THE LEGACY OF 1726 IN DR. KING AND THE AMERICAN BLACK CHURCH

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and America’s black church are a vital part of the legacy of 1726 and the Great Awakening that began that year. As I have documented in my latest book, 1726, the Awakening had a profound impact on the black populace of Colonial America. Indeed, it was out of this Awakening that the American black church was born and the spiritual and moral resources were unleashed that eventually brought about the end of slavery on this continent.

From Evangelism to Social Transformation

At the beginning of the Great Awakening in 1726, outreach to the black populace was evangelistic in nature and not characterized by opposition to slavery. Those early preachers, such as Whitefield, Tennant and Edwards, saw their primary purpose to be in getting people ready for the next world, not necessarily improving their lot in this one. In their thinking, a slave on his way to heaven was far better off than a king on his way to hell.

Nonetheless, their insistence on sharing the Gospel with all people and their willingness to share Christian fellowship with blacks, both slave and free, breached racial and cultural barriers in Colonial America. Also, the inclusive Gospel message they preached and their compassionate treatment of blacks created a climate conducive to the anti-slavery sentiments that would burst forth through those who would come after them.

Indeed, the revivalists who came after Edwards and Whitefield carried the message of their predecessors to its logical conclusion: if we are all creatures of the same Creator and if Christ died that all might be saved, then how can slavery ever be justified?

They, therefore, began a vicious attack on the institution of slavery. This is what historian, Benjamin Hart, was referring to when he wrote, “Among the most ardent opponents of slavery were ministers, particularly the Puritan and revivalist preachers (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 92).

These "ardent opponents of slavery" included the followers of Jonathan Edwards who expanded on his idea of the essential dignity of all created beings and applied it to the blacks of Colonial America. They included Levi Hart in Connecticut, Edwards’ son, Jonathan Jr., also in Connecticut, Jacob Green in New Jersey and Samuel Hopkins in Rhode Island.

Showing the Hypocrisy of Demanding Liberty and Tolerating Slavery

Samuel Hopkins (1721–1803), who had been personally tutored by Edwards, pastored for a time in Newport, Rhode Island, an important hub in the transatlantic slave trade. Like Paul, whose spirit was “provoked” observing the idols in Athens, Hopkins was deeply grieved by what he observed in Newport. He began to passionately speak out against this "violation of God’s will” and declared, “This whole country have their hands full of blood this day (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 92).

After the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in 1774, Hopkins sent a pamphlet to every member of the Congress, asking how they could complain about “enslavement” to Great Britain and overlook the “enslavement” of so many blacks in the colonies.

Indeed, as “liberty” became a watchword throughout the colonies, these second-generation Awakening preachers began applying it to the enslaved blacks in America. Like Hopkins, they pointed out the hypocrisy of demanding freedom from Great Britain while enslaving black Africans. One of the most vocal was the Baptist preacher, John Allen, who thundered,

Blush ye pretended votaries of freedom! ye trifling Patriots! who are making a vain parade of being advocates for the liberties of mankind, who are thus making a mockery of your profession by trampling on the sacred natural rights and privileges of Africans (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 156).

The opposition to slavery thus mounted as other ministers of the Awakening began to speak out. For example, in a sermon preached and published in 1770, Samuel Cooke declared that by tolerating the evil of slavery, “We, the patrons of liberty, have dishonored the Christian name, and degraded human nature nearly to a level with the beasts that perish” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 93).

God Speaks to Freeborn Garrettson

Freeborn Garrettson (1752-1827), a revivalist from Maryland, freed his slaves after hearing God speak to him supernaturally. According to Garrettson, he heard the Lord say, “It is not right for you to keep your fellow creatures in bondage; you must let the oppressed go free.” Garrettson immediately informed his slaves that they did not belong to him and that he did not desire their services without giving them proper compensation.

Garrettson began preaching against slavery and advocating for freedom, which provoked intense opposition, especially in the South. One enraged slave-owner came to the house where Garrettson was lodging and swore at him, threatened him and punched him in the face. Garrettson did not retaliate but sought to reason with the man who finally gave up and left.

Garrettson took his message to North Carolina where he preached to black audiences and sought, in his words, “to inculcate the doctrine of freedom in them.” His opposition to slavery was firmly rooted in the Gospel and he described a typical meeting with blacks in which,

Many of their sable faces were bedewed with tears, their withered hands of faith were stretched out, and their precious souls made white in the blood of the Lamb (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 95).

