The Roots of Liberty

Traveling with my dad meant never taking the same road twice, so we inhaled dirt on paths not found on any map. Discovering petrogylphs, touring Fort Hall, reading signs about the Oregon Trail, and watching bison graze on the prairie are fond memories of my childhood.

History was alive to me. The musty smell of old museums and the faded signatures of pioneers were not just relics from the past. They contained a part of my identity. I imagined living life in a rough-hewn log cabin. I wondered how my great-grandmother stored enough food to last the long winter. Strength and perseverance prevailed in the cold desert of Southern Idaho. My ancestors wrestled with the land and forced it to bloom.

America’s forefathers fought something more deadly than a desert. They labored against an idea that existed for millennia.

Social order rested on the assumed natural inequality of men. The individual was regarded as of value only as he formed a part of the political fabric, and was able to contribute to its uses, as though it were the end of his being to aggrandize the State. This was the pagan idea of man…This low view of man was exerting its full influence when Rome was at the height of its power and glory. Christianity then appeared with its central doctrine, that man was created in the Divine image, and destined for immortality; pronouncing that, in the eye of God, all men are equal. Richard Frothingham quoted in The Christian History of the Constitution

America’s liberty is rooted in an idea that reaches across oceans and continents. The seed took generations to sprout, but when the intrinsic value of the individual permeated society, it broke crowns and freed slaves. Today the roots are dry and cracked. They are buried, but they still nourish. Individuals are valuable. Each person has the fingerprints of God. When self-evident truth is embraced, liberty spreads.

May future generations abound in the sweet savor of self-government’s blossoms displacing the grime along life’s many trails.

For further insights about the Christian Idea of Man visit PrincipledMom

Veterans Salute- Freedom is not Free

Our freedom comes at a great price. Gratitude can never repay the sacrifice. Nevertheless, it is all we can give.

This video is a tribute to American soldiers who have fought for liberty. Watch the history of American wars depicted through art that immortalizes the gratitude of a nation.

Raising Washingtons

Today we gathered at a friend’s house to celebrate America’s birthday. After eating wonderful food, enjoying insightful conversation, and mucking up rain water, we reflected on the Declaration of Independence written, so many years ago, on July 4, 1776. As my son read the opening words of the founding document, I felt a strange euphoric pride. My nine year old read clearly,

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

The feelings swelling in my heart were not because he read every word, or because he could interpret the s’s that look like f’s. I had a glimpse of the future. This young man is being taught the history of his country. He might not understand every word of this precious covenant, but he knows that his rights are given to him by God. My growing boy has an idea of the price paid for liberty. He realizes that it is his responsibility to protect freedom first in his own conscience. This gives me hope. Hope that future generations will live in peace.

God of peace! whose spirit fills

All the echoes of our hills,

All the murmur of our rills,

Now the storm is o’er,

O let freedom be our sons,

And let future Washingtons

Rise, to lead their valiant ones

Till there’s war no more! (from The Fourth of July by John Pierpoint)

American History for the Nations

I was blessed to attend Youth with a Mission’s Teachers for the Nations school in Tyler, TX. I don’t remember exactly how many nations were represented in my school, but we had quite a variety. My classmates were from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nepal, Latin America, and even Canada, of all places. They all came to the United States to study America’s Christian history. They wanted to understand the principles of liberty so they could impact their nations, not to turn them into America, but to fulfill God’s plan for their country.

I believe one of the misunderstanding about the Principle Approach is that it is just about America. Yes, there is a focus on the history of this country, but how can we love other nations until we love our own? Love is the only thing that will empower individuals to reach out to their neighbor. Love will inspire the study of history to see what God has done and is doing.

The individuals I studied with had a passion for their countries. They loved their nations so much they studied about the founding of America for a whole year, because they realized the liberty we have in this nation is from God. They knew that the best way to bless their neighbors was to learn where liberty comes from, how it spreads, and how to protect it.

Isaiah 9:7 says, “There will be no end to the increase of His government.” Christ’s government is not just for America. He is working in every tongue, tribe, and nation. Liberty is for everyone, first internally and then externally. I can’t wait to see were Christian self government will triumph again!

-originally posted on the bibleprinciples yahoo group-