1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:05,480 Well, hello church family and welcome to the CFBC Sermon 2 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:08,080 continued podcast. I think that's a great way to 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:12,400 put this inaugural episode that we are starting this week after 4 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:16,440 the first sermon in the series that we've titled Under God for 5 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:19,720 the month of July. It's such a special time in our 6 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:24,680 nation that we're celebrating our 250th anniversary as a 7 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:28,480 nation semi quincentennial. Think I said that right? 8 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:30,560 I actually can't believe I just said that, right? 9 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:32,200 I'll mess it up before it's over. 10 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:36,520 But I'm joined by our worship pastor, John Huff to my right. 11 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:40,200 And further to my right is our creative arts director, Haston 12 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,960 Mckissick. So man, these guys are such 13 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,680 great friends and an integral part of what we do here at CFPC. 14 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,000 Obviously, some of us from the stage and then some of us not so 15 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,080 much from the stage, but behind the scenes on Haston. 16 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:55,880 This is a cool change of pace for you to be in front of a 17 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:58,800 camera. So thanks for joining, but 18 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:01,320 church family and beyond church family, if you're not part of 19 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,960 the CFPC family, that's awesome. We're glad you're joining us. 20 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:07,480 We're wanting to do something to where we continue to provide 21 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:11,680 some follow up content during the week leftover, if you will, 22 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:13,520 that didn't get shared from the pulpit. 23 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,720 It's not that this is secondary or less important information, 24 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:22,400 but really, to be quite honest, Shaw, the hours that I put in to 25 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:26,080 prepare, I don't get to represent everything that comes 26 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:30,600 to the surface. I've got 3540 minutes, but often 27 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,120 times there's so much more that could be said or shared. 28 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,920 And sometimes the questions or conversation that could be a 29 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:37,560 great follow up. We don't have time to process. 30 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,960 This podcast gives us an opportunity to do just that. 31 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:43,880 So we're we're grateful you're joining us and I hope that this 32 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,200 is encouraging. It's edifying, it's challenging 33 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:50,040 for you as a disciple of Christ for your understanding of the 34 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:53,320 word of God and your application in your life as a believer. 35 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:59,440 So with that said, I don't know what you guys thought about 36 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:01,240 Sunday. I mean, number one, we had a, we 37 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:06,720 had a really funny incident on Sunday during the that which in 38 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:11,200 my Third Point of the message, which was we need God to 39 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:15,600 sovereignly and spiritually awaken America. 40 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:18,680 I had something happen I've never had happen in my life. 41 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:20,440 And I've been preaching since I was in my 20s. 42 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:25,400 I'm 41 and I had AI had a an individual in in the audience 43 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:30,240 immediately loudly laugh. I think you could use the word 44 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:32,000 cackle. I think you could almost use the 45 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,240 word. It was elongated so loud that it 46 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:39,400 picked up on the live stream. I don't know what you guys 47 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:44,720 thought, but I I think I just responded before even thinking. 48 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:50,000 I just kind of instinctively said what I said, which was I 49 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,440 didn't think that was funny, is what I said, because I 50 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,080 legitimately thought they were laughing at the content of the 51 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:02,480 point, which this lady actually responded back from her seat in 52 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:04,160 the audience to me in the pulpit. 53 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:08,240 That, oh, it was the fact my husband and I were bantering 54 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:10,520 back and forth on what the answer in the point, the fill in 55 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:12,640 the blank of the notes that we have in our worship guide. 56 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:14,760 And either he or she had gotten it right and wouldn't have 57 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:16,960 gotten it wrong as they had, you know, tried to predict what I 58 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:19,360 was going to say. They end up coming up to me 59 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:22,440 afterwards in the welcome area. And I hugged her. 60 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,080 I gave her, I prayed over them as a family. 61 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:26,520 They were about to leave on a mission trip. 62 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:32,240 I, I don't know how that all came about to laugh out loud in 63 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:33,800 such a moment, but it definitely was awkward. 64 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:35,240 I don't know what you guys thought but. 65 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:38,880 Oh, I mean, I've, I've not had that happen that I can remember 66 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:40,360 in the service. Yeah. 67 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:44,640 And then not only that, have the interaction back and forth where 68 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:48,680 there was follow up from the person you know. 69 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:53,040 So that's just unusual. Yeah, So hasting, we obviously 70 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:55,040 posted the first service. Yes, we did. 71 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:58,080 Yeah, instead of the second. So, hey, you just never know 72 00:03:58,080 --> 00:03:59,560 when you're when you preach God's word. 73 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:02,680 I mean, that's an exciting part of it, but we are an exciting 74 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:06,160 point in our history. I think it's worthy of our 75 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:07,880 attention. I mean, cause seriously, we are 76 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:10,240 citizens first of the Kingdom of God. 77 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:12,840 That's what we're arguing. We are believers. 78 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,320 We are not citizens ultimately of this world, but of heaven. 79 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,800 And yet in God's Providence, He has put us here in the here and 80 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:23,160 now, in a specific nation over which he reigns in rules that 81 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:25,080 He's sovereignly overseeing the rise of. 82 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:30,080 We are Americans because of, because this is where and when 83 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,840 God has placed us. And I think that there's a lot 84 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:35,320 to be said for that and how we live out our faith in the 85 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:39,360 context and identities that God has given us as believers first. 86 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:43,120 So with that said, I'll just be honest, I didn't get a chance to 87 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,960 really share with everybody on Sunday that the really the 88 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:52,120 burden that I felt like we ought to as a church, take time to set 89 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,560 aside to process this from God's word. 90 00:04:56,240 --> 00:05:00,040 And I knew that would be so much content that we could possibly 91 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:01,560 cover and had to really narrow it down. 92 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:05,440 But I've been really excited about doing this. 93 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,680 I think that I think that Sunday went well overall. 94 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:11,920 I know that you step into challenging waters a little bit 95 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:14,760 whenever you embark upon something that so closely 96 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:20,840 connects to politics and history and the arguments and the things 97 00:05:20,840 --> 00:05:24,720 and the different perspectives and Christianity or not and all, 98 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:26,960 all the stuff. So part of what I wanted to 99 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,280 process was just as kind of, as we walked through the sermon, 100 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:31,560 some stuff I didn't get a chance to say. 101 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:35,360 And let me just invite you guys to interact, question, say, hey, 102 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:36,440 I disagree. I agree. 103 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:37,880 Here's what I'd have said differently. 104 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:41,360 Here's how they could have been better, you know, stuff like 105 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:43,960 that. So obviously we, we we dove in 106 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:47,200 out in Psalm 33 and and pulled out some principles out of that 107 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:48,600 chapter. We didn't expose it the whole 108 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:50,480 thing. But the first one was that God 109 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:52,640 is sovereign over the rise and fall of nations. 