Garrettson also preached to southern white audiences and sought to convince them of the evils of slavery and that God’s will was liberty for all His creatures. In Delaware, Garrettson visited the Stokeley Sturgis Plantation and preached to both the slaves and the Sturgis family. He was able to convince Sturgis that slavery is a sin and Sturgis began making arrangements for his slaves to obtain freedom.

Richard Allen Founds the AME

One of those who obtained his freedom was Richard Allen who then became a successful evangelist to both black and white audiences. In 1784, he preached for weeks in Radnor, Pennsylvania, to mostly white audiences and recalled hearing them say, “This man must be a man of God; I have never heard such preaching before” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 95-96).

Allen became close friends with Benjamin Rush, a Philadelphia physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence. When the Methodist Church in Philadelphia decided to segregate the congregation according to race, Allen and other blacks walked out. Rush, who called slavery a “hydra sin,” came to their aid and assisted them in establishing their own congregation. They established Bethel Methodist Church out of which came the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) denomination. Allen later wrote,

Dr. Rush did much for us in public by his influence. I hope the name of Dr. Benjamin Rush and Mr. Robert Ralston will never be forgotten among us. They were the two first gentlemen who espoused the cause of the oppressed and aided us in building the house of the Lord for the poor Africans to worship in. Here was the beginning and rise of the first African church in America (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 156).

The Great Awakening’s Legacy in Black America

Out of the Great Awakening, black congregations sprang up and black preachers arose, spreading the Good News throughout the land. It was thus out of the Awakening that the American black church was born and became a powerful and positive force in American society, producing some of the nation’s greatest preachers, singers, and musicians.

Indeed, the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s-70s was anchored in the black churches of America and its most prominent leaders, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., (1929-1968) were ordained ministers—a legacy of 1726.

It may well be that the black church in America is the best hope for the continuing legacy of 1726 in this nation.

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, 1726, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. He is also the founder of the "1726 Project" whose goal is to spread the message of America's birth out of the First Great Awakening and call on believers everywhere to pray for another Great Awakening across the land.

HOW GOD LED ME TO CHALLENGE THE NEW YORK TIMES' "1619 PROJECT"

During the summer of 2019 I read about the “1619 Project” inaugurated by the New York Times supposedly to commemorate the 500-year anniversary of the arrival of the first African slaves on American soil. I was stunned, however, to read their thesis that 1619 defined America and marked its true founding rather than 1776. This meant, in their thinking, that America is racist and corrupt at its very core and in need of fundamental change.

This was significant to me for I was, at that very time, researching how the First Great Awakening had provided the spiritual and moral forces that brought about the end of slavery on this continent. My emphatic response to the Times’ thesis was, “No! America was not defined by 1619! America was defined by 1726!” 1726, of course, was the year the Great Awakening had begun.

This encounter with the Times' "1619 Project" was very significant and timely for I had just recently experienced a stirring in my heart to republish America’s Revival Heritage and include a chapter on slavery. In my spirit, I knew that I was to show how the First Great Awakening played a primary role in ending slavery on this continent.

America’s Revival Heritage was the first book that I wrote as a result of a seven-hour encounter with the Lord in 2010. It came at a time when I had given up hope of America ever seeing another great, national spiritual awakening. But in that amazing visitation, God restored my hope for America, and I saw, for the first time, that the Great Awakening had a direct bearing on the founding of our nation.

In response to this recent directive to reprint America’s Revival Heritage, I began reading through the book and making notes where edits should be made based on my ongoing research. I also began work on the new chapter on slavery and was deeply stirred, for I was uncovering clear evidence that the First Great Awakening unleashed anti-slavery outrage that brought about the end of slavery on American soil. 

In my 2010 encounter with the Lord, I had become aware of the direct bearing of the First Great Awakening on the founding of the nation. Now, in this 2019 encounter, I was seeing that the Awakening also had a direct bearing on the ending of slavery in America. The truth was clearly coming into focus. America was defined by 1726.

As I continued researching and editing the original manuscript of America’s Revival Heritage, it dawned on me that a new book was emerging. This was not the second edition of America’s Revival Heritage; it was, in fact, a new book that I would call 1726 with the subtitle, The Year that Defined America.

