By
now you have probably heard how Diane Feinstein, the ranking senator from
California, and several of her colleagues, took Note Dame professor, Amy Barrett,
to task for her Christian values and beliefs. This occurred during the
confirmation hearing for Barrett, a federal court nominee.
Feinstein
expressed dismay over the fact that when she reads Barrett’s speeches, “The
conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly in you.” The implication of Feinstein and her Democrat colleagues was that Barrett's strong faith disqualified her from serving as a federal judge. That is outrageous!
The
statement of Feinstein reveals how clueless much
of Washington D.C. is about American history. The truth is that the “dogma”
[Christian beliefs] "lived loudly" in virtually all of America’s founders.
The
following are five brief examples from America’s founders, and they show that
Feinstein and her colleagues would have rejected all of them from public
service based on the fact that the “dogma” lived loudly in them.
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin
Franklin (1706-90) is the only founding father to have signed all four
documents leading to the founding of the United States of America. These documents
are the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Treaty of Alliance with France
(1778), the Treaty of Paris (1782) and the Constitution (1787).
Although
he embraced Deism as a teenager, I have conclusively shown in my book, The Faith & Vision of Benjamin Franklin,
that Franklin returned to his Puritan roots as a result of his close
friendship with George Whitefield and as a result of the impact of the Great
Awakening on his life.
Franklin’s Christian "dogma" was living loudly in him when he called the 1787 Constitutional Convention
to prayer. He began by reminding the delegates how they had had daily prayer in
that very room during the War for Independence. Addressing the convention
president, he said, “Our prayers, sir, were heard and they were graciously
answered.”
Then
quoting from both the Psalms and the words of Jesus about a sparrow not falling
without the heavenly Father taking notice, Franklin said, “And if a sparrow cannot
fall without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His
aid?”
Yes,
Senator Feinstein and her colleagues would reject Benjamin Franklin from
serving on the federal judiciary or any public office. The dogma lived too
loudly in him to suit their secularist tastes.
George Washington
George
Washington (1732-99) was America’s first president and a devout Christian whose
“dogma” [Christian beliefs] would have greatly troubled Senator Feinstein and
her secularist colleagues.
It
was Washington who began the tradition of the president taking the oath of
office with his hand placed on a Bible. This was no mere formality for
Washington, who once said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world
without God and the Bible.”
After
resigning as commander-in-chief at the end of the war, Washington wrote a
letter to governors of the various states in which his “dogma” was obvious. The
letter included his “earnest prayer” that God would keep each state in His “holy
protection.”
In
the letter, Washington also expressed his desire that the citizens of the new
nation would model their lives after Jesus Christ. He mentioned in particular
the characteristics of charity and humility, and then said, “Which were the
characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a
humble imitation of His example in these things, we can never hope to be a
happy nation.”
Yes,
it is obvious that Senator Feinstein and her colleagues could not bear with
George Washington. His “dogma” lived too loudly for their secularist vision for
America.
John Witherspoon
John
Witherspoon (1723-94) was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and one
of the prominent members of the Continental Congress, serving on over
one-hundred committees. He was also the president of the College of New Jersey
(now Princeton University) and there trained many of America’s first-generation
leaders, including James Madison.
Witherspoon
was not only an academic, he was also a preacher and a reformer within the
Church of Scotland before immigrating to America. From his students at the
College of New Jersey came thirty-seven judges, three of whom served on the
Supreme Court, twenty-eight senators and forty-nine congressmen. His most
famous student was Madison.
Expressing
his Christ-centered approach to education, Witherspoon declared, “Cursed is all
education that is contrary to Christ.” In regards to his profound influence on
the founding generation, the Catholic scholar, William Novak, calls Witherspoon,
“The most influential academic in American history.”
Yes,
Witherspoon was a passionate follower of Christ and it was he who composed the
calls to prayer issued by the Continental Congress. He also provided theological
justification for the War for Independence, especially in his sermon entitled “The
Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men.”
It
is obvious that Senator Feinstein and many of her colleagues could not stomach
John Witherspoon, for his “dogma” live loudly in him.
Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams (1722-1803) is sometimes called “The
Father of the American Revolution” for his tireless work in organizing colonial
resistance to the tyranny of King George. He was a member of the Continental
Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He
also served as governor of Massachusetts.
While serving as governor of Massachusetts, Adams
issued a call to prayer in 1795 and as part of the proclamation he asked the
citizens of that state to pray a specific prayer. He said, “Pray that the
peaceful and glorious reign of our Divine Redeemer may be known throughout the
whole family of mankind.”
It is obvious that the “dogma” of Samuel Adams lived
loudly in him and he would not be welcome in the snooty circles of Senator
Diane Feinstein and her “esteemed” colleagues.
John Hancock
John Hancock (1737-93) was a founding father who served
as president of the Continental Congress. He was a signer of the Declaration of
Independence and his large signature in the center of the page has produced the
adage, “Give me your John Hancock.”
Signing the document in that manner was an
expression of defiance on his part, for they all knew that their act would be
seen as rebellion and sedition by King George who would target them for arrest.
Hancock also served as governor of Massachusetts and
it was while governor that issued a call for prayer that expressed his Christian missionary vision for the whole world. He asked the citizens of Massachusetts to pray,
“That all nations may bow to the scepter of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, and that the whole earth may be filled with his glory.”
John Hancock was another American founder whose “dogma”
lived largely in him. His example is an indication of how far Senator Feinstein
and her colleagues are removed from America’s founding generation.
Where
We Go from Here
These examples demonstrate how far Senator Feinstein
and her colleagues are removed from America’s founding generation. Her attack on Professor Barrett should
serve as a wake-up call to this generation that we must recover the truth of America’s
founding that lies buried beneath the rubble of revisionist histories by historians who are troubled by the overt Christian faith of America's founders.
This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s book,
Pilgrims and Patriots, available from
Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. Dr. Hyatt is
also the founder of “Revive America” and conducts Revive America events across
American in which he shows how America was birthed out of a great, spiritual awakening.
He uses the event to call the American church to repentance and to prayer for another
Great Spiritual Awakening. His email is dreddiehyatt@gmail.com.
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