Ronald
Reagan expressed the belief of generations of Americans, going all the way back
to the Pilgrims, when he said,
It’s always been my
belief that by a Divine plan this nation was placed between the two oceans to
be sought out and found by those with a special brand of courage and love of
freedom.
Samuel Adams (1722-1803), signer of the Declaration of Independence and known
as the Father of the American Revolution, expressed this same belief. In 1794, while serving as governor of Massachusetts, he issued a proclamation for a Day of Fasting and Prayer and opened the proclamation by saying, “The Supreme Ruler of the Universe, having been
pleased, in the course of His Providence, to establish the independence of the
United States of America . . . “
Even those who have suffered at the
hands of those who did not understand the original American vision, have been convinced that there was something unique and special about
America’s birth. This was true of the former slave, Frederick Douglass, who in
an 1852 speech, called the U.S. Constitution “a glorious liberty document,” and
then declared,
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.
In his fight for Civil Rights, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. understood that the nation, especially the Jim Crow
South, had departed from the original American vision of Faith and Freedom. Writing
from the Birmingham City Jail, where he had been incarcerated, he declared his
confidence that his efforts would succeed because of the “will of God” and America’s
“sacred heritage.”
The “sacred heritage” of which he
spoke was the vision of America’s founding generation that this would be a land
characterized by Faith and Freedom.
The
Original American Vision of Faith &Freedom
Indeed, the original American vision
was for a land of individual liberty where people would live out their faith
without government interference and be free to spread their faith in Jesus to the ends of
the earth.
This was the vision expressed by the
Jamestown settlers who disembarked at Cape Henry, VA on July 29, 1607. Their
first act was to gather around a 7-foot oak cross they had brought from England
and dedicate the land of their new home to God. In his dedicatory prayer, their
chaplain, Rev. Robert Hunt, declared, “From these very shores the gospel shall
go forth, not only to this New World, but to all the world” (Hyatt, 1726:The Year that Defined America, 370).
Thirteen years later, the Pilgrims
landed at Cape Cod in New England. Before disembarking
from the Mayflower in their new home, they formulated the Mayflower Compact in
which they stated their two reasons for coming to America: (1) for the glory of
God and (2) for the advancement of the Christian faith.
Twenty-three years later, with
thousands of new immigrants arriving and new towns springing up, the United Colonies
of New England was formed. In their founding document they clearly stated why
they had come to America. Dated May 19, 1643, the opening statement reads,
Whereas we all came into
these parts of America with one and the same end and aim, namely to advance the
kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ and enjoy the Liberties of the Gospel in
purity and peace (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 31).
Pennsylvania was founded in 1682 by
the Quaker, William Penn, and it became a haven for people being persecuted for
their faith. In his Fundamental Constitution of Pennsylvania (1682), Penn
guaranteed freedom of worship for all, but in it, he laid out the following
conditions of that freedom:
So long as every such
person does not use this Christian liberty to licentiousness, that is to say,
to speak loosely and profanely of God, Christ, or religion, or to commit any
evil in their lifestyle (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 39).
America’s
Founders Impacted by the Vision of Faith & Freedom
America’s Founders were not shy in
expressing this vision for they believed real freedom could only be realized through faith in Jesus Christ.
For example, in 1756, Benjamin Franklin
wrote a letter to George Whitefield, the most famous preacher of the Great
Awakening, and proposed that they partner together in founding a new Christian colony
in the area of present-day Ohio. In his proposal, Franklin presented a
missionary motive for such a colony, saying,
Might it not greatly
facilitate the introduction of pure religion among the heathen, if we could, by
such a colony, show them a better sample of Christians than they commonly see (Hyatt,
1726: The Year that Defined America, 137).
In a prayer journal George Washington
kept in his twenties, are found many devout prayers expressing praise and honor
to God. One entry reads, “Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind, and let the
world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son, Jesus Christ” (1726:The Year that Defined America, 132).
During the Revolutionary War,
Washington wrote a letter to General Nelson in which he alluded to the numerous amazing
circumstances, which he recognized as the hand of God, giving the colonial
armies victories over the superior British forces. He then said,
The hand of Providence
has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel, and
more than wicked, that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations—but
it will be time enough for me to turn preacher, when my present appointment
ceases.
This link between Faith and Freedom was expressed by America’s second president, John Adams, just two weeks
before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. In a letter to his
cousin, Zabdiel Adams, a minister of the Gospel, Adams wrote,
Statesmen, my dear sir,
may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion [Christianity] and
Morality alone, which can establish the Principles, upon which Freedom can
securely stand” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 164).
John Hancock (1737-1793), President
of the Second Continental Congress (1775-1781) and signer of the Declaration of
Independence, wanted the entire earth to hear and embrace the gospel of Jesus
Christ. He expressed this in a Prayer Proclamation he issued while Governor of
Massachusetts (1780-1785; 1787-1793). In the 1793 Proclamation, he declared,
I do hereby appoint
Thursday the eleventh day of April next, to be observed throughout this
Commonwealth, as a day of solemn fasting, humiliation, and prayer . . . 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 . . . and finally, to overrule all the commotion in the
world, to the spreading of the true religion of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, in its
purity and power, among all the people of the earth
Samuel Adams, Founding Father and signer
of the Declaration of Independence, also served as governor of Massachusetts.
During his tenure as governor, he proclaimed a “Public Day of Fasting,
Humiliation and Prayer” for April 2, 1795. In this proclamation, he said,
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. And finally, that He would overrule all the commotions in the earth to the speedy establishment of the Redeemer’s kingdom, which consists in Righteousness and Peace (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 104).
No
Real Freedom Without Faith
It is obvious from the mere sampling
of above quotes that America’s Founders believed Freedom and Christian Faith to be
inextricably linked. They believed so strongly in faith in God as the basis of
human freedom that they unashamedly prayed and publicly expressed their desire
to see it spread throughout the earth.
This is why the first two rights
enshrined in the Bill of Rights are for religious liberty and freedom of
speech. Faith and Freedom were at the top of their list of freedoms that must
be protected. This is why George Washington, in his Farewell Address, warned the
fledgling nation that two things must be guarded if they were to be a happy
people—Christianity and morality, which he called “indispensable supports” for
political prosperity (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots (Second Edition), 168-69).
Who
Will Best Guard this Original American Vision of Faith and Freedom?
We are now in the midst of one of the most important elections in America’s history, which will have a profound bearing on whether the original American vision will continue for another generation. We must, therefore, ask ourselves, “Who will do the best job of defending Faith and Freedom in modern America?”
No
politician or political party is perfect, but after reading the platforms of
the two parties and listening to their declarations and speeches over the past several years, it is clear
to me that Trump and Vance are the only choice for those who truly care about maintaining
the original American vision and passing on our Faith and Freedom to the next generation.
Dr. Eddie Hyatt is the founder of the "1726 Project" whose purpose is to educate the American public, beginning with the Church, about the nation's birth out of a Great Spiritual Awakening in Faith and Freedom. This article is derived from his books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and Pilgrims and Patriots (Second Edition), available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.
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