GOD and government
The following is from http://www.searchtv.org/. It is a transcript from a weekly—Sunday morning—TV program which is telecast locally (Peoria area) on FOX TV at 8:30 am. I’m posting it for the Fourth of July post.
“God and Caesar
Matthew 22: 17-22
It was reported in the news that on Memorial Day some youth were asked what the day meant to them. Many of them reportedly said, ‘It is the opening of the pool—meaning the swimming pool of course.’ What do you suppose July 4th will mean to them? Suppose we try to help them understand why the banks and post offices are closed today.
Welcome, my friend, to our Bible study program In Search of the Lord’s Way. We make no apologies for being a ‘Bible study program.’ When we neglect or underrate the Bible in religion, that religion ceases to be Christianity. You see, the Bible is the very fountain-head of the Christian faith. ‘Oh, No!’ someone says, ‘Christianity isn’t knowing a book; it is all about knowing a person, Jesus Christ.’ Well, my friend, ‘Faith comes by hearing the word of God’ (Romans 10: 17). The Bible is the well-spring of the knowledge of Christ. And you won’t get accurate information about Him from any other source. Not from books or movies or any such thing as that like The Da Vinci Code. Your faith in Christ will grow from the Bible studies and prayer. We are glad you have joined us today.
We are hearing some strange things nowadays. Some churches no longer want to call their Bible classes that, because it might offend someone. Friend, despite popular thinking today, belief in the Bible doesn’t make you a ‘fanatic’ or a ‘radical.’ It thrills me no little to be able to welcome you to our Bible study program at this time.
This week, we are observing the birth of our nation—the greatest nation—perhaps ever, but certainly in today’s world. The United States Constitution is one of the most venerated documents in all the world, friend. It is the oldest living such document and has been the model for virtually every new democracy that has been born since ours. It is the envy of enslaved people everywhere around the world. Under it, Americans enjoy a greater measure of freedom and prosperity than any nation of people ever has. For more than two centuries our Constitution has given America its base for ‘liberty and justice for all.’ Of course, it also grants liberty to those who hold opposing and conflicting views; I mean views that don’t grant freedom to everyone. As it must have been expected, some of these people are taking advantage of that freedom, have moved in and misconstrued the original intent of the founding fathers, and today are limiting more and more the liberty of those who hold the faith and convictions of the framers of the Constitution dearly.
In our program today we are going to be talking about the religious influences in American history, which your children or grandchildren may never hear anywhere else. So, if at all possible, gather them around your television set now and we will be back after the song and prayer and Bible reading to discuss some things they need to know.
Our scripture reading today is from the book of Matthew, the 22nd chapter. We are going to begin reading at verse 17 and read down through verse 22. The Pharisees and Herodians had sought to criticize Jesus in everything He had done. They really were not seeking the truth of the matter, but they sought to entangle Him and put Him to open shame. And they sent an embassage and they said to Him, “‘Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.’ So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ And He said to them, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And when they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.’ Now let us go to God in prayer. Our Father who art in heaven, we recognize You as the giver of all of the good things in this world and we certainly recognize You as the guiding hand in the development of our great nation, the nation that is the most prosperous nation in the world today and the most powerful, a land in which we eat food without scarcity, and in which we bless You for the good things that You have granted us and that our land is so productive and our mountains are bringing forth the minerals that we need and that we have all the good things that You have provided for us. And we acknowledge our sinfulness and our waywardness and while we cannot do so nationally, we can do so personally. And we pray, Lord, that we will repent and turn to You and put You back to the heart and substance of the nation in which we live. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
The new world was discovered in the latter part of the 15th Century, just prior to the beginning of the great religious Reformation movement which spread throughout Europe and resulted in the establishment of many state churches, some of whom were very intolerant of the others. And the settlement of the North American continent came along with the development of that religious Reformation. And since the early settlers were from virtually all of the countries of Europe, they brought with them a greater variety of religious faith than any of them had experienced in their homelands.
For example, the first English colony in America was established at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. And since the Anglican Church was the state church of England, it enjoyed the same favor in America. Maryland was founded by Lord Baltimore, a Catholic, who for economic and political reasons was more tolerant of some of the other churches and in 1649 with the leadership of a Protestant governor, William Stone, the Maryland legislature established a famous Toleration Act. Later the Protestants gained control of Maryland and the Church of England became the state religion in Maryland, as it was throughout all the southern colonies during the Revolution.
