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.”

So, when you hear politicians today promising to use governmental power to solve every problem and meet every need, you should run from them. They are looking for power, not the opportunity to serve. They want a powerful, centralized government with their hands controlling the levers of governmental power.

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.

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.

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.

GEORGE WASHINGTON AND EARLY AMERICA RECOGNIZED ONE KING

The "No Kings" Protestors Are Ignorant of America's History

Today, there are “No Kings” protests across America led by anti-Trump activists who are trying to connect their protest to early America’s rejection of monarchy. The truth is, however, that George Washington and the entire founding generation wanted America to have a king.

In fact, during the Revolutionary War, there was a cry that resounded throughout the American colonies, “We recognize no Sovereign but God and no king but Jesus!” This cry came forth when the War erupted at Lexington, MA on April 18, 1775.

King George III had sent six regiments of British troops, commanded by General Thomas Gage, to bring the “rebellious” colonists under subjection. British troops occupied the city of Boston, locked down its port, and were housed by force in private homes.

Hearing there was rebellion stirring about 30 miles from Boston in Lexington, Gage sent troops led by Major Pitcairn to Lexington to put down the rebellion. Pitcairn arrived in Lexington and shouted to an assembled group of minutemen volunteers, "Disperse, ye villains, lay down your arms in the name of George the Sovereign King of England."

Rev. Jonas Clarke, pastor of the Church of Christ in Lexington, was standing with the minutemen and shouted back, “We recognize no Sovereign but God and no king but Jesus!” That cry caught the imagination of American patriots everywhere and soon rang throughout the colonies.

This cry became so prominent throughout the colonies that a British-appointed governor, Jonathan Trumbull, wrote back to England, “If you ask an American who is his master, he will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 81).

This Christ-centered mindset was the fruit of the Great Awakening (1726-70) that transformed colonial America. The major preachers of the Awakening, such as George Whitefield (Anglican), Jonathan Edwards (Congregational), and Gilbert Tennant (Presbyterian) emphasized that only faith in Jesus Christ would make one a true Christian.

This emphasis on faith in Jesus Christ, rather than church membership, as the central issue of Christianity gave the colonists a point of convergence in their various expressions of faith. This emphasis on the centrality of Christ broke down doctrinal and denominational dividing walls so that the people began to see themselves as a single people with one Divine destiny—one nation under God..

That this statement was no passing fad but was deeply ingrained in the mindset and culture of the founding generation, is obvious from the following quotes.

“Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind, and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son, Jesus Christ.”

From a prayer journal belonging to George Washington, often called “the Father of the Country” and the nation’s first president.

“Pray that the peaceful and glorious reign of our Divine Redeemer may be known throughout the whole family of mankind.”

Samuel Adams, Founding Father and Governor of Massachusetts. This call to prayer was part of a proclamation for a Day of Prayer that he issued as Governor of MA in 1795.

“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, President of the Continental Congress and Governor of Massachusetts. This statement was part of a call for prayer he issued while Governor.

“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.”

Benjamin Franklin in a 1756 letter to George Whitefield, the most famous preacher of the Great Awakening, in which Franklin proposed that they partner together in founding a Christian colony on the Ohio frontier.

“The policy of the bill is adverse to the diffusion of the light of Christianity. The first wish of those who enjoy this precious gift ought to be that it may be imparted to the whole race of mankind.”

James Madison, chief architect of the Constitution and America’s fourth president, in 1785 voicing his opposition to a bill that he perceived would have the unintended consequence of hindering the spread of the Gospel.

“The philosophy of Jesus is the most sublime and benevolent code of morals ever offered man. A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen.”.

Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of Independence and America’s third president, who took money from the federal treasury to send missionaries to an American Indian tribe and to build them a chapel in which to worship.

