WHY WE MUST RENOUNCE THE TRAGIC DIVORCE OF FAITH AND FREEDOM IN MODERN AMERICA

At the closing banquet celebrating the Constitutional Convention of 1787, a Philadelphia matron rushed to the side of the convention’s most senior member and gushed, “O Mister Franklin, what have you gentlemen wrought?” The eighty-one-year-old Franklin is said to have paused, adjusted his glasses, and solemnly replied, “A republic madam; if you can keep it” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition, 171).

One Thing Necessary for a Free Republic

Franklin was solemn because he knew that the freedoms they had just enshrined in the Constitution, could be turned into anarchy by a populace that did not have the capacity to govern itself according to internal, moral values. He and all the Founders agreed that only Christianity offered the moral values and principles necessary for sustaining the freedoms they had just instituted.

Yes, Faith and Freedom were joined in an indissoluble bond at the time of America’s founding.  This is why John Adams, in a 1798 address to the officers of the Massachusetts Militia, declared,

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . .  Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 168).

When the Founders use the word "religion" they are referring to Christianity. Christianity was their religion. Without exception, they believed that only a people governed by Christian morality could sustain the Constitutional Republic they had formed.

Benjamin Rush, a Philadelphia physician, member of the Continental Congress, and signer of the Declaration of Independence, made this clear when he said,

The only foundation for a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 163).

George Washington was in complete agreement and in a 1783 letter to the governors of the various states he exhorted them to make Jesus their example and role model for life, saying, “Without a humble imitation of His example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 120). He continued this theme in his First Inaugural Address in which he exhorted the new nation to cling to Christian morals, and warned,

The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the external rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots,2nd Edition, 173).

John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), America’s sixth president and son of John Adams, the nation’s second president, was clearly aware of this marriage of Faith and Freedom in the founding of America. He wrote,

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 (Hyatt, America’s Revival Heritage, 2nd Edition, 68).

The Challenge We Face

This being the case, how did we arrive at this place in America’s history where Freedom has been divorced from Faith? How did we arrive at this place where prayer and Bible reading have been banned from public schools and crosses and other Christian symbols have been forcibly removed from all public venues? Why are children being erroneously taught that America was founded as a secularist nation by slaveowners who wanted to protect their wealth,

The answer is that there is an insidious plan to transform America into a godless, socialist state. To advance this agenda, there has been a rewriting of our history and a reinterpretation of that part of the First Amendment that says, “Congress shall make no law concerning the establishment of religion, nor hindering the free exercise thereof.” The secularist insists that any expression of faith on public property amounts to an “establishment of religion” and must be banned.

The truth is that what the Founders banned was for Congress to establish a national, state church, which is what the nations of Europe had known since Constantine. They knew from experience that such coercive faith does not produce real Christians. They had learned that faith, imposed by civil government, can never produce a moral and virtuous people, and such a people, they believed, would be necessary for a free and stable nation. Interestingly, the day after ratifying the First Amendment, those same Founders declared a Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer throughout the nation.

America’s Founders were also aware of the history of spiritual awakenings in Colonial America, including the big one, the Great Awakening, which had impacted all of them. They had seen the populace morally transformed by that Awakening. They believed such an organic faith of the people to be true to real Christianity and capable of producing the kind of national morality necessary for a peaceful and prosperous society.

The Way Forward from Here

If America is to survive, we must get serious about praying for another Great Awakening that will revive the churches, impact the culture, and stem the tide of secularism and immorality that is flooding our land. Samuel Adams, another prominent Founding Father, believed this to be the key for Freedom to continue in America.

The noted historian, Dr. Michael Novak, says that Adams believed: (1) Liberty cannot be enjoyed apart from virtue and (2) Virtue is unlikely to remain vigorous from one generation to another without "religious awakenings.” Novak goes on to say,

Far from having a hostility toward religion, the Founders counted on religion [Christianity] for the underlying philosophy of the republic, its supporting ethic, and its reliable source of rejuvenation (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 171).

The American church must awaken. We must renounce the divorce of Faith and Freedom in our nation and join them together once again in one indissoluble bond. This is not Christian nationalism; this is merely acknowledging that the morals of Jesus are superior to those of either Joe Biden or Donald Trump.

We must then pray for another Great Awakening to roll across the land like a giant tsunami wave. Yes, it is time to fall on our faces and seek the Lord, as the prophet says, Til He comes and rains righteousness on you (Hosea 10:12).

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian, and revivalist. This article is derived primarily from his book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

3 REASONS FREDERICK DOUGLASS CAME TO ADMIRE AMERICA'S FOUNDING FATHERS

No one was more scathing in their attacks on slavery and those who tolerated it than Frederick Douglass, the former slave and passionate abolitionist. In his early years, Douglass (1818-1895) felt he had no place in America because of the enslavement of his people, and he despised July 4th celebrations. 

However, as he studied America's history and world history, his views began to change and he came to admire the Founding Fathers. He expressed this admiration in a July 4th speech delivered in 1852. He said,

Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men too—great enough to give fame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men.

Here are 3 historical facts that help explain why Douglass came to hold the Founders in such high esteem.

