WHY WE BEGAN THE "REVIVE AMERICA" PROJECT?

Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And from the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and Sarah who bore you. (Isaiah 51:1-2)

 “People without a heritage are easily persuaded.” – Karl Marx

This is a critical moment in American history and I believe, as Mordecai said to Esther, that you and I have come to the kingdom for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). I believe that “The Revive America Project” is God's idea and that it has a strategic role to play in His plan for America and the world at this time.

The Revive America Project is important because our political leaders have rejected our Christian heritage and replaced it with secularism, multiculturalism and political correctness. This is dangerous, for having dispensed with a Christian belief system and world-view, they are left void of the moral and intellectual tools to forthrightly address the things that would destroy us, such as Islam from without and moral decay from within. But there is an answer.

At a critical moment in Israel’s history, God instructed His people to revisit their beginnings as a nation—as a people. Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you (Isaiah 51-1-2). By revisiting their past, they would recover their sense of identity as a nation and would thereby be empowered to rise up and confront the challenges of their present and future.

We face a similar situation in America today and if our Republic is to survive we must revisit our past and once again see the hand of God in our beginnings as a nation. We must recover the truth of our heritage as a nation that was formed out of a Great Spiritual Awakening with people totally committed to Christ and His kingdom. And this is where "The Revive America Project" comes in.

While We Slept

Because we the church have been spiritually asleep, secular historians have been able to quietly re-write our history, removing the Christian influence and creating a politically correct America in their own image. This is having momentous ramifications for as George Orwell said in his book 1984, "Whoever controls the past controls the future."

Re-writing America's history has made it "easy" to lead the masses astray, for as Karl Marx said, “People without a heritage are easily persuaded.” Because of the re-writing of our history, secularists have been able to convince judges, politicians, and the American people that the First Amendment (Congress shall make no law concerning the establishment of religion, nor hindering the free exercise thereof) was put in place to keep religion out of public life and maintain a secular state. Blatantly re-interpreting this clause as a “separation of church and state,” secularists have used it as a weapon to ban prayer, Bible reading and Christian symbols from public schools, colleges, courtrooms, town squares and even the military. The Founders would turn over in their grave.

America’s True Heritage

The Christian origins of our nation was assumed for the first 150 years of her existence. This is obvious by looking at historical references from this period. For example, a recent ten-year study project to discover where the Founders got their ideas for America’s founding documents revealed that, by far, the single most-cited authority in their writings was the Bible.

That is why the early History of the United States, published in 1816 by David Ramsey, would point out that the Founders “wisely judged learning and religion [Christianity] to be the firmest pillars of the church and commonwealth.” That is why the noted U.S. senator, Daniel Webster, speaking in 1820 at the 200-year anniversary celebration of the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts, would highlight America’s overt Christian origins, saying;

Finally, let us not forget the religious character of our origin. Our fathers were brought hither by their high veneration for the Christian religion. They journeyed by its light, and labored in its hope. They sought to incorporate its principles with the elements of their society, and to diffuse its influence through all their institutions, civil, political, or literary. Let us cherish these sentiments, and extend this influence still more widely; in the full conviction, that that is the happiest society which partakes in the highest degree of the mild peaceful spirit of Christianity.

A French Sociologist Discovers America’s True Heritage

In 1831 the French sociologist, Alexis de Tocqueville, visited America to study its institutions and see if he could discover how she had achieved her greatness in such a brief period of time. Arriving on the heels of the Second Great Awakening, he was profoundly impressed with the spiritual vitality of America and wrote, “The religious atmosphere of the country was the first thing that struck me on arrival in the United States.”

Tocqueville was also surprised to see Christianity and the government so intricately intertwined, and observed that the means of improving the government were the same means employed in conversion and the advancement of the Christian faith. He concluded that, in America, “From the beginning, politics and religion contracted an alliance which has never been dissolved.”

Although not found in his writings, a statement has historically been attributed to Tocqueville that has been quoted many times. It is likely that someone heard this statement in one of his many speeches and wrote it down for posterity. According to this unknown source, Tocqueville said;

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers - and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests - and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce - and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution - and it was not there. 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.

