Greg Laurie an evangelist, author, and
the senior pastor of Harvest Riverside, CA, tells of his recent visit to Mount
Rushmore in South Dakota. As I looked up
at the monument’s faces of great American presidents, it was amazing to think
about their contribution to our country.
“It’s amazing to think back at the roots and heritage of our country. Mount Rushmore showcases 60-foot carvings of the founder of our country George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and finally, Abraham Lincoln. All of these men believed in a God and that the Bible is the Word of God. I can’t say whether they all had a personal relationship with the Lord, but they understood the importance of a Biblical foundation.”
Abraham Lincoln said of the Bible, “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good of the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book.”
Thomas Jefferson, speaking of the Bible, said, “I have always said, and always will say, that the studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better fathers, better husbands. The Bible makes the best people in the world.”
Theodore Roosevelt said of Scripture, “It is necessary for the welfare of the nation that men’s lives be based on the principles of the Bible. No man educated or uneducated can afford to be ignorant of the Bible.”
Finally, George Washington, our first president, said, “To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.”
Greg went on to say, “In this day of political correctness, can you imagine a president saying that today? Yet, that’s what our Founding Fathers said. We’ve moved away from this. Now, we don’t want to talk about the God of the Bible and we don’t want to talk about the Bible as the Scripture given to us from God Himself. That’s the problem. America needs a spiritual restoration.”
The city of Philadelphia is where our Founding Fathers penned documents that gave freedoms to us as a nation. We have the freedom of speech. We have the freedom to speak our mind. We have the freedom to preach the Gospel.
Greg believes, “There are troubles in our nation today, and I believe that these troubles are primarily due to a breakdown in our spiritual foundation. What’s the solution? I don’t think it’s political. I believe that America needs to turn back to God.”
The Declaration of Independence, penned by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration of Independence is clearly based on a Judeo-Christian worldview.
Is there any hope for America? Are things going to just get worse? Will our streets ever be safe again? Will the family ever be strong again? Will we ever see good prevail over evil, or are we simply doomed to failure?
The meltdown in our country might seem strange in some ways because so many profess to believe in God. The statistics suggest that 94% of Americans believe in God, and 84% of Americans believe Jesus is God. In that way, America’s big on spirituality. The reality is that the majority are “spiritual” only as long as it’s personalized, taking bits from various religions. That doesn’t work! God tells us how we are to believe. He gives us absolutes in His Word—the Bible.
Did you know that in America today, most children are born out of wedlock? What once was scandalous is now the new norm. 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. 71% of all High School dropouts again come from fatherless homes. 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home.
Traditional marriage is under siege, divorce is rampant, and sexual immorality is everywhere. We need help! It’s been said a family can survive without a nation, but a nation cannot survive without the family.
America The Beautiful says, “America, America, God shed His grace on thee.” That’s so true, but there’s trouble in our country right now. It seems like things are upside down these days; right is declared wrong, and wrong is right. The Bible says woe to those “that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).
Could America ever come back to God? Greg says, “I believe we could if we follow the promises of 2 Chronicles 7:14. In its original context, that promise is given to the nation of Israel, but principally, it applies to any nation. God says, ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’”
Just because the historians engage in historic revisionism doesn’t mean that America was not founded on Judeo-Christian roots. That is our foundation, and we need to get back to it. We need to turn to the true and living God.
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