The New York Times is wrong. 1619 did not define America. A Great Awakening occurrred between 1619 and 1776 and changed everything. This is documented in 1726. It is my prayer that God will use this book to awaken many to our true American heritage and that it will provide a spark for igniting another Great Awakening across our land.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, 1726, is available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. Also, check out the "1726 Project" he has founded to educate America about her spiritual birth and ignite another great spiritual awakening.

HOW TO PREACH CHRIST IN A POLITICIZED AND DIVIDED NATION

2020 is shaping up to be one of the most divisive times in American history. Only at the time of the Civil War, perhaps, has America been so politically and culturally divided. This poses a challenge for the church, especially when politicians tend to see us as just another voting bloc that can help forward their agenda. How can we preach Christ without becoming just another partisan sect in an already divided nation?

The answer to our dilemma comes from none other than Abraham Lincoln as he presided over a divided and warring nation. In his Second Inaugural Address, delivered in the midst of the Civil War, Lincoln acknowledged that both North and South, “Read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other.”

Both North and South were pleading with God to take their side. However, such self-centered prayer that has no concern for understanding God's side, is meaningless. Lincoln understood this and when a minister from the North expressed to the President 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.

Are We on the Lord's Side?

There is the answer for the church today! We are not here to proclaim a God who takes the side of this party or that one, but a God who calls all humanity to come over to His side. This is borne out in the Incarnation, when God came to this earth in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

The world in which Jesus was born was a very divisive world. The Romans had conquered the land of Israel but within their governance there were numerous political and religious parties jockeying for influence and power. The Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Zealots and others were all seeking public support for their political and religious agendas. 

Interestingly, Jesus never identified, or sided, with any of those parties. Why? As God's appointed Messiah, He had not come to take sides. He had come to take over.

He had no desire for Herod’s throne or Caesar’s crown, for His kingdom was above and beyond the kingdoms of this world. He was God’s chosen Messiah-King, predicted by Old Testament prophets. For unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given, said the prophet Isaiah, and the government shall be upon His shoulder . . . of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end (Isaiah 9:6-7).

A Transcendent King and Kingdom

The kingdom Jesus preached transcended all earthly authority and rule. He made this clear when questioned by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, if He were 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).

In other words, His kingdom would not come through the radical Jewish zealots, who wanted to overthrow the Romans, or the compromising Sadducees or the conniving Herodians. Neither will his kingdom come through a modern political system. His kingdom will not arrive on the back of either a donkey (Democrat platform) or an elephant (Republican platform). 

Jesus preached the kingdom (reign) of God and called all people to an unreserved and total commitment to Himself. He died on the cross for the sins of the world, arose from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of God with all authority in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:19).

He is Lord! He is king! We—the Church—are here to make Him known and to call all people everywhere to yield their hearts and lives to Him. It is not a question of whose side He is on, but a question of, “Are you on His side?”

This is what Jesus meant by the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14). This is what Paul meant when he recalled preaching the kingdom of God among the people of Ephesus (Acts 20:25). It is the proclamation of Jesus as God’s Messiah-King who alone has the Divine right and wisdom to govern our lives.

As followers of Christ, we should be defined, not by our involvement in the latest political controversy or cultural fad, but by our commitment to Jesus Christ and His eternal kingdom values. This is the attitude that pervaded America’s founding generation and was expressed by Thomas Jefferson who closed all presidential documents with the phrase, “In the Year of Our Lord Christ,” and who said, “I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 149).

America Was Built on Kingdom Values

The “doctrines of Jesus” mentioned above by Jefferson, are the values of the kingdom of God. A society derives its values from religion, including the religion of secularism. Nations such as Saudi Arabia and Iran derive their values from Islam. America was founded and built on Judeo-Christian values. These values of love for God and one’s neighbor, honesty, moral integrity, hard work, and compassion toward those in need are the values that have made America great.

These are the values of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount and throughout the New Testament. Unless we can recover these values as a nation, we are headed for ruin. In his farewell address, George Washington warned the nation,

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion [Christianity] and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness” (Hyatt, 1726: TheYear that Defined America, 165).

