Christian New England

Christian New England

     While researching the Christian worldview of the Founding Fathers, one must not throw back on to people in the past things and thoughts from the present. When one thinks of New England in today's time, one does not associate a strong Christian worldview, normally New England today is thought of as a secular area. Going through the 25 volumes of Letters of the Delegates 1774-1789 and 34 volumes of Journals of Continental Congress, the evidence from the primary sources showed me that the nation's strong Christian worldview came from New England. My preconceived idea was that the South would have the stronger Christian worldview. As you read the body of my quotes of Christian worldview from each state, I believe you will see that the Southern signers of the Declaration had a weaker view of Christianity. For many of the signers from the South, it took quite a bit of searching to find one general quotation about a Christian worldview. However, for New England, one does not have to dig hard; the evidence is strongly there. Again, please look at the signers from each state of New England; their Christian worldview glows (New Jersey glows as well with Rev. John Witherspoon and company).

      With many of the New England states, it is a strong unanimous vote for the Christian worldview. In Massachusetts, there are John and Samuel Adams. Look at their Christian worldview quotes on my site as well as their anti-slavery stances. John Hancock, son and grandson of a minister strongly proclaimed days of prayer asking for God's direction. Robert Treat Paine served as a chaplain in the French and Indian War. Elbridge Gerry also had a strong Christian worldview To get insights from the New England mindset of that time, look at the words of the song, "Let Tyrants Break Their Iron Rods." Let tyrants shake their iron rod, And Slav'ry clank her galling chains, We fear them not, we trust in God, New England's God forever reigns. Please take note of the last line of the first verse: "New England's God forever reigns." It was New England and not the South that served as the starting engine for the American Revolution.

     Let us also look to the views of the mother country, England. General James Grant led British troops against American soldiers at Brooklyn, New York. In his September 2, 1776 letter to Harvey said the following: " You will be glad, & gentlemen in Office will not be displeased that we have had the Field Day I talked of in my last Letter- if a good Bleeding can bring those Bible faced Yankees to their senses. The Fever of Independency should soon abate." New England's God, Bible faced Yankees, and the body of Christian worldview quotes from the signers of the Declaration of Independence from New England establish the fact that New England had the strong Christian worldview.

     Conversely, the South at that time had a weak Christian worldview. They followed the established Anglican religion. The reader will note that Thomas Jefferson is not noted for having a strong Christian worldview. This author would class him as having the weakest Christian worldview (if that) of the whole bunch. When many argue that the Christian worldview should not be allowed to have a voice in discussions about government because the Christian worldview allowed slavery back at the Founding, they lay the fault at the wrong party. It was the weak established Anglican Christian worldview of the Southern States (like Jefferson, Rutledge and Middleton and others)at that time that supported slavery. New England with its Christian worldview opposed slavery. Jefferson's Bible that took miracles out of the Bible left readers with a Jefferson Jesus. Jesus to Jefferson was a great moral teacher. Jefferson rejected the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus. Jefferson rejected the miracles of Jesus, all his healings, the raising of the dead, the feeding of the multitudes. Who was the leader for the Democrat party? Is it not called the party of Jefferson and Jackson?Which party supported slavery from the beginning? Was it the Democrat-Republican party/Democrat party? What party made it difficult at every turn to stop slavery? Even though the Founders outlawed slavery from the Constitution in 1787 (by saying that 18 years will allow slave owners to have time to get out of slavery), what party kept pushing at every turn to keep slavery going? It was the party of Jefferson. If one looks at the party of Jefferson from 1820 to 1860, one can see the party platforms saying slavery was fine.

     It was the party of Lincoln who championed the idea of the Founders that all men are created equal. Please do not muddy the waters and say that Jefferson's diluted form of religion that he used when needed was kosher with the Old and New Testaments. His watered down approach to the Bible and God allowed him and his followers to view African Americans as less than people. All citizens of the United States regardless of skin color need to return to what God has revealed in the Old and New Testaments.

     Concerning the three fifths vote, the New England delegation did not want to give the South the full vote because after all the votes were tabulated, the South would have overall more votes that they could use to keep slavery lawful.  New England wanted to eliminate slavery by 1805.  In order to stay alive as a nation (with other nations attempting to conquer us), the compromise was done to keep the nation afloat.