110 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:56,640 And in a course David makes that really clear in verse 10 and 11. 111 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:00,520 And by deduction from that and you know, we, we get that God 112 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:03,800 has also been sovereign over the rise and fall of our nation. 113 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:08,720 And how historians look back and see this clear providential 114 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:14,360 engagement of the hand of God that superintended our rise, our 115 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,600 birth and our prosperity and our blessing and protection as a 116 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,200 nation. I shared a few of those things. 117 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:24,640 Couple things that I didn't share was, one, even going back 118 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:30,480 all the way back to 1492, and if you read about why Christopher 119 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,200 Columbus was motivated to do the four voyages that he did in 120 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:37,240 total. But he actually writes in a 121 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:41,840 book, he began in 15-O2 that he writes that he and his in this 122 00:06:41,840 --> 00:06:44,440 book, he had personally assembled all these Bible 123 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:47,400 references that he had personally studied. 124 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:51,000 And, and he writes that part of his motivation was actually the 125 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:55,680 propagation of the Christian gospel in distant lands. 126 00:06:57,200 --> 00:06:59,560 Now, historians attribute all sorts of motivations and I'm 127 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:03,360 sure they were multifaceted, but I think there's no doubt from 128 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:06,920 his own word, in his own words, he actually does say, as 129 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:11,960 imperfect as a man as he was and as we all are, that he was 130 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,520 motivated in part by the propagation of the truth of the 131 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:18,280 gospel to distant lands. And he wrote this. 132 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:22,040 I love the statement that no one should be afraid to take on any 133 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:24,240 enterprise in the name of our Savior. 134 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,040 If it is right and if the purpose is purely for his holy 135 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:34,240 service, it's amazing. So Christopher clearly had a 136 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:40,240 identity as a Christian and as a motivation for you could even 137 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:42,640 say the Great Commission, like he was looking for the Christian 138 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:45,000 gospel to spread to other things. 139 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:49,400 I talked about our date of birth and how the timing after the 140 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:56,520 Reformation made it so available to be impacted by the ideas that 141 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,040 were rooted in the Reformation, which all go back to the 142 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:02,560 Scripture. What I didn't get to say is 143 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:05,800 another key ingredient in our birth was the influence of the 144 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:09,400 Mayflower Compact. So, you know, Fast forward from 145 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,920 1492 to 1620. I mean, listen to how this 146 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:15,160 reads. This is the first governing 147 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:17,840 document written in the New World in English, OK. 148 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:21,680 It says in the name of God, Amen, whose names are 149 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,680 underwritten, having undertaken for the glory of God. 150 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,200 And listen to this and advancement of the Christian 151 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:30,400 faith and the honor of our king and country. 152 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:33,520 A voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of 153 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:37,200 Virginia do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the 154 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,400 presence of God and one another covenant and combine ourselves 155 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:42,840 together into civil body politics. 156 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:45,800 I mean, notice the multiple mentions of God, notice the 157 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:48,200 mentions of for the glory of God in the advancement of the 158 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:50,840 Christian faith. And it was this, this was the 159 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:54,720 first governing document that many people say the DNA of even 160 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:58,440 our governing documents, our Constitution, go back to this 161 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:03,400 one, which was clearly rooted in in the ideas of the Christian 162 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:04,160 faith. So. 163 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,440 Can I ask you a question? Why do you think that the 164 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:15,000 Pilgrims sought to to influence this government that they were 165 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:16,840 establishing with faith? Why? 166 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:19,760 Why couldn't they do what England had done? 167 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:21,680 You know, why? Why didn't they think that we 168 00:09:21,680 --> 00:09:24,520 can just remove this, we can do a faith separately? 169 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:27,720 Why do they think that faith had to be integrated into the 170 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,560 government of this new world? Well, that's a great question 171 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:34,640 and I'm no Pilgrim expert, but what I do know is that they're 172 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:40,560 driving foundation was freedom to live according to their 173 00:09:40,560 --> 00:09:42,920 convictions. That was the restraint that they 174 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:47,120 were under in their homeland. And so I don't think for the 175 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:51,240 Pilgrims that they could conceive of a higher ideal than 176 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:54,880 for their religious convictions to form the bedrock of the way 177 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:57,520 they did life. So if you put what's the first 178 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:01,480 big rock into the jar for life, well, the first one would be our 179 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:04,240 religious convictions. And so no matter how we do 180 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:07,160 politics, if we can't do our lives according to the 181 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:09,960 foundation of our convictions, then there's no way we can 182 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:13,640 really do civil politics, not rightly, not according to 183 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,080 conscience. And so they realized that there 184 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:21,960 was a natural law before national law and that natural 185 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:26,160 law was God's law, IE things like the image of God built into 186 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:28,920 man in women, right? The fact that we were made to be 187 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:32,840 able to choose to serve God or not, and then we were made to be 188 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:35,400 able to experience freedom. That was first freedom that God 189 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:37,920 had given us and and ultimately a spiritual freedom. 190 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:42,080 So I think for them it was just a right ordering of life, that 191 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:43,640 it was first of all religious freedom. 192 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:46,200 And then after they sought that, then they sought to organize 193 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:49,680 what they knew was God's God. It instituted government. 194 00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:51,840 They knew their Bibles. They knew that government was an 195 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:55,320 institution by God set up by God for good to restrain evil, and 196 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:58,080 therefore is a natural ordering of life in the way they they, 197 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:02,800 they knew the Bible directed. So I think that was part of, 198 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:05,800 again, and that's really, when you think about it, how America 199 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:07,880 unfolded. That was at our beginning, 200 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:09,960 right? I feel like I would have been 201 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:14,760 very aware of the almighty. You think they're not getting on 202 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:18,880 a airplane? You know, you're sailing across 203 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:22,280 the Atlantic in whatever condition the ship was in with 204 00:11:22,560 --> 00:11:25,400 whatever was going on you at the mercy of the sea. 205 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:29,720 They can like probably questioning a lot like what are 206 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:33,280 we doing? Oh, and to land not where they 207 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:35,720 thought they were going to land. To face what they face when you 208 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:40,280 read about the Mayflower and, and the disease, the struggle on 209 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:43,080 the wild frontier. I mean, they, they basically 210 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:46,520 sacrificed everything. And also I was going to mention 211 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:50,040 it was the encouragement of their pastor that before they 212 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:53,760 sent and he had to stay behind. That is, they followed his 213 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:58,440 instructions to organize themselves, you know, in a civil 214 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:00,560 manner. They, he knew they would need 215 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:02,360 that. But the first conviction was 216 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:06,920 that we if we can't worship God freely, then what do we have? 217 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:10,440 And and that's what they, you know, they, they forsake 218 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:16,520 everything to be to do that. So one of the big questions that 219 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:19,480 I didn't get a chance to answer, I'd love to dive into this is 220 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:21,640 this this was just going to take a straight into some little bit 221 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:24,280 of controversy. All right, which I think great, 222 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:28,080 not necessary from the pulpit, but people want to ask and 223 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:31,520 answer is America a Christian nation? 