Yes, Jesus was esteemed and His teachings were highly valued by America’s founding generation. For example, Thomas Paine, in his popular book, Common Sense, gave justification for separation from Great Britain and expressed the general sentiments of the populace who had just experienced the Great Awakening. In answering the concern of some about not having a monarch to rule over them, he declared,

But where says some is the King of America? I’ll tell you friend, He reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Britain.

It was during this same time period, just before the Revolution, that the British-appointed governor of 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).

In this Christ-honoring cultural milieu, it is easy to understand how Jefferson, who is considered one of the least religious of America’s founders, would say, “Of all the systems of morality that have come under my observations, none appear to me so pure as that of Jesus” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 150).

Our 2020 Mandate

2020 is an election year and politicians will be vying for your support and mine. They will want us to be on their side. Our question to the politicians should be, “Whose side are you on?” “Are you on the Lord’s side?” “Will you seek to inculcate His kingdom values in all your policies?”

We should also be praying for another great spiritual awakening across this land. In this regard, we should pray, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as in heaven. Then, on November 3, go in the voting booth and vote for the candidate whose policies most closely reflect those values of our King and His kingdom.

Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is an author, historian and ordained minister. This article was derived in part from his latest book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. He is the founder of the "1726 Project" with a goal of recovering America's Christian heritage and seeing another national, spiritual awakening across the land.

THE WAR ON AMERICA'S CHRISTIAN HERITAGE (Part 2)

For the first 150 years of America’s existence, no one questioned the axiom America is a Christian nation. This did not mean that everyone was a Christian or that the nation officially sanctioned any denomination or religious sect. It meant, instead, that the nation’s laws and institutions were founded on Christian principles and values. This fact was stated by the U. S. Supreme Court in 1892 in the case of Church of the Holy Trinity vs The United States. After examining thousands of historical documents, the nation’s highest 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 . . .. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation. These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation (Hyatt, 1726: The Year thatDefined America, 6-7).

The Christian mindset of America’s Founders was verified in a ten-year project to discover where they got their ideas for America’s founding documents. The study found that, by far, the single most cited authority in their writings was the Bible. It is, therefore, not surprising that the first English Bible printed in the United States contained a recommendation from the U.S. Congress. Published in 1782 by Robert Aitken, the Congressional recommendation reads in part,

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 (Hyatt, 5 Pillars of the American Republic, 15).

These facts, no doubt, provided a basis for a 1982 article in Newsweek entitled “How the Bible Made America.” It contained this insightful statement:

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).

This reality of America being a Christian nation was expressed in American culture by Bible reading and prayer being common occurrences in all kinds of public settings. Until the 1960s, it was common for school days, school activities, sporting events, city council meetings, and other public events to open with prayer. Displays of Bible verses, crosses, and the Ten Commandments were common on public property, including courtrooms. It was normal for a baccalaureate sermon by a local pastor to be part of public-school graduation exercises.

The Attack on Public Displays of Faith

The nation was shocked, therefore, when, in two Supreme Court rulings, Engel vs Vitale (1962) and Abington School vs Schempp (1963) the nation’s highest court banned school-sponsored prayer and Bible reading in the public schools of America. This ruling was based on a contorted and novel interpretation of that part of the First Amendment that reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or hindering the free exercise thereof.”

The plaintiffs in these suits argued that school-sponsored prayer violated the so-called “establishment clause” of the First Amendment and amounted to an establishment of religion by the federal government. A very liberal court accepted this argument and opened the floodgates for anti-Christian activism.

Since that time, lawsuits filed by atheist and secularist organizations have resulted in the removal of crosses, Ten Commandment displays, and other Christian expressions from public property. School children can no longer sing Joy to the World or Silent Night at Christmas because of the Christian content. As part of this crusade to de-Christianize America, the secularists insist on calling a Christmas Tree a Holiday Tree and referring to the Christmas Holiday as The Winter Holiday.

Veterans groups and military chaplains have been told they cannot pray in the Name of Jesus. A high school coach was told he can no longer kneel to pray at the end of football games, and a high school band in Mississippi was ordered by a judge to remove How Great Thou Art from the repertoire of music that they play at football games and other school events. On April 6, 2009, President Barak Obama announced to a Turkish audience, “America is not a Christian nation.” His audacious statement showed the extent to which the crusade to de-Christianize America had arrived.

