A Christian Nation

Psalms 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”

Growing up in a nominal Christian family, I believed in God, though we did not attend a church or any Sunday Worship Service. As a young boy, I personally believed that God created everything and that almost everyone was going to Heaven because Jesus died for the sins of the world. In God We Trust was on our money, we said “One Nation Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, the Nation’s Declaration of Independence spoke of the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God, and the Founding Fathers of this nation wrote that “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. I was born in America, a Christian nation and proud of it. As I grew in age, I also grew in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. I now know the whole gospel, continue to grow daily and serve the Lord.

I don’t remember the attacks on Christianity that we see today by unbelieving individuals and groups in America, though I first started seeing changing laws in the 1960’s (i.e. School prayer). Darwin’s evolution, Scopes monkey trial and separation of church & state, etc. didn’t seem to be much of a factor because God created the heavens and the Earth ... or did I just not see the attacks clearly then. There was no “Spring Break”; it was Easter Vacation, which celebrated Holy week and Jesus’ passion. There was no “Winter Break” either; it was Christmas Vacation, which celebrated the birth of Christ. On Thanksgiving Day the family got together and thanked God for His provision and hand upon our lives. The Little League baseball pledge begins with the words “I trust in God”. My Boy Scout’s Oath said: “On my honor I will do my best. To do my duty, to God and my country.” Red Skelton always ended his TV show by saying: “Good night now & May God Bless” and I remember all this to this day. Daily life and activities demonstrated the faith of the nation as Christian. But today, hostile atheists are attempting to silence Christians and the church from both proclaiming the kingdom of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ and the proclaiming of the Word of God found in the Holy Scriptures of the Bible, which convicts the sinner to bring us all to repentance and a saving knowing of the Savior & Lord. Today, we have to stand firm (Ephesians 6:13-15) and defend our faith, that those who do not know the Lord may find the foot of the Cross, where forgiveness and salvation awaits the sin-sick soul and eternal life begins. Like Thomas, the world is saying: “Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?", and Jesus is still answering, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:5-6). God bless America!

Philippians 1:27 “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.”

In Christ, Brian