Was America founded as a Christian nation? Those on the Left, including the entire Democrat Party, would respond to this question with an emphatic “No.” But this is because in their embrace of Marxist ideology they think only in terms of “power.”

When they hear the term “Christian nation” they think of a Christian counterpart to a Marxist or Islamic regime where the power of the state is used to impose its ideology on the masses. This, however, was not the Christianity of the Founders.

The Founders had rejected a Constantinian form of Christianity in which the government uses the power of the state to sanction, uphold and defend a particular church. This ungodly merger of church and state had begun with Constantine in the fourth century and was a clear departure from the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament.

The Founders were influenced by those elements of the Reformation that rejected Constantinian Christianity and insisted on a return to Jesus and a Bible-based Christianity. In their thinking, there was no place for governmental force in matters of conscience and faith.

But although the Founders refused to sanction a particular sect or denomination, they all believed that only Christianity offered the values and principles necessary for a free and happy society. This is obvious from their speeches, letters and other writings. Consider the following random quotes.

 

“Look down in mercy we beseech thee on these our American states who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ Thy Son and our Savior. Amen. – From the opening prayer at the First Continental Congress

“You do well to wish to learn our arts and our ways of life and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ.” – George Washington to a group Delaware Chiefs

“That with true contrition of heart we may confess our sins, resolve to forsake them, and implore the Divine forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior.” – John Hancock in a Prayer Proclamation issued while serving as governor of Massachusetts.

 “Of all the systems of morality that have come under my observations, none appear to me so pure as that of Jesus.” – Thomas Jefferson

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” – John Adams

“Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” – John Jay, America’s first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

“The right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, the rights of the Colonists as Christians may be best understood by reading and carefully studying the institutions of the Great Lawgiver and the Head of the Christian Church, which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament.” – Samuel Adams

“It was wonderful to see the change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street.” – Benjamin Franklin describing the impact of the 1739 Awakening on his hometown of Philadelphia

 “If you ask an American who is his master, he will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ.” –  Included in a letter from a British-appointed governor in America to his superiors back in England and recorded in the British Parliamentary Records on April 22, 1774.

“The highest glory of the American Revolution is this; it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” – John Quincy Adams

“These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.” – U.S. Supreme Court, 1892

America was founded as a Christian nation not by government legislation or judicial decree, but because the great majority of its citizens had become devout followers of Christ. This happened because of the Great Awakening in which the masses discovered a faith that could not only be known in the head but also experienced in the heart.  All segments of society were impacted.

This meant that the Christianity of the founding generation was not an outward, formal, or legal Christianity, but a Christianity of the heart. Such a Christianity cannot be legally imposed; it must be experienced by faith.

This means that if America is to maintain Christian values from one generation to the next, she must see periodic Awakenings that reignite the fires of a living faith in hearts everywhere. When this happens, Christians become salt and light impacting every segment of society and preserving our Christian heritage and freedoms for another generation.

Pray for another National Awakening across America!!

This article is derived from books by Eddie Hyatt, particularly America's Revival Heritage (Second Edition) and America's Reawakening. His books and those by his wife, Dr. Susan Hyatt, are available from Amazon and their website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

REMEMBERING 50 YEARS OF GOD'S FAITHFULNESS, PART 9

FOUR HARD LESSONS THE PILGRIMS LEARNED ABOUT THE DESTRUCTIVE NATURE OF SOCIALISM

  

Winston Churchill said, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” With the rising popularity of socialist/communist ideology, Americans would do well to learn from history and not have to learn the hard way, by experience, the destructive fruit of socialism.

Wherever socialism has been tried, it has miserably failed, including right here on American soil. The Pilgrims, who established the first English settlement in New England in 1620, at first attempted a socialist/communist style of living in which everyone was equal. They disbanded it, however, when starvation overtook them and it became obvious that their community could not survive with such a system.

I have delineated below four hard lessons the Pilgrims learned from their experience with socialism.