The Supreme Court Affirms America’s True Heritage

In 1892, the U.S. Supreme Court completed a 10-year investigation in which thousands of historical documents were investigated concerning the historical roots of the nation. After citing more than sixty historical precedents, the Court unanimously declared, “There is no dissonance in these declarations. There is a universal language pervading them all, having one meaning; they affirm and reaffirm that this is a religious nation . . . this is a Christian nation.”

There is Hope

I am thankful for all the people God is using today to help recover America's true past. I am thankful to God for His intervention in my life in 2010 when He revealed to me that there was a direct bearing of the First Great Awakening on the founding of the United States of America. At the same time I was convinced that we can see another great, national Spiritual awakening if God’s people will meet the conditions laid out in His word. It was out of that experience that I wrote the book, America’s Revival Heritage. It is also the reason I have put together a documentary PowerPoint presentation of how our country emerged out of a great Spiritual awakening and how the Founders were affected by that Awakening. This is all part of what we call "The Revive America Project."

Concluding Remark

If you do not have the book, America's Revival Heritage, I encourage you to obtain a copy and pray about how you might be involved in "The Revive America Project." The book can be purchased from Amazon and/or by going to my website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html.

A JESUS REFORMATION IN ISLAM? COULD IT HAPPEN?

With the continued rise of violent Islamic extremism around the world, many today are calling for a Reformation of Islam such as happened with Christianity in the 16th century. Commenting on the call of Egypt’s president for a theological “revolution” within Islam, Mayor Rudi Giuliani, in an interview on Fox News, concurred saying that Islam needs a Reformation such as Christianity experienced. Others within Islam, such as Dr. Zudhi Jasser, are also calling for a Reformation within Islam that will deal with the radical extremism. Can it happen?

The Critical Importance of Origins

The Christian Reformation was needed because, with the 4^th century (supposed) conversion of Constantine and the merging of Christianity with the political state, the peaceful church of Jesus and the New Testament had been transformed into the imperial church of the Middle Ages that relied on political and military force to advance and maintain its cause. The Reformation occurred when there was a movement within the church to return to its founder, Jesus Christ, and its founding document, the New Testament. This is why there are no beheadings today by Baptists, Methodists or even Catholics. Not a smidgeon of justification for such acts can be found with Jesus and the New Testament.

Jesus was a man of peace who taught love for God and one's neighbor. But never mistake this for weakness, for it was in the midst of much civil and religious war and strife that Jesus boldly confronted the powers-that-be with His radical message of faith in God and peace and nonviolence toward people. It was Jesus who told His followers;

But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, give him your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two (Matthew 5:39-41).

With the Reformation and its return to Jesus and the New Testament, there was a disentangling of the Christian faith from the political ambition and the use of force that had begun with Constantine. The power of the Reformation and its return to Christian origins produced new churches that renounced the use of political and physical force. The power of the Reformation and its emphasis on Christian origins also led to the Catholic Church giving up the use of force in matters of conscience and faith.

America Founded on Reformation Values

America was founded on Reformation principles of religious liberty and freedom of conscience. This is what the First Amendment to the Constitution is all about. “Congress shall make no law concerning the establishment of religion, nor hindering the free exercise thereof.” This is merely stating that the new nation will not have an official state church, as in medieval Europe, that seeks to control the minds and speech of its populace.

This is the context of Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation” comment to a group of Baptists concerning the First Amendment. The “wall,” in Jefferson’s thinking, was unidirectional designed to keep the state out of the church, while at the same time protecting everyone’s right of religious freedom. He used this terminology to assure the Baptists that they could freely practice their faith in the new nation without government interference.

These are the values on which this nation was founded. These are not Islamic values. These are not even Roman Catholic values. These are Reformation values! These are Christian values based on the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament. Woe to America if she ever forgets the values on which her freedoms are based.

The Challenge for Islam

The problem Islam faces in seeking a Reformation is that its founder, Mohammed, unlike Jesus, was a man of war who spread his teachings and influence with violence and the sword. A return within Islam to its founder and origins will thus have a very different outcome than what occurred with the Christian Reformation. In fact, returning to Islam’s founder and origins seems to lead people to becoming even more radicalized, and we get Al Qaeda, ISIS and Boko Haram.

