A BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING OF "CHRIST IS KING"

Candace Owens ignited a firestorm of controversy when she apparently tweeted to Ben Shapiro, who is Jewish, “Christ is King.” Response from within Shapiro’s circle was swift and critical, with some labeling Owens’ tweet as antisemitic and even racist. Other critics weighed in warning that the term is associated with Christian nationalism, the claim that evangelical Christians want to take over the institutions of government and force Christianity on everyone else. 

The Meaning of the Phrase

The phrase is actually redundant for the word “Christ” means “king.” It is derived from the Greek word christos, which was the Greek counterpart for the Hebrew “Messiah.” The Messiah was the king, predicted by the Old Testament prophets, whose righteous reign would bring peace to Israel and the entire world.

Jesus acknowledged that He was the promised Messiah but made clear that His kingdom was of a different order and character than was expected by Jews of the first century. They were looking for a political, militaristic Messiah who would deliver them from the Romans.

Jesus' kingship was of a different order and He made this point in a startling manner to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, at the time of His trial just before His crucifixion.

A Kingdom Not of this World

Pilate had obviously heard of the discussions about whether Jesus was Israel’s Messiah-King promised by Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, and other Old Testament prophets. When Jesus was brought before him, Pilate therefore asked, Are you the king of the Jews? Jesus acknowledged that He was a king, but then clarified the nature of His kingdom, saying,

My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here (John 18:36).

Jesus is not saying that His kingdom has no presence or role in this world. He is saying that His kingdom is of a completely different nature, functioning by different values and principles. His kingdom functions according to the values and culture of another world--of heaven.

His kingdom, therefore, would not come through the radical Jewish zealots who wanted to overthrow the Romans by force, nor by the Sadducees who compromised with the Romans in exchange for power and status in Israel. Neither would His kingdom come through the religious Pharisees, the conniving Herodians, or any other religious or political party.

His Kingdom Went to the Heart

Jesus knew the dire need of humanity was neither political nor economic, but separation from God through sin and rebellion. Israel’s greatest need was not deliverance from Rome, but deliverance from the sin that was destroying them. Instead of responding to carnal, political desires, Jesus went directly to the heart of the problem.

Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of a suffering and dying Messiah by providing Himself an atoning sacrifice for sinful humanity. In doing so, He bridged the gap between a holy God and fallen, sinful humanity. His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection made forgiveness and reconciliation with God possible through faith in Him. 

He also called on people to leave their self-centered lifestyles and live their lives for Him and others. Instead of imposing a political order, He imparted heavenly values. He assured His hearers that He had come, that they might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). 

Christ is King of Hearts

The early church proclaimed, “Jesus is Lord” and “Jesus is the Christ.” These designations obviously speak of His dignity and preeminence, but they were not political statements. Early Christians had no political ambitions. They showed no interest in Herod’s throne or Caesar’s crown. They proclaimed a king and kingdom that transcended them all.

But when Caesar was in conflict with Christ, the followers of Jesus confessed their allegiance to Him. This led to multiplied thousands of martyrs who chose to die rather than deny Him. Among these was the elderly Polycarp (69-155), who was offered his freedom if he would deny Christ. He refused, saying, "For 86 years I have been His servant, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who saved me?" 

Christ had obviously captured Polycarp's heart, and this is where His kingdom begins. He is the king of hearts. His kingdom is destined to transform all the earth, but not by outward political activism or military force. He begins by capturing the heart and then imparting His kingdom values, which then impacts all of society.

The Great Awakening Brought the Kingdom of God to America

This happened in the Great Awakening (1726-70) in colonial America. The colonies were transformed through the Christ-centered preaching of George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Gilbert Tennant, and others. They had no political ambitions. They called people to put their faith in Christ for eternal salvation and to live by His kingdom values.

The results were astonishing. Benjamin Franklin wrote, “It seemed as if all the world were growing religious” and 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).