They Learned the Hard Way that Socialism Doesn’t Work

In the New World, members of the Pilgrim community owned no private property. They worked and farmed land owned by the community. Everything earned from farming, fishing and hunting went into a common fund from which each family received an allotment for their sustenance. They were all equal.

They were a socialist commune, and any excess funds were used to pay off the debt they had incurred for the rental of the Mayflower and supplies for the journey.

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 Drawn from Bradford’s own account, here are four important lessons that the contemporary Democratic Socialists would do well to learn.

Lesson #1

Socialism Destroys Initiative

Under this socialist system, everyone received the same compensation for their work. This meant that 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. 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 be slack since they knew they would receive the same no matter how hard they worked.

For the same reason, the women often refused go to the fields to work, complaining of sickness and headaches. With no individual reward tied to their labor, everyone gave their least effort. Irresponsibility became obvious throughout the community.

Lesson #3

Socialism Extinguishes Hope and Generates Strife

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,  which led to very serious complications and lack throughout 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/socialism had obviously extinguished the fires of creativity and innovation.

They Experience the Blessing of Free Enterprise

When it became obvious their community could not survive, Bradford and the leaders of the colony decided to dispense with their communistic system, and in its place they implemented a free entrepreneurial system that included private ownership of property. They divided the land giving each family their own plot to work and farm (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 23-26).

Bradford said there was an immediate change. Everyone now began giving it their best because they now knew they would personally benefit according to their own labors. Even the women were now seen going into the fields to work, taking the children with them, because they knew they and their family would personally benefit.

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. And they were able to quickly pay their creditors.

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 (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 23-26).  

The Lessons are Clear

The lessons from history about socialism/communism are clear. If we desire the best for the greatest number of people, then we must reject this current naïve fascination with socialism and contend for the free entrepreneurial system that has given America the most powerful economy in the history of the world.

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 America’s Reawakening.

AMERICA'S ABOLITIONIST FOUNDING FATHER

 

One of America’s Founding Fathers, Benjamin Rush, was a passionate and vocal abolitionist. At at time when slavery was accepted and practiced in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and much of the world, Rush turned many of his generation against the horrible practice. 

Rush was a Philadelphia physician, a delegate to the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He helped form the first Abolition society in America in his hometown of Philadelphia. He called slavery a “hydra sin” and called on the pastors and minsters of America to take a public stand against it. He wrote,

But chiefly—ye ministers of the gospel, whose dominion over the principles and actions of men is so universally acknowledged and felt, - Ye who estimate the worth of your fellow creatures by their immortality, and therefore must look upon all mankind as equal; - let your zeal keep pace with your opportunities to put a stop to slavery. While you enforce the duties of “tithe and cumin,” neglect not the weightier laws of justice and humanity. Slavery is a Hydra sin and includes in it every violation of the precepts of the Laws and the Gospels (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 37-38).

Rush served as the surgeon general in the Revolutionary Army and influenced General George Washington to receive free Blacks into the American army. As a result, one in every eight soldiers were of African descent. Blacks and Whites fought together for freedom from Great Britain.

Rush was very influential in turning many of his generation against slavery. It was through his influence that his fellow Philadelphian, Benjamin Franklin, freed his two slaves and became a member of the Abolition society in that city. He also played a primary role in turning Washington and others against slavery, which is why the esteemed Black scholar, Dr. Thomas Sowell, would write,

Among those who turned against slavery in the 18th century were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other American leaders. You could research all of 18th century Africa or Asia or the Middle East without finding any comparable rejection of slavery there (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 9).

Rush became friends with the former slave and Methodist evangelist, Richard Allen, who settled in Philadelphia after a time of successful evangelistic ministry to both Black and White audiences. In fact, his ministry was so successful in bridging racial and cultural divides that Paul Strand, former Washington D.C. correspondent for CBN, called Allen “America’s Black Founding Father.”

Being a Methodist preacher, Allen became a member of the Methodist Church in Philadelphia. However, as the Great Awakening, which had ignited the interracial currents in Colonial America, waned, the elders of the Methodist Church in Philadelphia decided to segregate their seating based on race. At this point, Allen and other Blacks walked out.