Reason #1
The Founders Took a Stand Against Slavery
When it was Practiced Around the World

The leftists in America would have us think that slavery is unique to America. The truth is that slavery has been practiced by all sorts of peoples and civilizations for all of recorded history. But in 18th century Colonial America, there was a unique turning against slavery that resulted in virtually every Founding Father taking a public stand against it. The brilliant Black economist and historian, Dr. Thomas Sowell, has said,

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 occasion for this turn against slavery was the Christian revival that became known as the Great Awakening. This Awakening transformed entire communities, breached racial and social barriers, and ignited an abolition movement unique to the world at that time. It impacted the Founders and led to them formulating colorblind founding documents. Virtually every Founder came to agree with John Adams who said,

Every measure of prudence ought to be assumed for the eventual total expiration 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).

Reason #2
The Founders Produced Anti-Slavery Founding Documents

Because of the 18th century Great Awakening and its impact on the Founders, America’s founding documents have no classifications based on race or skin color. The words “slave” and “slavery” are nowhere to be found. Instead, the Founders speak of “persons,” “citizens,” and “other persons.” The language was purposeful for as James Madison said, “The Convention thought it wrong to admit in the Constitution the idea that there could be property in men."

America's founding generation viewed these documents as anti-slavery documents. The statement in the Declaration of Independence that “All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights such as Life and Liberty . . . was understood as an antislavery statement. Douglass understood it as such and in the speech mentioned above, he referred to the Declaration and said, “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.”

In the same speech he referred to the U.S. Constitution as a “glorious liberty document.” On another occasion he spoke of the founding documents and said, “Any one of these provisions in the hands of abolition statesmen, and backed by a right moral sentiment would put an end to slavery in America” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 122).

Yes, in the founding documents, the Founders gave Abolitionists the legal instruments with which to combat slavery. A 1784 gathering of Methodist leaders in Baltimore understood this and when they issued a statement denouncing slavery, they based it on both the Bible and the Declaration of Independence. They declared slavery to be, "Contrary to the golden rule of God as well as every principle of the [American] Revolution” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 97).

Reason #3
They Put Their Lives on the Line for Liberty

In declaring independence from Great Britian in the Declaration of Independence, the 56 signers knew that they were putting their lives on the line. They knew that their actions would be seen as treason and that King George would put them in his crosshairs. After signing the Declaration, John Hancock exhorted, “We must all hang together.” Benjamin Franklin replied, “Yes, we must hang together, or, most assuredly, we will all hang separately” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 113).

Indeed, all 56 were targeted by the British. Nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case, enduring brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons, or entire families. One lost his thirteen children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were, at one time or another, the victims of manhunts and were driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 97).

Concluding Thought

Douglass knew the Founders had their flaws, but he came to appreciate the courageous stand they took and all they accomplished despite being opposed by passionate proponents of slavery and the greatest military machine in the world. His words are a ringing rebuke to those today who demonize the Founders and want to rewrite our founding documents.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian, and Bible teacher with a passion to see another Great Awakening in America and around the world. This article is derived from his book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

IS THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT IN SELF-GOVERMENT COMING TO AN END?

America’s founding has been called the “great experiment” in human government because it was an experiment in self-government. Authority would reside, not with a monarchy, oligarchy, or centralized government, but with the people. According to the founding documents, it was to be a government designed to “serve” the people who have unalienable rights from God that no government can take from them. Abraham Lincoln called it a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

The great question was, “Can a free people govern themselves and produce an orderly and safe society?”  Such a government “of the people” would require a certain kind of people, which is why Benjamin Franklin responded as he did to a question at the closing banquet of the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

At this banquet a Philadelphia matron rushed to the side of the convention’s most senior member and gushed, “O Mister Franklin, what have you gentlemen wrought?” The eighty-one-year-old Franklin is said to have paused, adjusted his glasses, and solemnly replied, “A republic madam; if you can keep it” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition, 171).

One Thing Necessary for a Free Republic

Franklin was solemn because he knew that for the Constitutional Republic they had just formed to survive, it would require a special kind of people. He knew that those same freedoms they had just enshrined could be turned into anarchy by a populace that did not have the capacity to govern itself according to internal, moral values.

He and all the Founders knew that the success of the nation they had formed hinged on the moral character of its citizens and their ability to govern themselves according to godly principles. This is why John Adams, in a 1798 address to the officers of the Massachusetts Militia, declared,

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . .  Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 168).

George Washington was in complete agreement and in a 1783 letter to the governors of the various states he exhorted them to make Jesus their example and role model for life, saying, “Without a humble imitation of His example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that DefinedAmerica, 120). He continued this theme in his First Inaugural Address in which he exhorted the new nation to cling to Christian morals, and warned,

The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the external rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition, 173).

The well-known historian, Michael Novak, was correct in saying, “Far from having a hostility toward religion, the Founders counted on religion [Christianity] for the underlying philosophy of the republic, its supporting ethic, and its reliable source of rejuvenation” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 171).

