Saturday, November 25, 2023

Patriot Academy Notes 4: Meet some Founding Fathers

 Meet some Founding Fathers

History:

-Ben Franklin was the least religious founding father, but he used 11 Bible verses 

-At the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence he stated “ We must hang

together, or, most assuredly we will hang separately.”

-meaning that failure to stay united and succeed would lead to being tried and executed 

-In 1774, Ben Franklin was accused of treason against the Crown 

-Franklin realized that compromise would not end the dispute between the colonies and

the Crown

“I have lived a long time, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live the more convincing proofs

I see of this truth–that God governs the affairs of men. And if the sparrow cannot fall to the

ground without his notice,

it is probable that an empire can rise without his aid?” (Benjamin Franklin)

“Remember your history, your long and rich history” (Isaiah 46:9)


History:

-247 founding fathers and only 10 were not Christians

-God was in the equation as 34% of the Bible was used to create our nation

-teaching the Bible was the culture 

Georg Washington

-In 1776, Washington published his farewell address intended to serve as a guide to

future statecraft for the American public and his successors in office

-Washington warned that the forces of geographical sectionalism, political factionalism,

and interference by foreign powers in the nation’s domestic affairs threatened the

stability of the republic

-Washington’s main point was that religion + morality = political system 


James McHenry

-appointed Secretary of War by President George Washington

-key role in maintaining the nation’s defense and security during a critical period in history

-proposed the idea of having a “War department” as the official name for the military

branch responsible for national defense (established Military Academy at West Point)

“Without justice, there is no liberty; without liberty, there is no justice”

“The preservation of liberty depends on the intellectual and moral character of the people”

“Government is no reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and

a fearful master”

“Freedom is the most valuable possession of man, and if jeopardized, no other advantage can

compensate for its loss”

“Power and authority should always be exercised with humility and respect for the individual

rights of the people”

“A nation cannot thrive when its leaders are corrupt and its citizens are apathetic”

“The greatest threat to liberty is complacency”



John Hancock

-was one of the founding fathers who played a pivotal role in the founding of this

nation in 1776

“Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend

those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.”

“Manners, by which not only the freedom, but the very existence of the republics, are

greatly affected, depend much upon the public institutions of religion and the good

education of youth”

“May the Supreme ruler of the world be pleased to establish and perpetuate these new

foundations of liberty and glory”

“Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual”


Benjamin Rush

- was a signer of the Declaration of Independence

-In 1787, Rush proposed a national system of public education with a federal university to train public


servants and favored the education of women

-Rush was one of the first Founders to call for free, national, public schools

-Rush was a distinguished physician and scientist

-Rush understood the role of an educated citizenry as regards the stability of a republic

“I believe no man was ever early instructed in the truths of the Bible without having been made wiser or better


by the early operation of these impressions upon his mind.”

“If moral  precepts alone could have reformed mankind, the mission of the Son of God into our world would

have been unnecessary” 

In the winter of 1777, 

“I sat next to John Adams in Congress, and upon my whispering to him and asking him if he thought we

should succeed in our struggle with Great Britain, he answered me, ‘Yes-if we fear God and repent of our sins.”


Benjamin Rush 


VS. 


Slippery Slope to current school system:


-Horace Mann served in the U.S. of Representatives from 1848-1853

-Mann wanted to diminish the role of religion in the classroom

-Horace Mann if called the “Father of Public Education” because he was an American educational reformer,

slavery abolitionist, and Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education

-4 principles of education: 

1-citizens cannot maintain both ignorance and freedom

2-this education should be paid for, controlled, and maintained by the public

3-this education should be provided in school that embrace children from varying backgrounds

4-this education must be nonsectarian 

5-this education must be taught using the tenets of a free society

6-this education must be provided by well-trained professional teachers 


John Quincy Adams

-mentored Abraham Lincoln

John Quincy Adams spoke against slavery so much he was placed under a gag order 


William Lloyd Garrison

- inspired Fredrick Douglas 

-untiring reformer who worked for women’s right to vote, civil rights, and prohibition

-he led the moral crusade for abolition of slavery in the United States

-Garrison believed that if slavery, indeed, were sinful, it needed to be expunged instantly from the United States


***We need weapons for spiritual war in a post-truth world

"Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict fullof suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side

by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the

confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions"

(Hebrews 10:32-34).