The Attack on America’s Christian Heritage

Nations derive their sense of identity from their history. If you want to destroy a culture, you begin by rewriting and reinterpreting their history. This is what Karl Marx was referring to when he said, “People without a heritage are easily persuaded.”

The attack on America’s Christian culture is happening, not only in the attack on public symbols of faith, but in the rewriting of American history textbooks that are used in public schools and colleges. Students are now taught that the Pilgrims came to America for monetary purposes and the Founders were a collection of wealthy, evil, white slave-owners.

The educational elite know that if they can control the narrative of America’s past, they can also control her future. They know the truth of George Orwell’s statement, “Whoever controls the past, controls the future.”

The 1726 Project

Recovering the truth about America’s history for this generation is, therefore, critical. A few years ago, Ronald M. Mann, Deputy Director of the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, warned,

Unless the people of this nation take seriously the storm flags waving, we are doomed to repeat the past mistakes of those who refused to pay attention to history and end up in the graveyard of fallen nations (Hyatt, 5 Pillars of the AmericanRepublic, 3).

Along those same lines, Carl Sandburg, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, wrote,

When a nation goes down, or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from. They lost sight of what had brought them along (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 11).

Recovering our Christian heritage for this generation is of utmost importance. This is why I have written and just published 1726: The Year that Defined America. It is also why I have launched the “1726 Project.” Beginning in 1726, a great spiritual tsunami began that eventually engulfed all of Colonial America in a flood of religious fervor.

This Great Awakening, as it has been called, not only renewed the Christian vision of the Pilgrims, it gave birth to an anti-slavery movement that eventually brought about the end of slavery on this continent. It also had a direct bearing on the founding of the United States of America. 1726 was, in fact, the year that defined America. This is the heritage we must not allow to be lost or stolen.

This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. In this book, Dr. Hyatt documents how the Great Awakening in Colonial America had a direct bearing on both the founding of the United State and the ending of slavery on this continent. He has founded the “1726 Project” to spread this strategic and timely message across the land.

THE WAR ON AMERICA'S CHRISTIAN HERITAGE (Part 1)

“To destroy a people, you must first sever their roots.”

Alexander Solzhenitzsyn

A spiritual battle is raging for the heart and soul of America. The impeachment battle raging in Washington D.C. is a mere symptom of this deeper, spiritual battle for the heart of the nation. A major battle strategy of the secularist Left is to redefine America by rewriting and reinterpreting her history and thereby making her vulnerable to radical change.

Peoples and nations derive their sense of identity from their history. Cut off a people from their past, and they can easily be molded into something very different. This is what Karl Marx was referring to when he said, “People without a heritage are easily persuaded.”

The Redefining of America

A glaring example of this crusade to rewrite America’s past is the New York Times’ “1619 Project.” Supposedly begun to commemorate the arrival of the first African slaves on American soil in 1619, their website reveals their real and sinister motivation. Their stated goal is to “reframe” American history by insisting that 1619, not 1776, represents the nation’s true founding. They assert, therefore, that America is racist and corrupt at its very core and in need of fundamental change.

Their thesis is flawed, however, because they have chosen to ignore what happened between 1619 and 1776. 1726, the year the Great Awakening began and transformed Colonial America, has been censured from their critique.

Alexander Solzhenitzsyn spent eight years in a Soviet labor camp and observed how the communists sought to cut off the Russian people from their Christian past. He wrote, “To destroy a people you must first sever their roots.” And commenting on the demise of nations in world history, Carl Sandburg, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, wrote,

When a nation goes down, or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from. They lost sight of what had brought them along (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 11).

In her book, The Rewriting of America’s History, Catherine Millard documents just how pervasive is this crusade to rewrite America’s history. She points out that it is being carried out, not only in the rewriting of textbooks, but also in the rewriting and reinterpretation of national monuments. She writes,

It is happening through the rewriting and/or reinterpretation of America’s historical records: in our national parks, monuments, memorials, landmarks, enshrines, and churches. In some cases, changes are subtle, and in others, blatant. It’s done through removal of key historic pieces that do not support the current ungodly bias (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 9-10).

Knowing the Past is the Key to America’s Future

Slavery is certainly a blight on America’s history. However, because of what happened in 1726, America is not defined by what happened in 1619. 1726 was the defining year for America.

