublime and benevolent code of morals ever offered to man. A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen." He believed in the inherent power of the Christian Message, and wrote,

Truth can stand by itself. If there be but one right religion and Christianity that one, we should wish to see the nine hundred and ninety-nine wandering sects gathered into the fold of truth. But against such a majority we cannot effect this by force. Reason and persuasion are the only practicable instruments. To make way for these, free inquiry must be indulged; and how can we wish others to indulge it while we refuse it ourselves (Hyatt, America’s Revival Heritage, Second Edition, 98).

The First Amendment created a free and open marketplace of religious ideas, because the founders did not fear open debate. Compare this attitude to Marxist and Islamic nations where opposing views are violently suppressed. The same is true of the new Leftwing groups in modern America who seek to cancel anyone who disagrees with them. They fear free and open debate. 

In this critical moment in time, we must stand boldly for Biblical truth and we must pray for another Great Awakening that will turn the hearts of the American populace back to Jesus and the New Testament. This would do more than anything to restore peace and tolerance in modern America for, after all, it was Jesus who said,

But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you. And just as you want men [people] to do to you, you also do to them likewise. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful (Luke 6:27-36).

This article was derived in part from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's books, America’s Revival Heritage, Second Edition and 1726: The Year that Defined America, both available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com.

Check out Eddie's latest book entitled The Book that Made America Great

https://amzn.to/4feGWcu

THE AMERICAN CHURCH AND DONALD TRUMP

Daniel 2:21 says that God “removes kings and raises up kings.” Psalm 75:7 says, “God is the Judge: He puts down one and exalts another.” In Isaiah 45:13, God said of King Cyrus of Persia, “I have raised him up.” Donald J. Trump was raised up as President of the United States for a specific purpose, which the American church needs to understand.

Trump was raised up, not to save America, but to give the American church a window of opportunity to awaken from its spiritual doldrums and be the instrument of God for cultural change. Unlike his predecessors, who targeted Bible-believing Christians for harassment and persecution, Trump has boldly voiced his respect for the Bible and his support for Christians of all denominations.

We must remember, however, that politicians can change policies and laws but only God can change hearts. If hearts are not changed, then culture will not be changed. If culture is not changed, then we could immediately be thrust back into an even worse anti-Christian political climate at the next election.

The church must, therefore, awaken and seize this opportune moment that is presented to us by the Trump administration. It was a sleeping church that allowed our nation to be taken by radical extremists. Only an awakened church can save America now and I believe this is her moment to arise.

In John 9:4, Jesus said, I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. The night is coming when no man can work. Jesus recognized that culturally and politically it was an opportune moment that He must maximize. He realized that changes were coming that would make it difficult or impossible to accomplish what must be done now.

I believe this is the situation for the American church with the Trump administration. A window of opportunity has been given to us, and we must make the most of it. We must seize the moment. We cannot go on with church as usual.

We can no longer be preoccupied with being “liked” by contemporary culture. A church that seeks to be “liked” by the culture can never be the “salt” and “light” that Jesus called us to be in Matthew 5:14. Only an awakened church can bring about the cultural change that will guarantee a free and stable country for the next generation.

I am reminded of the 19^th century visitor to America who sought for her greatness in her great commercial centers, her educational institutions, and her halls of government. Then he visited the churches of America. It was during the Second Great Awakening and everything fell into place for him, and he wrote,  

Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good; and if America ever ceases to be good America will cease to be great (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots – Second Edition, 177).

The American church must awaken and seize this opportune moment that has been given to her. Only an Awakened church, ushering in another Great Awakening, will save America from the malevolent spiritual forces that are seeking to destroy her. 

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, Bible teacher and revivalist historian with a passion to see authentic spiritual awakening in the 21st century church. His books, including his just released, The Book that Made America Great, are available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com. 

HISTORY HAS CLEARLY SPOKEN: MAMDANI'S VISION FOR NYC AND AMERCA WILL DESTROY THE ECONOMY

The election of Zohran Mamdani as the Democrat nominee for mayor of New York City, has set off a firestorm of controversy. Although he calls himself a “Social Democrat,” his statements carry a ring of Marxism.  For example, he has called for eliminating private property ownership, and in its place, implementing government-run housing for everyone. He has also called for a government-run chain of grocery stores. These and other statements have led to many, including Donald Trump, to warn that he is a communist.

Winston Churchill said, “Those who do not learned from history are doomed to repeat it.” If he is to push forward with his proposals, Mamdani and his supporters will have to ignore the long history of socialism’s failures. In fact, everywhere socialism/communism has been tried, it has utterly failed, including right here on American soil.

Before the old Soviet Union, Cuba, and Venezuela, the Pilgrims, who established Plymouth Colony in New England in the fall of 1620, at first attempted a socialist/communist style of living. They disbanded it, however, when it became obvious that their community could not survive with such a system.

