
11/22/2025
REST FOR YOUR SOULS

11/21/2025
THE PILGRIMS TRIED SOCIALISM AND IT ALMOST DESTROYED THEM
Winston Churchill said, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Modern America can avoid a lot of pain and suffering by listening to those voices from the past.
For example, before
the Soviet Union, Cuba, Venezuela and Zohran Mamdani, socialism was tried right here on
American soil and utterly failed. The Pilgrims, who established the first
permanent English settlement in New England in the fall of 1620, at first
attempted a socialist 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 English businessmen who provided the ship
and supplies for their journey to the New World. In return, the Pilgrims agreed
to live communally with everyone receiving the same recompense for their work,
and 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 would
be only one economic class of people in this system. They were all equal,
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, The Pilgrims, 52).
Four lessons the
Pilgrims would teach modern America about socialism are: (1) Socialism destroys
initiative an innovation; (2) Socialism fosters irresponsibility; (3) Socialism extinguishes
hope and generates strife; and (4) Socialism is incompatible with human nature.
Lesson
#1
Socialism
Destroys Initiative and Innovation
Under this socialist system,
everyone received the same recompense 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 and innovation 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 innovation and 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. It was obvious that the Marxist system had robbed the people of life, energy and creativity.
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, The Pilgrims, 52-53).
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 Indians 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, The Pilgrims, 53-54).
Christianity & Capitalism
As Christians, our
responsibility is to call people to Christ and help them live out their
Christianity in the real world. Living out our Christianity means a life of
responsibility, not looking for government hand-outs but working and prospering
in a way that we can give a hand-up to those in need.
We desire the best for
the greatest number of people which is why we must reject the contemporary
vision of a government-mandated socialist system in 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.
11/19/2025
HOW TO INTRODUCE A JEW TO THE MESSIAH
In the middle of a very busy afternoon the phone rang
and the voice on the other end identified herself as the director of a local Christian
counseling center. She proceeded to tell me that she was talking to a young Jewish
man who had wandered in, and she wondered if I had anything that might be
helpful to him.
As I listened to this counseling center director, I
immediately thought of a cassette tape I possessed, which contained a teaching entitled
“How to Introduce a Jew to the Messiah.” It was by a Messianic rabbi named
Manny Brotman who, at that time, pastored a Messianic congregation in Washington,
D.C.
I pulled the tape off the shelf and rushed to the
counselling center where Elaine, the director, introduced me to the young man.
I shook his hand, gave him the tape, and went on my way. It was one event in a
very busy day, and I soon forgot about it. Many years later I would learn the significance
of that moment.
This was 1980 and Sue and I were pastoring a new
congregation in her hometown of Saint John, New Brunswick in eastern Canada. The
years went by and 13 years later we were living in Tulsa, OK. During a ministry
trip to Ontario, Canada, I preached on a particular Sunday morning in a church pastored
by the well-known Canadian evangelist, Bill Prankard.
I preached to a packed-out congregation that morning
and after the service a young man came up to me with big smile on his face,
stuck out his hand and asked, “Do you remember me?” It was obvious he felt a
strong connection with me and I felt somewhat embarrassed that I did not
recognize him.
I shook his hand and replied, “I am sorry that I don’t
recognize you. What is your name?” He told me his name, and I was even more embarrassed
because I did not remember his name. He then asked, “Do you remember giving a
young Jewish man a cassette tape in Saint John, New Brunswick years ago?”
It all came back to me and I replied, “Oh yes, I remember.”
He said, “That was me and the message on that tape was exactly what I needed to
hear.” He went on to say, “I am now pastoring a Messianic congregation in Toronto
and I saw an ad in the newspaper where you would be speaking here today.”
At this point he gestured to several rows of people
seated near us and said, “Since we had our service yesterday [Saturday], I
brought my entire congregation here today to hear you speak.”
I was astounded that day and I am still amazed when I
consider how that small seed, which I planted that day, produced such a
harvest. It is also a reminder that every Christian should be equipped to "introduce a Jew to the Messiah.”
Manny Brotman’s approach in introducing a Jew to the
Messiah was to show the many Old Testament prophecies of a coming Messiah King
and how they had all been fulfilled in Jesus. The prophecies are very detailed,
predicting the place he would be born, that He would a descendant of David, many
details concerning his death, that He would suffer and die for the sins of His
people, and that He would rise from the dead.
This was also Paul’s modus operandi for sharing
the Gospel with the Jews of his day. Luke describes this in Acts 17:2-3 where he
recounts Paul’s ministry in the Jewish synagogue in Thessalonica. He wrote,
Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for
three Sabbath days reasoned with the from the Scriptures, explaining and
demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and
saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”
Since there was no New Testament at the time, the “Scriptures”
Paul is using to make his argument about Jesus are the Old Testament Scriptures.
Using persuasive arguments from the Old Testament is how the 1st century church presented the Gospel to the Jewish people.
