Tag: Declaration of Independence

Revolutionary Thoughts

Yesterday was Bastille Day. We don’t celebrate Bastille Day in America, but we should reflect on it. On July 14, 1789, many citizens of Paris stormed the ancient fortress of the Bastille, seizing its munitions and freeing its prisoners. It marked the beginning of the French Revolution, and the end of the ruling monarchy there.

The French Revolution was an indirect result of the success of the American Revolution, which raged just a decade before. The French admired the Americans, and dreamed of throwing off the repressive monarchy and ruling class and creating a new republic with Liberty, Equality, and Brotherhood for all.

But the French Revolution became known over time, not primarily because of its success, but because of its excess. The French Revolution is remembered for its murder of the royal family, the extensive use of the guillotine to execute aristocrats and opponents, for the rise of cruel and vindictive leadership, and a general bloodbath in around the capital city of Paris. While the French still celebrate Bastille Day, they tend to downplay the immediate aftermath of their “freedom”.

The American Revolution certainly wasn’t without bloodshed and power struggles, and by 1789, the fledgling nation was still ironing out its Constitution and dealing with rebellious outbreaks. But the French Revolution led to the rise of dictators, including Napoleon, keeping France in a state of almost perpetual warfare and internal power struggles for the next 50 years. So what made the difference?

Well, I’m not an acknowledged expert, though I have studied this period of history, but I think there are at least three differences that are worth noting:

  • The American Colonies were not trying to overthrow the entire British Government or demolish the monarchy. They were thousands of miles away from the seat of government that controlled them, and they were breaking away from an existing nation, not pulling it down from the inside. There were many aspects of the British Parliamentary government that the Americans respected and even copied. And they already had colonial governments and structures in place, though their power had been limited under British Rule. They were not trying to destroy Britain– just kick them out of the Americas! The French, however, were ready to destroy over a thousand years of French Monarchy in their own backyard. The French aristocracy wasn’t oppressing them from thousands of miles away– in fact the French Colonials in Canada and the West Indies often had more freedom than their citizen counterparts living just outside of Paris.
  • Second, the American Revolution was about justice, not revenge. The Declaration of Independence outlined specific injustices that had been either ignored or perpetuated by the British Government and the King– often in direct contradiction to their own founding principles. The Revolution, though bloody, was considered a necessary evil to correct those injustices, and the resulting Constitution was created to address ongoing injustices in the newly formed United States. In France, the arrests and trials of the nobility were not enough to satisfy the thirst for revenge against those who had been oppressed. Those who rose to power succumbed to its lure and desired more authority and wealth. What started out as a noble dream turned into a chaotic nightmare as innocent idealists were punished, not for crimes they had committed, but for threatening the new balance of power.
  • Finally (and controversially, perhaps), I would argue that the American Revolution was bathed in Prayer in ways the French Revolution was not. I don’t mean to suggest either that American patriots were all Christians or were all prayer warriors, nor that the French were evil or morally bankrupt. But if one reads the documents of the founders of The United States and those of the leaders of the French Revolution, there is a striking difference in the way they reference God and Prayer. France– and Europe in general– had experience the Age of Enlightenment. And while those ideas (both good and bad) spanned the Atlantic, the Americans had maintained a culture of reverence for God and dependence on Prayer in their daily lives that had diminished in “the old world.”

Revolutions can change (or build) a nation. Rebellions can sometimes lead to change for the better. But without prayer, insight, humility, and dependence on God, cries for “Liberty” can unleash chaos and revenge, before any real change can come about.

Lastly, I want to remember another “storming of the fortress” that happened long before either the American or the French Revolution– nearly 2000 years ago, Christ stormed the gates of Hell, after being crucified. This was not a Revolution in the same sense as the wars of the 18th century, but a revolution in the way we related to the tyranny of Sin. Christ single-handedly broke the curse of Sin and Death, so that we can live in freedom! We have Liberty to walk with God, washed clean of the guilt and weight of Sin, and free of the sting of Death. We can live in the Freedom to do what is right and good, noble and true.

In our daily lives, we must also be careful in our freedom. We must not become complacent about evil and injustice, nor so comfortable with our liberty that we forget the price Jesus paid for it. We must take a stand against injustice and evil, but we must also call out in prayer and remember that justice is not the same as revenge or power. It belongs, ultimately, in the hands of God. May the French celebrate their republic and the freedom it has brought them. May they also give thanks to God for preserving it for 247 years, in spite of challenges and threats. May those of us who live in freedom continue to depend on God for wisdom in using it to make the world a better place for all.