This Awakening breached denominational, cultural, and racial barriers. For the first time they began to see themselves as a single people with one Divine destiny. This was especially significant for Whitefield for he had arrived in America with the prayer that the people of colonial America would "no longer live as 13 divided colonies but as one nation under God.”

This Awakening had a direct bearing on both the founding of America in 1776 and the ending of slavery on this continent. America became a Christian nation, not by an act of Congress, but by the transformed lives of her citizenry. John Marshall, the second Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, understood this. Serving as Chief Justice for 34 years from 1801-1834, Marshall wrote,

The American population is entirely Christian, and with us Christianity and religion are identified. It would be strange, indeed, if with such a people, our institutions did not presuppose Christianity, and did not refer to it, and exhibit relations with it (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 169).

Trump's Conviction Highlights the Need

America has completely turned away from the founding Christian values that brought her into existence. Her future is hanging in the balance. 2024 is a pivotal year for America. Psalm 9:17 says, The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God.

The November election is very important but will not save America. America’s root problem is neither political nor economic. America’s problem is spiritual and moral and will require a spiritual and moral solution. This reality was just highlighted by the conviction of Donald Trump by an obviously rigged trial.

Trump's conviction by a Manhattan jury was the bad fruit of  secularist, amoral individuals who manipulate and misuse the law for their own purposes. There is no need for the so-called "fundamental change" of the American system, but there is a need for a change in the moral and spiritual condition of those who are in positions of power.

Whose Side Are We On?

“Christ is king” is a theologically correct statement but should never be used as a weapon to shame or offend another person. Nor should it be used as a political battle cry as though Jesus the Messiah was taking sides with some worldly political party or movement.

“Christ is king” should be used as an expression showing honor to Jesus Christ for His redemptive work for all mankind and in recognition of His transcendent preeminence at the right hand of God. It should be used as a call for all people to put their faith in Him as the only way to eternal life and to embrace the values He taught, which are the keys to peace and stability here on earth.

President Abraham Lincoln understood the importance of acknowledging the preeminence of Christ. During the Civil War when a minister from the North expressed his hope that, “the Lord is on our side,” Lincoln replied,

I am not at all concerned about that . . . but it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord’s side” (Hyatt. The Great Prayer Awakening of 1857-58, 39).

America must once again turn to Christ and take His side. This will happen as the church takes a stand for truth and righteousness, proclaims His transcendent kingship, and prays for another Great Awakening to roll across the land.

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com. For information on bringing his informative, inspiring “Save America” presentation to your , city, contact him at dreddiehyatt@gmail.com

HOW YOU CAN BRING HEALING TO A DEEPLY DIVIDED AMERICA

The young 25-year-old Methodist preacher and revivalist, George Whitefield, arrived in America in 1738 with a prayer on his heart that the inhabitants of this land would, "No longer live as 13 divided Colonies but as One Nation under God.” He was very aware of the deep lines of division and hatred that ran between the various groups, but he was hopeful that he would see those lines erased as he preached the message God had given him for America.

The Deep Divisions of Colonial America

Most do not realize the deep divisions that existed in Colonial America between the Anglicans who settled Virginia, the Puritans who settled New England, the Baptists who settled Rhode Island, the Quakers who settled Pennsylvania, and so on.

Back in England, the Anglican Church, as the official state church, had harassed and imprisoned Puritans, Baptist, and Quakers, even putting some to death. In Virginia, the Anglicans made their church the “official” church of the colony and jailed Baptist preachers who ventured there to preach. Puritans detested Anglicans because of how they had been treated, but they persecuted both Quakers and Baptists: evicting them from their colony, jailing them, and even putting some to death. Baptists and Quakers did not get along and considered Puritans and Anglicans to be apostate Christians and part of the false, harlot church of Revelation.

It seemed that these groups could never reconcile. Their history was too long and their pain too deep. God, however, had an answer. His answer was a great, spiritual awakening based on the preaching of the Gospel wherein Jesus was presented as the central object of faith.