Patriot Academy Notes 3: Duty is ours-the results are His


Duty is ours-the results are His

Dealing with polls are weak because the pulpits are weak

Did your faith influence your vote? 6 out of 10 said no

Bring your faith forward and how it connects with politics

Did your church do anything to train you or equip or motivate you to vote-70% said no



-We should be willing to fight and die for the next generation as it only takes one generation

to lose freedom (Just as our forefathers risked it all for us to maintain our freedoms)

-We must be intentional and not assume the next generation understands the meaning of freedom

-We must use the Constitution to save the Constitution


Federal Powers: given enumerated powers

-to lay and collect taxes

-pay debts and borrow money

-regulate Commerce

-coin money

-establish post offices

-protect patents and copyrights

-establish lower courts

-declare war

-raise and support the military

***these powers should not be expanded with “WE THE People” input


Article 5 of the constitution


-states we can say no to federal expansion

Convention of States

-balance is Congress needs two thirds of both Houses to deem an amendment necessary 

-if the legislatures receive two thirds of the states agree to apply for a convention then Congress is

directed in the Constitution to convene one


History:

Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia met between May and September of 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation


Patrick Henry requested that the Virginia colony raise a militia to defend the right to freedom

-the quote “Give me liberty or give me death” was a line form his speech given March 23, 1775


Give me Liberty or Give me Death Speech


Civil Discourse:

-Is defined as a conversation in which there is a mutual airing of views. It is not a contest; rather, it is intended to promote mutual understanding. 

-civil discourse like in the Bible is that of iron sharpens iron

-Marxist values in today’s culture silences opinions

-Marxism wants us to stop discussing but be at war with one another

-Marxists want us to hate each other 

***Silence of everyone leads to Civil War as people will resort to violence 

-the United State is a Constitutional Republic

-Democrats constantly want more power so now everything is a threat to the false democracy


Article 4 of the Constitution

“The United States shall guarantee to every Stat in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence”


Constitution Annotated


Point in History

-Ronald Reagan gave his most famous speech on June 12, 1982 when he challenged the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbechev to “Tear down this wall!”

“If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed” (Ronald Reagan).


***Misconception today is the Green New Deal as it stops the natural processes of the Earth, stop the natural processes of civilization, and stops the natural processes of the economy


Today:

-We have forgotten that America was built on freedom

-We strive to no longer empower parents to decide what is best for their children (ex. School choice)

-feat of bad outcomes has stopped us from doing good


Patriot Academy Notes 2: We are teetering between liberty vs. tyranny

 Church Rick Green: We are teetering between Liberty vs. Tyranny

We do not need more politicians, but we need patriots


Politicians: only think about the next election

Patriots: focus on passing the torch on to the next generation


“Things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in truth would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands'' (Psalm 78: 3-7).


Moralistic therapeutic deism

-identification that God exists, but all he really wants is for us to be happy and nice 

-feel good talks, pep rallies, not equipping congregation in the battle

-focus on a faith issue and not brush off it is a political issue

-Romans 12:2 not conform to the world-transform-renew our minds

-my faith has no play in the vote I just took

-word of god-principles and values

-motivate and take a stand to vote biblically

-25 million christians-167,000 churches-voting population of 22 state

-that many people of faith are not voting

-MFV impact is to get people to take their faith into the voting booth

-think biblically-studies-why it matters-abortion-socialism-other


Christian benevolence:

-under the guise of “having kindness, compassion, and being well mannered” our government has been removing God out of public life

-1962: Supreme Court ruled that school-sponsored prayer in public schools violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment

-1963: Abington School District vs. Schempp ruling, which made the corporate reading of the Bible and recitation of the Lord’s Prayer unlawful in public schools

-1980: Stone vs. Graham ruling, so the Supreme Court ruled that Kentucky law that required the posting of the Ten Commandments on the wall of ever public school classroom in the state violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment because the purpose of the display was essentially religious 


Question:

Why do prayer, Bible, and the 10 commandments violate the establishment clause in our public school?

