Faith Of Our Founders

“Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord….” (Psalm 33:12)

As we celebrate our nation's founding, it is good for us to also recall the faith of those who were our founders. As I mentioned in my sermon this past Sunday, by no means could all of them be consider stalwart and orthodox church-goers. However, most of them did espouse and presume a Judeo-Christian spiritual context for America that is often either ignored or downplayed today. For example, consider some of the writings/sayings of our founders:

--George Washington’s First Inaugural Speech (April 30, 1789): “It would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe... that His benedictions may consecrate to the... peoples of the U.S. a government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes.... No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the U.S.”

[Jared Sparks, ed., THE WRITINGS OF GEORGE WASHINGTON, 12 vols. (Boston: American Stationer’s Company, 1837, NY: F. Andrew’s, 1834-1847), Vol. XII, pp. 2-5]

--Thomas Jefferson’s SECOND INAUGURAL SPEECH (1805): “I shall need the favor of that Being in whose hands we are, who led our fathers, as Israel of old, from their native land and planted them in a country flowing with all the necessities and comforts of life.” [March 4, 1805 in Saul K. Padover, ed., THE COMPLETE JEFFERSON, CONTAINING HIS MAJOR WRITINGS, PUBLISHED AND UNPUBLISHED, EXCEPT HIS LETTERS(NY: Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1943), p. 412]]

--Benjamin Franklin: “There is one God, Father of the Universe. That He is infinitely good, powerful, and wise. That He is omnipresent. That He ought to be worshiped, by adoration prayer and thanksgiving both in publick and private. That He loves such of His creatures as love and do good to others: and will reward them either in this world or hereafter... That knowledge and learning is to be cultivated, and Ignorance dissipated. That none but the virtuous are wise, that man’s perfection is in virtue” [Leonard Labaree, ed., THE PAPTERS OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959), Vol. I, p. 213]

Some have (correctly) pointed out that statements such as these represent only pro-forma (i.e., “politically correct”) acknowledgements of religion from their authors, and do not therefore represent their personal views.  However, the fact that they were written or said at all is significant – their authors must have believed enough truth about them to write or state them, whether they believed everything in them personally or not. As historian Noman Cousins explains, “Not all of the founders acknowledged a formal faith, but it was significant that their view of [humanity] had a deeply religious foundation.” [Norman Cousins, ‘IN GOD WE TRUST: THE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND IDEAS OF AMERICA'S FOUNDING FATHERS (Harper and Brothers, 1958), p. 10]

My point is that regardless of their own personal beliefs, our founders obviously recognized the truth that nations are only as strong as the moral and religious life that undergirds them, and that when that is threatened, the fabric of society begins to unravel.

So, as we celebrate our nation’s 250^th birthday, may we celebrate by also remembering the God who has made it all possible, and by each of us helping to keep firm our commitment to being “one nation, under God.”  Remember that God loves you and I do, too!

Father's Day Scriptures

As we celebrate Father’s Day, here is collection of just a few inspirational Bible verses that are especially for men and fathers:

Deuteronomy 1:29-31

“Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.’” (NIV)

Joshua 1:9

Be brave and strong... Don't be alarmed or terrified, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (CEB)

Malachi 4:6 

[God] will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. (NIV)

Psalm 103:13 

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. (NIV)

Proverbs 3:11-12

Don't reject the instruction of the Lord, my son; don't despise his correction. The Lord loves those he corrects, just like a father who treats his son with favor. (CEB)

Proverbs 10:9

The man of integrity walks securely, but one who takes crooked paths will be found out. (NIV)

Proverbs 23:22 

Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. (NRSV)

Ephesians 6:4 

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (NRSV)

Colossians 3:21 

Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart. (NRSV)

This Father’s Day, be sure to take time to thank God not only for your father but also for the father-figures in your life.  Remember that God loves you and I do, too!

Pastor Brian’s Reflections on Uncivil and Misleading Facebook Post

“Your speech should always be gracious and sprinkled with insight so that you may know how to respond to every person” (Colossians 4:6)

I am purposefully not on Facebook, but while on vacation it was brought to my attention that this past Saturday, some very disparaging remarks were posted there by a disgruntled community parent about both our church and its recent Vacation Bible School (V.B.S.) program.  While I believe people certainly have a right to think and say what they feel, this post was so wildly inaccurate, uncivil, and unChristian that I felt led to offer a few reflections about it here.  

After being shown both the original post and its responses, let me first say how proud I was of the grace-filled way our church members and many friends responded online.  Despite the vitriol of the author’s words, you did not sink to his level in your responses but instead responded with grace.  Thank you - you truly reflected the character and dignity of Christ!

Next, to expand on some of the comments already made, let me remind us of the biblical focus of this year’s V.B.S. from Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (NRSV).  To further illustrate this theme, each day our children learned a different Bible story of courage, hope and/or endurance (from Genesis 40, Esther 3, Matthew 26 and Acts 3).  Yet, despite this biblical focus, the post’s author instead fixated on clothing that someone was wearing on stage during Friday’s closing worship -- clothing which, at least to him, resembled a rainbow.  He then jumped to the presumption and the accusation that this represented the promotion of an LGBTQI “agenda” by the V.B.S. program and our church itself.   

First, to reduce an entire weeks’ worth of Christian programming down to the colors of someone’s clothing is incredibly naïve, presumptuous and judgmental.  But then to assume that the perceived wearing or display of a rainbow presumes the advocacy of an “agenda” reveals a perspective informed more by modern, secular culture than by the Bible of Christian faith -- the rainbow is, after all, originally a biblical reminder of the promise and presence of God (Genesis 9:13).

And while we as Christians are called to speak truth, we are also called to speak it in love (Ephesians 4:15).  This means that what we say (or write, even on social media) should be shared with honor and respect even for those with whom we may disagree, just as scripture teaches:  “Your speech should always be gracious and sprinkled with insight so that you may know how to respond to every person (Colossians 4:6); “Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say.” (Ephesians 4:29).

At the same time, when reading/hearing the words of others, let me encourage us all not to be deceived or misled by inflamed and eccentric rhetoric.   Intentional or not, mean-spirited “scare tactics” like this one are commonly used today to spread misinformation and misunderstanding, beguiling often “innocent” readers/hearers into believing falsehoods and pressuring them to pass judgement without ever bothering to fact-check.  Instead, remember the caution of 1 John 4;1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.”  For this discernment, Jesus himself explained that we will “know them [meaning true Christians] by their fruit” (Matthew 7:15-19), and scripture teaches that the greatest “fruit” of all is the love shown towards our fellow humankind (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

Finally, in response to incidents like this, the greatest need is for us all to PRAY…. 

--Pray for our author-friend, that he may truly  discover the truth about Gods love and grace which helps each of us to overcome our (often unconscious) fears of people who may seem different from us in any way.  

--Pray for ourselves, that we would not be misled either by the misinformed words of others OR by the selfish inclinations or self-righteous indignations of our own hearts (and that we would accept God’s forgiveness when we do!). 

--But we should also pray for others in our world, that the brokenness and divisions of our Christian witness would not be a stumbling block for them to be able to find the power and healing of Jesus Christ in and for their own lives.

As always, please remember that God loves you and I do, too (despite any differences of opinion that we might have!)