224 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:35,760 And this question may be a good question, may not be a good 225 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:37,760 question. I think it's a question and I 226 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,400 think it's worth pastoral engagement and guidance. 227 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:46,160 I think a well thought through biblical answer from a biblical 228 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:50,000 worldviewer lens is necessary. So John, what I thought I'd do, 229 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,680 maybe you and hasten, I would just pop quiz you on 10 230 00:12:53,680 --> 00:12:57,120 questions and the test is, is America a Christian nation? 231 00:12:57,120 --> 00:12:59,640 So I just want you to answer from your gut like this is a 232 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:01,440 rapid fire. This is not look at this up in 233 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:03,720 your Bible or look it up in these 10 pages of notes you 234 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:05,360 printed to try to be ready. I'm praying. 235 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:07,880 So just give me your and and hasten. 236 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:10,320 If you disagree, I need you to. I need you to give an 237 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:12,720 alternative answer. All right, but I think here's a 238 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:15,320 way for us to think about is America Christian nation? 239 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:18,120 Let's ask some more nuanced, some more specific questions. 240 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:20,360 Are you guys ready? All right, John, number one is 241 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:25,480 Christian teaching, the primary religious system that influenced 242 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:27,680 the founding of the United States. 243 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:33,120 I would say yes on that one. I think you would be correct. 244 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:37,520 I don't think it's arguable that another religious system was the 245 00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:42,840 most influential beyond and beyond Christianity in our 246 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:44,360 founding, right? So yes, right? 247 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:48,400 The truth is, Christian teaching was the primary religious system 248 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:52,960 that influenced our founding #2 where the majority of the 249 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:57,720 founding fathers of the US Christians who generally 250 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:00,000 believed in the truth of the Bible. 251 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,000 That. I feel like that one's a toss 252 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:08,080 up, but I would probably say yes to that too. 253 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,600 You said the majority. We're the majority of the 254 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:13,120 founding fathers of the US Christians who generally 255 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:14,560 believed in the truth of the Bible. 256 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:19,080 I would say yes to that. I think I would say yes to that 257 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:21,000 too. Obviously not all were 258 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:23,480 evangelicals. Some were clearly deist. 259 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:27,440 I think if you put the question like this, where the majority of 260 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:30,800 them, once you recognize the general truths of Christianity 261 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:33,520 as written in the Scriptures, I think that the answer to that is 262 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:35,080 yes. And you can't help but say yes 263 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:38,200 to that based on the way they worded, you know, our original 264 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:42,840 documents and some of the actual historical writings that they 265 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:47,600 produced #3 is Christianity or various sorts, the largest 266 00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:51,560 religion in the US? At that time or now? 267 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:55,880 Then and now, the largest religion in the US but 268 00:14:55,880 --> 00:15:01,680 especially then what? Do you want to say? 269 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:06,040 I would say yes, it's, it seems like to me, I mean I, I would 270 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:09,960 say, I mean we've. Obviously, is there a religion 271 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:12,800 that more people adhere to in the US today than Christianity? 272 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:15,040 I don't think so. OK, Yeah. 273 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:17,840 So there's your answer. So then and now, essentially the 274 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:21,280 one major, if you will, overall religion would have been 275 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:22,720 Christianity. In other words, there's not. 276 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:26,360 Islam is not more adhered to in the US right now than 277 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:29,280 Christianity or claim to be, etcetera. 278 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:35,640 So #4 Did Christian beliefs provide the intellectual 279 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:39,360 background that led to many of the cultural values still held 280 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:41,080 by Americans today? Rights. 281 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:44,280 Absolutely yes. The roots for individual 282 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:47,280 freedom, protection of individual rights, respect for 283 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,440 personal freedoms, the value of hard work. 284 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:53,840 We even call that the what the Protestant work ethic, the need 285 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:57,560 for strong National Defense, the share and the show of care for 286 00:15:57,560 --> 00:15:59,920 the poor and the weak, the value of generosity, of giving aid to 287 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:01,320 other nations, respect for the rule of law. 288 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:05,040 All these things are rooted in biblical principles. 289 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:06,000 I'm. Afraid, they continue. 290 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:08,880 Pray they continue, Absolutely. Whole like swearing in a 291 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:13,680 ceremony which you know that there's, you know, ramifications 292 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:16,560 about all that, but they're not they don't have a Quran up there 293 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:19,320 or like, you know it's. They don't, and there have been 294 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:21,680 a few exceptions where some presidents have chosen a 295 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:24,080 different book than the Bible, but it's been the rare 296 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,200 exception. And some were sworn in without a 297 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:29,760 Bible present when they didn't have a Bible present. 298 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:33,640 But the vast majority have been sworn in as the ultimate office 299 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:37,960 of our nation, their hand on the book, the God of the Bible 300 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,920 inspired, right? So #5 So we've had four yeses so 301 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:45,280 far out of our 10 questions. Number 5, was there a Supreme 302 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:48,600 Court decision? This is a more difficult one at 303 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:52,200 one time that affirmed that the United States is a Christian 304 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:56,400 nation are. You well well versed in Supreme 305 00:16:56,400 --> 00:17:00,480 Court cases? Say it one more time. 306 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:04,440 Was there a Supreme Court decision at one time that 307 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,440 affirmed that the United States is a Christian nation? 308 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:17,280 I, I can't recall like I feel like it's a yes because I feel 309 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:20,240 like I, I don't know it. So it probably is, yes. 310 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:22,599 Your gut would be right. I'm not going to go in the 311 00:17:22,599 --> 00:17:25,280 details about it for the sake of time, but you guys can look this 312 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:29,440 up. But there was, and it was a 1892 313 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:34,080 decision, Church of the Holy Trinity versus the US. 314 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:37,720 And the ruling established that a church had the right to hire a 315 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:40,280 minister from a foreign nation, IE England. 316 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:45,400 And thus the church was not in violation of an 1885 law that 317 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:49,040 had prohibited hiring foreigners and aliens to perform labor in 318 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:50,480 the US. And the court's argument was 319 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:54,040 that there were so much evidence showing the dominant, quote, 320 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:57,600 Christian character of this nation that Congress could not 321 00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:01,000 have intended to prohibit churches from hiring Christian 322 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:04,800 ministers from other countries. There was so much Christian 323 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:07,920 influence, basically. So number six, all right, I 324 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,280 think that the nature of these questions is going to change. 325 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:17,840 So just hint him, are a majority of people in the US Bible 326 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:20,320 believing evangelical born again Christians? 