Answer:

-what has been established is a court-constitution 

-removal because fear that students would see the 10 commandment, read them, study them, and obey them

***In its place we have removed God 


Moral Relativism

-the idea that there is no universal or absolute moral principles

-It’s a version of morality and advocates “to each his own,” and those who follow it say, “Who am I to judge?”

-Formula: take out God then there is no right or wrong or consequences for behavior

-only left with feelings, so no moral compass

-no longer teaches God’s given authority

-the result is an overreaching power of government over the people 

-it removes “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.”

***Don’t be fooled-have wise precautions-be prepared-we live in a fallen evil world

***we must have discernment on where authority should be God’s authority and involvement


Cultural Infusion

-requires intentional actions to address social inequities and to address social justice 

-encourages lifelong learning about culture, cultural identities, social locations, and social justice 

-neglects precepts in the Bible 

-Only 9% of church members are actively involved in studying the Bible daily

**We need to recognize that America’s culture is crumbling 


Cultural War

-Anti-God groups have won the war in education, entertainment, media, journalism, and pulpits

-Social Justice advocates forces the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society

(oppressor, oppressed, white supremacy, critical race theory, gender queer theory, intersectionality, redistribution)

-Tyranny: Government grows to stamp out bad behavior as they deem


Counter the Cultural War 

-We need to counter with true justice, due process, and freedoms

-we need to preserve our liberty 

-Liberty must have morality

-Secularism is the absolute separation of church and state

-Religion should neve be taken out of politics

-Secularism is incompatible with the Great Commission


"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it"

(Thomas Payne).


"To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead"

(Thomas Payne).


"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to me"

(Matthew 28: 18).




Patriot Academy Notes 1: What is the law of nature and nature of God?

 What is the law of nature and nature of God?

"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

The American Founders recognized the “Law of Nature and Nature's God,” the universal moral law of mankind, in the United States' Declaration of Independence as the moral and legal basis for creating a new, independent nation. For this law served as the foundation of man's natural rights and the limits of earthly power.


The Declaration of Independence was a reflection that the American natural rights republic was rooted in natural law. Reason and divine revelation supported the natural law that shaped a good government built upon the understanding of human nature and the rights given to humans by God.


What does the Bible say about the law of nature?

Paul points out that this moral law written on the human heart is given by the Creator God to mankind in nature and is validated by a person's innate moral sense and reason. The Law of Nature was affirmed by God-oriented medieval and modern thinkers who recognized and cited Paul's description in Romans 2.


Bible:

-calls us to be good stewards 

-calls us to maintain Biblical citizenship

-calls us to invest in freedom

-calls us to do your duty = vote

-true Christians can’t separate Jesus’ Great Commission to the church


Is there a difference:

-Politics is how to treat each other (legislates behavior)

-Christianity is that you treat others how you want to be treated (2nd greatest commandment-comes from the

Holy Spirit)

“All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war,

proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible” (Noah Webster).


“Freedom cannot be exported to a nation that has no marketplace for the Gospel where the spirit of the Lord is,

there is liberty” (David Chilton).


Jesus didn’t command us to sit around getting crushed by Satan waiting to die. 

God’s truth is called “hate speech”


Lukewarm Christian

-tolerance of the generations before us has led to subversive takeover of every facet of society and even the

faith by the global elite


Purpose of government from a Christian’s perspective


-is to preserve and protect the Christian understanding of civilization known as Christendom

-Proverbs 8:15

“By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just”

-Daniel 2: 21

“He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and

knowledge to the discerning.”

-Daniel 4:17

“The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know

that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over

them the lowliest of people.”

-Romans 13: 11-14

 “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber,

because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.

So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime,

not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of

the flesh.”