Rush, a Presbyterian, came to their aid with both moral and financial support. He assisted them in obtaining property and erecting their own building in which to worship. They established Bethel Methodist Church out of which came the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) denomination. Allen later wrote,

We had waited on Dr. Rush and Mr. Robert Ralston, and told them of our distressing situation. We considered it a blessing that the Lord had put it into our hearts to wait upon those gentlemen. They pitied our situation, and subscribed largely towards the church, and were very friendly towards us and advised us how to go on . . . Dr. Rush did much for us in public by his influence. I hope the name of Dr. Benjamin Rush and Mr. Robert Ralston will never be forgotten among us. They were the two first gentlemen who espoused the cause of the oppressed and aided us in building the house of the Lord for the poor Africans to worship in. Here was the beginning and rise of the first African church in America (Hyatt, America’s Reawakening, 116).

Think about it! One of America’s Founding Fathers helped launch one of the largest and most respected Black denominations in America. Dr. Benjamin Rush was America’s Abolitionist Founding Father!

This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s books America’s Reawakening and Abolitionist Founding Fathers, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

THE CHRISTIAN AWAKENING THAT ENDED SLAVERY IN AMERICA

Historians have noted that slavery, although practiced for thousands of years by many peoples and civilizations, suddenly became anathema in 18th century America. The late historians Elizabeth Fox-Genovese and Eugene Genovese observed, “Perception of slavery as morally unacceptable — as sinful — did not become widespread until the second half of the eighteenth century.”

The late Dr. Walter Williams, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, has said that the unique characteristic of slavery in America was not only the brevity of its existence, but also the “moral outrage” against it. The brilliant scholar, Dr. Thomas Sowell, who happens to be Black, has written,

Slavery was just not an issue, not even among intellectuals, much less among political leaders, until the 18th century–and then it was an issue only in Western civilization. Among those who turned against slavery in the 18th century were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and other American leaders. You could research all of 18th century Africa or Asia or the Middle East without finding any comparable rejection of slavery there (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 90).

The Source of the Moral Outrage Against Slavery

There was a reason for this sudden moral opposition to slavery and that reason is to be found in what became known as The Great Awakening. In this Christian revival that ebbed and flowed from 1726 to 1770, it seemed that entire towns repented and turned to God. In his Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin described the amazing transformation of his hometown of Philadelphia in 1739. He wrote,

It was wonderful to see the change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 79).

Out of this revival there emerged a deep concern for the those who did not know Christ. As a result, many evangelists began taking the message of salvation to the marginalized of society, including Blacks, both slave and free. Their ministries breached racial and cultural barriers and they saw many come to Christ. Black preachers and churches emerged out of this Awakening, as well as the moral outrage against slavery, which the historians above have noted.

From Evangelism to Social Transformation

At the beginning of the Great Awakening in 1726, outreach to the Black populace was evangelistic in nature and not characterized by opposition to slavery. Those early preachers, such as George Whitefield, Gilbert Tennant, and Jonathan Edwards, saw their primary purpose to be in getting people ready for the next world, not necessarily improving their lot in this one. In their thinking, a slave on his way to heaven was far better off than a king on his way to hell.

Nonetheless, their insistence on sharing the Gospel with all people and their willingness to share Christian fellowship with Blacks, both slave and free, breached racial and cultural barriers in Colonial America. Also, the inclusive Gospel message they preached, and their compassionate treatment of blacks, created a climate conducive to the anti-slavery sentiments that would burst forth through those who would come after them.

Indeed, the revivalists who came after Edwards and Whitefield carried the message of their predecessors to its logical conclusion: if we are all creatures of the same Creator and if Christ died that all might be saved, then how can slavery ever be justified?

They, therefore, began a vicious attack on the institution of slavery. This is what historian, Benjamin Hart, was referring to when he wrote, “Among the most ardent opponents of slavery were ministers, particularly the Puritan and revivalist preachers (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 92).