327 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:22,280 Yes or no? That's a no. 328 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:28,000 Especially increasingly, no. Estimates range from 18 to 42%. 329 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:31,160 To be born again. Obviously, only God knows the 330 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:34,320 status of the charge. Range 18 to 42. 331 00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:37,600 Most argue that probably closer to 20% is more accurate. 332 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:43,200 That sounds. 2 out of 10. 2005 Gallup poll came up with 22%. 333 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,600 Again, like our best efforts will never be able to do a 334 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:48,240 perfect read on that, only God knows. 335 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:50,200 But I do think that sounds pretty accurate to me. 336 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:54,680 That's interesting because I read a statistic yesterday that 337 00:18:54,840 --> 00:19:01,480 29 average, 29% of adults in the United States say they have 338 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,680 excellent mental health. I wonder if there's a 339 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,240 correlation there. Oh, less than about 3 out of 10. 340 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:11,080 So they have excellent mental health and obviously 7 out of 10 341 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:12,240 don't believe they have mental health. 342 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:17,400 And you know, compared. To that's fascinating #7 is 343 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:21,880 belief in Christian values the dominant perspective promoted by 344 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:25,640 the US government, the media, and universities in the US 345 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:29,280 today? I I would definitely would say 346 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:31,680 no currently. You would be correct. 347 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:34,640 When it when some of these institutes were founded, they 348 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:39,040 were founded on Christian morals and intended to be Christian 349 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:43,920 schools that have now kind of gone secular and would never 350 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:48,400 promote biblical values. That's right #8 does the US 351 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:51,840 government promote Christianity as the national religion? 352 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:57,640 I don't think so. Not very publicly. 353 00:19:58,120 --> 00:20:00,320 This one shouldn't be there. Let me let me ask you like this 354 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:01,560 national. Let me ask you like this. 355 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:03,880 You may be a little bit of shock mode because on podcast first 356 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:07,480 one, but does the does does America have a nationally 357 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:08,880 endorsed religion? No. 358 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:11,720 No, I would say no. No, obviously not so. 359 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:16,360 So the US government does not promote Christianity as our 360 00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:20,760 nationalized, you know, endorsed religion #9 does the US have an 361 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,080 official state sponsored religion? 362 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:25,560 I jumped ahead. That's no. 363 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:30,920 That's no absolutely #10 does a person have to profess Christian 364 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:35,720 faith in order to become AUS citizen or to have equal rights 365 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:38,040 under the law in the US? No. 366 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:44,120 We've asked 10 questions, we've had five yeses and we've had 367 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:48,960 five Nos. So the fact is, right when it 368 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:52,840 comes to is the USA Christian nation, well, it really all 369 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:57,600 depends on what someone means by Christian nation. 370 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:01,760 You got to define what are you really asking because in five 371 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:04,280 possible meanings, the answer is yes and five other possible 372 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:07,520 meanings, it's no. And in one sense, I think it to 373 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:09,800 be clear that the question really isn't all that helpful 374 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:11,680 because the question isn't all that clear. 375 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:15,280 And we need to be more nuanced and thoughtful and, and, and 376 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:18,800 specific when we talk about this because it can lead to arguments 377 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:20,760 and misunderstanding and confusion. 378 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:28,160 What what I can tell you is that the five yeses is no doubt that 379 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,640 the ideas and the principles and the values of the Christian 380 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:37,440 faith, we're part and parcel to the DNA in the format formative 381 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:39,520 times of our nation and have continued to be. 382 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:42,600 Let me just give you something. These aren't subjective things. 383 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:44,280 Let me just tell you some objective things. 384 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:47,480 OK? Engraved on the metal cap of the 385 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:51,760 top of the Washington Monument are the words praise be to God. 386 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:55,000 Bible verses are lining the walls. 387 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:59,480 OK, in the famous address the Bible in Progress delivered in 388 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:03,360 Denver on May 7th by Woodrow Wilson, he told, he said, I mean 389 00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:06,480 a president, the US told America was born a Christian nation. 390 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:07,880 Now again, what does he mean by that? 391 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:09,560 We got to be clear. What does he mean by that? 392 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:13,600 But they but then a president said that he says America was 393 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,480 born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness 394 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:20,240 which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture. 395 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:25,320 OK, President Jimmy Carter told reporters in June of 1976, we 396 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:28,360 have a responsibility to try to shape a government so that it 397 00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:34,120 does exemplify the will of God. 1931 we already mentioned the US 398 00:22:34,120 --> 00:22:35,480 Supreme Court noted the United States. 399 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:37,920 That was again another Supreme Court decision that noted the 400 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:39,320 United States as a Christian nation. 401 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:43,520 And then President Roosevelt in a Mid-Atlantic summit with 402 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:46,360 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the darkest hours 403 00:22:46,360 --> 00:22:50,680 of World War 2, described the United States as the lasting 404 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:55,080 concord between men and nations founded on the principles of 405 00:22:55,080 --> 00:23:00,040 Christianity. Pope Pius the 12th 1947 wrote to 406 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:03,440 President Truman said flatly there this is a Christian 407 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:05,880 nation. I can tell you the history of 408 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:11,240 how Eisenhower attended a sermon and heard a Presbyterian pastor 409 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,520 in DC arguing that omitting under God in the Pledge of 410 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:17,840 Allegiance stripped the definitive factor from the 411 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:20,400 American way of life. Claiming this pastor claimed 412 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:23,920 that an atheistic American is a contradiction in terms. 413 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:29,000 That was then some of the the the the fuel to the fire of 414 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:32,000 under God being added to the Pledge of Allegiance. 2 years 415 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,280 later he made in God we trust the US official motto. 416 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:40,480 I mean on and on we we could go. Congress declared in 1983 the 417 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,320 year of the Bible. The crier who opens each session 418 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:46,280 of the Supreme Court closes with the words God save the United 419 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:50,920 States and the honorable court again like the US doesn't have a 420 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:53,160 national religion. You don't have to be a Christian 421 00:23:53,160 --> 00:24:00,600 to be AUS citizen. Christianity birthed the value 422 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:03,760 of religious freedom. So you'll hear this argument 423 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:07,760 sometimes about secularists on the, you know, kind of the far 424 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:09,600 progressive side. They want to say Christian, the 425 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:11,240 US was founded on religious liberty. 426 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:14,000 And in some degree that's true. It really was. 427 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:18,160 But what's deeper than the first rock in the jar prior to 428 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:22,120 religious liberty was the principles of Christianity. 429 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:25,080 Islam didn't give us religious liberty. 430 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:27,800 Hinduism did not give us religious liberty. 431 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:30,160 Buddhism didn't give us religion. 432 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:35,200 Christianity gave us the image of God, that we're made in the 433 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:39,120 freedom before God, of conscience, of worship, that the 434 00:24:39,120 --> 00:24:41,080 fact that faith is a matter of the heart. 435 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:45,720 That's what gave us religious liberty. 