Whitefield Confronts the Divisions

Whitefield had an oratorical gift that attracted thousands to his open-air meetings. In Philadelphia, he preached from the steps of the courthouse to crowds estimated at 10-12 thousand at a time the population of Philadelphia was around 13,000. According to Benjamin Franklin, the impact on the city was transformative. He wrote,

The multitudes of all sects and denominations that attended his sermons were enormous, and it was a matter of speculation to me, who was one of the number, to observe the extraordinary influence of his oratory on his hearers. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 79).

Whitefield addressed the divisions of the colonists head-on. In one of his sermons, for example, as he was preaching in the open air to thousands, representing various sects and denominations, he pretended to converse with Father Abraham, whom he pictured as looking over the banister of heaven at the gathered multitude.

Looking heavenward, 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 Puritans in heaven?”

“No, there are no Puritans in heaven.”

“Are there any Methodists in heaven?”

“No, there are no Methodists 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 labels and to become Christians in deed and in truth” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 80-81)!

Sectarian Walls are Broken Down

Under the preaching of the Gospel and a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, differences were melted and denominational walls were broken down. For the first time, the divided colonists began to see themselves as a single people with one Divine destiny, “One Nation Under God,” as Whitfield had prayed.

By his incessant travels, Whitefield made the Great Awakening America’s first national event. It was the first time the scattered colonists of various denominational and theological persuasions had participated together as one people in a single event.

Historian, Benjamin Hart, points out that when Whitefield visited America for the final time in 1770, even the Episcopal (Anglican) churches, which had initially rejected him, opened their doors to him. He goes on to say,

The true Spirit of Christ had dissolved sectarian differences. America considered itself to be a nation of Christians, pure and simple, as Whitefield noted with satisfaction. “Pulpits, hearts and affections,” he said, were opened to him and any preacher of whatever denomination who had a true Christian message to share (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 87-88).

The late Harvard professor, Perry Miller, surely had Whitefield in mind when he wrote, “The Declaration of Independence of 1776 was a direct result of the preaching of the evangelists of the Great Awakening.” Through Whitefield’s ministry the Divided Colonies of America became the United States of America.

We Hold the Key

If we are to see a deeply divided modern America saved, it must begin with those who name the name of Christ. The promise of a national healing in II Chronicles 7:14 puts the responsibility squarely on our shoulders by listing certain conditions that are to be carried out by God’s people. The passage begins by saying, If My people, who are called by Name . . ..

In John 17:21 Jesus prayed for the unity of His followers, that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in me and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may know that You sent Me. If there is to be any healing of the political, cultural, and ideological divisions in America, there must first be a healing of the deep divisions that exist in Christendom.

This does not mean we will all form one institution or organization. That has never been God’s plan. His plan is diversity but within a unity that is centered in Him. We will keep our distinctive labels as Baptist or Presbyterian or Assembly of God, but our primary label will be that of Christian—followers of Christ.

This happened in Colonial America through the preaching of Whitefield and others to such an extent that a British-appointed governor in Connecticut 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).

What You Can Do

Be bold in your Christ-centered faith as you reach across denominational, racial, and cultural lines. Without compromising truth, show love to those who hold different doctrines and attend different churches than you. Don't waste your time with those who merely want to argue, but be willing to have a dialogue with those who are teachable and willing to listen. And in the midst of it all, ask God to pour out His Spirit, as promised in Acts 2:17, that another Great Awakening may roll across the land like a giant tsunami wave,

 

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com. For information on bringing his informative, inspiring “Save America” presentation to your , city, contact him at dreddiehyatt@gmail.com

IMPORTANT DIVINE HEALING LESSONS FROM JONATHAN AND SARAH EDWARDS

We would not expect to learn about divine healing from Jonathan and Sarah Edwards for they  neither taught divine healing nor prayed for the sick to be healed. However, when the Great Awakening came to Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1735, it had an amazing impact on the entire populace of the city. Not only was there a spiritual impact, but as Jonathan Edwards said, “It was the most remarkable time of health I ever knew.”