Sadly, this modus operandi changed as the
church became Romanized and gained political power beginning with the Roman
emperor, Constantine. With the power of the empire behind her, the medieval
church now relied on political force rather than reasonable arguments from Scripture
to convert both pagans and Jews.
For example, the Catholic Inquisition targeted Jews
and gave them the option of converting to Christianity or being put to death
with the sword. The Crusades were military expeditions organized to free the
Holy Land from the Muslims. However, in their journeys, these “Christian”
crusaders murdered Jews wherever they found them, considering them to be “Christ-killers”
and enemies of the gospel.
Such Jew-hatred has been all too common throughout history
from those who called themselves “Christian.” Sir John Acton was right when he declared,
“Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This was certainly true
of the medieval church which became deeply corrupted with its newfound political
power, which had nothing to do with Jesus and the New Testament. Pope Leo
should publicly apologize for these atrocities.
These historical atrocities help explain why many Jews
today have a mental block towards Christianity. In their minds, Christianity is
associated with bigotry, prejudice, and violent oppression. We all have the responsibility
of changing this perception by demonstrating by word and deed what true
Christianity is all about.
I am convinced that many Jews today can be brought to
Christ if we show them the love of the real Christ and present the Gospel to
them following the pattern laid out by Manny Brotman and Paul the Apostle—showing
them how Jesus fulfilled all the Old Testament Messianic prophecies.
This will have an added benefit for when we become
equipped to “introduce a Jew to the Messiah” we will also be equipped to present
a profound rational argument for the truthfulness of Scripture and the Gospel
message to anyone. This is so because fulfilled prophecy is one of the most
powerful pieces of evidence for the accuracy and trustworthiness of Scripture.
11/13/2025
A LESSON AND A WARNING FROM THE SHUTDOWN
On Wednesday evening President Trump signed off on a bill ending the
longest government shutdown in U.S. history—43 days. The shutdown ended when
eight Democrat senators decided that the widespread disruption and chaos caused
by the shutdown had gone on long enough and voted with the Republicans to open
the government.
But make no mistake! This shutdown was not about
policy. This shutdown was about power and was driven by power-hungry
politicians more concerned with acquiring power than contributing to the well-being
of the people they represent. In fact, most Democrats were willing to continue
to inflict pain on millions because they believed it was giving them “leverage,” which actually refers to “power.”
Recently, there have been some large “No Kings” rallies
targeting Donald Trump because the organizers accuse him of acting like a king.
But if he were a king he would have kept the government open despite what the
minority was doing in the Senate, where they used a procedural tactic (the filibuster)
to act like kings and impose their will over the majority.
They were willing to inflict suffering on millions if
it would lead to them acquiring power. Their obsession with power only ended
when a few clear-minded Democrats, like Senator Fetterman of Pennsylvania,
voted to end the chaos.
This should be a flashing red light to every American for
it has been power-hungry emperors, popes, generals, prime ministers, etc. that have
created the most oppressive regimes in human history. Sir John Acton was right,
when after doing an extensive examination of secular and Christian history, wrote,
“Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Power in the hands of Bernie Sanders, AOC, Zohran
Mamdani and their power-hungry colleagues would be the end of the America of
Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. It would be the end of this land of liberty—the
end of the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Such love of power is antithetical to Biblical Christianity,
for when God came down to earth, He let go of power. He did not show up at the
political power center in Rome nor the religious power center in Jerusalem, but
in a stable in the insignificant village of Bethlehem with a feeding trough for
a bed.
Jesus continually warned against the pursuit of power.
When James and John requested the two most powerful seats in His kingdom, one
on the right and the other on the left, Jesus harshly rebuked them and told
them they were thinking like pagans. He then told them that anyone who
wants to be great must become a “servant” (Mark 10:37-45).
This is where we get the idea of calling government
officials “public servants.” Based on the teachings of Jesus, leadership is to be
characterized by service, not power and control.
America was founded on this philosophy of government
and leadership. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “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.” Every Founding Father agreed.
Because America’s Founders held Jesus and his teachings in such high regard, they sought to create a nation whose government would be characterized by service rather than power. They therefore prayerfully divided the powers of government into an executive branch, a judicial branch and two legislative branches.
They instituted checks and balances for the purpose of keeping absolute power out of the hands of any one person or group of persons. They agreed with Thomas Paine who in his popular book, Common Sense, wrote, “Government at its best is a necessary evil; and at its worst, an intolerable one.”
America does not need more government. America needs
more God. We can be hopeful for there are signs of spiritual awakening across
the land. To read more about the vision of America’s founders and how they were
impacted by a Great Awakening, check out the numerous books I have written on
this topic, especially 1726: The Year that Defined America.
Dr. Eddie Hyatt is the founder of the "1726 Project," which is dedicated to informing and educating Americans about the nation's overt Christian birth out of the First Great Awakening and the profound role it had in ending slavery. His books are available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com. To schedule him to speak to your church, group or conference, send an email to dreddiehyatt@gmail.com.