Have We Sold Our Birthright as Americans? Lessons From Esau

Reading the story of Esau and the birthright of Americans is a theme found among the writings of the Founding Fathers

Declaration of Independence
We hold these things to be self-evident that all men are created equal and they are endowed with certain inalienable rights among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

John Jay 

If then, God hath given us freedom, are we responsible to him for that, as well as other talents?  If it be our birthright, let us not sell it for a mess of pottage [referring to Esau selling his birthright], nor suffer it to be torn from us by the hand of violence!  If the means of defence are in our power and we do not make use of them, what excuse shall we make to our children and our Creator?  These are questions of the deepest concern to us all.  These are questions which materially affect our happiness, not only in this world, but in the world to come.

John Jay's "Christmas Address," Dec. 23, 1776

John Dickinson
“Had Almighty God been pleased to give Us our Existence in a Land of Slavery , the Sense of our Condition might have been mitigated by the Force of Education & habit.  But Thanks be to his adorable Goodness, We were born the Heirs of Freedom, and ever enjoyed our Right under the Auspices of your Royal Ancestors, whose Family  was seated on the British Throne, to secure a pious & gallant Nation from the Popery and Despotism, mediated by a superstitious, and inexorible Tyrant...We doubt not, but your royal Wisdom must approve the Sensibility, that teaches your subjects anxiously to guard the Blessing they received from Divine Providence and thereby to prove the performance of that compact, that elevated the illustrious House of Brunswick to the Dignity it now possesses...

What is more important to Americans today?  Do they value their birthright with freedom as their most important denominator or have they sold it for some government benefit?

Benjamin's Franklin- Almost a Christian Worldview

Ben Franklin- Almost a Christian Worldview

      Coming up on Ben Franklin’s birthday (January 17, 1706), it seems appropriate to write about the difficulty of determining whether or not he had a Christian worldview. Those who read this blog as well as my book 1776 Faith will note that I have stated that 54 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence had a Christian worldview. The two exceptions were Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. Both have stated in their writings that they doubted or denied the deity of Jesus Christ.

     There is a lot that could go on the side of showing a Christian worldview for both of these gentlemen but their comments about the deity of Christ is the determining factor in not including them in the Christian worldview. Franklin to Ezra Stiles, Philadelphia, March 9, 1790 [Franklin died April 17, 1790] “As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think they System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting Changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his Divinity.” Franklin goes on to say:”I shall only add, respecting myself, that having experienced the Goodness of that Being in conducting me prosperously thro’ a long life, I have no doubt of its Continuance in the next.” Franklin doubts or denies the deity of Jesus Christ yet believed he was going to heaven. One that truly calls himself or herself a Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. Jesus claimed to be God as seen in John 8:58 “Before Abraham was I AM.” In Hebrew, the word YHWH was translated as “I AM.” John 14:6 states, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In Acts 4:10b-12 Peter spoke the following before the Sanhedrin: “.It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name given under heaven to men by which we must be saved.”

     Franklin could honestly say that he followed God according to his fashion but did not specifically follow Jesus Christ. In another entry, Franklin’s strong attestations to God in human events will be presented For someone to call themselves a Christian and deny the deity of Jesus Christ is like: A hunter that does not believe in killing animals A Muslim that does not believe that the Qu’ran is the Word of God A fish that does not believe in water A Catholic that does not believe what the Pope says A vegan that does not believe in eating vegetables Franklin did a load of good things in his life. His scientific inventions include electrical discoveries with lightning, the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, bifocals, etc.

     In the political field he also had many special accomplishments. He helped start the first library in Philadelphia, the first fire company, became president of the Abolition Society in Pennsylvania. He stood for American independence and took a public debunking for it at the Privy Council in London and he never forgot it. He helped win the support of France during our struggle for independence and crossed the Atlantic at great peril. London probably would have a fine gallows prepared for him, or Tower of London special treatment, if he had been caught.

      Personally I wish it were different. I wish Franklin had said that he trusted Christ for the forgiveness of his sins. I do not know if Mr. Franklin had a change of heart and mind after making his statement to Rev. Ezra Stiles. However, if it stands the way Franklin said it then, He died without the Saviour. It would be such a tragedy for someone to be so intelligent but so unwise. Franklin said here that he had really never studied it. He thought it needless to study it now. If one’s eternal destiny is at stake, he needed to study it. The world’s most intelligent man became unwise in the most important question of his existence. This reminds me of a sermon from Billy Graham entitled “Almost Persuaded.” Paul appeared before King Agrippa in the book of Acts26:28 and after giving him a presentation of the good news of Jesus Christ, Agrippa said the following to Paul: “Almost thou persuadeth me to become a Christian.” Almost did not cut it for Agrippa, nor will it help Franklin when he stands before Christ. Dear friend, choose Christ. Take the time to study about the sinless life, the sacrifice and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You may be very intelligent but also be wise.