In 1726 a great, spiritual tsunami began that eventually engulfed all of Colonial America in a flood of religious fervor. This Great Awakening, as it has been called, laid the spiritual, moral, and philosophical foundation for a great new nation. It released anti-slavery sentiments that led to an abolition movement that eventually brought slavery on this continent to an end. 1726 was, in fact, the year that defined America. 

Understanding 1726 is, therefore, the key to understanding America. It is also the key to America's future, for as George Orwell said in his classic book, 1984, "Whoever controls the past, controls the future" (Hyatt, 1726: The Year thatDefined America, 10).

Remembering Our Heritage

At the present time, America is as divided, perhaps, as she has not been since the Civil War. And although demographics and culture have changed, the solution remains the same. We must remember our heritage. We must remember 1726.

In the same way that God spoke to ancient Israel in a critical time of national danger and spiritual apostasy, God is calling America to remember her heritage. The call to Israel is recorded in Isaiah 51:1-2:

Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness and seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham your father and Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many.

If the America of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln is to survive, we must remember our heritage. The needed change is not going to come as a result of a new church program, a new church crusade, a bigger and better choir, a new cathedral, or the next election. It will come as we remember 1726 and cry out to God, “Do it again, Oh Lord!”

This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. In this book, Dr. Hyatt documents how the Great Awakening in Colonial America had a direct bearing on both the founding of the United State and the ending of slavery on this continent. He has founded the “1726 Project” to spread this strategic and timely message across the land.

FOUR HARD LESSONS THE PILGRIMS LEARNED ABOUT SOCIALISM

Before the Soviet Union, Cuba, and Venezuela, socialism was tried right here on American soil and utterly failed. The Pilgrims, who established the first permanent English settlement in New England in the fall of 1620, at first attempted a socialist style of living. They disbanded it, however, when it became obvious that their community could not survive with such a system.

Socialism Forced on Them

The Pilgrim’s journey to America was funded by a group of venture capitalists who provided the ship and supplies for their journey to the New World. In return, the Pilgrims agreed to live communally until the debt, including interest, was paid. Everyone would receive the same recompense for their work, and everything above their basic necessities would go into a common fund to be used to pay their creditors.

In other words, there was no economic inequality. Income produced by farming, fishing, and fur trading was spread around and evenly divided among members of the community. There was only one economic class of people in this system.

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, Pilgrims and Patriots, 36-38).

Four hard lessons the Pilgrims learned about socialism were: (1) Socialism destroys initiative; (2) Socialism fosters irresponsibility; (3) Socialism extinguishes hope and generates strife; and (4) Socialism is incompatible with human nature.

Lesson #1

Socialism Destroys Initiative

Under this socialist system, everyone received the same recompense for their work. No matter how hard, or how little, they worked, all received the same income. With no reward tied to their labor, initiative was destroyed, and everyone put forth their least effort.

Why work and dream when you are trapped in a socialist system that mandates equality of outcome for everyone? This socialist system destroyed initiative and almost destroyed the Pilgrim community.

Lesson #2

Socialism Fosters Irresponsibility

Young men, Bradford said, resented getting paid the same as older men when they did so much more of the work. As a result, they tended to slouch and slack since they knew they would receive the same no matter how hard they worked.

Knowing they would receive the same no matter how hard or how little they worked, the women often refused go to the fields to work, complaining of sickness and headaches. To have compelled them to go, Bradford said, would have been considered tyranny and oppression.

With no individual reward tied to their innovation and labor, everyone gave their least effort. Irresponsibility became obvious throughout the community and many became gripped with a sense of hopelessness.

Lesson #3

Socialism Extinguishes Hope and Generates Strife

This socialist system led to a widespread sense of hopelessness. With everyone locked into a closed economic system, there was nothing individuals or families could do to improve their personal lot. Feeling caught in a trap, bickering and strife began to emerge.

The older men, Bradford said, felt they deserved more honor and recompense because of their age and resented getting paid the same as the youngsters in their midst. The young men, on the other hand, resented getting paid the same as the older men when they often did more of the work.

This sense of hopelessness and the ensuing strife drained energy and discouraged innovative thinking and led to very serious complications for the community.

Lesson #4

Socialism is Incompatible with Human Nature

Bradford believed that socialism did not work because it runs counter to human nature as created by God. In Scripture, God rewards individuals for their labor and good works. Capitalism works because it is compatible with the reality of human nature and the world in which we live.