436 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:49,520 And I think as when we when we think of the values of the 437 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:54,360 United States, justice is one of the things that we hold closely 438 00:24:54,360 --> 00:24:58,640 is like everyone, no matter who you are innocent until proven 439 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:03,360 guilty, you will stand before in court and you will be able to 440 00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:08,400 testify and give a defense. And that's biblical values is is 441 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:11,560 justice that is something that that is from God is to give 442 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:15,880 equal justice to all, just like we read in Psalm 33. 443 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:21,800 I mean God saying like he loves righteousness and justice, and 444 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:24,280 those are values that I see everywhere in the United States. 445 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:27,160 We, we try to cling to the righteous side of things. 446 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:30,760 We try to make sure that everyone has a fair trial at at 447 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:33,640 every every identity when presented in court. 448 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:40,160 We obviously have and do fall so far short of the ideal of 449 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:42,720 perfect justice as any human enterprise would. 450 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:47,120 And we're not sugar coating over those things or turning a blind 451 00:25:47,120 --> 00:25:49,360 eye to our downfalls as a nation. 452 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:53,520 But we are arguing is that the ideals that come from the 453 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:56,720 inspired Word of God have been our ideals, however far short 454 00:25:56,720 --> 00:25:59,480 we've fallen of them. But that has been our starting 455 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:03,760 point, you know, as a nation. So well, you know #2 in the 456 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,400 sermon we talked about how God is the blesser of nations and 457 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:09,160 God has blessed America. Like, you just can't argue 458 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:10,960 against that. God is the one who ultimately 459 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:13,760 blesses and God has blessed our country. 460 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,280 We talked about that in the context of of the Old Testament 461 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:21,000 versus the New and how 2 truths are still true, that God is 462 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:22,120 still the blessed are of nations. 463 00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:28,160 No, America is not a theocracy the way Israel was, and yet 464 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,040 every nation still chooses a God. 465 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:34,520 I think that's probably one of the most controversial things I 466 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:39,040 expected to say on Sunday. I did not say America was a 467 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:42,360 Christian nation, but I did say that every nation still chooses 468 00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:44,960 a God. And what I really, what I meant 469 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:48,520 by that, and I explained this, is that underneath the founding 470 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:52,720 of every civil body or governing structure is a worldview. 471 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,800 And that worldview has a theology. 472 00:26:56,480 --> 00:27:00,320 And that theology has a God. And it doesn't mean that we have 473 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:03,640 a nationalized state sponsored religion. 474 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:07,800 That's not what I mean, but it does mean that we have an 475 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,800 ultimate authority. There is that in a worldview by 476 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:13,880 which one is ordering one's life or one's country or one's 477 00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:15,680 government, government, government. 478 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:19,720 So this is what I mean. In fact, the the famous Geneva 479 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:25,000 born political philosopher Rousseau made the statement, 480 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:29,440 which I find fascinating, but he said no state has ever been 481 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:33,480 founded without a religious basis. 482 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:40,640 That's quite a statement that there has been no human 483 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:45,840 organized leading governing system that doesn't have within 484 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:48,240 it. I mean, you think about, let's 485 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:51,120 just say you tried to start a purely secular state. 486 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:55,800 Well, that that state has a God. Who is it? 487 00:27:57,320 --> 00:28:00,520 It's man. It's it's a man centered, not a 488 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:02,280 God centered. It's where our ultimate 489 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:04,400 authority. We are the standard setters of 490 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:06,080 truth and justice and righteousness. 491 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:09,120 We are our own God. This was the lie in the garden. 492 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:14,000 Satan wanted Adam and Eve to set up a philosophy of life that had 493 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:16,960 a religious conviction to it. Just not one with God at the 494 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:20,880 center, you at the center. I mean, there's never been a 495 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:22,560 state. And I think he's exactly right. 496 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,480 So. I think that's human nature too. 497 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:30,680 Is is we're born with a desire to to follow something greater 498 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:32,080 than ourselves. You know. 499 00:28:32,120 --> 00:28:35,360 We, we just human nature. I mean, you can look at any 500 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:38,720 isolated tribe and they have idols that they worship. 501 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:42,880 I think it's just if we gather as a society that we're going to 502 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:45,120 ingrain those things into our thinking. 503 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:49,360 That's right. And so why not the ultimate guy 504 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:53,480 creator you know to to follow and base a religion off of or 505 00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:56,720 base a government off of? It goes back to that reality 506 00:28:56,720 --> 00:28:58,720 that God made mankind to worship. 507 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:01,400 Yeah. And our hearts are, as one, 508 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:05,720 famous theologians that are idol factories, like our hearts don't 509 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:07,280 know how to do anything but worship. 510 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:11,400 And John, as a worship pastor, you know, you lead us in singing 511 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:14,880 each week, and of course, that's one manifestation of worship. 512 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:18,760 But all we do is done in worship to the glory of something or 513 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:23,920 someone, to the allegiance of someone or something, to the 514 00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:27,040 loyalty of something or something, you know, So we human 515 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:31,400 beings can't escape worship. It's just a matter of whom we 516 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:33,920 are choosing to worship, and that even effects our. 517 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:37,560 We we have to fight that battle daily of of self. 518 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:41,240 Right. You know our our self esteeming 519 00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:43,560 ourselves more highly than we ought. 520 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:47,560 This is, you know, infinite perfect holiness. 521 00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:49,440 Yeah, and righteousness, you know. 522 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:54,280 That's right. So what did you guys think about 523 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:59,880 some statistics I shared about if you talk about ebb and flows, 524 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:05,880 there's an ebb of patriotism in our nation, especially among the 525 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:07,840 younger generation. We see this. 526 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:10,880 I think I, I, I, when I read these statistics and studied 527 00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:14,200 these, I didn't go into deep dives, but they resonated with 528 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:19,320 me as objectively as true to my subjective experience. 529 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:20,840 What did, what did you guys think? 530 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:23,840 Anything shock you? You disagree with you found. 531 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:26,960 Well, as I, as you know, if I think about the perspective of 532 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:31,960 folks, you know, a generation or so younger than myself, you 533 00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:37,160 know, they're, you know, born in the era of 911, You know, they 534 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:42,200 school age potentially or probably during, you know, COVID 535 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:45,160 shut down. There's been a lot of, you know, 536 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:48,440 recession, just angst and turmoil. 537 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:52,920 Social media has made that, you know, you know, exponentially 538 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:56,760 worse. And so it doesn't surprise me 539 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:03,360 that it's low, but there are I, I think pockets of folks that 540 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:08,240 regard, have a high level of patriotism regard for the 541 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:09,440 country. I'm not talking about, like, 542 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:13,520 the, you know, Christian nationalism thing, but people 543 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:17,560 that feel like being a good citizen is biblical, people that 544 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:22,280 feel like loving your country isn't wrong and that there's 545 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:26,320 still, you know, ideals and things that we can hold fast to 546 00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:34,840 that are biblical and, you know, loving of people and the nation 547 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:39,760 we've been blessed with too. I feel like there's a lot of, 548 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:44,840 you know, slandering of the country, even intentionally and 549 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:50,200 unintentionally online that people are quick to comment 550 00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:53,840 before we know exactly what we're even saying, right. 