There were keys to this healing revival that seem to be lacking in the modern church, and this is what I want to examine in this article. If we could recover those keys and marry them to our  knowledge of faith and the authority we have in Christ, we might well see the greatest healing revival since the book of Acts

The Spiritual Transformation

There was an incredible spiritual transformation of Northampton. Everywhere one went in the town, people were talking about God. Edwards, who was pastor of the Congregational Church in Northampton, said, “The town seemed to be full of the presence of God” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Transformed America, 57).

People came to Christ in droves. The one bar in the town was soon left empty. The town was transformed and Edwards said, “A loose, careless person could scarcely be found, and if there was anyone that seemed to remain senseless or unconcerned it would be spoken of as a strange thing” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Transformed America, 57).

Without any emphasis on church growth methods or other human attempts to increase attendance, the church in Northampton filled with those already born again and with others seeking salvation. Edwards wrote:

Our public assemblies were then beautiful: the congregation was alive in God’s service, everyone intent on the public worship, every hearer eager to drink in the words of the minister as they came from his mouth; the assembly were in general from time to time in tears while the word was preached; some weeping with sorrow and distress, others with joy and love, others with pity and concern for the souls of their neighbors (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Transformed America, 57-58).

The Physical and Mental Transformation

This Awakening also impacted people’s health both mentally and physically. We must remember that this was before penicillin and modern vaccines. The only weapons they had against contagious diseases were quarantines, which they called “bills.”

Edwards says there were normally several quarantines (bills) put on houses every week. But during the Awakening something wonderful happened. He wrote:

We seemed to be wonderfully smiled upon and blessed in all respects. Satan seemed to be unusually restrained; persons who before had been involved in melancholy [depression], seemed to be as it were waked up out of it; and those who had been engaged with extraordinary temptations, seemed wonderfully freed. And not only so, but it was the most remarkable time of health that I ever knew since I have been in the town. We ordinarily have several bills [quarantines] put up, every sabbath, for the sick persons; but now we had not so much as one for many sabbaths together.

This is even more amazing when we realize that Edwards did not believe in divine healing. As a staunch Calvinist he believed sickness to be sent by God. He never preached a sermon on healing and never prayed for anyone to be healed. He never made any prophetic-healing proclamations.

The Power of a Pure Heart

How then are we to explain this marvelous manifestation of healing and health? I believe it had to do with the purity of the motives of Edwards and his wife, Sarah, in seeking God. They may not have understood some of the doctrines we know today, but they far surpassed us in their pursuit of holiness and purity of heart before God.

Their prayers for an Awakening were born out of an intense desire to see God’s name honored in New England and to see people turn to Christ and be saved. They were not concerned for personal fame, larger offerings, or a bigger building. Their motives were pure and Godward.

Edwards was not an entertaining preacher. In fact, he wrote out his sermons and read them in a monotone voice without ever moving from behind the pulpit. He was, however, a person of prayer and was known to spend as much as 11 hours per day in study and prayer.

In response to their fervent prayers for a “revival of religion,” God invaded the community with His manifest presence. In His presence, there was health and healing even apart from healing sermons and healing prayers.

What We Can Learn From Them

This should encourage us who preach and teach divine healing. If this could happen with people who did not preach and practice divine healing, how much more should it happen with us. Here is what we can learn from them.

1.       Seek God with a pure heart. Matthew 5:8 says, Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. It is obvious that Edwards and his wife, Sarah, strove to have pure hearts before God. They knew the power of David’s prayer in Psalm 139:23, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my concerns.” Their prayers for an Awakening were not self-serving, but honorable and pure.