Socialism Forced on Them

The Pilgrim’s journey to America was funded by a group of venture capitalists who provided the ship and supplies for their journey to the New World. In return, the Pilgrims agreed to live communally with no private property until the debt was paid. Everyone would receive the same compensation for their work, with everything above their basic necessities going into a common fund to be used to pay their creditors.

In other words, there was no inequality. Income produced by farming, fishing, and fur trading would be spread around and evenly divided among members of the community. There was only one economic class of people in this system.

William Bradford, who served as governor of Plymouth for many years, told of the challenges of this socialist system and how it almost destroyed their community (Hyatt, 1726:The Year that Defined America, 23-26). Drawn from Bradford’s account, here are four important lessons that Mamdani would do well to learn.

Lesson #1
Socialism Destroys Initiative and Innovation

Under this socialist system, everyone received the same compensation for their work. No matter how hard or how little they worked, all received the same income. With no reward tied to their labor, initiative was destroyed, and everyone put forth their least effort.

Why work and dream when you are trapped in a socialist system that mandates equality of outcome for everyone? This socialist system destroyed initiative, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and almost destroyed the Pilgrim community.

Lesson #2
Socialism Fosters Irresponsibility

Young men, Bradford said, resented getting paid the same as older men when they did so much more of the work. As a result, they tended to slouch and slack since they knew they would receive the same no matter how hard they worked.

Knowing they would receive the same no matter how hard or how little they worked, the women often refused go to the fields to work, complaining of sickness and headaches. To have compelled them to go, Bradford said, would have been considered tyranny and oppression.

With no individual reward tied to their labor, everyone gave their least effort. Irresponsibility became obvious throughout the community, and many became gripped with a sense of hopelessness.

Lesson #3
Socialism Extinguishes Hope and Generates Strife

This socialist system led to a widespread sense of hopelessness. With everyone locked into a closed economic system, there was nothing individuals or families could do to improve their personal lot. Feeling caught in a trap, bickering and strife began to emerge.

The older men, Bradford said, felt they deserved more honor and recompense because of their age and resented getting paid the same as the youngsters in their midst. The young men, on the other hand, resented getting paid the same as the older men when they often did more of the work.

This sense of hopelessness and the ensuing strife drained energy and discouraged innovative thinking and led to very serious complications for the community.

Lesson #4
Socialism is Incompatible with Human Nature

Bradford believed that socialism did not work because it runs counter to human nature as created by God. In Scripture, God rewards individuals for their labor and good works. Capitalism works because it is compatible with the reality of human nature and the world in which we live.

I will never forget visiting eastern Europe shortly after the fall of the Soviet Empire. I was struck by the grey, drab environment. Even the buildings seemed so plain, flat and lackluster. Communism had obviously extinguished the fires of creativity and innovation.

To Survive, They Had to Change

When it became obvious that lack and perhaps starvation would be their lot, Bradford and the leaders of the colony decided to make a change. After much prayer and discussion, they dispensed with that part of the agreement with their creditors that required them to live communally until their debt was paid. In its place, they implemented a free entrepreneurial system that included private ownership of property (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 23-26).

They Experience the Blessing of Free Enterprise

According to Bradford, they divided the land around them, allotting to each family a certain portion that would be theirs to work and use for their own needs. Bradford said there was an immediate change. The young men began to work much harder because they now knew they would eat the fruit of their own labors.

There were no more complaints from the older men for the same reason. And now the women were seen going into the fields to work, taking the children with them, because they knew they and their family would personally benefit.

Instead of lacking food, each family now grew more food than they needed, and they began to trade with one another for furnishings, clothes and other goods. They also had enough excess to trade with the Natives for furs and other items. In short, the colony began to prosper when they got rid of their socialist form of government and implemented a free, entrepreneurial system. Of their experience with socialism, Bradford wrote,

This community [socialism] was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort . . . and showed the vanity of that conceit of Plato’s, and applauded by some of later times, that the taking away of property and bringing in community into a commonwealth would make them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 23-26).  

Compassionate Capitalism

Once they embraced a free entrepreneurial system, the Pilgrims had no poor in their midst because they were both an innovative and a compassionate people.  As Christians of the Reformation, they sought to live out the words of Jesus to “love your neighbor as yourself” and they generously assisted those who suffered loss through sickness or death.

Theirs was a voluntary charity rooted in the teachings of Jesus, not something imposed by a centralized, authoritarian government. Capitalism, undergirded by a vibrant Christianity, is what made America the most powerful and prosperous nation in human history and is the key to her future prosperity.

The lessons from history are clear about socialism. They serve as a flashing red light warning anyone moving in that direction to STOP now! If, therefore, we desire the best for the greatest number of people, then we must reject Mamdani’s vision of a government-mandated socialist system for New York City and America.

This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and The Pilgrims, both available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. His latest book, just released, is entitled The Book that Made America Great.