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Prayer and Pyrotechnics

There have been a LOT of fireworks in our area over the past week, and we’re gearing up for even more this weekend. Tomorrow is July 4– Independence Day in America. This year marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence from Britain by the American colonists.

What does this have to do with Pursuing Prayer?

There will be a lot of talk about Freedom tomorrow. Freedom from tyranny. Freedom from colonialism. Freedom to pursue happiness, etc. It IS called Independence Day, after all, so there will be much talk about the freedom to make one’s own way in the world; freedom from restrictive rules and old traditions. Freedom to dream new dreams and forge new paths.

Freedom is precious. It SHOULD be celebrated. But it can also be a dangerous ideal, when divorced from God’s Truth. The very first sin resulted from the wish for “freedom.” Free from God’s rule; free to choose disobedience, to protest God’s decisions and challenge His sovereign wisdom.

The Founding Fathers of the United States wanted freedom from the tyranny of distant and deaf kings and Parliament. They protested unfair taxation, soldiers who could come into their homes with no warrant, and laws passed thousands of miles away with no representation or recourse. They wanted freedom from corrupt laws and the indifferent men who made and enforced them. They believed so strongly in a form of government that would be described four score and seven years later as “of the people, by the people, and for the people” that they risked their lives and their legacies to bring it about.

Modern historians have championed the idea that our Founding Fathers were Deists– that they were not Christians, not devoted to the worship of a Judeo-Christian, sovereign and all-powerful GOD, but rationalists who paid scant lip-service to the prevailing monotheistic beliefs of the time. They argue that God was an afterthought for most of these men– that the bulk of their thought and planning revolved around Greek and Roman government and civics.

That line of thought dismisses the strongest language of the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…”

WE– not just a few of the members, but all who signed this document agreed with this language, so much so that “for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” (emphasis added)

HOLD– the founders weren’t just expressing a noble possibility about truth, justice, and rights. They were staking their lives on the absolute belief that God was THE creator and giver of all rights and freedoms.

THESE TRUTHS–not a plurality of good ideas or noble aspirations, but the very specific and timeless truths about our origins and heritage as human beings created by a loving, wise, and just God.

TO BE SELF-EVIDENT– even those founding fathers who were less devoted to the Bible teachings of the Church, recognized, as the Apostle Paul wrote: “…what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20 NIV). In fact, it was the self-evident nature of these truths that compelled later generations to root out the hypocrisy of slavery in a land founded on the truth that “all men are created equal” and that they have been given the “unalienable” right to liberty!

The Founding Fathers, in holding to these self-evident Truths, challenged, not God, but all existing human forms of government. Their Declaration ignited discussions, arguments, revolutions, and counter-movements around the world. Two hundred and fifty years later, we are still arguing about the meaning behind the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Constitution and Bill of Rights that arose from it. We celebrate our INDEPENDENCE with pyrotechnic shows and sparklers, parades, and concerts. But the fireworks, noise, and bursts of light also echo the explosions, bombs, gunfire, and deadly force that have been risked and braved ever since the Declaration was issued. We also celebrate a legacy of prayer and DEPENDENCE on God. America is not great because its people were better than the people of other nations. It did not become great by its military might or its wealth. It started out as a ragged smattering of colonies, and it came with many flaws and “baggage” from its colonial days. But throughout our history, we have held to “unalienable” truths– eternal truths– that echo God’s Word and God’s wisdom.

Many people today argue for freedom, not from tyrannical government, but freedom from God, from the Bible, from tradition, and from even common sense. The same people who claim oppression from their government are free to criticize it, march in protest, and move freely around and away from their “oppressors.” Protesters demand the freedom to be wealthy, well-fed, comfortable, and supported, without the responsibility to defend their neighbors, share their wealth (only ask that others do all the sharing!), or work for the common good. Others take for granted their right to own property and goods, to pursue an education (including free public schools and libraries), to have and express opinions and beliefs that do not conform to those of elected or appointed officials, to meet in public or private without fear of losing their lives or livelihoods, and the right to worship (or not) without being told how or who or when to do so.

This year, we can expect protests and expressions of disrespect for our government and its leaders. We can also expect that many Americans will claim to celebrate “freedom” even as they are slaves to sin and rebellion.