551 00:31:54,840 --> 00:32:00,600 So I do, I do sense that the people are just weary a lot of 552 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:04,560 the, the conversation, you know? Right, right. 553 00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:06,960 I think a lot of it, you're right, is driven by some of 554 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:10,440 those factors. I think some of it is driven by 555 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:17,320 a naivety to what true historical things went into the 556 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:21,600 founding and the sacrifice that made our country what it is. 557 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:24,320 I feel like a lot of it is driven by entitlement. 558 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:27,120 If someone doesn't feel like their country is quote blessing 559 00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:32,040 them, then they feel like it's depriving them of, you know, 560 00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:34,480 prosperity or maybe because you know. 561 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:36,120 But what have you done for me lately? 562 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:40,520 Yeah, that's just entitlement you run into so often that I 563 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:47,360 think is a it it, it was just as a such a wrong, wrongly oriented 564 00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:50,440 perspective. And I think some of it is truly 565 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:54,160 driven by a desire to see the principles that we were founded 566 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:58,280 on undone and a revision of some of that history. 567 00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:00,720 I do think like you mentioned, even like a Christian 568 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:04,560 nationalism, I do think there is an overreaction to some of that 569 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:10,920 whereby, you know, sometimes you can take quote the Christian 570 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:13,360 approach or principles. And I think what we have to be 571 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:15,880 careful is what we're not trying to do as Christians in our 572 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:20,800 nation is superimpose our convictions on anyone else. 573 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:28,440 We are wanting the righteousness of God's truth to allow for 574 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:31,920 human flourishing in our land. But that doesn't mean forcing 575 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:35,040 someone to believe in Jesus. It doesn't mean coercing someone 576 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:37,600 to have to, according to their, you know, against their 577 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:41,400 conscience assent to things we believe the Bible says are true. 578 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:44,800 And so I think sometimes really technically Christian 579 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:52,080 nationalism is when we may go to the point of seeking to impose 580 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:56,080 Christianity in such a way that would infringe on someone's 581 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:58,360 religious liberty. But that's what the founders 582 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:00,120 were so clearly protective of, right? 583 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:02,880 The truths that informed the freedom for someone to be, to 584 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:04,840 operate according to conscience was Christianity. 585 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:06,880 But we don't take that Christianity and infringe on 586 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:10,400 someone's, you know, but we are wanting to see the truth of 587 00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:14,560 Christianity influence every facet of our life and society. 588 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:16,239 Why? Because we know that those 589 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:19,080 things will lead to human flourishing, but we can't force 590 00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:22,159 them. So I think there's, there's more 591 00:34:22,159 --> 00:34:26,440 I want to talk about on that in future podcasts, but I think 592 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:28,520 that that is one of the questions. 593 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:30,639 And one of the controversial things that it would be helpful 594 00:34:30,639 --> 00:34:32,120 for us to process is what is that? 595 00:34:32,120 --> 00:34:35,159 What is that line between the principles of our founding and 596 00:34:35,159 --> 00:34:38,560 then how those principles gave us a landscape where people have 597 00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:40,080 the freedom to operate according to conscience. 598 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:41,360 And then where are the boundaries of that? 599 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:43,480 Where are the boundaries that when you can't operate according 600 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:45,840 to your conscience cause your conscience is bad for society 601 00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:49,679 and actually you're engaging in wrong and it's harming you know? 602 00:34:49,679 --> 00:34:51,120 So where what are those boundaries? 603 00:34:51,239 --> 00:34:56,600 We all have to wrestle with Jesus and what he said because 604 00:34:56,600 --> 00:34:59,480 he said radical things. That's right. 605 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:04,920 You know, and so, but also the things he said are life giving 606 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:09,560 and so you everyone must wrestle with, you know, the things that 607 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:16,840 he said and how he walked and talked in the country and areas 608 00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:17,760 he was in. And you? 609 00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:21,280 Know he there's things he said about, you know, render to 610 00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:23,880 Caesar, give God, what's God Caesar, Caesar's and there's 611 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:29,000 things that are important for us to ponder. 612 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:32,320 You know, why were those things included in scripture? 613 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:36,480 These things have great value to us, you know, and that's part of 614 00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:37,960 that, you know, conversation, too. 615 00:35:38,560 --> 00:35:44,640 I think to quote Mufasa, he would say, remember who you are. 616 00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:49,880 And for my generation and younger, you know, we've kind of 617 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:54,640 forgotten who we are, whether that's because of cancel culture 618 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:59,600 or, you know, people want to change the ideology that we're 619 00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:02,160 founded on because they're trying to demonize or make it 620 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:05,400 more secular. And so they take aspects of the 621 00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:07,720 Founding Fathers, which a lot of them had slaves. 622 00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:11,240 Like. The sins of these men of having 623 00:36:11,240 --> 00:36:14,080 slaves, and they say they could say nothing, right? 624 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:16,320 Exactly. That was like throwing the 625 00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:18,840 country out with the bathwater comment that I made, Yeah. 626 00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:22,360 Yeah, so I think that's a wrong way to view it. 627 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:25,480 There are no good people. And we have all created great, 628 00:36:25,720 --> 00:36:28,840 you know, done great sin. That doesn't mean that we can't 629 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:32,960 have honest confessions, honest values, right, and truths that 630 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:35,320 we can speak from. And, and a lot of these men 631 00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:40,480 spoke on their convictions, young men, mind you, these these 632 00:36:40,640 --> 00:36:45,160 founding fathers were young men. I mean, George Washington was 44 633 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:47,040 whenever he assumed the presidency. 634 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:51,200 A lot of these founding fathers were in, you know, 18 if you go 635 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:52,880 all the way back to Alexander Hamilton. 636 00:36:52,880 --> 00:36:57,680 And so these were young men that were thinking these things 637 00:36:57,680 --> 00:36:59,000 through. I mean, they were heavily 638 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:03,080 influenced by the Bible, but as well as they were very well 639 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:07,000 studied a lot more than probably I am or any of us in this room 640 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:09,400 are. But these were men that care 641 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:14,000 deeply about this nation and we and they were like you said. 642 00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:16,720 And, you know, they were putting their lives on the line, their 643 00:37:16,720 --> 00:37:19,160 fortunes on the line. They mentioned that right in the 644 00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:23,520 Declaration of Independence that they were risking life and limb 645 00:37:24,280 --> 00:37:28,480 and fortune and honor, and we're doing so independence on God's 646 00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:33,240 divine help because they knew it would be at stake if there was 647 00:37:33,240 --> 00:37:37,080 not victory. So when they when they they 648 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:39,040 stood where they stood, obviously they were making a 649 00:37:39,040 --> 00:37:41,600 choice to rebel against the crown. 650 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:43,120 They believe they had a right to do so. 651 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:46,560 They knew their Bibles, they knew what Romans 13 said, and 652 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:49,240 yet they believe they had warrant to seek to obey God 653 00:37:49,240 --> 00:37:54,960 rather than man when man was in an unjust way operating in 654 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:58,040 government leadership right as as king in that case, but. 655 00:37:58,200 --> 00:38:01,480 I think suffering is a part of it, too, because you think about 656 00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:04,640 like, I think about my granddad on both sides, you know, being 657 00:38:04,640 --> 00:38:08,880 in World War 2, you know, some call it the greatest generation. 