America 250: No King But Christ
To the editor:
I read in the FCR not long ago that local leadership in Fayette County is planning a 250 year birthday celebration for America next year. I would like to register an affirmation. What a great idea. The Lord Jesus gave great grace to this country at its founding 250 years ago, and that grace has carried us down to today… even though we have denied Him as a country for decades now. So I humbly suggest that the best way we can celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday next year is for Fayette County to turn again to Christ who is Lord of Heaven and Earth.
I would like to suggest that we honor the founding of this nation by repenting and returning to what made it great once upon a time. America was a nation founded on a principle. “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 (not take them), Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the governed…” Let’s celebrate the birth of America by remembering that it is God, not government, that gives men rights; therefore, no man has the right to take those rights from us. Let’s endeavor, like our founding fathers overwhelmingly did, to honor “No King but Jesus.” That we would, like they did, return to, learn from, and put into practice the most quoted book of all our founding documents: The book of Deuter-onomy… where we would discover foundational truths upon which to build a civilization. Truths like: God blesses a humble and obedient people that honor Him, but He destroys a proud nation that disregards His rights as Creator and Redeemer (Deut. 6:10-15)… God-given property ownership of the individual not governments (Deut. 5:21)…God-given limits to those in Governing Authority (Deut. 17:14-20)… and most importantly, we would find the need for God to give us national rebirth and a Savior who can do just that (Deut. 10:15-22/18:15-19).
Let’s celebrate the Birth of America by returning, as a County, to the Christ who gave our nation life. Let’s take a page from every state at our nation’s founding who had formally acknowledged the exclusive Lordship of the Triune God in their constitution. They did this to such an extent that Federal Congress could not establish a religion (which meant a Christian denomination), because all but a few of the states had already specified their state’s own particular Christian denomination, and therefore, to do this at the federal level would have alienated some of the sovereign Christian states. The first amendment to the constitution was not “a separation of church and state” as much as it was the Federal government acknowledging and honoring the blatant Christianity of every individual State.
How about we celebrate locally by restoring local property owners the Godgiven right to really own their property without taxation? How about we commit right now to electing a new County Judge and commissioners that will swear allegiance to King Jesus publicly and endeavor to honor and obey Him in their office…which would mean first of all, swearing on the sacred Scriptures that they will fight to the death to eradicate the moral evil of property taxation… not continue to raise taxation to the max amount that our tyrannical bureaucracy has allowed.
If we are going to honor our Nation, then let’s honor her locally as she was at her founding…a Nation that honored Christ, imperfectly but intentionally, in word and deed. After all, it was the resurrected Lord of Glory who placed all His followers under the obligation to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the triune Name of God, and teaching them to obey all the commands of Christ. So, a few months in advance, Happy 250th Birthday America…now let’s turn back to the Lord who bought you with His blood.
Maryland, 1776
That no other test or qualification ought to be required, on admission to any office of trust or profit, than such oath of support and fidelity to this State, and such oath of office, as shall be directed by this Convention or the Legislature of this State, and a declaration of a belief in the Christian religion. New Jersey, 1776 No Protestant inhabitant of this Colony shall be denied the enjoyment of any civil right, merely on account of his religious principles; but that all persons, professing a belief in the faith of any Protestant sect. who shall demean themselves peaceably under the government, as hereby established, shall be capable of being elected into any office of profit or trust, or being a member of either branch of the Legislature. ...
Pennsylvania, 1776
I do believe in one God, the creator and governor of the universe, the rewarder of the good and the punisher of the wicked.And I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine inspiration.
North Carolina, 1776
That no person, who shall deny the being of God or the truth of the Protestant religion, or the divine authority either of the Old or New Testaments, or who shall hold religious principles incompatible with the freedom and safety of the State, shall be capable of holding any office or place of trust or profit in the civil department within this State.
Georgia, 1777
The representatives shall be . . . of the Protestant religion. ...
Vermont, 1777
And each member, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration, ” I ____ do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the Diverse, the rewarder of the good and punisher of the wicked. And I do acknowledge the scriptures of the old and new testament to be given by divine inspiration, and own and profess the protestant religion.”
Massachusetts, 1780
Any person chosen governor, lieutenant-governor, councillor, senator, or representative, and accepting the trust, shall, before he proceed to execute the duties of his place or office, make and subscribe the following declaration: “I . . . do declare that I believe the Christian religion, and have a firm persuasion of its truth; and that I am seized and possessed, in my own right, of the property required by the constitution, as one qualification for the office or place to which I am elected.”
New Hampshire, 1784
Every member of the house of representatives shall be of the Protestant religion. . . . That no person shall be capable of being elected a senator who is not of the Protestant religion. . . . The President shall be chosen annually; and no person shall be eligible to this office, unless at the time of his election, he . . . shall be of the protestant religion.
Will Martin Muldoon