December 24, 2008 The Birth Of Christ And The Birth Of America Are LinkedAs we approach the celebration of Christ's birth, I am reminded of the words of John Quincy Adams. On July 4, 1837, he spoke these words:
"Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your
most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this
day? ... Is it not that, in the chain of human events,
the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with
the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading
event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it
not that the Declaration of Independence first organized
the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's
mission upon earth. That it laid the cornerstone of
human government upon the first precepts of
Christianity, and gave to the world the first
irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies
announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the
Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew
prophets six hundred years before?"[An
Oration Delivered Before the Inhabitants of the Town of
Newburyport, at Their Request: On the Sixty-first
Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July
4th, 1837] Adams was exactly right: America's birth is directly linked to the birth of our Savior. In fact, the United States of America is the only nation established by Christian people, upon Biblical principles, and dedicated to the purpose of religious liberty. This truth is easily observed within America's earliest history. America's forebears first established a written covenant with God as early as November 11, 1620, when they penned The Mayflower Compact. It states in part:
"In the name of God, Amen. ... Having undertaken, for the Glory of God,
and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour
of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first
colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these
presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God
and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves
together into a civil Body Politick, for our better
Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends
aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute,
and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts,
Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall
be thought most meet and convenient for the General good
of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission
and obedience." The sentiments and statements of America's founders make it clear that this nation has enjoyed a love and appreciation for the rights and freedoms recognized in Natural Law that is unique in the annals of human history. No other people have such a heritage. One thing America's founders could not envision was—after they had paid so terrible a price to purchase our liberties—that the time would come when their posterity would be denied the basic freedoms to publicly express their reverence for God. Never could they have imagined that the day would come when citizens of the sovereign states (each with a state constitution protecting religious liberty) would be denied their right to pray in school, or place Nativity scenes on public property, or hang copies of the Ten Commandments on courthouse walls. I am also confident that America's founders would be completely repulsed by the way the United States has jumped headlong into corporatism, socialism, and globalism. Democrats and Republicans alike have created a central government so large that it would be unrecognizable by any Founding Father. In addition, both Big Business and Big Religion have sold our great country down the proverbial river, as surely as there is a sun in the sky. Truly, our Founding Fathers must be rolling over in their graves. Therefore, at this Christmas season, let us remember well the founding principles of these United States of America. Furthermore, let us renew with vigor the fight for freedom before our liberties and our heritage are gone altogether. Merry Christmas! Dr. Chuck Baldwin is the pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. He hosts a weekly radio show. His website is here. |