In the North the colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire were settled by the Puritans, thus Congregationalism enjoyed the favored status there that Anglicanism did in the South. Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams, a dissident Puritan, and he became a Baptist and established the first Baptist church in America. The Rhode Island colony is said to have allowed a greater degree of religious freedom than was enjoyed anywhere else in America.
In the middle colonies there was a lot of diversity in religion. New Netherlands (later came to be New York) was settled by the Dutch and the Dutch Reformed Church became the state church. Pennsylvania was settled by William Penn and the Quakers. In order to induce settlers to come to the colony, Penn offered religious freedom to every one who believed in God, thus there were many Mennonites, Moravians, Lutherans and others who settled in Pennsylvania. The second largest denomination at the outset of the Revolutionary War was the Presbyterians, who had settled in the frontier areas of Pennsylvania, and Virginia and the Carolinas.
So the colonies became sort of a ‘melting pot’ for the various groups that sprang out of the Protestant reformation in Europe, the old country. Whatever may be said about them, it was their religious faith and their hungering for religious liberty, that motivated them to say a final farewell to families and friends, and sell their lands and their houses, and dispose of their businesses and give up their careers in the lands that were ‘home’ to them and venture to the dangers of settling in the new world.
Well, the history they wrote is replete with evidences of the influence of the great religious faith they had on the government which they founded. For example, when the passengers aboard the Mayflower discovered that they were to land far beyond the boundaries of their royal grant, they signed the ‘Mayflower Compact,’ that would serve as the basis for their new government. And they opened it with the words, ‘In the name of God, Amen!’
When the clouds of the Revolutionary War hung heavily over the colonists, they made frequent references and appeals to God. Typical was that famous speech which was made by Patrick Henry before the Virginia Convention in which he said, ‘There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.’ They made a ‘Liberty Bell’ in whose bronze they inscribed the words, ‘Proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof,’ which words they found in the most sacred book of them all to them, the Bible, Leviticus 25 and 10. (“The bell bears the following inscription: ‘Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof. Leviticus xxv: x.’” Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, Wa: Microsoft, Corporation, 2006.—my addition)
And they inscribed on their coins, the motto, ‘In God We Trust.’
In their ‘Declaration of Independence,’ in the preamble of which they declared their firm belief that all men are ‘endowed with certain unalienable rights,’ they also made mention of ‘God, their Creator,’ ‘the Supreme Judge of the world.’ And ‘with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence’ they mutually pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.
During the heat of the debate of forging the Constitution, when it appeared that all their efforts were destined to failure, Benjamin Franklin addressed General Washington, who was then chairman of the convention in Philadelphia: He said, ‘Mr. Chairman, if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without Our Heavenly Father's care, how can an Empire rise without His aid? I call the convention to prayer.’
After the passage of the First Amendment, the First Congress petitioned the President of the United States to proclaim a national day of prayer and thanksgiving. Thus, in 1789 President Washington issued ‘The First Thanksgiving Proclamation of the United States, which he began with these words, ‘Whereas, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits and humbly implore His protection and favor,’’ and so on. Well, Washington also believed and said, ‘Of all dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. . . There is no way to maintain a high standard apart from religious conviction,’ he said. Well, even before the end of the Revolutionary War, there was a paid chaplain in Congress, and even before that, even before the founding of the national Congress, the provincial congresses of all 13 colonies opened with prayer.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as ‘The Bill of Rights,’ were adopted by the first Congress, called to meet in New York City, March 4, 1789. And they were later ratified by the various states, and on December 15, 1791, they were made a part of the Constitution.
The very first of these amendments says, ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . .’ Now, we have to remember that this Constitution and this Bill of Rights were written and adopted by representatives of many states which had ‘established churches’—churches that were favored by the government over other churches and supported with tax monies. As a matter of fact on Independence Day, 1776, nine of the thirteen colonies had official state churches. And, the time of the adoption of the First Amendment in 1791, four of the fourteen states recognized an official state church, and in spite of the First Amendment these state churches remained existent for many years before being abolished by the voluntary action of the state legislatures. So obviously those state churches were not in violation of the First Amendment. And since no national established religion existed at the passage of the First Amendment, it became unconstitutional for Congress to make laws regarding the existing of state churches.
