Letting History and Destiny, and not hatred, Help Shape Our Present Day

By: Rev. Mark Tankersley, pastor of Gaston Community Church

Dear Followers of Jesus,

No matter what we say, and no matter what we write, there will be opposing views. So let’s affirm that going into this. I am not writing to change opinions, because knowing our church, I think most people have made up their minds and resolved as to who they will vote for on November 5.

But I think it is right and appropriate and even commanded that we speak truth in the arena of this world (Jesus did; Paul did; Peter did; the Church did). Voting is one way to speak, and Christians of all ages should take it more seriously it seems. We also need to speak more openly about things that affect the good of people and the freedom of conscience and the free promotion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The cry that almost always arises is “separation of church and state” which is probably the most abused phrase in the history of America. (To know the true history of that phrase, just look up the Puritan Roger Williams and his letter to Thomas Jefferson). It is ironic, and I think hypocritical, that some of the people today who often shout against the church’s constitutional and God-given freedom to speak on moral/political issues, are often the ones who actually have politicians (who share their worldview) come speak in their churches!

Anyway, sadly I used to worry about the re-writing of history (which apparently has been happening for decades), but now I am burdened to realize that most people don’t care about history. We just live in the now, and detach the ‘now’ from the past in order to shape a new future, often by highlighting only one aspect of the past that is sometimes used to weaponize a viewpoint, whether the viewpoint is comprehensively accurate or not. Sadly, even we as Christians in America have increasingly shown that we tend to love our freedom more for our indulgences than for integrity and the pursuit of higher principles that often demand personal restraint, public engagement, suffering, and even sacrifice. When I read the history of the best of Pilgrims, the best of the Puritans (the way that most of their good history has been demonized is atrocious), and those who resolved to have a free country, I have to conclude that we have become in may ways a nation of wimps, and to be humble about it, we as Christians do not escape that description. We are too quiet about the Gospel; too focused on living the good life more than the godly life; too quiet about the political issues that are sometimes first and foremost moral issues; and way too afraid to speak truth in the public arena. The government and the secular world are perfectly content if we just stay in our buildings and have our bible studies, as long as we don’t express our freedom of thought and conscience in the market place. Every time we do that today, we are accused of “forcing our sacred religion upon the people” … and that is a form of tyranny exercised by people who are truly “forcing their secular religion” on the people by intimidation, job firings, restrictive job hirings, and most alarmingly, by legal means … seeking to create laws that are increasing the growing (and less-than-subtle) tyranny.

Regarding voting,  I don’t vote for people and personalities. I try to study the principles and policies that people stand for, and do the best I can to vote for people who generally respect these things: freedom of religion, freedom of expression, preservation of life, and the minimization of governmental power (this last one feels like a lost cause, almost, no matter what side you are on [But there are new political parties that do speak to that issue]). What is one of my biggest concerns in America? A growing form of tyranny that restricts and even punishes freedom of thought and expression (especially from a worldview shaped by Biblical and moral principles). But, as I said at the beginning, someone will likely even oppose that statement, but I do think that we need to really look at what is truly happening at an alarming pace. We can be alarmed and speak and act accordingly without being labeled as acting like fanatics or conspiracy theorists.

So, what I want to share today is history. Re-read this historical document below, and let the reasons why America exists today, by virtue of the providence of God, resonate with us as we see the seeds of tyranny (oppression against a biblically informed worldview, liberty, moral law, and rational discourse), being planted for the last several decades, in my opinion. I haven’t said a word about who you should vote for. That is not my place. But I think it is urgently upon us to study policies and principles that people really stand on (and I know it is hard to discern truth in this culture of lies, but surely we can vote based on some personal studying of the issues, and not just based on the middle-school immaturity of ads being produced on all the forms of media today). And then most of all, I think we should do what the Deacons and Elders and I did Monday night … knelt at the altar in our church, praying for our country, the election, and the future of the church in America and for the people in our church and communities.

So, if you have time, please read this piece of history, and if you don’t have time … make time! One thing we can say about this is that in those days most Americans (not all) were polarized, but not against themselves … most were polarized against tyranny. It wasn’t as much about whose team was going to win (I.e., political party) but whether freedom was going to win. In my opinion that is the real battle for today … freedom centered in moral conscience and government centered in moral laws. This document is special. Not all of the issues are still pertinent today, but many are:

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America,
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.

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.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

I conclude by saying that I want to be a good citizen, and I want to promote the general welfare of all that I can. But there is something much greater that we must re-ascribe to as Christians. Let’s be good citizens here, and the best way to do that is to be passionately engaged in our citizenship from heaven, because by so doing, we will bring light to the increasing darkness, and hope for the hopelessly lost! This is part of our mission as Christians in America. And let us remember that the best way to live out the Declaration of Independence via a Christ-centered way of life is live our lives as Declaration of Dependence on almighty God, who gave His Son to set us free from sin and death. And, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36).

Hebrews 11:13-16
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.  If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.  But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”