"If we do not remember who we were, how can we know
who we are supposed to be?"
--Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, 1913-1921
"We are suffering from a severe case of national amnesia," said Dr. D.
James Kennedy, in his sermon entitled "Remembering Our Foundations,"
to be aired on The Coral Ridge Hour the weekend of November 16-17.
America's Christian heritage is clearly evident from its history, says Dr.
Kennedy. However, the evidence is routinely censored from our children's public
school history textbooks, expunging nearly all references to the Founding
Fathers' deeply held Christian beliefs.
Christianity in America's history can be seen as far back as Christopher
Columbus' historic voyage in 1492. Though seeking to reach India by sailing
west—a notion scoffed at by his contemporaries—Columbus came across two
islands off of the coast of North America.
What inspired him to make this voyage?
In his journals, Columbus remarked, "It was the Lord who put it into my
mind" to find a different route to India. He glorified God in all he did,
including the naming of the two islands: San Salvador, meaning "Holy
Savior," and Trinidad, meaning "trinity."
"Sadly, students are not told why Columbus made his voyage," said Dr.
Kennedy, "nor are they told what the names of those islands mean."
Over a century later the Pilgrims came to America in "a church relocation
project." The writings of these early settlers were clearly Christian in
their content. For instance, the Mayflower Compact, often called "America's
birth certificate," began with the words, "In the name of God,
Amen." The letter set forth the goals of the colony: "…for the glory
of God, and advancement of the Christian faith…"
"Again, how many public school students know this?" asked Dr. Kennedy.
"Not too many, I'm afraid."
In addition, fewer Americans even know that the Founding Fathers who wrote the
Constitution had no concept of the so-called "separation of church and
state" that is so prevalent in today's court system.
The Congressional Records clearly show that when the First Amendment was being
debated, from June 7 to September 25, 1789, the phrase, "separation of
church and state" was never used by the 90 men who framed it.
"The First Amendment restricts only Congress," said Dr. Kennedy.
"It was created to restrain the federal government."
Many Founding Fathers, including Patrick Henry and George Washington, refused to
sign the Constitution unless it had a set of protections for the people against
a potentially all-powerful federal government.
Unfortunately, groups like the ACLU have twisted the First Amendment to mean
something entirely different. For instance, Dr. Kennedy recalled that in 1999,
on the National Day of Prayer, hundreds of citizens gathered to pray at City
Hall in Fort Lauderdale, at an event hosted by the mayor. When the local
director of the ACLU heard of it, he complained that such a meeting
"violates the separation of church and state."
However, this interpretation was not the intent of the First Amendment. As
William Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court since 1986,
has stated, "The separation of church and state is a metaphor based on bad
history and worse law. It has made a positive chaos out of judgments, and it
should be frankly and explicitly abandoned."
What Difference Does it Make?
Even when confronted with the truth, skeptics will still ask the question,
"So what?"
Does our nation's Christian heritage really make a difference in our everyday
lives?
The answer is an emphatic yes, said Jerry Newcombe, co-author of four books with
Dr. Kennedy, including the best-selling What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?
He says the Christian beliefs of America's Founding Fathers led them to create
"a number of institutions and civil liberties based on the Bible. Those
things have carried over and were inscribed into our Constitution."
Author/historian Peter Hammond agrees. He says that because the Bible recognizes
man's sinfulness, American government's Christian founders were very careful to
put "separation of powers," as opposed to an all-powerful king, and
the rule of law, rather than the rule of men, into the Constitution. This
ensured our nation's basic freedoms.
"This was a unique innovation of Christianity," said Hammond.
America's Christian heritage has also been a blessing to those of other faiths,
who can worship freely. "Without question, no country in the last 2,000
years has provided the safe haven of tranquility and prosperity for Jews as has
the United States of America," said Rabbi Daniel Lapin, author of
America’s Real War. "And this is not in spite of Americans being
Christian—it's because of it."
In contrast, when atheistic communism took over Russia in 1918 and China in
1949, Christianity was outlawed. This is because, as Peter Hammond points out,
the authors of communism believed that human nature was not the problem.
However, as American history makes clear, Christianity, and not man-made
philosophy, has brought about a revolution of freedom within its borders and
around the world.
These reasons are why it is so important for Americans to remember their roots,
says Dr. Kennedy. "Once we let the government believe it is the source of
our liberties, we are never safe," said Dr. Kennedy.