Those men who wrote out our Constitution knew very well what they were doing. James Madison, the chief author of the First Amendment, explained to his colleagues that he was responding to it by wishes of State Conventions to prohibit the establishment of a national religion where one religious ‘sect might obtain a pre-eminence over the others.’ Madison also declared that ‘There is not a shadow of right in the general (or federal) government to intermeddle with religion. . . . This subject is, for the honor of America, perfectly free and unshackled.’ Well, Justice Douglas wrote for the majority of the Supreme Court in the United States versus Ballard case, as recent as 1944, that ‘The first Amendment has a dual aspect. It not only ‘forestalls compulsion by law of the acceptance of any creed or the practice of any form of worship’ but also ‘safeguards the free exercise of the chosen form of religion.’’
How could it be defined any more clearly or distinctly? The original intent of the First Amendment, then, was twofold: (1) to prevent the federal government from setting up a national church, (a Church of the United States as it was in Great Britain ‘the Church of England’), and (2) to protect the individuals’ rights to freely exercise their religion faith, and to restrain the federal government from interfering with the free practice of their religion.
Now, more than 200 years later, the doctrine of the separation of church and state, a misinterpretation and misapplication of the First Amendment, is used to silence Christianity in American life—to stifle the influence of religious faith in government and in our society. Christians are being told that they have no voice in government because it would be a violation of the principle of separation of church and state. American children are being forbidden to pray to God or to read the Bible on school premises. The refusal of a child a moment of prayer on school premises would have been abhorrent and abominable to the Founding Fathers and the framers of the Constitution. But the forces of unbelief that have moved in to control American life, would remove every influence of God among us. We are reminded of the statement by William Penn that, ‘If we are not governed by God, we will be ruled by tyrants.’ Christians must not be intimidated by the interpretation unbelievers give to the teachings of Christ. Our Lord made a distinction between the church and the state, but He Did Not build a wall of separation between them. Rather He pronounced a blessing on ‘the nation whose God is the Lord.’ That is Psalm 33: 12. He promised that his eye would be ‘upon those who fear him’ (Psalm 33: 18). He has said, ‘Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach (or a disgrace) to any people’ (Proverbs 14: 34). The apostle Peter wrote with almost a single stroke of the pen, ‘Fear God. Honor the king.’ When Jesus answered His critics who were trying to entangle Him in his teachings, with the words, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s,’ as we read in our text, He was saying that His disciple has responsibilities both to God and to Caesar and the state. The Christian is a citizen of two kingdoms, the kingdom of Christ and the government under which he lives. Both Peter (as we just noticed) and Paul (in Romans 13-7) make it clear that the disciples of Jesus Christ are to live responsibly in both of them. Let us pray. Father, we give You our thanks and our praise for the good land in which we live and continue to seek Your presence with us each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
From the small beginnings of those thirteen original colonies, God made a great and mighty nation of us. The French philosopher and statesman Alexis De Tocqueville visited America; then he went home and wrote about it.
‘I sought for the greatness and genius of America,’ he said, ‘in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, but it was not there.’
‘I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her fertile fields and boundless forests, and it was not there.’
‘I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there.’
‘I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her public school system and her institutions of higher learning, and it was not there.’
‘I sought for the greatness and genius of America 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 aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.’
‘America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.’
America rose to greatness by the providence of Almighty God, because men of great faith wielded an influence for Him where and when it counted. How many more years of greatness America has; only God knows. Christians still have the protection of the First Amendment to preach and practice their faith. Or, Do they? And if so long, how will they? A big front page story of the ‘Religion’ section of our newspaper, celebrated a ‘new’ church in the Oklahoma City area—a church on the internet. It is convenient; a conscience-soother. Without the influence of Divine Providence, believers will be disenfranchised and America will fall as other great societies in the past have done, from within.
If an audio cassette tape or a printed copy of today’s program will be helpful to you, you may have it free as a gift from churches of Christ. Simply address us to: In Search of the Lord’s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Our toll-free telephone number for your use is 1-800-321-8633. Visit our website at http://www.searchtv.org/. Ok? We are happy you were with us today and we pray that you were blessed by it. Be with us again next week, will you? God bless you. We love you.”