658 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:14,200 And those folks, the things that they encountered from age, you 659 00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:23,040 know, kids to 1830, depression, you know, war, you know, the 660 00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:27,560 draft, all these, all these things that allowed us to be 661 00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:29,960 where we are today. We're a part of the story. 662 00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:36,440 But it's just like we don't have that concept of, you know, that 663 00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:38,320 level of fighting for what's right. 664 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:41,200 Yeah. It's almost like that we have in 665 00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:45,360 our generations haven't had the call to a sacrificial investment 666 00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:49,200 that has caused us to say, hey, our blood, blood, sweat and 667 00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:51,480 tears have gone into the formation the making of this 668 00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:54,000 country as sometimes other generations have that have 669 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:56,640 caused a patriotism and love of country and willingness to serve 670 00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:59,560 and sacrifice to rise up. And in a lot of ways you're 671 00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:02,560 right that that's been that's been lacking y'all. 672 00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:05,640 The third final place that we landed, which I kind of started 673 00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:09,000 us with that got the laughter, was that we need God to 674 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:11,480 sovereignly and spiritually awaken America. 675 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:16,720 You know, we as a church have a mission statement to love people 676 00:39:16,720 --> 00:39:19,520 to life in Jesus Christ in a vision statement that says we 677 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:21,800 want to see our growing community saturated with the 678 00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:26,240 gospel of Jesus Christ. What happened in the 1st and 2nd 679 00:39:26,240 --> 00:39:30,080 Great Awakenings was a saturation of the gospel of 680 00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:33,360 Jesus Christ in our country and in every community. 681 00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:39,800 And it was the wholesale inversion towards Kingdom things 682 00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:43,240 that happened as a result from worldly things to Kingdom things 683 00:39:43,240 --> 00:39:48,520 and values that really set the culture of our nation on such a 684 00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:52,560 trajectory that allowed us, I believe, to flourish in ways 685 00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:57,200 that we have and did. So I mentioned, you know, I was 686 00:39:57,200 --> 00:40:00,840 able to go into some detail on the first Great Awakening that 687 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:04,560 that happened and. And some individuals involved in 688 00:40:04,560 --> 00:40:07,840 that I, I didn't get to quote all of some of the things that 689 00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:10,360 Edward said. Let me let me say one that I, I 690 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:13,160 left out this word. This, this was Edward Edwards 691 00:40:13,160 --> 00:40:16,880 describing some of the results. He says our assemblies, that 692 00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:19,000 means of the church were beautiful. 693 00:40:19,480 --> 00:40:22,040 Our public praises were greatly enlivened. 694 00:40:22,440 --> 00:40:25,880 Our young people when they met, were want to spend their time 695 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:29,280 talking about the love of Jesus Christ they had abandoned. 696 00:40:29,280 --> 00:40:32,200 I love this terminology that abandoned their frolicking, 697 00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:35,480 their night walking, their impure language and lude songs, 698 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:38,880 and among all, young or old, there was seem to be a change in 699 00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:42,560 their habits of drinking, Tavern haunting, profane to speaking 700 00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:47,360 and extravagance of apparel. Notoriously vicious persons have 701 00:40:47,360 --> 00:40:49,720 been reformed. The wealthy, the fashionable, 702 00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:53,160 the great bows and fine ladies have relentless wished their 703 00:40:53,160 --> 00:40:56,120 vanities. You know he's just describing 704 00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:59,800 this wholesale change in their community and culture. 705 00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:02,440 He specifies things like people took a new interest in reading 706 00:41:02,440 --> 00:41:04,800 the Bible. Worship services greatly 707 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:07,760 increased in attendance. Feuding colonists settled their 708 00:41:07,760 --> 00:41:09,960 differences. Argumentative neighbors 709 00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:12,800 apologized to each other, neglected debts were paid. 710 00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:14,640 Families and friends were reconciled. 711 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:17,920 It was a time of joy and families on account of salvation 712 00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:20,800 being brought unto them. Parents rejoicing over their 713 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:24,600 children as newborn and husband over their wives, and wives over 714 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:29,480 their husbands. The gospel was leavening. 715 00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:32,920 We use that metaphor of like the leaven and dough to make bread 716 00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:34,800 rise. The gospel was leavening 717 00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:37,920 society. It was leavening America in such 718 00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:42,120 a way that America was changed by a mighty movement of the Holy 719 00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:46,400 Spirit of God. I can't imagine what our country 720 00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:50,640 would have been like had God not done that on 2 occasions prior 721 00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:53,840 to our birth and soon afterwards, as the Word of God 722 00:41:53,840 --> 00:41:56,120 said, and we mentioned that righteousness exalts a nation, 723 00:41:56,920 --> 00:41:58,640 but sin is a reproach to any people. 724 00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:03,760 You know, I left out quotes from Ben Franklin and others at the 725 00:42:03,760 --> 00:42:05,920 Continental Convention that I could have said, but even George 726 00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:09,120 Washington you referenced earlier, I left this out, but I 727 00:42:09,120 --> 00:42:11,000 love this statement. He said it is the duty of all 728 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:14,960 nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to 729 00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:17,880 obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to 730 00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:20,360 implore His protection and favor. 731 00:42:20,720 --> 00:42:22,960 I mean, it's things like that that came out of a culture 732 00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:26,080 saturated with the gospel, the principles of our faith. 733 00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:29,520 And so this is when I made a statement. 734 00:42:29,520 --> 00:42:32,160 The God that America trusted in was the God of biblical 735 00:42:32,160 --> 00:42:34,520 Christianity. I wasn't saying that Christian 736 00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:37,040 that that America was officially a Christian nation. 737 00:42:37,240 --> 00:42:39,080 I wasn't saying that every founding father is an 738 00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:41,320 evangelical born again believer. I wasn't saying that you got to 739 00:42:41,320 --> 00:42:42,480 be a Christian to be an American. 740 00:42:42,880 --> 00:42:46,920 What I'm saying though, is that the world view most central to 741 00:42:46,920 --> 00:42:51,120 our nation and our founding was the world view of Christianity. 742 00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:53,400 This was the God. It wasn't a different God. 743 00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:55,840 It was the God of the Bible that. 744 00:42:56,920 --> 00:43:02,560 So let me also read a quote from Alex de Tocqueville because this 745 00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:03,800 is about as objective as it gets. 746 00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:07,120 Like I'm just quoting what a guy who came and studied America and 747 00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:10,920 published this in 1835. So this is, you know, gosh, it's 748 00:43:10,920 --> 00:43:12,640 like 60 years after our founding. 749 00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:17,320 This is what he says. The Americans combine the 750 00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:21,880 notions of Christianity and liberty so intimately in their 751 00:43:21,880 --> 00:43:25,480 minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one 752 00:43:25,600 --> 00:43:30,200 without the other. There is no country in the whole 753 00:43:30,440 --> 00:43:34,280 in which the Christian religion retains a greater influence on 754 00:43:34,280 --> 00:43:38,080 the souls of men than in America, and there can be no 755 00:43:38,080 --> 00:43:41,160 greater proof of its utility and of its conformity to human 756 00:43:41,160 --> 00:43:45,320 nature, then that its influence has most powerfully felt over 757 00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:47,800 the most enlightened and free nation on the earth. 758 00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:50,960 Upon my arrival in the United States the religious aspect of 759 00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:54,760 the country was the first thing that struck my attention, and 760 00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:57,560 the longer I stayed there the more did I perceive the great 761 00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:01,280 political consequences resulting from the state of things to 762 00:44:01,280 --> 00:44:05,480 which I was unaccustomed. In France I'd almost seen always 763 00:44:05,480 --> 00:44:08,200 seen the spirit of religion in the spirit of freedom, pursuing 764 00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:10,520 courses diametrically opposed to each other. 765 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:14,960 But in America, I found that they were intimately united and 766 00:44:14,960 --> 00:44:18,520 then they reigned in common over the same country. 767 00:44:18,720 --> 00:44:21,920 Back to your question over what the pilgrims did. 768 00:44:22,280 --> 00:44:26,040 They saw these two things of the reigning of the government and 769 00:44:26,040 --> 00:44:28,920 of the principles of Christianity so, so intimately 770 00:44:28,920 --> 00:44:30,720 intertwined. They couldn't conceive of the 771 00:44:30,720 --> 00:44:34,560 two separate from one another. They never they, they, they did 772 00:44:34,560 --> 00:44:38,680 not see these things as incompatible. 773 00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:42,280 And, and so they allowed the one to inform the other. 