2.       Be jealous for the honor and glory of God. They were grieved and distressed to see the name of Christ dishonored by the spiritual apathy and indifference of the people of their city. Sarah tells of being overwhelmed by God’s presence as she listened to a visiting minister lament that God's children should be so cold and lifeless in their faith. She said,

“I felt such a sense of the deep ingratitude manifested by the children of God, in such coldness and deadness, that my strength was immediately taken away, and I sunk down on the spot. Those who were near raised me, and placed me in a chair; and, from the fullness of my heart, I expressed to them, in a very earnest manner, the deep sense I had of the wonderful grace of Christ towards me, of the assurance I had of his having saved me from hell, of my happiness running parallel with eternity, of the duty of giving up all to God, and of the peace and joy inspired by an entire dependence on his mercy and grace.”

3.       Stay focused on Jesus. Edwards considered this to be the number 1 sign that a revival is a true work of the Holy Spirit. He wrote,

“If the spirit that is at work among a people is plainly observed so as to convince them of Christ, that He is the Son of God … to beget in them higher and more honorable thoughts of Him, and to incline their affections to Him, it is a sure sign that is the true and right Spirit.”

If we can couple their pursuit of holiness with our understanding of faith and spiritual authority, who knows what sort of displays of God’s healing power we might see in the days ahead.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author and ordained minister with a passion to see America return to her founding principles in the Great Awakening. This article is derived from his book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, and is available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

WILL AN AWAKENED CHURCH SAVE AMERICA?

I agree with many who are saying that the 2024 presidential election will be the most significant of our lifetime, and perhaps in American history. America is on the brink of losing her soul and the freedoms for which so many have fought and died. There must be a change in Washington D.C. come November.

There is, however, something deeper and more fundamental than the 2024 election that must be addressed if America is to be saved. At its very root, our problem is not political; it is spiritual and moral. This is why an awakened American church is the real key to the future of America at this time.

When America's Pulpits Were "Aflame with Righteousness"

That an awakened church is the key to America’s future was confirmed by the French sociologist and political scientist, Alexis de Tocqueville.

Tocqueville came to America in 1831 to study the country’s penal system and to see if he could discover the cause of her rapid rise to influence and power among the nations of the world. He arrived on the heels of the Second Great Awakening and was struck by the prayers and talk about God he encountered everywhere. He exclaimed, “The religious atmosphere of the country was the first thing that struck me on arrival in the United States” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 166).

He also noted that Christianity and civil liberty seemed to have been merged in the thinking of Americans. He stated that he knew of missionaries being sent to the western frontier because of concern the settlers there could not enjoy the civil liberties promised in the Constitution apart from the influence of the Gospel. He wrote, “Thus, religious zeal is warmed in the United States by the fires of patriotism” (Hyatt, 1726:The Year that Defined America, 167).

Although the quote below is not found in Tocqueville’s writings, it has the sound and feel of Tocqueville, and has historically been attributed to him.[1] After nine months of continually traveling and taking notes, Tocqueville is reported to have 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 prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.

If we are to see America saved, the pulpits of America must once again be “aflame with righteousness,” as Tocqueville put it. This is of utmost importance, for as America’s founders warned, only a moral and virtuous people can be a truly free people. This is why America’s second president, John Adams, said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

May God Awaken the American Church

As a nation, America can no longer be described as a “moral and religious people.” This has happened because we, God’s people, have not been light, driving back the spiritual darkness, or salt, restraining the moral corruption (Matthew 5:13-14). This has happened because of our burning desire to seen as "cool" and to be “liked” by contemporary culture. As a result, we are lacking the power of Pentecost.

I recall, for example, attending a Sunday morning service at one of the best-known mega churches in America I sat through an impressive church production that would rival anything from Nashville or Hollywood. However, I noted an emptiness in my spirit after it was over. My soul had been entertained but my spirit had been left dry.