This does not mean that all Christians today are nice people or that all Muslims are bad people. Not at all! But here is the big difference: Christians are continually confronted with Jesus and His amazing example of sacrificial love, and His command to love one another as I have loved you (John 14:34). Even though they fall short of the standard, Christians are continually being pulled towards it by the example and words of Jesus Himself. In contrast, Muslims have no such example to follow, unless they too turn to Jesus!

A Jesus Reformation in Islam?

In the Bible school where I once served on faculty, a student from Ethiopia brought a video of a mosque in Cairo showing that the crescent on top had been replaced with a cross. The imam had experienced a supernatural encounter with Jesus, but instead of becoming a Baptist, Methodist or Catholic, he remained where he was and began preaching Jesus and the meaning of the cross to his Muslim congregation.

He could do this because there is an opening, be it a slight one, in that the Quran recognizes Jesus as a prophet. Yes, Christians know Jesus is much more than a prophet, but this could be the opening needed to preach Jesus within Islam. 

Christians recognize Jesus as God incarnate. The New Testament, however, also presents Jesus as the human archetype—the universal human being. This is what Paul was referring to when he referred to Jesus as the second man and the last Adam (I Corinthians 15:45-47). God has set Jesus as the universal example of what a human being ought to be. This is clearly stated in Romans 8:29 where Paul says that God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son.

Jesus is the Answer

Presenting Jesus as the ultimate role model seems to offer the best hope for President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Dr. Jasser and others seeing the “revolution” or “reformation” they are calling for. If Muslim leaders will encourage their followers to learn all they can about Jesus, even by going to the New Testament, and then call on them to follow His words and example, I see every reason to believe that a powerful Jesus reformation would emerge in Islam that would root out the extremists and bring Muslim nations into the modern world.

As I write, I am reminded of the words of the song written by Andre Crouch who went home to be with Jesus a few days ago. He wrote;

Jesus is the answer, for the world today.

Above Him there’s no other, Jesus is the way.

Yes, Jesus is the answer, for the world today,

Above Him there’s no other Jesus is the way.

Will you pray for a Jesus Reformation in Islam?

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian and Bible teacher. He is also the founder of the "Revive America" Project whose goal is to see Spiritual awakening and reformation in America by revisiting the nation's Christian past. His latest  book, Pursing Power: How the Quest for Apostolic Authority & Control Has Damaged and Divided the Church, is available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html.

WHY I AM EXPECTING GREAT SPIRITUAL AWAKENINGS IN 2015

Why 2015 Can be a Very Significant Year

I am convinced that America’s greatest days and the church’s greatest days are still in our future. I know this is contrary to the popular notion that our best days are in the past and that we are in an irreversible, downhill slide into oblivion. This was my view until one summer day in 2010 when I was unexpectedly arrested in my car by the Holy Spirit who showed me a different way to look at the future.

Being a passionate student of revival and having seen so many hyped, man-made revivals in the previous two decades, I had given up hope that America would ever see another great, national Spiritual awakening that would revive the churches of our land, impact our culture and stem the tide of false religion, secularism and immorality. But all this changed that hot July day in 2010 while driving from Tulsa, OK to Kingfisher, OK.

I had been invited to speak at the Church of God in Kingfisher pastored by my friends, Gary and Helen Barnhart. As I pulled onto the highway to begin my 2 hour + journey, and without expecting any such thing, my mind suddenly began to be flooded with exciting thoughts of hope and faith that America could see another great Spiritual awakening. God’s presence seemed to fill my vehicle and I was hardly aware of my surroundings as I drove for the next 2½ hours with these thoughts of Spiritual awakening flooding my mind.

When I arrived at my hotel I could hardly wait to get settled in my room and begin writing down the thoughts and concepts that were continuing to inundate my heart and mind. This visitation continued far into the night and out of that experience came my book, America’s Revival Heritage.

There were two things that were highlighted to me in that experience. First of all, I received the assurance that America can see another Great Awakening. Biblical eschatology, which is doctrine of the end times, does not preclude great revivals as many today assume. The same Bible that speaks of perilous times and the love of many waxing cold at the end of the age, also speaks of the last days as being the time of a great universal outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17).