The following is from http://www.searchtv.org/. It is a transcript from a weekly—Sunday morning—TV program which is telecast locally (Peoria area) on FOX TV at 8:30 am. I’m posting it for the Fourth of July post.
“God and Caesar
Matthew 22: 17-22
It was reported in the news that on Memorial Day some youth were asked what the day meant to them. Many of them reportedly said, ‘It is the opening of the pool—meaning the swimming pool of course.’ What do you suppose July 4th will mean to them? Suppose we try to help them understand why the banks and post offices are closed today.
Welcome, my friend, to our Bible study program In Search of the Lord’s Way. We make no apologies for being a ‘Bible study program.’ When we neglect or underrate the Bible in religion, that religion ceases to be Christianity. You see, the Bible is the very fountain-head of the Christian faith. ‘Oh, No!’ someone says, ‘Christianity isn’t knowing a book; it is all about knowing a person, Jesus Christ.’ Well, my friend, ‘Faith comes by hearing the word of God’ (Romans 10: 17). The Bible is the well-spring of the knowledge of Christ. And you won’t get accurate information about Him from any other source. Not from books or movies or any such thing as that like The Da Vinci Code. Your faith in Christ will grow from the Bible studies and prayer. We are glad you have joined us today.
We are hearing some strange things nowadays. Some churches no longer want to call their Bible classes that, because it might offend someone. Friend, despite popular thinking today, belief in the Bible doesn’t make you a ‘fanatic’ or a ‘radical.’ It thrills me no little to be able to welcome you to our Bible study program at this time.
This week, we are observing the birth of our nation—the greatest nation—perhaps ever, but certainly in today’s world. The United States Constitution is one of the most venerated documents in all the world, friend. It is the oldest living such document and has been the model for virtually every new democracy that has been born since ours. It is the envy of enslaved people everywhere around the world. Under it, Americans enjoy a greater measure of freedom and prosperity than any nation of people ever has. For more than two centuries our Constitution has given America its base for ‘liberty and justice for all.’ Of course, it also grants liberty to those who hold opposing and conflicting views; I mean views that don’t grant freedom to everyone. As it must have been expected, some of these people are taking advantage of that freedom, have moved in and misconstrued the original intent of the founding fathers, and today are limiting more and more the liberty of those who hold the faith and convictions of the framers of the Constitution dearly.
In our program today we are going to be talking about the religious influences in American history, which your children or grandchildren may never hear anywhere else. So, if at all possible, gather them around your television set now and we will be back after the song and prayer and Bible reading to discuss some things they need to know.
Our scripture reading today is from the book of Matthew, the 22nd chapter. We are going to begin reading at verse 17 and read down through verse 22. The Pharisees and Herodians had sought to criticize Jesus in everything He had done. They really were not seeking the truth of the matter, but they sought to entangle Him and put Him to open shame. And they sent an embassage and they said to Him, “‘Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.’ So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ And He said to them, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And when they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.’ Now let us go to God in prayer. Our Father who art in heaven, we recognize You as the giver of all of the good things in this world and we certainly recognize You as the guiding hand in the development of our great nation, the nation that is the most prosperous nation in the world today and the most powerful, a land in which we eat food without scarcity, and in which we bless You for the good things that You have granted us and that our land is so productive and our mountains are bringing forth the minerals that we need and that we have all the good things that You have provided for us. And we acknowledge our sinfulness and our waywardness and while we cannot do so nationally, we can do so personally. And we pray, Lord, that we will repent and turn to You and put You back to the heart and substance of the nation in which we live. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
The new world was discovered in the latter part of the 15th Century, just prior to the beginning of the great religious Reformation movement which spread throughout Europe and resulted in the establishment of many state churches, some of whom were very intolerant of the others. And the settlement of the North American continent came along with the development of that religious Reformation. And since the early settlers were from virtually all of the countries of Europe, they brought with them a greater variety of religious faith than any of them had experienced in their homelands.
For example, the first English colony in America was established at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. And since the Anglican Church was the state church of England, it enjoyed the same favor in America. Maryland was founded by Lord Baltimore, a Catholic, who for economic and political reasons was more tolerant of some of the other churches and in 1649 with the leadership of a Protestant governor, William Stone, the Maryland legislature established a famous Toleration Act. Later the Protestants gained control of Maryland and the Church of England became the state religion in Maryland, as it was throughout all the southern colonies during the Revolution.