True Freedom calls for worship. The Founding Fathers laid a foundation for governmental and social freedoms, but they could not grant us–even in the amazing documents they created– eternal Freedom from sin and death. Only the Creator and Giver of All good gifts can do that.

Tomorrow, as we celebrate two hundred fifty years of American Freedom, let’s not forget nearly 2000 years of Christian Freedom! That’s worth more than just a great fireworks’ show. That’s worth a lifetime of worship and joy!

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Declaration of Dependence

Today, America marks the 249th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In it, colonial leaders listed several reasons why they no longer held allegiance to the British Crown. Many of their reasons involved abuses by the King or by Parliament in relating to their colonial citizens. Taxation without representation; passing unjust laws; requiring people to quarter (feed and house) soldiers who often harmed and cheated them; refusing to hold the soldiers accountable for their offenses– even murder; refusing to allow the colonials to trade with other nations, etc. But there was something more.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

In drafting and ratifying these words, the founders of the United States did something unique. They did not just establish an independent government; they established a model for both independence and dependence IN government. Government is not independent of certain inalienable rights, nor of the Creator of those rights. Governments are not the highest authority in the land. Governments are instituted and derive their power, not by their own actions and decisions, but from the consent of the governed. Governments DEPEND on their ability and willingness to serve the people.

Of course, there are wicked and improper governments, and Britain’s rule in 1776 was not the worst example of tyranny or despotism the world had ever seen. The United States has not always lived up to the ideals and principles of the Declaration of Independence. Less than a century after the Declaration was adopted, the United States was engulfed in a war that tested its ideals. The nation was divided by the issue of slavery. Nearly half of the states still practiced slavery, meaning that hundreds of thousands of people were being treated far worse than the “rebellious” colonists of previous generations. Our nation as a whole was not delivering on its promised declaration that “all men are created equal” or that they were endowed by their creator with rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.

But when our nation has remembered its Dependence– our need for God and our need to care for the safety and opportunity for those under our jurisdiction–remarkable things have happened. The union was “saved.” Voting rights were not just extended but enshrined in our Constitution. Americans joined the fight in Europe and around the world on more than one occasion to secure rights for people who were being oppressed, tortured, and even exterminated. The “Promise of America” draws people from diverse nations and cultures and stands as a model for the rest of the world.

Sadly, today, many here in the United States want Independence from America. Our culture has devalued life, exchanged liberty for conformity, and traded the pursuit of happiness for indulgence and selfishness. We want to be independent of responsibility– to our families, to our neighbors, to our nation, and to God. We do not want a government that protects those rights that are endowed; instead, we want a government to give us assumed “rights” that are really permissions to defy God’s laws. We want to be free to redefine morality, escape the consequences of our own poor choices, and feel virtuous without pursuing virtue.

What will happen to our country if this trend continues? On the eve of celebrating our 250th year, we may be on the brink of falling apart. Issues like abortion, immigration, health care mandates, and transgenderism threaten to divide our country, just as slavery did over 150 years ago. Americans are divided on political, economic, religious, and cultural issues. We can’t seem to agree on what we mean by “rights, ” “freedom,” or “pursuit of happiness.” We can’t even seem to define what a “woman” is or decide how many genders to fight for. Everyone wants to speak out, but no one seems willing to listen– except to find another point of disagreement. We are no longer “united” states– we are warring factions in a series of culture wars.

But what happens when American Christians declare our Dependence on God and on His Word? Many around us have declared their independence from God’s laws–even to the point of denying His existence. Many people live in a self-imposed despotism; they are enthralled by a false “freedom” from morality, reverence, and even common sense. But Christians– wherever they live– are called to submit to the authority of Christ above all. We depend on Him– not on our customs, not on our history, not even on the words of the Declaration of Independence. And we are to lean on God, not on our own understanding or our superior morality or our ability to shout louder than the next person! Our Freedom comes through Christ alone!

True “freedom” comes from dependence, not independence. When we depend on Christ’s finished work on the Cross, we are free from the weight of Sin and the power of Death. When we depend on God’s wisdom, we find understanding. When we depend on God’s guidance and discipline, we gain freedom from guilt and shame. When we depend on God’s power to channel our emotions and energy, we find purpose and joy.