Secondly, I saw for the first time that there was a direct bearing of the First Great Awakening on the founding of this nation. I had studied and written about this revival that had transformed colonial America, but now I saw, for the first time, that there was a direct link between this Awakening and the founding of the nation. This is documented in my book, America’s Revival Heritage.

Through a series of providential events this past fall, I created a “Revive America” PowerPoint presentation in which I document America’s overt Christian beginnings. I then began doing “Revive America” events in which I present this evidence for America being birthed out of Spiritual awakening and also present a call to God’s people to pray for another Great Spiritual Awakening in our land. Interestingly, the first “Revive America” event was held in the Capital District of Albany/ Schenectady, New York, the area that George Barna recently identified as the most post-Christian area in America.

Yes, I know that new challenges await us in 2015. I am not oblivious to the world in which we live. Nonetheless, I also know that God is still on His throne, Jesus is still at His right hand and the Holy Spirit is being poured out on all flesh. There is, therefore, no reason why we should not pray and expect God to send another Great Awakening in our day.

Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is an author, historian and Bible teacher. His books, including America's Revival Heritage, can be found on Amazon and at his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html. 

To see the video presentation of this message, click this link.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18rX-OA24yI&feature=youtu.be

BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT

Compelling Evidence for the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ

There is enough evidence for the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ to convince any open and fair-minded agnostic or atheist of its veracity. This is because there is as much, or more, evidence for the Virgin Birth as any event in ancient history. To deny the evidence for the Virgin Birth and remain consistent, one must then be skeptical of all ancient history. Evidence for the Virgin Birth includes the fact that:

(1) It was documented by a physician and renowned, world class historian.

(2) It was accurately predicted centuries before it happened.

(3) It was believed universally by the earliest Christians.

(4) It convinced a well-known agnostic professor of mythology.

Documented by a World-Class Historian

The virgin birth of Jesus Christ was documented by a physician and world class historian who interviewed eyewitnesses, probably including Mary herself, for his account of this world-changing event—the entry of God into the world. Luke gives the most detailed account of the Nativity and mentions Mary twelve times, more than any other Biblical writer. He also gives special, detailed attention to the birth of John the Baptist and many see his gynecological interests to be a result of his training as a physician.

At the beginning of his Gospel, Luke indicates that he has made a thorough investigation of the things about which he is writing, which included his utilization of eyewitness accounts. He spent extended periods of time with Paul in Jerusalem and Judaea and would have had opportunity to interview those who were closest to the event, including Mary if she were still alive. There is no reliable information on how long Mary lived, but some traditions say she lived as much as 24 years or longer after the resurrection. The detail Luke presents does indicate that he has derived his information from a primary source, either Mary herself or someone to whom Mary had relayed the intimate details of the event.

Luke Recognized in the Scholarly World as a First-Class Historian

Luke’s attention to detail and the accuracy of his accounts of people, places, dates, and events in his Gospel and in Acts have been noted in the scholarly world and gained for him a high regard as a historian. For example, the famous archaeologist and agnostic theologian, Sir William Ramsay, expected to discredit Luke’s accounts by visiting and examining the places mentioned in his Gospel and Acts. Ramsay taught that the New Testament was an unreliable religious treatise written in the mid second century and not an historical document recorded in the first century. He was so convinced of this that he went to Asia Minor to retrace Luke’s account of Paul’s journeys expecting to find the physical evidence to refute Luke's account.

But after years of travel and study, Ramsay completely reversed his view of the Bible and first century history. He acquired a very high regard for Luke as a historian and wrote, “Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy, he is possessed of the true historic sense; in short, this author should be placed along with the greatest of historians” (Sir William Ramsay, 81, 222.)

Another famous historian, A.N. Sherwin-White, carefully examined Luke's references in Luke/Acts to 32 countries, 54 cities, and nine islands, finding not a single mistake (Norman Geisler, 47). His research also confirmed the accuracy of Luke’s accounts. In fact, Luke turned out to be so accurate that Ramsay wrote, “You may press the words of Luke in a degree beyond any other historian's and they stand the keenest scrutiny and the hardest treatment” (Sir William Ramsay, 89).

