Thoughts for Independence Day I

As we approach Independence Day, I have been thinking quite a bit about the United States of America and we Christians living here. I have been thinking about the history of this nation and all of the great things it has done, as well as some of the not-so-great things it has done. I have been considering the role that Christianity has played in our history and the role that we must play in the future. While I am not making the argument that America and her inhabitants are God's chosen people for today, I do believe that in many ways, we have felt many blessings from God.

America never was a Christian nation, as some people claim. Many of the founding fathers were deists and secularists. America was framed partly according to the governmental models of Ancient Greece and Rome as well as drawing from the Magna Carta and much Enlightenment era work. While some of our documents such as the Declaration of Independence appeal to a Creator, Thomas Jefferson, the author, did not believe in the God of Christianity. Rather than trying to create a country run by Christians, the framers made a country where it was safe to be a Christian of whatever persuasion one might be. Those ideals also made it safe for those of other faiths to live in this country without fear of governmental persecution.

However, beneath all of the Enlightenment philosophy there did lie the influence of Christianity. It was Christianity that made Western culture. Christianity was the religious motivator of all of Europe since the time of Constantine. To understand Europe and America without the influence of Christianity can be likened to trying to understand middle eastern history without the influence of Islam. American history is linked to the influence of Christianity, and especially Protestantism. Much of the early settlement in North America was due to religious persecution. It was this that helped to establish America as a country that held religious freedom in such high esteem. A population with a fairly Christian worldview combined with much of the wisdom gained from the lessons of history helped to create a prosperous country that millions of people have flocked to in hopes of a better life. This is the most prosperous country in the world, and even today people all over the world desire nothing more than to come to this land.