In the North the colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire were settled by the Puritans, thus Congregationalism enjoyed the favored status there that Anglicanism did in the South. Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams, a dissident Puritan, and he became a Baptist and established the first Baptist church in America. The Rhode Island colony is said to have allowed a greater degree of religious freedom than was enjoyed anywhere else in America.
In the middle colonies there was a lot of diversity in religion. New Netherlands (later came to be New York) was settled by the Dutch and the Dutch Reformed Church became the state church. Pennsylvania was settled by William Penn and the Quakers. In order to induce settlers to come to the colony, Penn offered religious freedom to every one who believed in God, thus there were many Mennonites, Moravians, Lutherans and others who settled in Pennsylvania. The second largest denomination at the outset of the Revolutionary War was the Presbyterians, who had settled in the frontier areas of Pennsylvania, and Virginia and the Carolinas.
So the colonies became sort of a ‘melting pot’ for the various groups that sprang out of the Protestant reformation in Europe, the old country. Whatever may be said about them, it was their religious faith and their hungering for religious liberty, that motivated them to say a final farewell to families and friends, and sell their lands and their houses, and dispose of their businesses and give up their careers in the lands that were ‘home’ to them and venture to the dangers of settling in the new world.
Well, the history they wrote is replete with evidences of the influence of the great religious faith they had on the government which they founded. For example, when the passengers aboard the Mayflower discovered that they were to land far beyond the boundaries of their royal grant, they signed the ‘Mayflower Compact,’ that would serve as the basis for their new government. And they opened it with the words, ‘In the name of God, Amen!’
When the clouds of the Revolutionary War hung heavily over the colonists, they made frequent references and appeals to God. Typical was that famous speech which was made by Patrick Henry before the Virginia Convention in which he said, ‘There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.’ They made a ‘Liberty Bell’ in whose bronze they inscribed the words, ‘Proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof,’ which words they found in the most sacred book of them all to them, the Bible, Leviticus 25 and 10. (“The bell bears the following inscription: ‘Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof. Leviticus xxv: x.’” Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, Wa: Microsoft, Corporation, 2006.—my addition)
And they inscribed on their coins, the motto, ‘In God We Trust.’
In their ‘Declaration of Independence,’ in the preamble of which they declared their firm belief that all men are ‘endowed with certain unalienable rights,’ they also made mention of ‘God, their Creator,’ ‘the Supreme Judge of the world.’ And ‘with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence’ they mutually pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.
During the heat of the debate of forging the Constitution, when it appeared that all their efforts were destined to failure, Benjamin Franklin addressed General Washington, who was then chairman of the convention in Philadelphia: He said, ‘Mr. Chairman, if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without Our Heavenly Father's care, how can an Empire rise without His aid? I call the convention to prayer.’
After the passage of the First Amendment, the First Congress petitioned the President of the United States to proclaim a national day of prayer and thanksgiving. Thus, in 1789 President Washington issued ‘The First Thanksgiving Proclamation of the United States, which he began with these words, ‘Whereas, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits and humbly implore His protection and favor,’’ and so on. Well, Washington also believed and said, ‘Of all dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. . . There is no way to maintain a high standard apart from religious conviction,’ he said. Well, even before the end of the Revolutionary War, there was a paid chaplain in Congress, and even before that, even before the founding of the national Congress, the provincial congresses of all 13 colonies opened with prayer.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as ‘The Bill of Rights,’ were adopted by the first Congress, called to meet in New York City, March 4, 1789. And they were later ratified by the various states, and on December 15, 1791, they were made a part of the Constitution.
The very first of these amendments says, ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . .’ Now, we have to remember that this Constitution and this Bill of Rights were written and adopted by representatives of many states which had ‘established churches’—churches that were favored by the government over other churches and supported with tax monies. As a matter of fact on Independence Day, 1776, nine of the thirteen colonies had official state churches. And, the time of the adoption of the First Amendment in 1791, four of the fourteen states recognized an official state church, and in spite of the First Amendment these state churches remained existent for many years before being abolished by the voluntary action of the state legislatures. So obviously those state churches were not in violation of the First Amendment. And since no national established religion existed at the passage of the First Amendment, it became unconstitutional for Congress to make laws regarding the existing of state churches.