This begs the question that if Luke was this careful to get his facts right about names, places and dates, can we not be confident that he was just as careful to get his facts right concerning the more important things about which he reported, such as the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. The well-known Greek scholar, Kenneth S. Wuest, writing of Luke’s attention to detail, said, “If Mary was still alive, he, a doctor of medicine, investigated the story of the virgin birth by hearing it from Mary's own lips.” And commenting on accusations by critics that the story of the virgin birth was a hoax, the noted Greek scholar, Professor John A. Scott, said, “You could not fool Doctor Luke" (Kenneth S. Wuest, 52-54).

The Virgin Birth Predicted by OT Prophets

Genesis 3:15.  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel.

These words were spoken by God to the serpent after the fall of our first parents. The “seed of the woman” in this passage is an allusion to a future descendant of Eve who will defeat the serpent and reverse the curse brought on by his deception. The Bible normally speaks of the seed of men but in this case it is the “seed of the woman.” This is a prophecy of hope at a very dark time and clearly anticipates the future virgin birth of Christ--a birth in which the seed of a man is not involved. As the Methodist theologian, Adam Clarke, says; “The seed of the woman; the person is to come by the woman, and her alone without the concurrence of man” (Adam Clarke, vol. 1, 53). This Seed of the woman will receive a temporary wound from Satan—you shall bruise His heel—but the Seed of woman shall inflict on Satan a final and mortal wound—He shall bruise your head. This Messianic promise was fulfilled through the virgin birth and through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Isaiah 7:14. Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. The Hebrew word translated “virgin” in this passage refers to a young woman of marriageable age, but would include the idea of virginity since that was expected of a young Jewish woman being married for the first time. This is borne out by the Septuagint, which translates the Hebrew with the Greek word parthinos, a word that specifically means “virgin,” i.e., a young woman who has never had sex with a man. Parthinos is the word used by both Matthew and Luke in their description of Mary, affirming that she was a young woman who had never had sex with a man when Jesus was born. Incredibly, Isaiah says that this Son that will be born of a virgin shall be called Immanuel, meaning “God with us,” a clear Old Testament prophecy of the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ.

The Earliest Christians Believed in the Virgin Birth

Like Matthew in his Gospel, Luke is clear that the birth of Jesus was supernatural and that He was conceived without the involvement of a man. He records how Mary asked the angel Gabriel how she could give birth when she did not know a man, a reference to her state of virginity and being unmarried. Luke says the angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the highest shall overshadow you; therefore, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 2:34-35). Interestingly, Gabriel links the miraculous conception of this Child with His deity, for it is because of His miraculous birth that He will be called the Son of God.

That the earliest Christians believed in the virgin birth of Jesus is verified by the “Apostle’s Creed,” an early confession of faith that probably dates from the second century in its earliest formulation. It reads in part:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.

Through the centuries followers of Jesus continued to believe in the Virgin Birth. Note the words of the 18^th century hymn, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” written by Charles Wesley, an Oxford graduate, Anglican minister and, with his brother John, the leader of the great Methodist revival. Because of the references to the virgin birth, this hymn became a popular carol sung at Christmas.

Christ by highest heav’n adored,

Christ the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come,

Offspring of a Virgin’s womb!

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,

Hail the incarnate Deity!

Pleased as man with man to dwell,

Jesus, our Emanuel.

Hark the herald angels sing,

Glory to the newborn king!

An Agnostic Professor of Mythology is Convinced

With the advent of modern skepticism and higher criticism, many began to discount the historical evidence, and speculate that the virgin birth and other miracles of the New Testament are myths fabricated by followers of Jesus who wanted to deify Him. However, C. S. Lewis, an agnostic professor of Renaissance Literature at Oxford University, exposed the shallow arguments concerning the mythological character of the New Testament. Lewis was an expert in mythological literature and he tells of his astonishment the first time he read the Gospels. His surprised response was, “This is not myth!”