The Challenge We Face

We have entered a unique time in America's history in which there has never been such a widespread and adamant rejection of Christian faith and values. Colleges and universities, as well as elementary and high schools, have become indoctrination centers for agnosticism and wokeism, and parents who protest are labeled “domestic terrorists” by our government. 

We probably should not be surprised since in 2019 the Democrat National Committee (DNC), the governing body of the Democrat Party, unanimously passed a resolution affirming atheism and declaring that neither Christianity or any religion to be necessary for morality and patriotism. Their resolution is completely at odds with America's founding.

At the same time there has been an all-out effort to rewrite America’s history and destroy her Christian heritage. School children are now taught that America was founded by wicked slaveowners and is racist and evil at her core. Those who teach this are willfully ignorant, or uneducated, of the fact that America’s founders turned against slavery at a time it was being practiced in Africa, Asia, and throughout the world (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 89-90).

For the secularist, the revision of America’s history is a major coup, for to fundamentally transform a nation, its history must first be transformed. This is what George Orwell was referring to when he said, “Whoever controls the past, controls the future.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn sounded the same alarm when he said, “To destroy a people, you must first sever their roots” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 6).

Severed from her Christian past, America seems defenseless against the moral relativism and atheistic wokeism that is permeating the culture. With the loss of its Christian heritage, America’s populace is now vulnerable, in a way it has never been, to being shaped into an amoral, Marxist society. American culture has now reached the point, spoken of by Karl Marx when he said, “A people without a heritage are easily persuaded” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 6). 

So, Franklin’s statement is very appropriate and timely. Are we going to keep the free Republic that was passed along to us by former generations. Ronald Reagan was right when he said,

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

The Answer for America Today

One thing I have learned from years of studying America’s history is that again and again God has intervened at critical moments with great, national revivals that have altered the course of the nation. Without another such Awakening at this time in history, the America many of us grew up in will cease to exist. We are in a moral and political freefall. The handwriting is on the wall for anyone to see, who is willing to see.

This is, however, hope. I have documented in my book, 1726: The Year thatDefined America, how this nation was birthed out of the First Great Awakening. God has no grandchildren, and when second and third generation Americans drifted from the faith of their parents, a remnant prayed and God sent a Second Great Awakening.

It was on the heels of this Second Great Awakening that a foreign visitor gave the secret for America’s success and greatness. The following statement has historically been attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville, a French sociologist who visited America in 1831. Although it is not found in his writings, it has the feel and sound of Tocqueville and may well have been spoken in one of his many speeches and then written down by someone in the audience.

Regardless, this visitor tells how he sought for America’s greatness in her great commercial centers, her educational institutions, and her halls of government. He then said,

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, 2nd Edition, 177).

America’s pulpits “flaming with righteousness” once again is the key to the preservation of the free Republic that was formed 247 years ago. Let us pray, therefore, that pastors, Christian leaders, and Christians in general will fall on their faces and seek the Lord, as the prophet says, Til He comes and rains righteousness on you (Hosea 10:12).

If My people, who are called by My name,

Will humble themselves and pray,

And seek My face and turn from their wicked ways,

Then I will hear from heaven,

And will forgive their sin and heal their land.

(II Chronicles 7:14)

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN

I do NOT celebrate PRIDE month because of any personal animus toward the LGBTQ community. I do NOT celebrate because I am convinced that our Creator, at the beginning, designed marriage to function between one man and one woman without gender confusion or dysphoria (Genesis 1-2).

Jesus confirmed this original design in a conversation about marriage and divorce found in Matthew 19. He pointed His listeners to the original marriage design in Genesis and said,

Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man put asunder (Matthew 19:4-6; MEV).

In his Word Studies of the New Testament, the Greek scholar, Dr. Marvin Vincent, says that the aroist (past) tense of the Greek word translated as “what” (not “those”) in verse 6, indicates that Jesus is referring to "the original ordinance of God at the creation." The renowned British New Testament scholar, Dr. F.F. Bruce, agrees, saying, “He does not say that every marriage is made in heaven but that marriage itself is made in heaven.”

It is this original marriage design between one man and one woman--marriage made in heaven--that Jesus says must never be manipulated, divided, or "put asunder." I, therefore, can only celebrate marriage as ordained and instituted by God in Creation and confirmed by Jesus in the New Covenant.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian, and Bible teacher. His numerous books, including one on marriage entitled Who's the Boss?, are found on Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

 

GROUNDBREAKING NEW BOOK COMING SOON

I am very excited about my latest book. It could be available to the public as early as next week. It will be available on Amazon and our website at http://eddiehyatt.com. Chapter titles are listed below.

1. The Uniqueness of Jesus

2. Modern Myths Concerning Jesus

3. The One Reliable Source for Knowing Jesus

4. Old Testament Prophecies of Jesus

5. The Virgin Birth of Jesus

6. The Self-Awareness of Jesus

7. Jesus, Caesar and the Kingdom of God

8. Did Jesus Claim to be God?

9. The Humanity of Jesus

10. The Atoning Death of Jesus

11. Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus

12. The Early Church’s Message of Jesus

13. Paul’s Revelation of Jesus

14 Keeping Our Focus on Jesus

15. Knowing Jesus in a Very Personal Way