These "ardent opponents of slavery" included the followers of Jonathan Edwards who expanded on his idea of the essential dignity of all created beings and applied it to the Blacks of Colonial America. They included Levi Hart in Connecticut, Edwards’ son, Jonathan Jr., also in Connecticut, Jacob Green in New Jersey and Samuel Hopkins in Rhode Island.

Showing the Hypocrisy of Demanding Liberty and Tolerating Slavery

Samuel Hopkins (1721–1803), who had been personally tutored by Edwards, pastored for a time in Newport, Rhode Island, an important hub in the transatlantic slave trade. Like Paul, whose spirit was “provoked” observing the idols in Athens, Hopkins was outraged by what he observed in Newport. He, therefore, began to passionately speak out against this "violation of God’s will” and declared, “This whole country have their hands full of blood this day" (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 92).

After the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in 1774, Hopkins sent a pamphlet to every member of the Congress, asking how they could complain about “enslavement” to Great Britain and overlook the “enslavement” of so many Blacks in the colonies.

Indeed, as “liberty” became a watchword throughout the colonies, these second-generation Awakening preachers began applying it to the enslaved blacks in America. Like Hopkins, they pointed out the hypocrisy of demanding freedom from Great Britain while enslaving Black Africans. One of the most vocal was the Baptist preacher, John Allen, who thundered,

Blush ye pretended votaries of freedom! ye trifling Patriots! who are making a vain parade of being advocates for the liberties of mankind, who are thus making a mockery of your profession by trampling on the sacred natural rights and privileges of Africans (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 156).

The opposition to slavery thus mounted as other ministers of the Awakening began to speak out. For example, in a sermon preached and published in 1770, Samuel Cooke declared that by tolerating the evil of slavery, “We, the patrons of liberty, have dishonored the Christian name, and degraded human nature nearly to a level with the beasts that perish” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 93).

God Speaks to Freeborn Garrettson

Freeborn Garrettson (1752-1827), a revivalist from Maryland, freed his slaves after hearing God speak to him supernaturally. According to Garrettson, he heard the Lord say, “It is not right for you to keep your fellow creatures in bondage; you must let the oppressed go free.” Garrettson immediately informed his slaves that they did not belong to him and that he did not desire their services without giving them proper compensation.

Garrettson began preaching against slavery and advocating for freedom, which provoked intense opposition, especially in the South. One enraged slave-owner came to the house where Garrettson was lodging and swore at him, threatened him and punched him in the face. Garrettson did not retaliate but sought to reason with the man who finally gave up and left.

Garrettson took his message to North Carolina where he preached to black audiences and sought to “inculcate the doctrine of freedom in them.” His opposition to slavery was firmly rooted in the Gospel and he described a typical meeting with slaves in which,

Many of their sable faces were bedewed with tears, their withered hands of faith were stretched out, and their precious souls made white in the blood of the Lamb (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 95).

Garrettson also preached to southern white audiences and sought to convince them of the evils of slavery and that God’s will was liberty for all His creatures. In Delaware, Garrettson visited the Stokeley Sturgis Plantation and preached to both the slaves and the Sturgis family. He was able to convince Sturgis that slavery is a sin and Sturgis began making arrangements for his slaves to obtain freedom.

The Methodists Go on the Attack

In 1744, John Wesley (1703–1791) spoke publicly against slavery, declaring that, in God’s sight, blacks and whites are equal and that Christ died for all. Many Methodists in America, in both the North and South, picked up on Wesley’s call and became some of the leading abolitionists in America.

James O’Kelly (1735-1826), for example, faced physical attacks because of his bold, excoriating preaching against slavery. He painted slaveholding as a debilitating and demonic kind of sin. It was, he said, “A work of the flesh, assisted by the devil; a mystery of iniquity, that works like witchcraft to darken your understanding, and harden your hearts against conviction." 

Because of the bold preaching of evangelists such as Garrettson and O’Kelly, an anti-slavery movement gained momentum, even in the South. This movement faced intense opposition, as was the case in 1800 when Methodists in South Carolina circulated a petition calling for emancipation. A mob burned the handouts and dragged one of the Methodist preachers through the streets and almost drowned him in a well.