Lewis, of course, became a believer and an astute apologist for Christianity. It was at this time that higher criticism was being popularized in seminaries in Germany and certain theologians, such as Rudolph Bultman, were claiming that the New Testament accounts of the virgin birth of Jesus, His miracles, and His resurrection were myths created by His followers. Lewis challenged these theologians, saying, “I would like to know how many myths these people have read!” Lewis went on to explain that he had been a long-time professor and critic of mythological literature and knew how a myth sounded and felt. “And the gospel story,” he said, “is not myth!”

Conclusion

Believing in Christ does not require a so-called “blind leap of faith.” Because of the historical evidence, it is more reasonable to believe in the virgin birth than it is to deny it. Those wonderful Christian carols heralding the birth of our Savior can be sung with zest and confidence because the Christmas story is true. We know it is true because of the witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts; but even for those agnostics like C. S. Lewis who do not yet have this inner witness, there is adequate, external evidence that Jesus was truly born of a virgin. And if that part of the story is true, then when can have confidence that the rest of the story is true as well. It is enough to convince any open and fair-minded atheist.

Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is an author, historian and Biblical scholar. He is the founding director of "The Revive America Project" and his books on church history and Spiritual renewal can be found on Amazon and at his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html.

Works Cited

Ramsey, Sir William M. The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament. Hodder & Stoughton, 1915.

Geisler, Norman. Baker Encyclopedia of Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999.

Wuest, Kenneth S. Word Studies In The Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979.

Clarke, Adam. The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments with a Commentary and Critical Notes. 3 Vols. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1824.

SHOULD CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?

Why I Will Celebrate Christmas Even Though Some of My Heroes Did Not

Monday, the 25^th day, we went on shore, some to fell timber, some to saw, some to split, some to carry, so no man rested all that day. But towards night we came on board again. That night we had a sore storm of wind and rain.

This is from the journal of one of the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower who recorded their activities for December 25, 1620, their first Christmas Day in America. There is no mention of Christmas because the Pilgrims, you see, did not celebrate Christmas. They considered it a pagan holiday instituted by the Roman Catholic Church and carried on by the Church of England from which they had separated.

Convictions Matters

I do not agree with the Pilgrims rejection of Christmas, but I do respect and admire their conviction. You and I would not be enjoying the blessings of freedom and prosperity we have known if it had not been for people like them—people of conviction—who were willing to suffer loss in order to stand for their convictions.

It has been said that, “Those who don’t stand for something, will fall for anything.” In other words, unless we have a core set of convictions for which we are willing to suffer and die, we are susceptible to being led astray by whatever is popular and convenient at a given time.

I admire the Pilgrims, not because I agree with them on every point, but because they were people of principle, integrity and conviction. They were willing to be ostracized, harassed and imprisoned in England because of their conviction that Jesus (not the king or the pope) is the Head of the Church and that the Bible (not church tradition) is our primary guide. These convictions eventually led them to leave home, family and friends and begin a new life in a New World. They were people of conviction and we have been incredibly blessed because of their faith and because they were true to their convictions.

Opposing the Current Secularizing Trend

Although my convictions lead me in the opposite direction of theirs concerning Christmas, our motives and goals are similar. They were reformers seeking to purify themselves of all non-biblical religious traditions and to pattern their lives and churches after the New Testament. But whereas they were resisting a religious tyranny that sought to impose a state-run religion on everyone, today we face an anti-Christian state and culture that seeks to impose a secularized Christmas on the U.S. populace.

Just a few days ago, for example, another school, this time in Maryland, announced that there would be no mention of Christmas this year. Instead, it will be the “Winter Holiday.” During this new “Winter Holiday,” school children will not hear “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World,” for such “Christian” carols are not welcome in a secularized setting. Indeed, as Franklin Graham has noted, “Stores, schools and communities across America continue to find new and intolerant reasons to remove any religious references to Christmas.” Even the Whitehouse website is playing down “Christmas,” choosing to call it “Holiday 2014,” with the President and First Lady giving, not a Christmas greeting, but a “holiday” greeting with no mention of the real reason for the season.

In spite of the culture trend, Christmas offers for Christians of conviction a wonderful opportunity to proclaim the Gospel in both overt and subtle ways, with nativity scenes, Christmas hymns, and other expressions of our faith. It is a time when we can remind the world that, at Christmas, we celebrate the coming of God into our midst in the person of Jesus Christ.

