Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Let us re-adopt the Declaration of Independence, and with it, the practices, and policy, which harmonize with it. ... If we do this, we shall not only have saved the Union: but we shall have saved it, as to make, and keep it, forever worthy of the saving.”

I was motivated to take some time this week to read the United States Declaration of Independence. The eloquence of the document is striking, for example, “when in the course of human events it becomes necessary…” — I love that! The laundry list of King George III’s offenses that added up to the position that he was executing absolute tyranny is impressive ("He has abdicated Government here ... He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people"). Additionally, I read with great admiration of the boldness and courage demonstrated by these leaders to sign their names to such inflammatory statements that could jeopardize their livelihoods as well as their lives. But the thing that is standing out most from my re-read is the Founding Fathers’ unequivocal affirmation of belief and faith in the Almighty, Living God.

Now let me make something clear: the forefathers of our great country, it seems to me, would have never viewed the writing of the Declaration of Independence as a religious document. From what I understand of revolutionary history, there was a wise and sincere motive to avoid any kind of “state religion” in the founding of the United States. Some argue in our day that this writing is a “Christian document,” but these political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution were merely expressing collectively what they knew to be true about reality. Their articulation was of a flawed and desperate humanity in need of the real and present Almighty God, and they viewed this as a “self evident truth.”

There are five references to God in this American treasure that point out the reality of God’s existence and his work in our realm. First of all, God is acknowledged as the Supreme Law Maker ("the laws of nature and of nature's God"). Secondly, God is recognized as the Creator of all men (“all men are created equal”). Thirdly, it is claimed that God is the source of all rights (“are endowed by their Creator with inherent and unalienable rights”). Fourthly, God is expressed as the Supreme Judge. And lastly, God is proclaimed as the protector we can rely on (“with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence”). Our forefathers were not laying down a dogma of a specific religious sect but were articulating a common law that for them was as easy to accept as the law of gravity.

What caused our Founding Fathers to collectively embrace the truth of the real and present God of the universe? Some might say it was the world they lived in, steeped in religiosity. But is coming from a “religious background” enough? Many of these were the greatest minds of the time and their minds were being developed in the “age of the enlightenment.” Growing up with a “religious background” is no guarantee.

Rather, these men lived in an age of dramatic uncertainty. They faced daily the realization of their inability to overcome the persecution they were facing and the odds against them of a war against the British Empire. This led them to write  “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions.” This urgent request (yes, a prayer!) captured for us in this document by our first American leaders can be a director for Americans today.

I believe great leaders point people to the help that comes from a real and present God. King David of ancient Israel did this when he wrote a song about the rescue that comes from God. This song, recorded in the 46^th Psalm, verses 1-3 reads, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”  David was encouraging those around him that God is an ever-present, safe place to go to out of the elements that we may face in this world.

What causes those in our culture to reject the reality of a Creator and a Sustainer who is real and present? Pride can be the cause of rejecting God, or in other words, an elevated view of humanity that sees each individual as completely self-autonomous. Also, some spurn God because of the “faith element,” while being unwilling to recognized the faith elements of a scientific world-view.

I like our 16^th President’s appeal, “Let us re-adopt the Declaration of Independence, and with it, the practices, and policy, which harmonize with it.” I have a suggestion. Find this great American treasure and read it, even make it a family activity (you can Google search and find it!). And let’s re-instill in our great nation the value of a real and present God.