On the Day of Pentecost there was a “sound from heaven” like a mighty rushing wind that filled the room and “tongues of fire” that sat up on each one of them (Acts 2:1-4). It was not their Audio-Visual Department creating those sights and sound. It was not a production of their Arts Department. Heaven had come down and was filling their souls in response to their prayers and obedience.

We have become very adept at producing lovely earthly sounds for our church programs. These, however, will not save America. If America is to be saved, we must recapture that sound from heaven, and it comes only through sincere prayer and obedience to the risen Lord. Only then will the pulpits of America once again be “aflame with righteousness.”

Only an Awakened Church will save America.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt believes that America can be saved but only through a revived and awakened church. This article is derived from his book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, which documents the impact of the First Great Awakening on the founding of America and the abolition of slavery.

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[1] Tocqueville probably spoke these words in one of his many speeches and someone wrote them down, and they were quoted and requoted and found their way into the public discourse.

DONALD TRUMP, THE USA BIBLE, AND ACCUSATIONS OF CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM

President Donald Trump’s endorsement of the “God Bless the USA Bible” has been met with a storm of criticism. Some are calling it “sacrilege” and “heresy” and others claiming he is taking advantage of people’s faith for the sake of money. Others claim that by associating America with the Bible he is promoting Christian Nationalism, which they insist is dangerous and un-American.  

I am not writing here to speculate about Trump’s motives in partnering in the promotion of this Bible. My concern is the widespread ignorance concerning the major role of the Bible in the founding of America. My concern is the accusations of "Christian Nationalism" by those who use it as a weapon to try and silence those like me who have documented and emphasize America's overt Christian origins.

That the Bible played a major role in the founding of America was highlighted in a 1982 article in Newsweek magazine, entitled “How the Bible Made America.” The authors showed the Bible’s impact on the founding of America in vivid fashion and wrote,

For centuries, the Bible has exerted an unrivaled influence on American culture, politics, and social life. Now historians are discovering that the Bible, perhaps even more than the Constitution, is our founding document: the source of the powerful myth of the United States as a special, sacred nation, a people called by God to establish a model of society, a beacon to the world (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 7).

The following are just a few of the many evidences that the Bible played a major role in the founding of America.

The Continental Congress Opens with Bible Reading

The earliest immigrants to America were children of the Reformation, which means they held to the principle of sola Scriptura, or “Scripture alone.” This meant that they saw the Bible, not the pope or bishop, as their primary guide for faith and morality. The Bible was the book, more than any other, to be read and applied to all of life.

The Great Awakening (1726-70), which had a profound impact on the 13 colonies, produced an even greater love and respect for the Bible. The Bible was, in fact, the most popular book in America at the time of its founding. Even the most nonreligious Founders regularly quoted from the Bible.

It is, therefore, not surprising that when the delegates to the First Continental Congress met on September 5, 1774, they opened with an extended time of Bible reading and prayer. Rev. Jacob Dusche, who became their chaplain, began by reading the entire 35th Psalm to the assembled delegates, which included George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and others.

The reading of that Psalm produced a powerful impact on all those present. John Adams described this impact in a letter to his wife Abigail. In describing the reading of that Psalm, he wrote,

It was enough to melt a heart of stone. I never saw a greater effect upon an audience. It seems as if heaven had ordained that Psalm to be read that day. I saw tears gush into the eyes of the old, grave pacific Quakers of Philadelphia. I must beg you to read that Psalm (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 108).

Dusche became their chaplain, and every subsequent session of this Congress was opened with Bible reading and prayer.

Congress Endorses the First English Bible Printed in America

The Founders’ respect for the Bible was also highlighted by their endorsement of the first English Bible printed in America in 1782. The producer of the Bible, Robert Aitken, had written a letter to Congress in which he asked for that government body’s sanction of his work. In the letter, Aitken called this Bible, “a neat Edition of the Scriptures for the use in schools.”

Congress enthusiastically responded to his request and offered the following recommendation to be included in this first English Bible printed in America.