Despite the opposition, the movement for abolition continued to spread, impacting those from all stations and walks of life.

Richard Allen Founds the AME

One of the slaves who obtained his freedom from the Stokeley Sturgis Plantation was Richard Allen. Allen, who had been converted under the preaching of a Methodist preacher while still a slave, became a successful evangelist to both black and white audiences. In 1784, he preached for weeks in Radnor, Pennsylvania, to mostly white audiences and recalled hearing them say, “This man must be a man of God; I have never heard such preaching before” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 95-96).

Allen became close friends with Benjamin Rush, a Philadelphia physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence. As the Awakening waned, the Methodist Church in Philadelphia, of which Allen was a member, decided to segregate the congregation according to race. Allen and other Blacks walked out. Rush, a Presbyterian, came to their aid and assisted them in obtaining property and establishing their own congregation. They established Bethel Methodist Church out which came the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) denomination. Allen later wrote,

Dr. Rush did much for us in public by his influence. I hope the name of Dr. Benjamin Rush and Mr. Robert Ralston will never be forgotten among us. They were the two first gentlemen who espoused the cause of the oppressed and aided us in building the house of the Lord for the poor Africans to worship in. Here was the beginning and rise of the first African church in America (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 156).

Paul Strand, senior Washington D.C. correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network, now retired, called Allen, “America’s Black Founding Father.”

America’s Founders Are Impacted

The spiritual power of the Awakening and the moral arguments it produced against slavery were overwhelming. The pragmatic fruit emerging from the revival include the following:

1)    George Washington accepted free Blacks into the Revolutionary Army resulting in one out of every eight soldiers being of African descent. Blacks and whites fought together for freedom from Great Britain.

2)       America’s founders purposely avoided using classifications of race or skin color in the nation’s founding documents. America’s founding documents are colorblind, even if her history has not been. This is why the famous abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, called the U.S. Constitution "a glorious liberty document," and said of the Declaration of Independence, 

    "The principles contained in that instrument are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost."

3)     Founders from the North, who had never owned slaves, took new and strong public stands against the institution. John Adams, for example, declared,

“Every measure of prudence . . . ought to be assumed for the eventual total extirpation of slavery from the United States. I have throughout my whole life held the practice of slavery in abhorrence” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 101).

4)     Confronted by the inconsistency of Christian faith with owning slaves, George Washington set in motion a compassionate program to completely disentangle Mount Vernon from slavery. Concerning abolition, he wrote, 

        “Not only do I pray for it on the score of human dignity, but I clearly foresee that nothing but the rooting out of slavery can perpetuate the existence of our union by consolidating it in a common bond of principle’ (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 103).

5)      As a result of the Awakening, an abolition movement arose and one of America’s Founding Fathers, Benjamin Rush, helped found the nation’s first abolition society in Philadelphia. Rush, a Philadelphia physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, also exhorted the ministers of America to attack slavery, saying, 

        “While you enforce the duties of ‘tithe and cumin,’ neglect not the weightier laws of justice and humanity. Slavery is a Hydra sin and includes in it every violation of the precepts of the Laws and the Gospels (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 100-101).

5)       Even those founders who did not free their slaves, publicly admitted that it was wrong and sinful and would bring God’s judgement on the nation. It was in the context of slavery being allowed to continue in the South that Thomas Jefferson wrote,

“God who gave us life, gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just and that His justice cannot sleep forever” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 125).

Although it would take a Second Great Awakening (ca. 1800- ca. 1830), a Great Prayer Awakening (1857-58), and a Civil War (1861-1865) to bring final closure, slavery’s end was sealed in that First Great Awakening that swept Colonial America. It was the Christian Awakening that ended slavery in America. 

America is in desperate need of another Christian Awakening. We ought, therefore, to heed the words of Samuel Adams (1722–1803), a passionate abolitionist, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and known as The Father of the American Revolution. While serving as governor of Massachusetts, he proclaimed April 2, 1795 to be a Day of Fasting and Prayer for both Massachusetts and America.