In 1783, after defeating the British and making independence from King George a reality, George Washington wrote a letter to the governors of the various states in which he admonished them to make Jesus Christ their example and role model for life. In short, he wanted Jesus Christ to be their king. He wrote,

I now make it my earnest prayer that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection; that he would incline the hearts of the citizens . . . to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion [Jesus Christ], and without an humble imitation of His example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation (Hyatt, 1726: TheYear that Defined America, 120).

Yes, George Washington and early America recognized a king. His name is Jesus!
This is what made America great, for as Psalm 33:12 says, Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD!

This article is derived from books by Eddie Hyatt, particularly 1726: The Year that Defined America and America's Revival Heritage, both available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com.

HOW GOD USED AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT AND AN ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER TO BRING PEACE TO THE MIDDLE EAST

God's Providential Workings are Obvious

When I first read the Hamas Charter it was clear to me that their hatred for Israel exceeded any concern they may have had for their own people, and this is the root cause of the sufferings of the Gazan people. Hamas saw Gaza as a base from which to launch rockets and attacks into Israel, which they did for years, and with Israel responding with restraint.

However, on Oct. 7, 2023 they went too far and poked the bear in the eye by slaughtering 1200 innocent Israeli citizens. Israel responded with force and went after Hamas with a vengeance, but always alerted the Gazans when they were coming into an area to root out Hamas, which embedded its soldiers and armaments among the people. Israel sacrificed their own troops to save Gazans because by alerting the Gazan citizens of their movements, the Hamas fighters always knew when and where the IDF was coming after them.

At the same time, Iran, a designated State Sponsor of Terrorism that has vowed to destroy Israel, was on the verge of having a nuclear weapon. With Israel's existence at stake, Donald Trump gave Benjamin Netanyahu the green light to do what he had to do.

With Iran being the major financier of both Hamas and Hezbollah, Israel knew they had to cut off the head of the snake. They, therefore, began bombing Iran's military apparatus. At the same time Trump sent B-2 Stealth bombers to take out Iran's nuclear sites. This show of force captivated the attention of the entire region.

During this same time, the Trump administration was carrying out intense diplomatic discussions between Israel, Hamas, and the nations of the Middle East. With the show of force and the intense diplomatic pursuit of peace, the Israeli hostages have been released and a peace plan is in place supported by the U.S., Israel, and the Arab and Muslim nations of the Middle East.

Many "experts" thought it could never happen. The Jewish-American political activist, Elizabeth Pipko, called it "a God Miracle." Only heaven knows how many millions of lives will be saved because of this historic turn of events.

President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu are to be commended but none of this would have happened apart from prayer and the Providential workings of Almighty God who is able to make all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). NEVER STOP TRUSTING. NEVER STOP BELIEVING.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is a Bible teacher, church historian and ordained minister. His numerous books are available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com. Also, check out his article on Israel's Divine right to the land wherein they now dwell by clicking this link. https://biblicalawakening.blogspot.com/2025/09/modern-israels-title-deed-to-land-of.html

OUR MESSAGE TO THIS AWAKENING GENERATION

An Important Lesson from the Great Awakening

National news reports indicate that many young people are being awakened and returning to church in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination. This is an encouraging sign but there must be a realization that God is calling this generation to more than church membership. Church can be the means to the goal, but "church" itself is never the goal. 

The goal is a living, dynamic relationship with Almighty God through faith in Jesus Christ. Listen to the testimony of John Wesley.

After a failed mission trip to Georgia to convert the American Indians, Wesley wrote, "I who went to America to convert the Indians had never been converted myself." Despite having been baptized, confirmed, and ordained in the Anglican Church, he came to the startling conclusion that he had never been truly converted to Jesus Christ. 

He came to realize that he had put his faith in the “externals” of Christianity—church membership, baptism, receiving communion, good deeds, etc.—rather than in Christ Himself. It wasn’t that these things were useless, but he came to realize that of themselves they can never make one a true Christian.