774 00:44:42,280 --> 00:44:47,480 And so, you know, I want to finish and see what comments you 775 00:44:47,480 --> 00:44:49,520 guys have, but I did make a statement that the soul of 776 00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:52,240 America is in trouble. And I really do believe that. 777 00:44:52,240 --> 00:44:54,960 I think that's a controversial statement depending on who you 778 00:44:54,960 --> 00:44:57,160 ask. But if you're asking about are 779 00:44:57,160 --> 00:44:59,680 we remembering and are we continuing in the trajectory 780 00:44:59,680 --> 00:45:03,000 from which we were the rock from which we were hewn, I think 781 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:07,080 there is no question that we are more removed today from those 782 00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:10,800 principles of our faith in forming and driving and 783 00:45:10,800 --> 00:45:16,800 saturating our culture, our communities and our leaders than 784 00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:23,760 ever before. So that obviously is, is a 785 00:45:23,760 --> 00:45:28,720 concern. And you know, the the, the 786 00:45:28,720 --> 00:45:33,720 essence of a quote, Christian America or Christianity 787 00:45:33,720 --> 00:45:35,720 influencing America. Is this right? 788 00:45:35,720 --> 00:45:39,880 That just kind of conclude and and recap is that what we're 789 00:45:39,880 --> 00:45:43,640 saying is that the ethical system adopted by Americans and 790 00:45:43,640 --> 00:45:46,760 embedded in our social order rested in a biblical moral 791 00:45:46,760 --> 00:45:49,000 order. What we're saying is that the 792 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:52,720 philosophical foundation of colonial American culture and 793 00:45:52,720 --> 00:45:57,360 law was the judeo-christian ethic worldview sourced in the 794 00:45:57,360 --> 00:46:01,120 scriptures. Not all founders were born again 795 00:46:01,120 --> 00:46:04,160 believers, but it's clear that their view of man had a deeply 796 00:46:04,160 --> 00:46:08,200 religious foundation, that human rights were God-given, that man 797 00:46:08,200 --> 00:46:11,520 was endowed by his Creator, that they were natural laws and 798 00:46:11,520 --> 00:46:15,560 natural rights, and that freedom was a natural result of the 799 00:46:15,560 --> 00:46:19,160 sacredness of human life. And the development of a free 800 00:46:19,160 --> 00:46:23,520 man was not divorced from the idea of moral man any more than 801 00:46:23,520 --> 00:46:26,160 religious man could be separated from moral man. 802 00:46:28,080 --> 00:46:31,920 So this is what we mean by Christians, Christianity's 803 00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:36,720 influence in America. And so no one listen, no one 804 00:46:36,720 --> 00:46:40,520 argues that America was heaven or ever has been heaven on 805 00:46:40,520 --> 00:46:44,000 earth. But the the history is clear. 806 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:46,320 America's Christian history is clear. 807 00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:50,480 And it was America's moral choice that made this nation the 808 00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:54,000 envy of the world and a haven for the oppressed seeking to 809 00:46:54,000 --> 00:46:57,160 live life in accordance with the freedom that was God-given. 810 00:46:57,800 --> 00:47:04,640 And to be honest, the moment that you take away the right of 811 00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:10,040 a human being to be free as a God-given right, then what 812 00:47:10,040 --> 00:47:12,080 you're doing is you're essentially saying within the 813 00:47:12,080 --> 00:47:15,800 state has the ability to give or take that right. 814 00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:23,000 And you just totally changed the foundation by going from a God 815 00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:25,400 centric view to a man centered view. 816 00:47:26,080 --> 00:47:28,480 And if you lose, and we'll talk about this in the future, but if 817 00:47:28,480 --> 00:47:31,120 you lose religious freedom, quite honestly, you've really 818 00:47:31,120 --> 00:47:34,640 lost every freedom because that's really the, I've heard 819 00:47:34,640 --> 00:47:37,880 religious liberty described as the Canary in the coal mine, 820 00:47:38,520 --> 00:47:41,240 which of course is like, if the Canary dies, that means there's 821 00:47:41,240 --> 00:47:42,840 not enough oxygen for you to live. 822 00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:48,000 And so and you're in trouble. And that's where, of course, 823 00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:50,080 we're seeing religious liberty and these things under attack 824 00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:54,280 and we're at a thin margin of retaining that thing, which was 825 00:47:54,280 --> 00:47:56,640 the founding principle. I think that's made our our 826 00:47:56,640 --> 00:48:00,240 nation so great. So any final comments, thoughts, 827 00:48:00,240 --> 00:48:07,120 questions as we wrap up guys? I think that for me, something 828 00:48:07,120 --> 00:48:12,600 that's really hard to balance is my desire for people to come to 829 00:48:12,600 --> 00:48:19,600 Christ and also my desire as a citizen of the United States to 830 00:48:19,600 --> 00:48:23,720 welcome in and be a melting pot of faiths and different 831 00:48:23,720 --> 00:48:27,360 backgrounds, because that's who we are as an American spirit is 832 00:48:27,720 --> 00:48:31,280 You can have immigration, immigrants come and bring and 833 00:48:31,280 --> 00:48:35,160 influence and bring, you know, their culture with them and 834 00:48:35,280 --> 00:48:38,560 assimilate into the United States, but comes with that 835 00:48:38,560 --> 00:48:42,360 comes their faith too. And so I'm, I'm always, you 836 00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:48,520 know, at fighting over which one, you know, wins ultimately. 837 00:48:48,640 --> 00:48:51,560 And I know that I'm a dual citizen, like we said at the 838 00:48:51,600 --> 00:48:56,280 beginning, like I'm first and foremost a citizen of heaven and 839 00:48:56,280 --> 00:48:57,840 secondly, citizen in the United States. 840 00:48:57,840 --> 00:49:01,560 And so I believe that we have a unique opportunity in the United 841 00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:05,360 States where the people come to us and we have a great 842 00:49:05,360 --> 00:49:09,920 opportunity to share the gospel so that we can one day see these 843 00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:14,200 people come to faith in Christ. Where we can have these cultures 844 00:49:14,200 --> 00:49:16,640 and their influence and the things that make them their own 845 00:49:16,640 --> 00:49:20,320 people, right? Come and bring in and create the 846 00:49:20,320 --> 00:49:22,640 American culture, which isn't a melting pot. 847 00:49:22,640 --> 00:49:25,360 Sure. But also hopefully see them come 848 00:49:25,360 --> 00:49:30,640 to Christ as well, which is a a great joy that we get to have 849 00:49:30,640 --> 00:49:35,400 here because, you know, we we want to see every tongue and 850 00:49:35,400 --> 00:49:38,360 tribe right? Profess Christ as That's right, 851 00:49:38,520 --> 00:49:40,560 yeah. Yeah, those tensions between 852 00:49:40,560 --> 00:49:44,200 freedom to worship according to one's conscience, and yet we're 853 00:49:44,200 --> 00:49:46,640 praying like mad that one's conscience is convicted by the 854 00:49:46,640 --> 00:49:50,040 Holy Spirit to trust Christ. And I think until our 855 00:49:50,040 --> 00:49:54,840 citizenship is united and ultimately only in heaven, then 856 00:49:54,840 --> 00:49:59,280 we'll face that tension as living as aliens in exiles on 857 00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:01,000 earth. Not everything will feel 858 00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:03,840 natural. And we live in that balance, you 859 00:50:03,840 --> 00:50:07,480 know, as Kingdom citizens here and now based on the principles 860 00:50:07,480 --> 00:50:10,040 of heaven, saying, Lord, let your will be done on earth as 861 00:50:10,040 --> 00:50:13,280 it's done in heaven, while ultimately being someone to 862 00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:15,560 choose how they choose to live before God. 863 00:50:15,560 --> 00:50:19,200 So Johnny, Nina, the pop quiz before we go or are you good? 864 00:50:19,880 --> 00:50:23,560 I just thinking honestly, the, the bringing back the 865 00:50:23,600 --> 00:50:29,240 conversations around the meal table, yeah, versus our first 866 00:50:29,240 --> 00:50:33,440 impulse as a society to go online and, you know, get the 867 00:50:33,760 --> 00:50:36,840 gotcha comments in or the theme or whatever. 868 00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:39,680 And somebody's Jesus again modeled that for us. 869 00:50:39,680 --> 00:50:43,160 It's like people greatly disagree with him and disagree 870 00:50:43,160 --> 00:50:46,520 with who he had at the table around him or who's, you know, 871 00:50:46,520 --> 00:50:48,000 house he would go to and all that. 872 00:50:48,800 --> 00:50:50,760 I think he modeled for us that very thing. 873 00:50:50,760 --> 00:50:53,440 It's like if we're unwilling to have a conversation with someone 874 00:50:53,480 --> 00:50:57,520 right face to face from the get go, you know, where do we think 875 00:50:57,520 --> 00:51:01,840 we're going to? Sure, Yeah, we hope and pray 876 00:51:02,280 --> 00:51:05,200 that God sends 1/3 Great Awakening. 877 00:51:05,280 --> 00:51:07,840 Can you imagine if Cartersville, our community, our state, our 878 00:51:07,840 --> 00:51:09,840 nation was saturated with new believers? 879 00:51:11,400 --> 00:51:14,840 You know, that does things legislation can't do, that does 880 00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:17,080 things that nothing else touches. 881 00:51:17,280 --> 00:51:19,400 The Holy Spirit alone can change the human heart. 882 00:51:19,920 --> 00:51:21,800 That's the hope of the world. It's the gospel. 883 00:51:22,000 --> 00:51:23,560 It's not a country, it's not a nation. 884 00:51:24,240 --> 00:51:27,040 God has blessed America, and ultimately I believe that 885 00:51:27,040 --> 00:51:30,680 blessing has been for the propagation of His gospel in 886 00:51:30,680 --> 00:51:32,840 such ways. It has not gone forth from any 887 00:51:32,840 --> 00:51:36,080 other nation quite like it has gone forth from the US. 888 00:51:36,400 --> 00:51:41,600 And I just pray God continues to to move in our nation in a way 889 00:51:41,600 --> 00:51:45,440 where his will can be done. So well folks, thanks for 890 00:51:45,440 --> 00:51:47,320 joining us. I hope this has been helpful. 891 00:51:47,320 --> 00:51:50,480 Further clarifying for you, we're going to keep going this 892 00:51:50,480 --> 00:51:52,520 month as we follow up each sermon. 893 00:51:53,280 --> 00:51:56,040 Let let me suggest if you've got questions, maybe put those in 894 00:51:56,040 --> 00:52:00,400 the comments. If you are a CFBC attender, our 895 00:52:00,400 --> 00:52:02,040 emails are on the back of the worship God. 896 00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:04,320 You could send an e-mail with questions you have for you'd 897 00:52:04,320 --> 00:52:06,200 like for us to address. That'd be fun to try to do. 898 00:52:06,200 --> 00:52:07,640 I'll make sure John gets all of those. 899 00:52:07,960 --> 00:52:09,800 If he gets them wrong, Hasting can correct. 900 00:52:10,240 --> 00:52:12,840 So we'll have fun with that. But hey, let's pray for our 901 00:52:12,840 --> 00:52:14,480 country. Let's pray for an awakening. 902 00:52:14,480 --> 00:52:16,000 Let's pray for the Holy Spirit to move. 903 00:52:16,200 --> 00:52:17,720 Don't forget to share the gospel, right? 904 00:52:17,720 --> 00:52:21,040 To actually speak the words that you know can change someone's 905 00:52:21,040 --> 00:52:24,600 eternity and also impact even our nation, our neighborhoods, 906 00:52:24,600 --> 00:52:28,360 our homes, our families, marriages and kids and life 907 00:52:28,360 --> 00:52:31,080 right now. So that's a wrap as you go. 908 00:52:31,160 --> 00:52:34,200 You go to make disciples. We'll see you next time on the 909 00:52:34,200 --> 00:52:35,960 sermon continued here at CFBC.