Those men who wrote out our Constitution knew very well what they were doing. James Madison, the chief author of the First Amendment, explained to his colleagues that he was responding to it by wishes of State Conventions to prohibit the establishment of a national religion where one religious ‘sect might obtain a pre-eminence over the others.’ Madison also declared that ‘There is not a shadow of right in the general (or federal) government to intermeddle with religion. . . . This subject is, for the honor of America, perfectly free and unshackled.’ Well, Justice Douglas wrote for the majority of the Supreme Court in the United States versus Ballard case, as recent as 1944, that ‘The first Amendment has a dual aspect. It not only ‘forestalls compulsion by law of the acceptance of any creed or the practice of any form of worship’ but also ‘safeguards the free exercise of the chosen form of religion.’’
How could it be defined any more clearly or distinctly? The original intent of the First Amendment, then, was twofold: (1) to prevent the federal government from setting up a national church, (a Church of the United States as it was in Great Britain ‘the Church of England’), and (2) to protect the individuals’ rights to freely exercise their religion faith, and to restrain the federal government from interfering with the free practice of their religion.
Now, more than 200 years later, the doctrine of the separation of church and state, a misinterpretation and misapplication of the First Amendment, is used to silence Christianity in American life—to stifle the influence of religious faith in government and in our society. Christians are being told that they have no voice in government because it would be a violation of the principle of separation of church and state. American children are being forbidden to pray to God or to read the Bible on school premises. The refusal of a child a moment of prayer on school premises would have been abhorrent and abominable to the Founding Fathers and the framers of the Constitution. But the forces of unbelief that have moved in to control American life, would remove every influence of God among us. We are reminded of the statement by William Penn that, ‘If we are not governed by God, we will be ruled by tyrants.’ Christians must not be intimidated by the interpretation unbelievers give to the teachings of Christ. Our Lord made a distinction between the church and the state, but He Did Not build a wall of separation between them. Rather He pronounced a blessing on ‘the nation whose God is the Lord.’ That is Psalm 33: 12. He promised that his eye would be ‘upon those who fear him’ (Psalm 33: 18). He has said, ‘Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach (or a disgrace) to any people’ (Proverbs 14: 34). The apostle Peter wrote with almost a single stroke of the pen, ‘Fear God. Honor the king.’ When Jesus answered His critics who were trying to entangle Him in his teachings, with the words, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s,’ as we read in our text, He was saying that His disciple has responsibilities both to God and to Caesar and the state. The Christian is a citizen of two kingdoms, the kingdom of Christ and the government under which he lives. Both Peter (as we just noticed) and Paul (in Romans 13-7) make it clear that the disciples of Jesus Christ are to live responsibly in both of them. Let us pray. Father, we give You our thanks and our praise for the good land in which we live and continue to seek Your presence with us each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
From the small beginnings of those thirteen original colonies, God made a great and mighty nation of us. The French philosopher and statesman Alexis De Tocqueville visited America; then he went home and wrote about it.
‘I sought for the greatness and genius of America,’ he said, ‘in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, but it was not there.’
‘I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her fertile fields and boundless forests, and it was not there.’
‘I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there.’
‘I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her public school system and her institutions of higher learning, and it was not there.’
‘I sought for the greatness and genius of America 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 aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.’
‘America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.’
America rose to greatness by the providence of Almighty God, because men of great faith wielded an influence for Him where and when it counted. How many more years of greatness America has; only God knows. Christians still have the protection of the First Amendment to preach and practice their faith. Or, Do they? And if so long, how will they? A big front page story of the ‘Religion’ section of our newspaper, celebrated a ‘new’ church in the Oklahoma City area—a church on the internet. It is convenient; a conscience-soother. Without the influence of Divine Providence, believers will be disenfranchised and America will fall as other great societies in the past have done, from within.
If an audio cassette tape or a printed copy of today’s program will be helpful to you, you may have it free as a gift from churches of Christ. Simply address us to: In Search of the Lord’s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Our toll-free telephone number for your use is 1-800-321-8633. Visit our website at http://www.searchtv.org/. Ok? We are happy you were with us today and we pray that you were blessed by it. Be with us again next week, will you? God bless you. We love you.”
posted by Christian Gunslinger at 4:42 AM
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So why has the book been banned from the state of Illinois?
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