James Madison It was James Madison who introduced the First Amendment in the very first session of Congress. If his intent had been to bar federal involvement in days of prayer or government calls to prayer, he had a mental lapse – or changed his mind. When he became President, the nation was engaged in…
DetailsWe continue our series on American Presidents and Prayer with John Adam and Thomas Jefferson. John Adams, the Second President issued a prayer proclamation in which he declared, “The safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and blessing of Almighty God.” Adams called “the national acknowledgment of this truth…an indispensable…
DetailsOver the next several weeks we will examine our American heritage as it relates to prayer in regards to the leaders of our great country, beginning with George Washington. In 1794, after the Whiskey Rebellion, President George Washington declared a Day of Prayer. The practice of prayer “…was indispensable in coalescing the country into a…
DetailsWe have forgotten that it is a “fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31 KJV). The idea doesn’t play well in our culture. It didn’t some 300 years ago, when Edwards preached on the theme – and the reality of ‘the fear of God’ sparked a Great Awakening. New…
DetailsOne of the unique features of Christianity and Judaism among world religions is the idea that God is to be feared. Aquinas, in the Summa Theologica, considered the fear of the Lord to be among seven gifts of the Spirit, the others being – wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety. The “Novena to the Holy…
DetailsThe U.S. Constitution was the product of a constitution-making tradition that reached back to the charters of the original colonies as well as to the states, and from there, the tradition found roots in the biblical covenant itself. In Jamestown, the first representative government met in their church building, and opened with prayer. The guiding…
DetailsCharles baron de Montesquieu was an advocate of the separation of powers in government and one of the world’s foremost political thinkers. Of all the sources that the Founders could have cited, he is next to the Bible, quoted 8.3 percent of the time (1 of 12 quotes, came from him). He was not a…
DetailsA ten-year investigation commissioned by the Supreme Court at the end of the 19th century involved a review of some 500 of our founding documents[1] reaching back to the days of Columbus. The study was designed to discover the prevailing philosophy that informed the American Revolution. The court concluded, “… the case assumes that we…
DetailsA PERSON OF PRAYER – EVIDENCED BY COMMUNION WITH GOD A life of prayer is another characteristic of a genuine disciple. 1 John 5:14-15 says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us,…
DetailsLast week we discussed the true definition of a Christian. So what is the criteria for knowing that someone is indeed, in the faith? BEHAVIORAL- EVIDENTIAL First, it is behavioral. In Mt. 7, Jesus charges, it is “not the one who says, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but he that does the will of the Father.” In 1…
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