Today, I declare my utter dependence on God– on the Salvation He provided through Jesus Christ, and on the power of His Holy Spirit to lead me through this life. I am glad to be an American, but my ultimate citizenship is in Heaven. The “promise of America” is a good thing: the promise of Heaven is glorious and life-changing!

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“We Hold These Truths…”

Earlier this week, we celebrated Constitution Day in the United States. It went largely unheralded. The United States Constitution– the document on which all other laws are supposed to be based in this country– is relatively small. It takes about a half-hour to read it through, including all 27 amendments. It takes much longer to understand and make sense of it. One document that helps define and explain the Constitution is the Declaration of Independence.

One of the key phrases in the Declaration is this: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

But looking around today, it seems that not all American hold ANY truths to be self-evident– indeed, many people don’t hold any truths to be true! We like to pay lip-service to one phrase– “All men are created equal…” but even here, we cringe and rephrase it. “It’s not just ‘men’ who are equal– all genders are equal” “Everybody is equal.” But what do we mean by this new phrase? It is self-evident (I would argue) that everyone is NOT equal in all ways. Some of us are taller than others, or healthier or wealthier than others; some of us live longer than others. Some of us work in offices; others work in the wind and rain and snow. Some of us live in large mansions, while others live in motor homes, apartments, hospital rooms, or even homeless shelters. The “Truth” is that we are CREATED equal– we are equally valued by our Creator, and equally entitled to dignity, life, liberty, and the “pursuit of happiness” under the laws of the land. Our laws are not supposed to create an artificial “equality” of outcome or circumstance, but provide for equal protection and opportunities for everyone to live, experience freedom, and pursue their individual purpose and dignity.

And we are losing the self-evident truth that Government should derive its just powers from the consent of the governed– not the arbitrary will of unelected bureaucrats appointed without public consent and answerable to no one.

We have lost the self-evident Truth, and replaced it with clever and complicated ideals.

None of this is new, however. All the way back in the days of ancient Israel, the people lost the self-evident Truth about their nation and its unique covenant with God. The Covenant was simple. It did not take a long time to read through. There were Ten Commandments and several “amendments” of ceremonial and social rules. God gave Moses a list of promises– blessings and curses–if the nation of Israel would (or would not) uphold their portion of the covenant. God would be their ruler, and they would be His People.

But after the death of Moses and his successor, Joshua, the people abandoned the law and the covenant, until chaos reigned, and God invoked many of the curses against His own people. By the end of the book of Judges, we learn that, “..in those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own sight.” (Judges 21:25)

Such conduct led to Israel being invaded, defeated, and oppressed. Worse, they approached their religious leader, Samuel the Priest/Prophet, and asked for a human king in order to be just like the other nations– nations God had called out for being wicked, violent, and unjust. The reign of kings failed, too, and the nation was again invaded, dragged off to exile, and oppressed.

“We hold these truths..” is more than just a phrase in a national document. It is a guideline for justice, peace, and prosperity.

WE– It doesn’t work for the people of any nation to be divided about what constitutes Truth. “My truth,” “Your truth,” and “their truth” can’t live together in harmony.

HOLD– We must be firm in our commitment to the Truth, or we will be swept away by the latest philosophy, moral standard, or faddish practices of the world around us. That doesn’t mean that we can never admit a need for change– that’s what the amendment process is for– but when we keep letting go of standards which have preserved safety and guaranteed opportunity, replacing them with temporary power grabs and loosely defined concessions to the loudest complainers, we are headed for nationwide injustice, violence, and oppression

THESE– There are other “truths” we could have adopted back at the founding of our nation. We could have set up another monarchy. We could have developed an oligarchy, made up of a ruling class. We could have argued that only land-owners were “equal.” That life was not an “unalienable” right. That representative government was inefficient, and therefore not necessary.

TRUTHS– Not suggestions. Not prevailing opinions of the day. TRUTHS. Immutable, unchanging, solid, objective.

And what goes for the United States should be a warning for Christians everywhere. We are citizens of Heaven. There are truths that we should hold to– truths that should be self-evident in the life of every Christian.
Jesus is LORD– not just a pal; not just a guru or a good teacher. He is the LORD.
God doesn’t change– What He said a thousand years ago about loving God and loving your neighbor still applies today. He hasn’t changed His mind about life, or liberty, or the pursuit of righteousness… He hasn’t become less powerful or less Holy, that we should just do “whatever is right in our own eyes..”
God’s Word hasn’t changed–His promises still hold; His warnings are still meant to be heeded; His will is still evident.
God’s grace is sufficient! God is HOLY and JUST. And He is full of Mercy and Love. He will forgive; He will empower us to do His will; He will continue to transform us as we follow Him.
God is Greater than Government. Whatever system of Government we live under in this life, God’s Kingdom is greater, more just, and everlasting.

