The Faith of Our Presidents
This deserves loud pushback.
President’s Day is an opportunity to reflect on more than just the role of the leader of our nation. Yes, this person should be an individual of strong character, strength, courage and fidelity to what is best for Americans.
However, America also has a long-standing history of that office being carried out by a person of faith. The American project was built on the belief that God is real and that He created us with a dignity that no ruler ought to violate.
The summer of 1783 saw much confusion and fear about the future of the country. The War of Independence had been won, but the states were still scrambling to decipher how they would interact with each other and with Congress.
Before Gen. George Washington resigned from his command, he wrote a letter to all the governors (it was intended for the entire American community as well). This letter is known as the Circular Letter to the States.
Washington begins, “I think it is a duty incumbent on me, to make this my last official communication, to congratulate you on the glorious events which Heaven has been pleased to produce in our favor.”
Here, and in other correspondences and speeches, Washington clearly holds that God had a hand in supplying the American project with the strength to be victorious. It was in the hands of Divine Providence that they defeated Great Britain because God favors those who are oppressed. It is that divine help that he concludes his letter with as well:
“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination & obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large and particularly for their brethren who have served in the field.”
It is only through the lens of faith that any country can hope to frame the need to care for one’s fellow citizens.
The only reason to obey government rule and love our neighbor is because they are all made in God’s image and likeness. If God is not a part of the national discussion on moral action, then we can convince ourselves that it is those in power who decide what is right and wrong.
On April 30, 1789, Washington delivered his inaugural address and became the first president of the United States. His words remind us that our country was founded by and fought for by noble, courageous, and faithful men who were grounded in God’s providential care.
“It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official Act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the Universe … and whose providential aids can supply every human defect.”
Washington knew that even as the American experiment was launched into existence, they were only able to arrive at this moment because of God’s hand. Without reference to the need for God and the importance of faith for our country, we risk becoming lost concerning who the human person is and what it means to live as a nation.
Washington was our first president but also the first in a long line of leaders of our country who spoke vocally about …
This deserves loud pushback.
President’s Day is an opportunity to reflect on more than just the role of the leader of our nation. Yes, this person should be an individual of strong character, strength, courage and fidelity to what is best for Americans.
However, America also has a long-standing history of that office being carried out by a person of faith. The American project was built on the belief that God is real and that He created us with a dignity that no ruler ought to violate.
The summer of 1783 saw much confusion and fear about the future of the country. The War of Independence had been won, but the states were still scrambling to decipher how they would interact with each other and with Congress.
Before Gen. George Washington resigned from his command, he wrote a letter to all the governors (it was intended for the entire American community as well). This letter is known as the Circular Letter to the States.
Washington begins, “I think it is a duty incumbent on me, to make this my last official communication, to congratulate you on the glorious events which Heaven has been pleased to produce in our favor.”
Here, and in other correspondences and speeches, Washington clearly holds that God had a hand in supplying the American project with the strength to be victorious. It was in the hands of Divine Providence that they defeated Great Britain because God favors those who are oppressed. It is that divine help that he concludes his letter with as well:
“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination & obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large and particularly for their brethren who have served in the field.”
It is only through the lens of faith that any country can hope to frame the need to care for one’s fellow citizens.
The only reason to obey government rule and love our neighbor is because they are all made in God’s image and likeness. If God is not a part of the national discussion on moral action, then we can convince ourselves that it is those in power who decide what is right and wrong.
On April 30, 1789, Washington delivered his inaugural address and became the first president of the United States. His words remind us that our country was founded by and fought for by noble, courageous, and faithful men who were grounded in God’s providential care.
“It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official Act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the Universe … and whose providential aids can supply every human defect.”
Washington knew that even as the American experiment was launched into existence, they were only able to arrive at this moment because of God’s hand. Without reference to the need for God and the importance of faith for our country, we risk becoming lost concerning who the human person is and what it means to live as a nation.
Washington was our first president but also the first in a long line of leaders of our country who spoke vocally about …
The Faith of Our Presidents
This deserves loud pushback.
President’s Day is an opportunity to reflect on more than just the role of the leader of our nation. Yes, this person should be an individual of strong character, strength, courage and fidelity to what is best for Americans.
However, America also has a long-standing history of that office being carried out by a person of faith. The American project was built on the belief that God is real and that He created us with a dignity that no ruler ought to violate.
The summer of 1783 saw much confusion and fear about the future of the country. The War of Independence had been won, but the states were still scrambling to decipher how they would interact with each other and with Congress.
Before Gen. George Washington resigned from his command, he wrote a letter to all the governors (it was intended for the entire American community as well). This letter is known as the Circular Letter to the States.
Washington begins, “I think it is a duty incumbent on me, to make this my last official communication, to congratulate you on the glorious events which Heaven has been pleased to produce in our favor.”
Here, and in other correspondences and speeches, Washington clearly holds that God had a hand in supplying the American project with the strength to be victorious. It was in the hands of Divine Providence that they defeated Great Britain because God favors those who are oppressed. It is that divine help that he concludes his letter with as well:
“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination & obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large and particularly for their brethren who have served in the field.”
It is only through the lens of faith that any country can hope to frame the need to care for one’s fellow citizens.
The only reason to obey government rule and love our neighbor is because they are all made in God’s image and likeness. If God is not a part of the national discussion on moral action, then we can convince ourselves that it is those in power who decide what is right and wrong.
On April 30, 1789, Washington delivered his inaugural address and became the first president of the United States. His words remind us that our country was founded by and fought for by noble, courageous, and faithful men who were grounded in God’s providential care.
“It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official Act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the Universe … and whose providential aids can supply every human defect.”
Washington knew that even as the American experiment was launched into existence, they were only able to arrive at this moment because of God’s hand. Without reference to the need for God and the importance of faith for our country, we risk becoming lost concerning who the human person is and what it means to live as a nation.
Washington was our first president but also the first in a long line of leaders of our country who spoke vocally about …
0 Comments
0 Shares
34 Views
0 Reviews