Only a genuine faith in Christ will bring the new birth and Wesley experienced this shortly after his failed mission to America. As he sat in a Moravian meeting listening to someone read the words of Martin Luther in which Luther described what happens when someone puts their faith in Christ and Him alone, something happened. He later wrote,

I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for my salvation and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sin, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.

Wesley always considered this to be the time when he became a true Christian. A fire was ignited in his heart and he, along with his brother, Charles, and George Whitefield, ignited a fire of revival that transformed the British Isles and jumped the Atlantic Ocean and impacted colonial America.

George Whitefield came to America in 1739 and became the firebrand of the Great Awakening. He too was an ordained Anglican minister and like the Wesley’s he had experienced a dynamic conversion that alerted him to the fact that adhering to the mere “externals” of Christianity does not make one a true Christian.

Dressed in his traditional, clerical Anglican garb, Whitefield challenged the masses in America to overturn the faulty foundations on which they had built their faith and put their faith in Christ alone. In one of his sermons, preached to several thousand gathered in the open air, Whitefield mimicked a conversation with Father Abraham whom he pictured as looking over the banister of heaven at the gathered multitude consisting of many sects and denominations.

Whitefield cried out, “Father Abraham, are there any Anglicans in heaven?” The answer came back, “No, there are no Anglicans in heaven.” “Father Abraham, are there any Catholics in heaven?” “No, there are no Catholics in heaven.” Are there any Presbyterians in heaven?” “No, there are no Presbyterians here either.” “What about Baptists or Quakers?”  “No, there are none of those here either.” “Father Abraham,” cried Whitefield, “what kind of people are in heaven?” The answer came back, “There are only Christians in heaven; only those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb.” Whitefield then cried out, “Oh, is that the case? Then God help me, God help us all, to forget having names and labels and become Christians in deed and in truth” (Hyatt, America's Revival Heritage, Second Edition, 60-61)!

In America, Whitfield became friends with the Presbyterian pastor and revivalist from New Brunswick, New Jersey, Gilbert Tennant. Tennant, whom many called a “son of thunder” because of his excoriating preaching, published a sermon entitled “The Dangers of an Unconverted Ministry” In it, he compared many colonial church leaders to the Pharisees of Jesus’ day—pious and proud in their own righteousness but having never experienced a true conversion to Jesus Christ.

Most people in colonial America considered themselves to be Christians, but under the searching preaching of Whitefield, Tennant, Jonathan Edwards and others, they came to the conclusion that they were Christians in name only.  Many were like Nathan Cole of Middletown, Connecticut who attended one of Whitefield’s outdoor meetings. After hearing Whitefield preach, he wrote, “By God’s blessings, my old foundation was broken up, and I saw that my righteousness would not save me.”

The Christ-centered preaching of Whitefield, Tennant, Edwards, and others broke down racial, cultural, and denominational barriers. Colonial America was transformed. The people began to see themselves as Christians—followers of Jesus Christ--before anything else. So great was the impact that a British-appointed governor wrote to his superiors in England,

If you ask an American who is his master, he will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 81).

As many young people today are returning to church, pastors and Christian leaders must have the humility and dexterity to avoid drawing these seekers to themselves and their church institution but pointing them, instead, to Jesus Christ. We must remember, not only the words of the revivalists of the Great Awakening, but also the words of C.S. Lewis who wrote,

The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men to Christ, to make them little christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time.

The First Great Awakening had a direct bearing on the founding of America, which means that such Christ-centered revival is in our national DNA. This is why we could witness such a Christ-honoring event as the Charlie Kirk Memorial Service, in which President Trump declared, "This is like an old-time revival." 

I thank God for all the good churches in America, but we must offer this generation more than our church. We must offer them a living, dynamic relationship with our Creator through Jesus Christ. It is time to stand up and proclaim Jesus Christ to this generation!