The words of that Proclamation reveal the profound depth of faith in America’s founding generation and shows how they saw their civil liberty tied to their faith in God. It reads in part:

Calling upon the Ministers of the Gospel, of every Denomination, with their respective Congregations, to assemble on that Day, and devoutly implore the Divine forgiveness of our Sins, To pray that the Light of the Gospel, and the rights of Conscience, may be continued to the people of United America; and that his Holy Word may be improved by them, so that the name of God may be exalted, and their own Liberty and Happiness secured (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 104).

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, 1726, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. Watch for his latest book, America's Reawakening, slated for release March 15. He is also the founder of the "1726 Project" whose goal is to spread the message of America's unique birth out of the First Great Awakening and call on believers everywhere to pray for another Great Awakening across the land.

THE PROUD AND ARROGANT ARE COMING DOWN

Today, I am reminded of an experience I had several years ago while preaching on a certain Sunday morning. As I was elaborating on the conversion of Saul of Tarsus to Paul the Apostle, something unusual happened. 

As I began commenting on Acts 9:6, and how Saul was suddenly brought down into the dust of the Damascus Road, something stirred deep within my heart. I suddenly stopped in the middle of my message and found myself praying, “O God, bring down the proud and arrogant leaders in our nation, both political and religious.”

Acts 9:6, where this experience occurred, reads, So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” Saul, who was on his way to Damascus to arrest followers of Jesus, had just been just been struck down by a bright light from heaven. Lying in the dust, he heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Astonished and trembling, he inquired as to the identity of the voice and heard, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting (Acts 9:5).

As I elaborated on the intensity of this encounter for Saul, I suddenly realized that the proud and arrogant Saul, who was bent on destroying this new Jesus Movement, had been brought down and humbled in the dust of the Damascus Road. It was at that moment that I spontaneously lifted up the prayer to God that He would bring down the proud and arrogant leaders in our nation, both political and religious.

God Hates Pride

God hates pride and both James 4:6 and I Peter 5:5 quote Proverbs 3:34 that warns, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Paul warned against putting a novice (one new to the faith) into a place of leadership, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil (I Timothy 3:6).

Pride is deadly because it asserts the “self” or ego against God. The middle letter of pride is “I.” Pride is the root of all sin for the end of all sin is self-gratification. It was pride that brought down the beautiful archangel, Lucifer. It was pride that caused our first parents to declare their independence from God and think they could be gods and make it on their own. Their prideful action plunged the world and the human race into what is theologically known as the fall, which opened the door to sin, evil and death. No wonder that Proverbs 16:18 warns, Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Pride Destroys Revival

Some years ago I was in a “revival” church and scheduled to speak that Sunday morning. It was a very festive atmosphere. But as people shouted, danced and ran, I heard the words in my mind and heart, “The stronghold of deception is pride,” and I knew I was to speak on that topic

When the service was turned to me I announced my theme and then shared with the congregation why that especially during times of revival we must guard against pride. I explained, and gave examples, how many men who were mightily used of God were brought down by pride, because they got an inflated idea of their own importance because of God’s blessing on their lives. I told a sobering  story of one of the most powerful healing evangelists of the 1940s-50s and how he began to think he was Elijah, ushering in the second coming of Christ. I also told of his tragic end.

At the end of the service a somberness and quietness seemed to pervade the atmosphere. The people who were running and shouting earlier seemed almost afraid to move. After the benediction the people departed very quietly, almost speaking in whispers.

I later said to the pastor, “I hope I did not squelch the enthusiasm of your congregation. “O no,” he replied, “In fact you were so on target that I may be accused of bringing you in to preach that message.” He then shared examples of how pride had crept into their “revival” and was creating havoc in their congregation.

