A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?
—George Washington—
Freedom can exist only in the society of knowledge. Without learning, men are incapable of knowing their rights.
—Founding Father Benjamin Rush—
Key point: Americans must rediscover, appreciate anew, and pass along to the next generation the biblical principles of liberty upheld by America’s Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence. Here is a tool that will help.
“Tell me, class—what are ignorance and apathy?” The teacher hoped his fifth grade students had been listening intently to all he had said and could clearly define the words. “Jeremy?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care!” Jeremy retorted. His teacher didn’t seem even to notice his arrogant tone.
“Absolutely right!” said the teacher, proud that at least one student knew.
People Don’t Know—And We Ourselves Know Less than We Think We Know
Today, so often, we think people know—but they don’t. And even if we aren’t arrogant about it, we think we know as well, even as ignorance and apathy strengthen their grip on our thinking and our perspectives on life. It can happen to anyone, and we who claim to be conservative Christians need to realize it is happening to us!
John Trumbull / The Declaration of Independence
We live in a day when we must combat ignorance and apathy with truth, engaging ideas, and compelling stories. More often than we realize, history is replete with these. Yet we must mine them, understand them in their own historical context, and learn to appreciate their value for the day in which we live.
Such are the events surrounding the establishment of America as a nation and the drafting and adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Such are the principles within the Declaration.
These realities are especially exciting for Christians. As we explore, we find that embedded in the Declaration of Independence are biblical principles we either haven’t yet fully appreciated or never before noticed.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Moreover, we learn that, contrary to prevailing cultural sentiment, the signers of the Declaration of Independence weren’t anything like the racists and “greedy capitalists” they have been made out to be. In fact, we learn that a very great deal about the Founders and the founding era of America is woefully misunderstood. Modern Americans have departed from the perspectives of the Founding Fathers with regard to the meanings of five key terms. These departures are contributing to the unraveling of society today. What are the terms?
Law, Liberty, Equality, Rights, and Entitle
Americans need a heavy—and healthy—dose of truth, both from history and from God’s Word. We’re not talking about cramming anything down anyone’s throat or imposing our beliefs on anyone. We’re talking about benefitting from the insights that both history and the Bible have to offer.
Join me on a journey to mine from the Declaration of Independence ten biblical truths Americans need to rediscover and uphold anew. Today I’m releasing a five-session Bible study series titled
Principles of Liberty: Ten Biblical Truths Embedded in the Declaration of Independence
Copyright © 2020 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.
top image credit: Lightstock
Comments (0)