Office Of The Presiding Bishop
PO Box 128
Statesville, N.C. 28687
4 July 2016
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be
free indeed. (John 8:36) and And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John
8:32)
Today (July 4th) is the day in America on
which we celebrate Independence Day! But what did that Independence, gained
from Great Britain, entail for the people of America? It provided a free and
open society in which her citizens could enjoy those unalienable rights
granted by God of life (even to a child in its mother’s womb), liberty (the
freedom to worship as we please, say what we please, and do what we please as
long as we do not harm others), and the pursuit of happiness (to plan for and
provide for our families, or our own careers, in whatever way we deem suitable
for us). These are not rights granted by the American government, or any other
government “these are rights granted by God Almighty; Any government that
attempts to curtail these rights, or adjudicate them into privileges, are
acting out of any legitimate authority.
We should
never forget that this country was founded upon Christian and Biblical
principles (notwithstanding the recent words of a President who wishes to deny
that America is still a Christian nation). An old friend of mine, Rev. James
Flanagan of Philadelphia [1],
sent to my church for posting a beautiful copy of George Washington’s Prayer at
Valley Forge which we have been honored to display at St Andrews:
Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United
States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the
citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government;
and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their
fellow citizens of the United states at large. And finally that Thou wilt most
graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to
demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which
were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and
without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope
to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech thee, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen ~ George Washington
I recently
discovered a report released in May by Harvard University entitled, Shaping the Nation: Estimating the Impact of Fourth
of July Using a Natural Experiment, which finds Republicans benefit
more from Fourth of July parades and activities than do Democrats. The study
reveals that young people below the age of eighteen who attended at least one
patriotic celebration on the 4th of July
are more likely to vote and support the Republican Party. I will leave the
reader to draw the proper conclusion to this report whose aim is likely to
discourage patriotic celebrations as threatening to the socialist agenda.
Perhaps the display of Nativity Scenes and Easter Crosses might have a similar
detrimental impact on the atheist faith as well.
It is the job
of no President to denigrate our Christian heritage or the values that have
made our nation great. Unless America is a Christian nation in the hearts of
her people, and not the lips of a President, we may not be so. But as long as
we hold dear those truths in our hearts to be self-evident that underpinned our
founding as a nation, we shall ever remain strong and free.
It appears we
have ventured far from those principles for which our forefathers fought and
died to establish us as a Nation. The answer to our apostasy is not in whom we
send to Washington to represent us “it lies in the hearts of the American
people themselves to reaffirm. If America returns to God who gave us liberty,
we shall find those to represent us in Washington whose values are likewise
based on biblical and Constitutional principles. My prayer is that God will
once again shed His Light on Thee, America!
[1]
James is a staunch patriot and lover of the American Way, and has
spent much time and treasure in sharing artifacts and documents of our founding
as a nation.