Charles Finney, who has been called the Prince of Revivalists, commented on how in the midst of a revival Christians often “sin against their own mercies, because they get lifted up with their success, and take the credit to themselves and do not give glory to God.” He further elaborated, saying;

Perhaps it has been published in the papers what a great revival there has been in that church, so that they begin to think how high they will stand in the estimation of other churches all over the land, because they have had such a great revival. And they get puffed up and vain and they can no longer enjoy the presence of God. The Spirit of God withdraws from them, and the revival ceases.

We Must Deal with the Pride

A number of years ago I was sitting in a “Revival Now” conference when I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to bow down before the Lord. I considered how to respond for it was during a time when people were being called to come forward to receive prayer for a fresh touch of God in their lives. The urge to bow before the Lord would not go away and I finally turned and bowed at my seat.

As soon as my knees touched the floor I heard the voice of the Lord as clear as I have ever heard it. I heard Him say, “I am going to be doing some incredible things in the days ahead; and when you see My power and My glory, this is to always be your posture. You are to bow down and acknowledge that I am the Sovereign Lord of this universe.”

I believe God is about to deal with the pride in America and in the American church. The proud and arrogant are coming down. Isaiah 33:11 says, The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

We can, however, avoid His discipline by humbling ourselves. I know someone will say, “But we are living under grace.” That is true and Paul, the preacher of grace, said in I Corinthians 11:31-32, For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened [disciplined] by the Lord that we might not be condemned with the world.

The Power of Humility & Prayer

For several generations, the first immigrants to America would set aside days of what they called “prayer and humiliation.” It was not a time of groveling or self-flagellation, but a time of confessing the sin of pride and the sin of trusting in themselves and their own strength instead of totally relying on the Lord. Out of their days of “prayer and humiliation” emerged the most powerful nation on earth.

We should not be surprised for God promises that those who will humble themselves, He will exalt. I Peter 5:6 says, Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time. And Isaiah 66:3 says, These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word (NIV).

It is time that we as American Christians humbled ourselves before God, confessed that in our pride we have relied on our own strength, and confess how much we need Him. This could lead to a Third Great Awakening that will change the very course of this nation. If we do not humble ourselves, we can expect to be humbled. The proud and arrogant are coming down.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, revivalist and Bible teacher. He is the author of numerous books including his more recent one, America's Reawakening.  These books are available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.  

LIFE-CHANGING LESSONS I LEARNED FROM MY FATHER

When I was 11 years old God miraculously “thrust” out my father from a job working as a farm hand for .50 cent an hour to pastoring an Assemblies of God church in Tipton, Oklahoma. In the process, he taught me by example truths that forever impacted my life.

The farm on which my dad worked was seven miles from town. Nonetheless, my parents took me and my three older brothers to the Assemblies of God church every Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. We never missed a church service.

Becoming dissatisfied with his situation on the farm, Dad began making plans to move to Dallas, Texas where his sister had informed him that he could obtain work as a bricklayer. He, therefore, quit the job on the farm, moved our family into town, and made plans for the move to Dallas.

But as he made plans to move, he heard the Holy Spirit speak in his heart, “What about pastoring this church?”

This seemed like an impossibility for two huge reasons: Firstly, the church had a pastor and he had given no hint that he planned to leave. Secondly, Dad knew that the people did not see him as a pastor. He was a farmhand with a fourth-grade education, had never pastored and was on the lower end of the socio-economic scale in this “nice” church.

Twelve years before this he had experienced a supernatural call from God. He was, therefore, willing to consider that this could be the voice of God even though it seemed so far fetched. 

He decided to ask for confirmation, and said, “Lord, if this is you speaking to me, let this pastor resign before the first of the month.” There was only one more Sunday before the first of the month and he was shocked when the following Sunday the pastor got up and announced his resignation.

Knowing that God had spoken, Dad went to the church secretary after the service and said, “I would like to submit my name to be the pastor of this church.”

The church had a process in place for finding a new pastor and it consisted of allowing anyone who was interested to preach in a service and then afterwards the members of the church would vote. If the preacher got more than 50% of the votes, he would become the pastor. The secretary replied, “You are the first one to inquire so your name is at the top of the list.”