Resolved: That the United States in Congress assembled, highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, as subservient to the interest of religion as well as an instance of the progress of the arts in this country, and being satisfied from the above report, of his care and accuracy in the execution of the work they recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper.

Washington Takes the Oath of Office with His Hand on a Bible

George Washington’s great respect for the Bible was affirmed by his nephew, Robert Lewis, who served as his secretary and lived with him while he was president. Lewis said that he had accidentally witnessed Washington’s private devotions in his library and that on those occasions he had seen him in a kneeling posture with a Bible open before him, and that he believed such to have been his daily practice.

It is, therefore, not surprising that when it came time for Washington to be sworn in as America’s first president, he insisted on taking the oath of office with his hand on a Bible. There was no precedent that he should do this. It was his own decision and a declaration that the Bible would be the ultimate source of wisdom and guidance for his administration.

After being sworn in, Washington delivered his first inaugural address. It was no surprise to his audience that his speech was filled with references to God and the Bible. At the close of the ceremony in New York City, he and Congress proceeded to St. Paul’s Chapel where they participated in a worship service with more quotes and readings from the Bible.

The Bible Helped Shape America

The founders respect for the Bible was verified in a ten-year project to discover where they got their ideas for America’s founding documents. This exhaustive study found that although they quoted ancient writers of Greece and Rome and contemporary writers of the Enlightenment, the single most cited authority in their writings was, by far, the Bible (Hyatt, America’s Revival Heritage, Second Edition, 69).

The Bible was the lens through which they interpreted everything they read and studied. The well-known Catholic scholar, William Novak, has said,

Everywhere that reason led, Americans found the Bible. If they read Francis Bacon, they found the Bible. If they read Isaac Newton or John Milton, they found the Bible. In Shakespeare, they found the Bible. In the world of the founders, the Bible was an unavoidable and useful rod of measurement, a stimulus to intellectual innovation (Hyatt, 5 Pillars of the American Republic, 16).

Andrew Jackson, America’s 7th president, understood this. He once gestured toward a Bible and declared, “That book, sir, is the rock on which our Republic rests.” Teddy Roosevelt, America’s 27th president, said, “No other book of any kind ever written in English has ever so affected the whole life of a people.”

This is not to say that early Americans lived up to the Biblical standard. Far from it! However, they all agreed that the Bible, particularly the teachings of Jesus, was the moral standard and goal toward which all should strive. 

Keeping the Bible as the standard had far-reaching results. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for example, who regularly quoted from the Bible, often pointed out that it was Jesus' Sermon on the Mount that inspired the dignified, nonviolent social action of the Civil Rights Movement.

Yes, it was the Bible that made America great and enabled her to overcome slavery, Jim Crow, and so many other societal ills.

A Revival of Biblical Values

From the above brief overview, it is obvious that those who say associating the Bible with America is dangerous and un-American are grossly uninformed. My concern, therefore, is not that Donald Trump is promoting the “God Bless the USA Bible.” My concern is that so many in Washington D.C. and throughout the nation no longer respect the Bible as a source of moral wisdom and guidance. 

For example, in 2019, the Democrat National Committee (DNC) unanimously passed a resolution affirming atheism and declaring that neither Christianity nor any religion is necessary for morality. In other words, “We don’t need God or the Bible!”

This rejection of Biblical values and truth has left the nation adrift on a sea of moral confusion, Our only salvation is a national spiritual awakening that will restore reason, common sense, and a respect for God’s word. Such an awakening will restore respect for the Bible as held by the Founders and expressed by Abraham Lincoln who in 1864 commented on the Bible, saying,

In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.

So, in answer to all the secularist, anti-Christian critics, I loudly and unapologetically declare that I prefer the moral values of Jesus and the Bible over those of Biden, Buttigieg, Harris, and Levine, and the secularist, woke ideology they have embraced. America's Founders would obviously agree! 

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