TERROR TO TRIUMPH #24
CENTURY OF GENOCIDE 1850-2000 AD
By Frank Dietz
2 Chron 7:14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will 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.”
In our last weekly letter we saw the three different waves of the modern mission movement. In the 19th century we have experienced the greatest expansion of prosperity, freedom as well as Biblical faith in all of history. It is said that the standard of living in America increased 900% and the principles of the Book permeated every area of society and was being imitated around the globe.
However, at the dawn of the 20th century signs of a brutal paganism were coming back into the Western world. Also during this time Christians were abandoning the very institutions that their ancestors had carved out of a wilderness. We see that the future course of nations just like the past course of nations rests upon the people of God. When we look back over the history of nations we see that it was theologians who really brought about the change and laid the foundation that governments and others could build upon.
Benjamin Morris in his book "Christian Life and Character Of the Civil Institutions Of the United States", written 150 years ago said: "The institutions of the North American republic had their birth and baptism from the free inspirations and genius of the Christian religion. The founding fathers constituted the Christian religion as the underlying foundation and the girding and guiding element of their systems of civil, political, and social institutions." In the light of what our present president said that we are not a Christian nation this statement by Benjamin Morris is very important.
What were some of the points that Benjamin Morris made to back up his statement?
1. The Christian inspirations and purpose of the founders and fathers of the republic. It would be an injustice to historical truth not to affirm and admit that our founding fathers were under a special and constant guidance of an overruling Providence.
2. The Christian men who founded our civil institutions were men who were trained in the midst of battle in which the truest ideas of liberty and religion were developed. Benjamin Morris said in his book: “The persecutions of the Puritans in England for non-conformity, and the religious agitations and conflicts in Germany by Luther, in Geneva by Calvin, and in Scotland by Knox, were the preparatory ordeals for qualifying Christian men for the work of establishing the civil institutions on the American continent. “God sifted,” in these conflicts, “a whole nation, that he might send choice grain over into this wilderness;” and the blood and persecution of martyrs became the seed of both the church and the state.”
3. They developed the true symbol of civil government. What was it? The symbol of civil and religious liberty as the great idea and end of all their civil institutions. They saw that the Christian religion was not only for spiritual doctrines, but also for the basis of a civil government.
4. The papers and constitution of the different states show a clear understanding of the Christian religion. Time does not allow for the utterances of the different founding fathers, but when one listens to what they say about Providence guiding them it is very clear that they are referring to the Christian religion. George Washington said the following: “I am sure that there never was a people who had more reason to acknowledge a divine interposition in their affairs than those of the United States; and I should be pained to believe that they have forgotten that agency which was so often manifested during the Revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence of that God who is alone able to protect them. He must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations.”
5. In Washington DC, our capital, one will see evidence of the Christian religion. Ten Commandments over our Supreme Court, sayings of our founding fathers espousing the Christian religion on our government buildings and even on our coins and fiat money we have ‘in god we trust’.
6. The revolution for liberty, independence and even our type of government was due to the Christian religion. It was the Gospel of Christ that girded our men for war, our statesmen for debate and gave the early pilgrims hope and courage.
In closing this weekly I again would like to quote Benjamin Morris: “The leaders of our Revolution were men of whom the simple truth is the highest praise. They were singularly sagacious, sober, thoughtful, wise. Lord Chatham spoke only the truth when he said to Franklin of the men who composed the first Colonial Congress, “The Congress is the most honorable assembly of statesmen since those of the ancient Greeks and Romans in the most virtuous times. They were most of them profound scholars, and studied the history of mankind that they might know men. They were so familiar with the lives and thoughts of the wisest and best minds of the past, that a classic aroma hangs about their writings and their speeches; and they were profoundly convinced of what statesmen know and mere politicians never perceive—that ideas are the life of a people— that the conscience, not the pocket, is the real citadel of a nation.”
We are in a cultural war here in the West and therefore it is imperative that we review our history, where we have come from and what we need to stand on.
Frank Dietz
Minister at Large
OM International