About three days later, an older gentleman known as “Brother Cook,” who was the chairman of the board of deacons/elders, visited my dad and informed him that he had talked to all the members of the church. “We are all in agreement,” he said, “That you are not qualified to be our pastor.” He then asked Dad to withdraw his name for consideration because, he said, “No one will vote for you.”

Well, what do you do now? God had clearly spoken for him to pastor this congregation, but now they are all in agreement that they do not want him as their pastor. He was between the proverbial “rock and a hard place.”

Not being a politician with a plan to sway votes, Dad went to prayer. He prayed all night but heard nothing. What now? Do you throw in the towel and move on? Something inside would not let him quit, so he prayed all night the second night, but there was no voice, no guidance and no direction.

Virtually everyone advised him to withdraw his name and forget about pastoring that church. One of his relatives poked fun, saying, “The Lord told Clarence to go plow, and he thought He said to go preach.” The one voice of support came from my oldest brother, Harvey, who said to him, "Daddy, if God told you to do this, you better do it!"

That internal determination to hear from God would not leave him so he prayed all night for the third night in a row. Something incredible then happened as the sun peeked over the horizon after a third night of prayer.

I heard him tell this story many times. He said that he looked out a window and as the first rays of the morning sun shone in his face, “I felt that I was turned into another man!” Suddenly he had no concern about what anyone thought of him. People’s opinions no longer mattered. The only thing that mattered was being obedient to the call of God.

He went out and found the secretary of the church and the chairman of the board of deacons/elders. He said to them, “Brethren, whatever you do is between you and God, but I have to go through with this.” They reluctantly said “OK,” and arranged for him to preach the following Sunday night.

I still remember the message that Sunday night, and there seemed to be a special anointing from the Holy Spirit as he preached from Haggai 1:5, “Consider Your Ways.” After finishing his sermon, he said the congregation, “I have done what God asked me to do. The Hyatt family is going home, and it is now between you and God.”

He then led our family out of the church to our home, now about one-half block away, where we waited to hear the results of the election. About one-half hour later, someone came from the church and told us he had been voted in as pastor with 100% of the vote. WOW!!

Others then came and proceeded to explain that, after we left, Brother Cook, the chairman of the board of deacons who was emceeing the election, had gotten up before the congregation weeping and said, “Folks, I have been wrong about this man; he is supposed to be our pastor.”

Everything suddenly changed. The Holy Spirit seemed to feel the atmosphere. Hearts melted across the congregation. Tears flowed from many eyes. And whereas everyone there had come prepared to vote against him every single member voted for him. The picture below was taken shortly after this miracle event.

From that time forth, except for brief intervals between pastorates, my dad was in full time pastoral ministry for the rest of his life. The last church he pastored was the Assembly of God in Chicota, Texas, which he pastored for 27 years. One young man, Tony Boykin, who grew up under his ministry, wrote the following after his passing.

He had a profound impact on my life that changed me forever. My children and I can always say that our Christian life was helped to be framed by one of America's greatest pastors. I will forever believe that he will stand beside Moses, King David, Elijah, and Father Abraham. If any man has ever lived by Gods highest standards, it was the legendary C.H. Hyatt. I miss one of the best friends I have ever had.

So, I have always believed in the power of prayer, not because of any particular book I have ever read, but because I saw my father persevere in prayer and achieve great victory. I have also always believed that uncompromising obedience brings blessing because I saw him press through the opposition into a great victory.

I also learned from that situation that a church and its leaders can all be in unity and all be wrong. Unity that is not based in truth is not real unity, but a fragile agreement based on convenience that can be easily dissolved. We must be willing, therefore, to stand against the tide of human opinion in our pursuit of Truth.

I will be forever grateful for these life-changing lessons I learned from my father.

Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is the author of over 25 book available on Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com. He is the co founder, along with his wife, Dr. Susan Hyatt, of the Hyatt Institute an online, self-serve Bible and ministry training site offering world-class Bible training at affordable prices. Check it out at http://hyattinstitute.com.