These are truths worth holding! No matter what happens to the United States or its Constitution, I will continue to hold to the Truth of the Bible above all. May God in His Grace give us the strength, wisdom, and will to hold fast to what is true, and not just what is “American.”

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We Hold These Truths…

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness–Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson (July 4, 1776)

Full text of the Declaration of Independence

We’re getting ready to celebrate our Independence Day in America.  There will be parades, cookouts, parties, fireworks, and a host of other celebrations.  There will be a lot of flag-waving and patriotic displays.  At some gatherings, there may be readings of our Declaration of Independence.  This document was drafted to outline, not just a list of reasons why they should rebel, but what they hoped to build as a result of their struggle for freedom.

man in red and white musical suit playing flute during daytime in camera focus photography
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Over 240 years later, this document, and what it stands for, is still relevant and calls us to a high standard– one our nation has not fully achieved.  In spite of the great strides we have made and the example we have been to the rest of the world, in recent decades, we have left behind many of the very truths we aspired to hold.

First, there is a dangerous belief that “truth” is no longer self-evident, nor is it timeless.  We don’t hold beliefs and truths anymore.  We shift with the tide of public opinion and the shadowy promise of “being on the right side of history”– which just means being on the winning side of the current debate within our lifetime and hopefully into the next set of history books.

Second, we have spent countless hours, shedding blood, sweat, and tears over the phrase “ALL MEN”– struggling to reach the promise of equality for all humankind.  We have fallen short of this vision, and twisted it into a grotesque parody of itself.   Instead of working together in unity and inclusiveness, we have devolved into factions each fighting to be “more equal” than others.  Instead of looking at the equal value and humanity of all our people, we point fingers at all the people who are “less worthy”, “more privileged”, “entitled”, “marginalized”, “intolerant”, “judgmental”, who “need to be silenced”, or “need to be kept in their place”…how can neighbors and fellow citizens be so vicious?  One answer may be found in the very next phrase…

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ARE CREATED equal, and are endowed BY THEIR CREATOR…Usually, this phrase is emphasized in the exact opposite places– the emphasis is on EQUAL and ENDOWED.  We have lost the “truth” of being “UNDER GOD”.  We have lost the truth of being created.  We have lost the truth that our worth, our rights, our values, are not a product of our own opinions and observations.

It is easy to point to others and say, “They are ruining our country– They are not living out these truths.”

The harder lesson is to look at my own assumptions, actions, and beliefs.  Do I TRULY believe that all the people around me– of every creed, gender, race, political party, nationality, educational achievement, or economic level are created equal and endowed BY THEIR CREATOR with value, and inalienable rights?  If, at any point, I make assumptions about the worthiness of “those people”, assuming that God loves me more, or will have more mercy or grace toward me because of who I am or how I behave; because of the color of my skin, or where I live, or who I voted for; because of the things I know or the good deeds I have done–I am part of the problem.  Christians, if we bear the name of Christ who created all mankind, and we hate those whom Christ created, the love of Christ IS NOT in us.

man couple people woman
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That doesn’t mean that we ignore sin and compromise our character, and pervert justice in the name of a comfortable facsimile of equality.  But it also means that we must stop whitewashing hatred and injustice in the name of morality.  Morality without love cannot heal our nation.  Nor can rewriting our history.  Nor can declaring our Independence.

man with fireworks
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The Declaration of Independence is not a stand-alone document.  It had no authority on its own.  If our founders had lost the Revolutionary War; if they had abandoned their vision of a government “of the people, by the people, for the people”; if their descendants had failed to bring a divided nation back into unity; if our parents and grandparents had not struggled and fought to make our nation live up to its principles; and if our generations fail to come together and work toward that same vision– Independence will not be something to celebrate, but something to detest.

While it is called the Declaration of Independence, it is a spirit of dependence– on God, on His truth, and on the goodwill of our fellow Americans, that keeps this document alive and full of promise.

silhouette of people beside usa flag
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We need to pray for our nation– and for our own revival– if we are to truly celebrate this Fourth of July.

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