I will never forget visiting eastern Europe shortly after the fall of the Soviet Empire. I was struck by the grey, drab environment. Even the buildings seemed so plain, flat and lackluster.

It was obvious that the Marxist system had robbed the people of life, energy and creativity. I am here reminded of the words of Winston Churchill, “Those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.”

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 decided to dispense 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, Pilgrims and Patriots, 37).

They Experience the Blessing of Free Enterprise

According to Bradford, they divided the land around them, allotting to each family a certain portion that would be theirs to work and use for their own needs. Bradford said there was an immediate change. The young men began to work much harder because they now knew they would eat the fruit of their own labors.

There were no more complaints from the older men for the same reason. And now the women were seen going into the fields to work, taking the children with them, because they knew they and their family would personally benefit.

Instead of lacking food, each family now grew more food than they needed, and they began to trade with one another for furnishings, clothes and other goods. They also had enough excess to trade with the Indians for furs and other items. In short, the colony began to prosper when they got rid of their socialist form of government and implemented a free, entrepreneurial system.

Of their experience with socialism, Bradford wrote;

This community [socialism] was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort . . . and showed the vanity of that conceit of Plato’s, and applauded by some of later times, that the taking away of property and bringing in community into a commonwealth would make them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 38).

Christianity & Capitalism

As Christians, our responsibility is to call people to Christ and help them live out their Christianity in the real world. Living out our Christianity means a life of responsibility, not looking for government hand-outs but working and prospering in a way that we can give a hand-up to those in need.

We desire the best for the greatest number of people which is why we must reject the contemporary vision of a government-mandated socialist system in America.

This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s book, Pilgrims and Patriots, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

WHY YOU SHOULD EXPECT BLESSINGS FROM GOD YOU HAVE NOT EARNED

During a time of prayer early this morning, I was reminded of an encounter with the Lord from many years ago, and I knew I was to share it, especially with our friends and partners. I knew that God wanted to encourage His people to expect great blessings to come our way—blessings we have not earned.

The Story

It was a quiet Sunday morning in September of 1991 on the campus of Zion Bible Institute in Barrington, RI. Students and staff had gone off campus to attend various church services. The campus seemed especially calm and serene that morning, and I decided to take advantage of the tranquil situation by going to the chapel and spending time in prayer.

As I lay on the floor, I presented to God my concern about finances. Sue and I had accepted an offer to teach and write at Zion and had just made the move from Tulsa, OK the previous month. Being a missionary school, Zion paid us $62.50 each per week and provided housing on campus. We were expected to believe God for everything else we would need.

We had been there about a month and it had become obvious that $125.00 per week did not cover the car payment, car insurance, food, toiletries, clothes and all the necessities of a normal life. It was a stressful situation. But as I lay on the floor lifting my concern to the Lord, the words “8/9 and 9/8” were strongly impressed on my mind.

I reached for my Bible and noted that it was lying open at II Corinthians. I then turned and read 8:9, which says,

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich (II Cor. 8:9).

I then turned to 9:8 and read,

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work (II Cor. 9:8).

The parallels in the two passages were immediately obvious. Both speak of God’s abundant financial provision for His people and both speak of His provision flowing from His grace. It is not something earned. It is blessing flowing from His marvelous grace.

I knew God was speaking to me and decided to write the date in the margin of my Bible. I was astounded as I wrote, “9-8-91.”

Present Application

This is the story—from 28 years ago--that came back clearly to me early this morning. Maybe it is for someone who thinks, “I don’t deserve God’s blessing.” You are right! None of us deserve His blessing. That fact, however, should not stop you from expecting His blessing since it flows from His amazing grace that Paul says He has lavished on us (Eph. 1:7-8; NIV).

It is the sort of blessing of which God spoke to the people of Israel as they were going in to possess the land of Canaan. God said that they would possess,

Flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant (Deut. 6:10-11).

So, let’s expect unearned blessings, flowing from God’s goodness and grace, coming our way today. Now, that is something for which to be thankful!

Sue and I greatly appreciate those friends and partners God has brought into our lives whose prayers, friendship, and financial gifts keep us going. If you would like to give a gift to this ministry, click the "Donate" icon above or go to www.eddiehyatt.com or www.godswordtowomen.org.