This article by Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt was derived from his books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and America's Revival Heritage, Second Edition, available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com

 

THE MORAL PARAMETERS OF FREE SPEECH ACCORDING TO THE FOUNDERS

Why Jimmie Kimmel's Slanderous Statements Were Not Protected Speech

Jimmie Kimmel, who has since been reinstated, was suspended for making false and disparaging remarks about Charlie Kirk after his assassination,  Kimmel falsely claimed that the "Maga gang" was "desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them" and of trying to "score political points from it." He also said that Trump’s grief at Kirk’s death is “how a four year old mourns a goldfish.”

Many on the left came to his defense declaring that it was a matter of “free speech” protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Does, however, the First Amendment protect such malicious, false, egregious speech? Is it possible that the Constitution is being morally dumbed down to accommodate a morally degenerate culture and the worst in our society? 

The Founders Assumed Moral Parameters

That the Founders assumed moral parameters for “free speech” is obvious from their words and actions. Take George Washington, for example. When he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Colonial Army, one of his first acts was to put parameters on the speech of the troops.

He issued an order forbidding profanity and swearing and ordered each day to begin with prayer led by the commander of each unit. He explained that they could not expect the blessing of Heaven on their fight for liberty if they insulted Heaven with their speech.

He also forbade gambling and drunkenness and expressed his desire that, “Every officer and man will endeavor so as to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 114).

The Founders, without exception, believed morality and religion to be the basis of freedom. Without a national morality to guide the populace they knew that freedom would be turned into avarice and anarchy, and this would destroy the free Republic they had formed.

Virtue and Freedom are Twins

This is why John Dickinson, Founding Father and chairman of the committee that produced the Articles of Confederation, warned that “when states lose their liberty, this calamity is generally owing to a decay of virtue.”

Virtue is defined as “moral excellence” and the Founders agreed that only a virtuous people could enjoy the liberties they were enshrining in the founding documents. Virtue (moral excellence) is glaringly missing in American culture. Jimmie Kimmel demonstrated that fact. Yet, the Founders insist that virtue is the "only foundation of a free Constitution."

Two weeks before he signed the Declaration of Independence, John Adams wrote to his cousin, Zabdiel Adams, and said,

Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure virtue (Hyatt, 1726: The Year thatDefined America, 164-65).

When the Founders speak of “religion” they are referring to Christianity as it was the only religion they knew. Without exception, they saw Christianity as offering the only moral and philosophical system that would undergird the nation they had formed.

This was clearly spelled out by John Adams in a 1798 presidential address to the officers of the Massachusetts Militia. Adams made clear his belief in a national Christian morality as the only hope for the survival of the American Republic. He 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).

In his Farewell Address after serving two terms as the nation’s first president, George Washington made the same point by exhorting the new nation to cling to “morality and religion” which he described as “indispensable supports” for human happiness and national prosperity.

Thomas Jefferson made Washington’s Farewell Address required reading at the University of Virginia, which he had founded. He too believed that only a virtuous people could enjoy liberty and made clear the source of such virtue, saying, “Of all the systems of morality that have come under my observation none appear to me so pure as that of Jesus.” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 149-50).

Benjamin Rush, a Philadelphia physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, made the same point as Washington, Adams, and Jefferson, declaring,

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

The Conclusion of the Matter

The Founders believed a vibrant Christianity to be necessary for the ongoing success of the Republic they had formed. They were right and this is why we must ask God to send another Great Awakening across this land, for as the Catholic scholar, the late Dr. Michael Novak, said,

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

So, the Founders implemented the First Amendment guarantee of free speech for a virtuous society that was seeking after truth. They implemented it for "a moral and religious people." Kimmel's false and slanderous statements about Charlie Kirk and President Trump obviously do not meet those standards, so we are compelled to conclude that they are not protected speech.  

This article was derived from the book 1726: The Year that Defined America by Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt who received a supernatural call from God to reconnect America to the severed roots of her Christian origins in the First Great Awakening. His numerous books are available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com.