Let’s Be People of Conviction

It doesn’t really matter that December 25 is not the actual day of Christ’s birth or that Constantine “Christianized” a pagan holiday; just like it doesn’t really matter that the former owner of my Gibson Dove guitar may have used it to play ungodly music in ungodly places. The guitar is now sanctified and holy because I now use it for the glory of God. In a similar way, Christmas this year will be what you and I choose to make of it.

I am convinced that we as Christians should seize the opportunity and shout it from the housetops that Christmas is a reminder that God came to the world in the person of Jesus Christ, not only to reveal His love but to also confront the world about its wayward rebellion from Him. Paul expressed this to the intellectual elite of Athens when he recounted to them their various misconceptions of God and then declared;

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.

Just as it took people of conviction to open the New World and lay the foundations for a great new nation, the current national crises requires people of a similar conviction. Such people of conviction will carry the church (and the nation) forward into our God-given future. And this is why I am celebrating Christmas this year!

Eddie Hyat is an author, historian, Bible teacher and founder of "The Revive America Project." His books are available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html.

Should America Reconsider Calling itself "America"?

by Susan C. Hyatt (www.icwhp.org)

A friend shared a diagram that suggests the United States of America should reconsider calling itself "America" because several nations occupy the American continents and therefore, The States should not lay exclusive claim to the name "America."

So, here is my perspective as a CANADIAN by birth and natural citizenship, and by choice, CHRISTIAN in terms of eternal citizenship and AMERICAN in terms of legal immigrant residential status..

I call myself Susan, Sue, Suzie, Susan Stubbs Hyatt, Sue Hyatt, Susan Hyatt, Susan Christian Stubbs Hyatt, Mrs. Hyatt, Dr. Hyatt -- and on and on and on. It's really up to me. It's MY name. I retain the right to call myself by whatever name I choose. In the same way, I believe that the United States of America has the right to call itself by a variety of names, including "America." If other countries in The Americas want to call themselves "America," that is their option. No one is stopping them. So why knock The United States of America? By the way, I love the song "America the Beautiful" and the book by Dr. Ben Carson by the same name.

Personally, I call he United States of America by various names, including, for example: AMERICA, THE STATES, THE USA, THE US, and "Our Neighbor to the South." When I was a kid growing up in New Brunswick, Canada, we referred to the nation to our south as "The States." And those who lived in "The States," we called "Americans."

Eddie and I have a book called "America's Revival Heritage" that shows the undeniable Christian roots of the nation's founding documents and the Christian motivations of those who established the nation. We could have called the book "The Revival Heritage of The United States of America" or "The Revival Hertiage of 'The States.'" I much prefer "America's Revival Heritage." Here's the link to the book:  http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Revival-Heritage-Eddie-Hyatt/dp/1888435240/ref=sr_1_2_twi_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417485462&sr=1-2&keywords=eddie+hyatt

Also we have a 30-minute TV program called REVIVE AMERICA that airs weekly on Cable Channel 99 in Paris, Texas. It is also available on one of our YouTube channels:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAkm7eHwjuIQS7pw3-tYcNw

And we have an educational project called REVIVE AMERICA. You are welcome to contact DrEddieHyatt@gmail.com or to visit the FB group for details: https://www.facebook.com/groups/reviveamerica.eddiehyatt/

Sidebar:
I was born and raised in the DOMINION OF CANADA (the title being derived from Psalm 72:8), and as a native born Canadian, I care deeply about my homeland. So, Eddie and I have an organization called "The Christian Historical Society of Canada, Inc." that educates interested individiuals concerning the Christian roots of the Dominion of Canada.
WEBSITE: www.christianhistoricalsociety.ca
BLOG: http://www.chscdrsuehyatt.blogspot.com/

PS: Just wondering -- when "illegals" speak of the United States of America, I wonder what they call this land to which they which to escape. Somehow, I think they most often call it "America."

I say let's use our energy to facilitate the Peace, Unity, and Blessing that we have available to us all through the Lord Jesus Christ and not get sidetracked by what a nation chooses to call itself.

I consider myself blessed to live in America.