11/06/2025
EVERTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOCIALISM FROM THE BIBLE AND THE PILGRIMS
The
election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of America's largest city has unleashed a
firestorm of discussion and controversy over the dangers of socialism, which in
Mamdani's case is a nice way of saying "communism" or
"Marxism." Although he calls himself a “Socialist Democrat,” the
statements of Mamdani clearly identify him as a Marxist.
For example, he
has called for eliminating private property ownership and in its place
implementing government-run housing for everyone. He wants to implement a
chain of government-run grocery stores and generally have the government take
over every area of life for New Yorkers (and eventually America). He has also
called for defunding the police and generally labeled them as racists.
Winston Churchill once said, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Since this statement is true and the facts of history do not lie, America's largest city is facing a dire future; for everywhere that socialism/communism has been tried, it has produced lack, starvation, including right here on American soil.
Before the old Soviet Union, Cuba, Cambodia, 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.
They Were All Equal
The Pilgrim’s journey to America was funded by a group of English businessmen 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. They were all equal!
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.
11/04/2025
WHY TUCKER CARLSON IS WRONG
America's Founders Expressed Great Respect
and Admiration for the Jewish People
Tucker Carlson recently
hosted on his podcast the radical antisemite and Holocaust denier, Nick Fuentes, who used
the platform to denounce "organized Jewry" and "Zionist
Jews" as enemies of America. He also declared that Jewish conservatives
such as Ben Shapiro, Mark Levin, and Josh Hammer "will never be
Americans" and should "get the *&%* out of America and go to
Israel."
Shame on Carlson for hosting such a bigoted conversation, which highlighted how little he and Fuentes know
about America's history. America’s founding generation expressed great respect
and admiration for the Jewish people and welcomed them to the new nation they had
formed. America’s founders would be horrified by this conversation.
The
Hebrew Influence on Early America
Many of the early immigrants to
America considered themselves a Second Israel and looked to the story of Israel
in the Old Testament for guidance and inspiration. Their love for the Jewish Scriptures
was confirmed by a ten-year study to determine where the Founders got their
ideas for the founding of America. This study discovered that they quoted the
Bible far more than any other source, and they quoted Deuteronomy more than any
other biblical book, because it is about nation-building.
Being learned men in both Scripture
and history, it was clear to the Founders that the Jews had given the world the
two greatest influences for good--the Bible and Jesus the Messiah.
From there it was an easy, logical step to warmly embrace the Jewish people. For
example, John Adams, America’s second president, wrote,
The Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other nation. If I were an atheist, and believed blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations (Hyatt, The Book that Made America Great, 91).
This
attitude was characteristic of early America. For example, Benjamin Rush, a
Philadelphia physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, was
delighted to see a Jewish rabbi so warmly embraced at a July 4th parade in Philadelphia. Rush, who was a devout Christian, wrote,
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 of that section of the Constitution, which opens all its power and offices alike, not only to every sect of Christians, but to worthy men of every religion (Hyatt, The Book that Made America Great, 92).
George Washington’s Pro-Jewish Stance
In
1790, George Washington visited the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island
where he was warmly received by this Hebrew congregation. In his official
welcome, Moses Seixas compared the Revolutionary War to the
struggles of ancient Israel and compared Washington to King David and to
Daniel, saying,
With pleasure we reflect
on those days—those days of difficulty, & danger when the God of Israel,
who delivered David from the peril of the sword, shielded your head in the day
of battle: and we rejoice to think, that the same Spirit who rested in the
Bosom of the greatly beloved Daniel enabling him to preside over the Provinces
of the Babylonish Empire. rests and ever will rest upon you, enabling you to
discharge the arduous duties of Chief Magistrate in these States.
Wahington
was obviously moved by these sentiments and responded that same day in a letter
in which he addressed the members of this congregation as “children of the stock
of Abraham.” He assured them that because of America’s commitment to religious
liberty they could expect to experience the words of the Old Testament prophet,
who in Micah 4:4 said, Each one shall sit in safety under his own vine and
fig-tree and there shall be none to make him afraid. Washington went on to say,
For happily the Government of the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.
Early America’s embrace of the Jewish
people led to America becoming a haven for persecuted
Jews from all over the world. This resulted in America becoming home for the
largest Jewish population in the world. This remained true until 2003 when the
Jewish population in Israel surpassed that in America.
Zionism and Israel's Right to Exist
The
Zionist movement began in the late 1800s and blossomed in the 1900s leading to Jews
in Palestine declaring their independence and forming the modern state of
Israel on May 14, 1948. Eleven minutes later, the United States recognized this
declaration, the first nation to do so.
Zionism
is the right of the Jewish people to have their own nation and determine their
own destiny. If you are against Israel’s right to exist, you have positioned
yourself on the side of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iranian mullahs, and other terrorist
groups who want to see Israel destroyed.
It is, therefore, disheartening to
see conservatives like Tucker Carlson buying into such antisemitic hatred. Such
Jewish hatred had no place at America’s founding and should be given no place
in America today. Antisemitism is Anti-Americanism.
This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's new book, The Book that Made America Great, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

